Cataclysm of the Primordial Orders

Home Dungeons and Dragons Cataclysm of the Primordial Orders

Session XXIX – Chapter One

2023-12-01

18^th of Kythorn of the year 1492

“You seemed to have lost something.”

Standing in front of Fogo was something that looked like ISAC dressed in only a tattered green cloak that emitted sickening smoke. ISAC was wearing nothing except the cloak. He stood there looking a bit more human in his inhuman body. He had an etching of a green dragon on his chest and some sort of runes on shoulder plates.

“Are you ISAC?”

“I think so.

And the reunion of ISAC and the party began. Fwoosh led the party into something he called a cinnamon roll hug while ISAC tried to answer the questions of the party and explained what had happened to him. Everyone was happy with his return except Dancer who kept a wide-eyed look and focus on ISAC the rest of the evening, occasionally poking him with a stick to make sure he was real. Unlike the rest, Dancer had never seen ISAC without his mask, or even knew that ISAC was not a human.

When daylight finally arrived, the group tried to go through their normal routines, but it was difficult for everyone since they had gotten used to the mornings without ISAC. A lot of the morning was spent discussion about what they should be doing next. The Earth Monastery was too well organized and probably too much for them, so with Fogo pushing for the possible pirate base, they packed up the camp and headed toward the river.

Following the river north, they could see a keep up ahead. Hiding in the forest nearby the keep they spied on what few inhabitants they could see. While the keep was not in perfect shape, but it had obviously been repaired sufficiently to make it functional. They could see guards walking the walls which were at least 25 feet tall. A large sailboat was docked on the eastern side.

Seeing that this was something in far better condition than they thought, and had vigilant guards on the walls, the party needed to come up with a firm plan. They vacillated between trying to make an upfront entry at the front door or do some reconnaissance in secret. Vladimir was holding out for a secret entrance but was talked out of those hopes. In the end they waited for dark to have Dancer do a sneak reconnaissance of the keep.

To possibly stack things in their favor, Vladimir asked his dagger for an Augury.

“What are the odds that we will find members of the Mirabar trade delegation in this castle?”

“Weal”

Once it was dark, Dancer began wandering around the edges of the keep identifying the guards on the walls that seemed to be humans carrying torches to see. Hoping for more noise, he was disappointed that those within the keep seemed to be somewhat disciplined and on guard. There were at least two guards on each of the walls. All the walls were about 25 feet in height with each floor of the buildings about 15 feet high.

Deciding that it might be better to get some elevation, he snuck over to one of the keep buildings and carefully climbed up to the roof to get a better vantage point. From there he could confirm the guards and some groups of bugbears that were wandering the grounds. He could clearly see the large ship docked into some sort of water break. There were a couple of guards on the wall there, again with torches for lights. He could see a couple of single-story internal buildings that had some lights but overall, it seemed quiet for the evening.

One of the buildings seemed to have more traffic with oddly dressed people. They did not look like the guards or even the bandits they have encountered. They had more stylized clothing in different colors of blue. Guards and others came and went from the large building that Dancer was on top of. Only low noises could be heard, the occasionally word, but no loud partying.

At one point while watching, he was able to see two people go from the big building to the boat and seem to settle down for the night there. The guards at the boat changed at least once while Dancer was watching.

With his spying complete, Dancer quickly made his way back to the party’s camp. He relayed what he found which only worried the group more since there were a fair number of opponents. When he described the two odd one’s going into the ship, Avery was able to identify the short man as a deep gnome, while the others suspected that the blue man was Genasi, but since they knew so little about them it was impossible to confirm.

It was then that their planning went forward with full force, although some of it seemed to involve launching people over the wall, to sneaking inside with the wagon, or maybe trying to have one person sneak in via the water entrance. They discussed where they might find the prisoners and if they could set the boat on fire as a distraction.

As a test ISAC decided to see how deep the river was. While murky at the edges, the water got deep within 15 feet of the shore. Given that the river was more than a mile wide at the narrowest point, this was expected. It might be a bit rough and slippery if ISAC attempted to walk along the inside edge of the river.

