Eye of the Beholder

I’m sort of breaking from what I said already when I proposed our first month would be devoted to Star Wars, but I was cobbling together a magical item that I felt like sharing. This is a 5e compatible magical item that can easily be the centerpiece to a campaign, or a powerful object that falls into the hands of a party. A mirror unlike any other created using sand from a transformed beholder, and endowed with special properties to aid in locating and defeating them.

The Eye of the Beholder

Wondrous Item, Legendary, Requires Attunement

Created using sand from a transformed beholder this powerful artifact is feared by all of the tyrants and whispered of in tales of the heroes who’ve slain them.

This mirror can be used to cast the scrying spell without using components or spell slots, but it can only be used to scry for beholders.

The mirror can also absorb or reflect any rays cast beholder’s as described below.

Absorb:  When a ray used by a beholder is used within your line of sight you can use the absorb effect as a bonus action. The ray vanishes into the surface of the mirror and is held within it for 24 hours. Up to 3 rays can be absorbed at a time. As an action the wielder can cast the ray back at the beholder.

Reflect: When target by a ray cast by a beholder make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, if successful turn the ray back on the beholder that cast it and apply the effect as described.

Note: The absorb and reflect effects cannot be used on the same ray, meaning if you attempt to absorb a ray you cannot also attempt to reflect it on the same turn.

Hoard of the Dragon Queen Tip

For those who don’t know the Hoard of the Dragon Queen module from Wizards of the Coast is pretty brutal. Right of the starting gate characters can and have been killed during the intro session when players find themselves rushing to aid a city under siege by an army of mercenaries, kobolds, and literally a dragon! Now I don’t hate this module by any stretch of the imagination, as a matter of fact I like it quite a bit. I know there is fair amount of hate out there because some players and DMs felt that the module forced players down a chute where death was the most likely outcome.

This to me is an example of why adventure modules need good DMs behind them. You need someone whose going to read through it, consider the party, and adjust the game as needed. When I ran our first session for the podcast I made some changes and adjusted the adventure to make it less lethal, while still keeping things challenging. We were playing with a party of five and nearly all of their characters were combat focused. One of them almost died within the the first minute of the first encounter.

There are tons of great bloggers out there who provide tips for running this module, so there’s already a wealth of information available online if you want to tweak the adventure. You could also listen to our playthrough  if you want to see what changes I made myself. What I want to propose is different than simply altering the adventure.

Run the module as written and lets say your entire party dies or only one or two characters makes it out alive shall we? Now that might frustrate some players but assuming everyone is game for more have them whip up new characters with direct links to the old ones, and the survivor can join up with the new party. Now the new player characters have a direct link to the previous events and an obvious reason for wanting to pursue the antagonists. Obviously preface that first game by warning players that the module you’re running is going to be lethal, don’t just spring it on them. You might consider bumping the second group of player characters up to level three as well just to give them a bit of buffer against another party wipe.

Anyway that was just a thought that came into my head and I thought it might be worth sharing.

Here’s a link to episode one of our playthrough of Hoard of the Dragon Queen if you’re interested: http://outofcharacter.buzzsprout.com/13127/282736-episode-29-hoard-of-the-dragon-queen-part-1

The Terror of Haverford Review

A week or so back I purchased a PDF copy of The Table Titans adventure module Terror of Haverford, and I’m really glad that I did because it is great.I don’t want to spoil it for potential players so don’t worry I won’t be giving away any big plot elements here. This is just going to serve as a general overview of the adventure. For starters, the adventure was written by Jeffrey Ludwig and illustrated by Scott Kurtz.

I really enjoy Scott Kurtz’s artwork and the pieces he did for this module are great conveying a sense of humor without being silly. At the same time they serve to make it feel more like a classic module you could find on a shelf in a game store sans ancient cheese powder stains. If you’re a family friendly DM looking for something for a younger player set I think the artwork is ideal. The module is free of the gore and “sexy armor” that sometimes runs amok in the rpg world which I appreciate. There are useful maps of the village of Haveford and other surrounding areas provided which makes it easy to establish the setting and where things are quickly.

Now that we’ve gotten talk of the art out of the way lets dive into the module itself shall we? Jeffrey Ludwig did a great job of creating the module while avoiding two things I absolutely cannot stand. Players are not railroaded into taking a single line of action, and it isn’t boring in any way shape or form. From beginning to end this module is fun and engaging for the players. Fans of the Table Titans webcomic will be happy to know that while the adventure is set in the same universe, with the adventure taking place in and around Haverford you’re not just retracing their steps.

The adventure starts with the party arriving at Haverford to find the village choked with refugees from the surrounding area. The description provided does a great job of conveying just how dire the conditions in the village have become. Players are confronted with an obvious problem from the start that serves to drive the pivot of the story home. Rumors of savage attacks in the area and some mysterious lurking terror further fuel the player’s imaginations.