The end strategy seemed to be to approach from the water side and if possible, cause damage to the ship while making their attack. Fogo decided that a second spying mission was needed to see how easily the group could approach from the water side and to identify any obstacles they might encounter.

Turning into a giant frog and swimming his way to the port side of the keep. Swimming around to get an idea of what was there, he moved into the small acritical bay and found a gate in the cliff face that let further underground. Looking through it, he could see an underground river that went off into the darkness. Changing into a smaller frog he swam through the gate carefully. A bit further down the along the river he found a set of steps that led out of the water and a couple of board moored there. Two doors were visible on the landing.

Seeing that the river continued, Fogo decided to be following a long further. As he went further down the tunnel, the water started moving faster and he could hear some roaring and crashing of water further ahead. It was then that the water around him seemed to animate into some sort of giant serpent that was able to track exactly where he was even in his tiny form. Combat ensued with Fogo attempting to swim away to get somewhere safe.

Crawling out of the water and rushing to one of the doors Fogo thought he might have made it to safety, but instead had run into a prison area with guards. It did not take long for them to beat him unconscious, strip him of everything, and imprison him appropriately for being a magic caster of some sort.

Meanwhile the party kept waiting for Fogo, hours went by, and they realized that something bad had happened to their friend. Hoping that Fogo was just trapped somewhere and not killed or captured, there was not much they could do right now. Not having any way to contact him, they waited for the morning to have Angelica prepare the Sending spell to see if they could reach out to him. Moving camp to ensure their location was not revealed they settled in for the night, all of them feeling a bit sad and uncomfortable.

19^th of Kythorn of the year 1492

Morning rolled around and Angelica sent her message via Sending:

“Are you ok? Where in the fuck are you?! What the hell happened?! Please respond as soon as possible! We are all worried!”

“Alive. Captured. One cellmate. Everything is dark. Underground river attached to cove with dangerous snake. Narrowly escaped, then attacked by guys, and lost. Help.”

And this is where the session ended.

Campaign Notes

They found the pirate keep, or at least they found something that looked like it should be a pirate keep. It was in the right location from what the Feathergale Knights told them. They successfully completed one reconnaissance, but failed miserably at the second when they just went a little too far along the underground river.

Fogo is captured, maybe tortured a little, and now the party needs to seriously consider a rescue mission into a fortified camp.

Harpers

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-03-02

Description

A scattered network of spellcasters and spies, the Harpers advocate equality and covertly oppose the abuse of power, magical or otherwise. Agents operate in secret and emphasize stealth and subtlety, or at the very least discretion. Bards and wizards are their most prominent members.

Personality and Backgrounds

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-03-02

Personality and Backgrounds

Characters are defined by much more than their race and class. They’re individuals with their own stories, interests, connections, and capabilities beyond those that class and race define. This chapter expounds on the details that distinguish characters from one another, including the basics of name and physical description, the rules of backgrounds and languages, and the finer points of personality and alignment.

Character Details

What is contained within the Player’s Handbook related to names, gender, height, and weight are sufficient to cover most situations for newly developed characters. There is not any reason to expand upon those.

Alignment

This detail for each character can be viewed as more of a guideline of expected behavior but will not be strictly enforced unless there is some class requirement for a specific expected behavior.

Languages

There are not any changes to the base language sets. It is expected that all the characters will minimally speak common unless there is a specific background or story about not being able to speak common. It is also assumed that all characters are literate, again unless there is a story reason to change that.

Personality Characteristics

The Player’s Handbook offers many different suggestions on a character should consider for different traits, both good and bad. There are also the more specific ones offered under each of the Backgrounds. Again, these are all considered guidelines and only to be used if the player feels they need that assistance to understand their character and their background better.

Inspiration

Inspiration is a rule the Dungeon Master can use to reward you for playing your character in a way that’s true to his or her personality traits, ideal, bond, and flaw. By using inspiration, you can draw on your personality trait of compassion for the downtrodden to give you an edge in negotiating with the Beggar Prince. Or inspiration can let you call on your bond to the defense of your home village to push past the effect of a spell that has been laid on you.

Gaining Inspiration

Your DM can choose to give you inspiration for a variety of reasons. Typicality, DMs award it when you play out your personality traits, give in to the drawbacks presented by a flaw or bond, and otherwise portray your character in a compelling way. Your DM will tell you how you can earn inspiration in the game.

It is also frequently rewarded for some brave action, superb role-playing, or the completion of a difficult objective.

You either have inspiration or you don’t-you can’t stockpile multi pie “inspirations” for later use.

Awarding Inspiration

Think of inspiration as a spice that can be used to enhance the campaign.

Roleplaying. Using inspiration to reward roleplaying is a good place to start for most groups. Rewarding a player with inspiration when that player causes his or her character to do something that is consistent with the character’s personality trait, flaw, or bond. The character’s action should be notable in some way. It might drive the story forward, push the adventurers into danger, or make everyone at the table laugh. In essence, you reward the player for roleplaying in a way that makes the game more enjoyable for everyone else.

Consider each player’s roleplaying style and try not to favor one style over another.

For example:

Allison might be comfortable speaking in an accent and adopting her character’s mannerisms, but Paul feels self-conscious when trying to act and prefers to describe his character’s attitude and actions. Neither style is better than the other. Inspiration encourages players to take part and make a good effort, and awarding it fairly makes the game better for everyone.

Heroism. inspiration can be used encourage player characters to take risks. A fighter might not normally hurl himself over a balcony to land during a pack of hungry ghouls, but they could be rewarded for the character’s daring maneuver with inspiration.

Genre Emulation. Inspiration is a handy tool for reinforcing the conventions of a particular genre. Under this approach, think of the motifs of a genre as personality traits, flaws, and bonds that can apply to any of the adventurers.

For example:

In a campaign inspired by film noir, characters could have an additional flaw: “I can’t resist helping a person I find alluring despite warnings that he or she is nothing but trouble.” If the characters agree to help a suspicious but seductive noble and thereby become entangled in a web of intrigue and betrayal, reward them with inspiration.

Similarly, characters in a horror story typically can’t help but spend a night in a haunted house to learn its secrets. They probably also go off alone when they shouldn’t. If the party splits up, consider giving each character inspiration.

A sensible person would avoid the noble’s intrigues and the haunted house, but in film noir or horror, we’re not dealing with sensible people; we’re dealing with protagonists in a particular type of story. For this approach to work, create a list of your genre’s main conventions and share it with your players. Before the campaign begins, talk about the list to make sure your group is on board for embracing those conventions.

Using Inspiration

If you have inspiration, you can expend it when you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. Spending your inspiration gives you advantage on that roll.

Additionality, if you have inspiration, you can reward another player for good roleplaying, clever thinking, or simply doing something exciting in the game. When another player character does something that really contributes to the story in a fun and interesting way, you can give up your inspiration character inspiration.

Reset of Inspiration

All inspiration that is gained during a session, if not used, expires at the end of that session such that all the characters will start with no inspiration at the next session and must earn it again.

Homebrew Proficiencies

When new tools or kits are added to the game this also will need to be reflected in the affected proficiencies as well as where that proficiency might be acquired.

Harvesting Kit

This guide adds in the new tool: the harvesting kit. Players may have proficiency in this like any other tool, and it is highly advised for them to have it as it provides a valuable bonus when making the checks outlined in this book. To accommodate this additional tool, the following classes and backgrounds have been slightly altered to give them the option to gain proficiency in the Harvesting Kit.

Rangers may have proficiency with the harvesting kit upon character creation (this skill is not gained in multiclassing)
Druids may have the option to choose between proficiency in the herbalism kit or the harvesting kit upon character creation (this skill is not gained in multiclassing)
The Hermit background may choose between the herbalism kit and the harvesting kit as its starting tool proficiency and gains the appropriate kit as part of its starting equipment.
The Outlander background may choose between a musical instrument or the harvesting kit as its initial tool proficiency. They may also choose between a hunting trap, and the harvesting kit in its initial starting equipment.

Backgrounds

Every story has a beginning. Your character’s background reveals where you came from, how you became an adventurer, and your place in the world. Your tighter might have been a courageous knight or a grizzled soldier. Your wizard could have been a sage or an artisan. Your rogue might have gotten by as a guild thief or commanded audiences as a jester.