One of my favorite things about this adventure is that it is extremely adaptable to the style of play for almost any gaming group. Early on the party is given the opportunity to prove their worth to the local Sheriff Carraway Blackshield by performing a number of tasks his men have been unable to see to. What I love is that this doesn’t function like a video game where you must complete a certain number of side quests for an npc before being allowed to carry on with the story.You can choose to complete as many or as few of these tasks as you choose to, and the penalty for choosing to ignore them completely isn’t devastating. You will be rewarded with better equipment and respect in the eyes of the Sheriff if your party completes a sufficient number of these tasks. If you ask me though the real reward is getting to learn more about Haverford and what has been going on in the surrounding area.

The adventure itself is divided into three parts and each one has a clear function to serve the story, but players have a huge amount of freedom in how they choose to pursue them. Part one could make up an entire night’s gaming or they might charge right through it. Now if the party charges on ignoring everything except their ultimate goal…they’re probably going to fail to complete the module. I like modules that function a bit like a buffet, players can choose what they like and ignore what they dislike. Terror of Haverford does this extremely well as players pick and choose which quests and leads to follow up on.

Ultimately the adventure unfolds giving you a few different possible scenarios. There’s a bit of an urban campaign, a bit of dungeon crawling, mysteries to uncover, and plenty of evil butts in need of a good kicking.

If someone has decided to give Dungeons & Dragons because they enjoy reading Table Titans this is an ideal module for players and DMs alike. It is written for a party of four first-level players and is a great jumping off point for a regular campaign. Depending on the party and their choices I’d say you can get at least 2 or 3 sessions out of this module. Selling for $9.99 it is a great value and something that I think players can have a lot of fun with.

Here’s a link to the download if you choose to purchase it: http://store.tabletitans.com/products/terror-of-haverford-table-titans-adventure-module-a1

Episode 85: Curse of Strahd 2 Funeral Rites

The party returns for round 2 of our run through the Curse of Strahd adventure module.

http://outofcharacter.buzzsprout.com/13127/449173-episode-85-curse-of-strahd-2-funeral-rites

The Lamp Lighters

A while ago I mentioned we’d be making some changes to the podcast. Namely we would be focusing on 3 ongoing games for our campaigns. That doesn’t mean we’ll never upload or play anything else, but it does mean there will be a more consistent tighter series for people to enjoy. I realize it can be hard to stay invested when episodes are spread out so far.

One of the 3 games we’re going to be playing is our Lamp Lighters campaign set in The Forgotten Realms. Featuring Bastion Urd, Nyssa, and Umraetana. This campaign will be ongoing and we’ll be doing our very best to keep episodes coming on a regular basis. My hope is that we manage to put up at least one of these a month if not more.

The artwork for the game was created by Geoff Munn, a fantastic artist who does all of the art for our campaigns.

If you’re interested in catching up with Lamp Lighters here are links to the first 3 episodes. As of this moment that is all there are and you have plenty of time before we get down to business.

http://outofcharacter.buzzsprout.com/13127/324939-episode-53-lamp-lighters-part-1

http://outofcharacter.buzzsprout.com/13127/327000-episode-54-lamp-lighters-part-2

http://outofcharacter.buzzsprout.com/13127/433909-episode-77-the-lamp-lighters-part-3

At the moment I am focusing on finishing up some older episodes we’d recorded and uploading them, as well as a few other games like our 2 part City of Mists game. As for what other ongoing games you can expect from us we have those planned out. We’ll be doing a supers campaign and a game set in Middle-Earth. More detail will be revealed about those projects as we solidify the details.

Episode 81: Spellwork

In this round of GM tips I offer some ideas for tackling spells such as summoning, scrying, teleporting, banishing, and resurrection.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/episodes/442424-episode-81-spellwork

Muses D&D 5e

I was stricken by inspiration to create D&D 5e version of a Muse today, and I thought it turned out pretty well so I felt like sharing. This take on the Muse could definitely be tinkered with if you want to give the one you’re using in your campaign a bit of flavor. If you want one the is focused on say magic rather than other areas you could bump up the Intelligence a bit and provide her with a few more spells.

It is worth noting that I built the Muse to be something that avoids combat whenever possible. If someone summons and attempts to bind one they will use the spells at their disposal or their legendary action to slip away at the first opportunity.If it comes to it they can draw a sword and leap into the fray, but it would be an absolute last resort.

I do think you should always have multiple Muses in a game, and their should be some sort of familiar relationship there. I view them as goddesses/demi-goddesses/ lesser deities with power they choose to turn away from commanding the universe. They inspire the works of mortals, and so I see them walking among all races. The elf at the harp, the dwarf at the forge, the mage scribbling out a new spell, and the general looking for a brilliant strategy might all be visited by one. Maybe in your world each race has a unique pantheon of Muses all their own father by the chief deities of that race?

I hope you’ll find them fun!

Muse

Medium celestial, chaotic good

Armor Class 29

Hit Points 340

Speed 60 ft.

Str 24 (+7), Dex 30 (+10), Con 24 (+7), Int 24 (+7), Wis 24 (+7), Cha 30 (+10)

Saving Throws Dex +16, Int +13, Wis +13, Cha +16

Skills Acrobatics +17, Arcana +13, History +13, Insight +13, Performance +16, Persuasion +16

Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons.