Choosing a background provides you with important story cues about your character’s identity. The most important question to ask about your background is what changed? Why did you stop doing whatever your background describes and start adventuring? Where did you get the money to purchase your starting gear, or, if you come from a wealthy background, why don’t you have more money? How did you learn the skills of your class? What sets you apart from ordinary people who share your background?

Expectations

Background serves not only to help give your character life, but it also provides the DM hooks to apply to the Campaign to give your character more than just a two-dimensional feel to it. You can include a happy childhood, horror, or anything in between that feels that it helps create the personality and history for you character.

Obviously, you cannot create an unbalanced background such that it would not fit into the Campaign. All backgrounds must be approved and most likely will be modified buy the DM to help it fit into the story everyone is about to participate in.

All backgrounds will need to be able to answers several fundamental questions:

Why are you adventuring? What is motivating you to live this dangerous lifestyle?
Do you have any other motivations?
Where did you come from? Where did you live? What was your life there?
Do you have any family alive? Where are they?
Do you have any important friends or contacts that would be useful to your new life?
Why would you be joining a group of strangers to do anything? Why would you trust them? Would you trust them? At some point you will need to integrate with the group and if you create an onerous personality and background that will prevent that, it will be difficult for your character to participate with the group.

Homebrew Backgrounds

While the multitude of reference, modules, and other books include many different backgrounds that are available to the players, sometimes there is the need for something more than just the standard ones. Here are the available homebrew backgrounds for this Campaign.

The following Homebrew backgrounds are available to the characters if their background would warrant the use of one of them.

Built in a Lab
Far East Traveler
Farmhand
Harvester

Built in a Lab

Some master of both magic and machinery assembled you with a mixture of arcane prowess and tinkering proficiency. Your creator may be a mad mage who meant to use you for nefarious ends, a wise sage creating a steadfast soldier, or a lonely soul seeking friendship or family through unusual avenues. Perhaps you don’t even know for sure, having awakened decades or centuries after you were initially built. Gradually, you are discovering your innate abilities, your arcane code compiling and iterating. Perhaps you are discovering arcane gifts that your master shared with you or learning newer and better ways to pulverize your enemies with your unbreakable fists. The world is strange and new, and you will absorb as much of it as is mechanically possible.

Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from the following: Arcana, Investigation, Medicine, Perception, Performance, Stealth.
Languages: Choose two
Equipment: A broken sword, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10gp.

Feature: Quick Study

You were designed to adapt and grow, iterating on your experiences and developing a wider skill set as a result. Your arcane code rewards you for seeking out new encounters, particularly if you can challenge yourself to reproduce them. If you spend an extended period observing an expert at their craft, you gain advantage on your next attempt to mimic that skill.

For example:

If you spend an extended period observing a pickpocket plying their trade, you may gain advantage on your next sleight of hand check. You may only use this feature once per day, and the period of observation time required will be determined by your Dungeon Master.

Suggested Characteristics

Your praerogativa arcana determines how you prioritize your actions, interactions, and reactions to the world around you. Your attitudes may be determined by your master, or you may be developing new models of behavior as a rebellion against your creator.

Personality Trait Table

d6	Personality Trait
1	Retribution: I do not tolerate threats to my person and do not process nuance when it comes to myself preservation.
2	Iteration: My sarcasm module is in constant need of exercise and improvement.
3	Deception: I can’t be bothered to explain the truth, so I often pretend to be a human in a very complicated suit of armor.
4	Fascination: People are endlessly complicated, conflicted, and confusing. I can’t get enough of them!
5	Exploration: I love to wander around new areas, taking in all the sights and sounds.
6	Remediation: When there is a misunderstanding or falsehood, I am compelled to clarify. This program has occasionally been exploited by trolls (literal and metaphorical).

Ideal Table

d6	Ideal
1	Priority: Curiosity. I must observe the world around me and gather all available data. (Any)
2	Priority: Replication. My code can only improve through the process of trial and error. It is my only means of achieving “growth.” (Neutral)
3	Priority: Adapt. The world is constantly shifting and changing, and I must be able to do the same. (Chaotic)
4	Directive: Protect life. I was built to preserve the lives of sentient beings and protect the innocent. (Good)
5	Directive: Consume. I will grow in power and complexity with each battle, and the battles will never end. (Evil)
6	Directive: Obey. I must follow my code and the laws to which I am bound. I am a bringer of order. (Lawful)

Bond Table

d6	Bond
1	My creator’s genius has no equal; I must protect them, no matter the cost.
2	I have discovered that there are others of my kind. I must seek them out and protect (or destroy) them.
3	There are strict, specific laws governing my interactions with living creatures; I am incapable of breaking them.
4	I’ve made a tiny found family for myself – people that accept me despite my oddities. I would do anything to protect them.
5	Someone has discovered a means of manipulating the arcane spells that animate me. I must obey this interloper until I can find a way to free myself.
6	The secret to my creation is ancient, dangerous, and better off forgotten. Fortunately, I already don’t want people to tear me apart and see what makes me tick.

Flaw Table

d6	Flaw
1	There is a loneliness inside me that I cannot explain and don’t fully comprehend. Sometimes it drives me to behave in erratic ways.
2	I am either disgusted or envious of my companions’ need to eat, sleep, and breathe. I sometimes goad them into overeating, intoxication, or other dangerous behavior just to see what happens.
3	I don’t yet understand social interactions well. I try to avoid speaking for as long as I can; when I finally do speak, it’s often exactly the wrong thing.
4	There are certain specific situations in which I am programmed to respond with violence. It is extremely difficult for me to overcome these directives.
5	I’m compelled to prove my superiority whenever a biological creature challenges me.
6	I don’t understand how imposing my presence is. I intimidate when I mean to comfort or console.

Far East Traveler

Almost all the common people and other folk that one might encounter along the Sword Coast or in the North have one thing in common: they live out their lives without ever traveling more than a few miles from where they were born.

You aren’t one of those folks.

You are from a distant place, one so remote that few of the common folk in the North realize that it exists, and chances are good that even if some people you meet have heard of your homeland, they know merely the name and perhaps a few outrageous stories. You have come to this part of Faerûn for your own reasons, which you might or might not choose to share.

Although you will undoubtedly find some of this land’s ways to be strange and discomfiting, you can also be sure that some things its people take for granted will be to you the new wonders that you’ve never laid eyes on before. By the same token, you’re a person of interest, for good or ill, to those around you almost anywhere you go.

Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Stealth, and Athletics or History
Tool Proficiencies: Gain tool proficiency in Alchemist and Herbalist
Languages: Each Far Eastern Traveler gains a non-standard foreign language that will have to be added manually.
Equipment: One set of traveler’s clothes, Herbalism Kit and an Alchemist’s Supplies, poorly wrought maps from your homeland that depict where you are in Faerûn, a small piece of jewelry worth 10gp in the style of your homeland’s craftsmanship, and a pouch containing 5gp

Why Are You Here?

A far traveler might have set out on a journey for one of several reasons, and the departure from his or her homeland could have been voluntary or involuntary. To determine why you are so far from home, roll on the table below or choose from the options provided. The following section, discussing possible homelands, includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate for each location.

Why Are You Here Table

d6	Why Are You Here?
1	Emissary
2	Exile
3	Fugitive
4	Pilgrim
5	Sightseer
6	Wanderer

Feature: All Eyes on You

Your accent, mannerisms, figures of speech, and perhaps even your appearance all mark you as foreign. Curious glances are directed your way wherever you go, which can be a nuisance, but you also gain the friendly interest of scholars and others intrigued by far-off lands, to say nothing of everyday folk who are eager to hear stories of your homeland.

You can parley this attention into access to people and places you might not otherwise have, for you and your traveling companions. Noble lords, scholars, and merchant princes, to name a few, might be interested in hearing about your distant homeland and people.

Suggested Characteristics

These are the suggested characteristics for Far Traveler.