Senses Truesight 80 ft., passive Perception 16

Languages All

Challenge 18 (20,000)

Innate Spellcasting. The Muse’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (Spell Save DC 26 +16 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells requiring no material components.

At will: Charm Person, Dream, Enhance Ability, Freedom of Movement, Guidance, Heroism, Pass Without Trace

1/day each:  Beacon of Hope, Hallow (Courage), Plane Shift, Power Word Stun, Time Stop

Legendary Resistance (3/day). If the Muse fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. The Muse has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons. The Muse’s weapon attacks are magical.

Divinity. If reduced to 0 hit points a Muse immediately reappears in the Astral Plane where she remains for 3d6 days until restored to her full hp.

Actions

Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d8 + 7) slashing damage.

 Legendary Actions

The Muse can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Muse regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Dramatic Entrance: The Muse automatically goes first in the initiative order. The Muse disappears and reappears within 120 ft. of her current position (This is usually accompanied by sensory effects that are loud, flashy, or bright but otherwise harmless). Creatures within 60 ft. of the Muse’s position when she reappears and can see her are Stunned.

This action can be taken at any time, rather than at the end of another creature’s turn.

Divine Inspiration: The Muse inspires all nonhostile creatures with 80 ft. of it. Inspired creatures can’t be charmed or frightened, and they automatically succeed on their next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw before the Muse’s next turn.

Exit Stage Left: The Muse disappears reappearing back on her home plane in her own domain. This action may only be taken once each day, and the Muse must remain in her domain for a full day after using it.

 

Goddesses, demi-goddesses, divine spirits of inspiration, and proclaimers of heroes the Muses are the driving force behind creative expression in all forms.

Muses take no interest in doing battle, but they will bear witness to deeds of heroism and cunning carried out by adventurers. On more than one occasion a Muse has even gone so far as to appear on battlefields or in besieged fortresses inspiring warriors to greater heights that allowed them to seize the day.

Muses are fond of collecting magical objects that they can in turn give to those who will use them to perform. Magical instruments, books of lore, enchanted tools, and other such items may well find their way into a Muse’s collection.

Troglodyte Fouler

These little guys could make for a very unwelcome surprise in a Spelljammer encounter since one of the big threats your players can face happens to be running of of clean air to breathe. In other, more traditional games their chaotic monsters that can make the battlefield an utter nightmare for defenders. Imagine a few of these things popping out of a hole in the ground in the middle of a city. They are much smaller and less physically powerful than ordinary troglodytes, allowing them to be launched from catapults and other such devices.

You can find stats for siege equipment in the 5e Dungeon Master’s Guide on pages 255-256. Support the official release or whip up some of your own stats. Keep in mind troglodytes are brilliant, so they would probably have stolen or found such devices from others. If they did manage to build one it was probably cobbled together from giant bones and bits of string.

Troglodyte Fouler

Small humanoid (troglodyte), chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)

Hit Points 11

Speed 30 ft.

Str 10 (+0) Dex 16 (+3) Con 12 (+1) Int 8 (-1) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 6 (-2)

Skills Stealth +4

Senses darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 10

Languages Common, Troglodyte, Undercommon

Challenge 1/4 (50 xp)

Chameleon Skin. The troglodyte fouler has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide.

Stench. Any creature other than a troglodyte that starts its turn within 5 feet of the troglodyte must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature’s next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the stench of all troglodytes for 1 hour.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the troglodyte fouler has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Actions

Befoul: The troglodyte fouler releases a 15-foot-radious sphere of noxious, green gas centered on it, all creatures except troglodytes within the area of the cloud must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature’s next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the stench of all troglodytes for 1 hour. In an environment with a limited air supply (An underwater cavern system, a dwarf-made bathysphere, or a ship traveling through wildspace) this ability befouls 3d6 days of the remaining air supply. Wind disperses the cloud after 5 minutes, otherwise is remains for 1 hour. The area is lightly obscured.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4) piercing damage.

Bred to exude a stench greater than other troglodytes these diminutive reptilians are sometimes launched between vessels to foul the air. They will seek to hide aboard vessels until the air supply is completely contaminated making it even easier for troglodytes to overtake crews. Troglodyte foulers have cleared out cavern networks making them homes unfit for anyone except their larger kin. Although they work with troglodytes these creatures often find themselves falling prey to troglodytes looking for an easy meal.

Ring of Rug

This is a somewhat silly, but possibly useful magical item I whipped up for Dungeons & Dragons 5e. It is untested but I think players could have a bit of fun with it.

Ring of Rug

Ring, uncommon

As an action the wearer of this ring can transform into a seemingly ordinary rug. You may choose the type of rug at the moment of transformation (ex: polar bear, tiger skin, threadbare, ornate, etc.). At any time you may transform back into your ordinary form as an action.

In your transformed state you have a +10 bonus to Stealth checks and advantage if used in a suitable location where a rug might be common. When transformed in the middle of a forest you gain no bonus and you have disadvantage on your Stealth check. Final determination on this ruling should be discussed with your Dungeon Master.

While transformed your movement is reduced to 0, and you take 1d4+1 bludgeoning damage each time a creature that is medium-sized or larger steps on you.

Picture from Geeknative.com