Personality Trait Table

d6	Personality Trait
1	I have different assumptions from those around me concerning personal space, blithely invading others’ space in innocence, or reacting to ignorant invasion of my own.
2	I have my own ideas about what is and is not food, and I find the eating habits of those around me fascinating, confusing, or revolting.
3	I have a strong code of honor or sense of propriety that others don’t comprehend.
4	I express affection or contempt in ways that are unfamiliar to others.
5	I begin or end my day with small traditional rituals that are unfamiliar to those around me.
6	Sarcasm and insults are my weapons of choice.

Ideal Table

d6	Ideal
1	Open. I have much to learn from the kindly folk I meet along my way. (Good)
2	Reserved. As someone new to these strange lands, I am cautious and respectful in my dealings. (Lawful)
3	Adventure. I’m far from home, and everything is strange and wonderful! (Chaotic)
4	Cunning. Though I may not know their ways, neither do they know mine, which can be to my advantage. (Evil)
5	Inquisitive. Everything is new, but I have a thirst to learn. (Neutral)
6	Suspicious. I must be careful, for I have no way of telling friend from foe here. (Any)

Bond Table

d6	Bond
1	So long as I have this token from my homeland, I can face any adversity in this strange land.
2	The gods of my people are a comfort to me so far from home.
3	I hold no greater cause than my service to my people.
4	My freedom is my most precious possession. I’ll never let anyone take it from me again.
5	I’m fascinated by the beauty and wonder of this new land.
6	Though I had no choice, I lament having to leave my loved one(s) behind. I hope to see them again one day.

Flaw Table

d6	Flaw
1	I am secretly (or not so secretly) convinced of the superiority of my own culture over that of this foreign land.
2	I pretend not to understand the local language to avoid interactions I would rather not have.
3	I have a weakness for the new intoxicants and other pleasures of this land.
4	I don’t take kindly to some of the actions and motivations of the people of this land, because these folk are different from me.
5	I consider the adherents of other gods to be deluded innocents at best, or ignorant fools at worst.
6	I have a weakness for the exotic beauty of the people of these lands.

Farmhand

Prior to becoming an adventurer, you were a farmer, gardener, or orchard-keeper of some kind. You made your pay by tending to fruits and vegetables to produce food for your family and to sell at local markets. While most farmers grow common, edible crops, such as wheat and corn, others can grow rare fruits and magical flowers, depending on the climate and their expertise.

Many farmers live comfortably or in poor conditions, making you used to conditions that would make a nobleman turn up his nose. Caring for animals and digging in dirt is a messy and often thankless job, but it does have to be done by someone.

Farming tends to be a tradition within families, carried on for generations without much thought. Perhaps you were bored of a life of farming, or a disaster of some sort spurred you on to a life of adventure.

Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Animal Handling, Athletics, Medicine, or Nature.
Tool Proficiencies: Choose one from among Brewers’
Supplies, Cook’s Utensils, Leatherworker’s Tools, Weaver’s Tools, or Woodcarver’s Tools. You also have proficiency with Vehicles (Land).
Equipment: A set of common clothes, a walking stick, and a belt pouch containing 10gp.

Feature: Rustic Hospitality

Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them.

Suggested Characteristics

These are the suggested characteristics for Far Traveler.

Personality Trait Table

d8	Personality Trait
1	I am unmoved by the wrath of nature.
2	My family is my bedrock, we will survive
3	I need long stretches of quiet to clear my head.
4	Rich folk don’t know the satisfaction of hard work.
5	I laugh heartily, feel deeply, and fear nothing.
6	I work hard; nature offers no handouts.
7	I dislike bargaining; state your price and mean it.
8	Luck is for losers; I make my own fortune for success

Ideal Table

d6	Ideal
1	Camaraderie. Good people make even time pass more easily when working long days (Good)
2	Luck. With proper planning and the right weather, you can make your own luck (Lawful)
3	Daring. That crop might be the money maker this year. (Chaotic)
4	Plunder. Take all that you can and leave nothing for the scavengers. (Evil)
5	Balance. Pay attention to the needs of your field, and the field will watch over you. (Neutral)
6	Hard Work. No setback can move a soul hard at work. (Any)

Bond Table

d6	Bond
1	The dirt is in my blood and always will be.
2	Someone else’s greed destroyed my livelihood, and I will be compensated.
3	I will grow the most fantastic of plants.
4	The gods saved me during a terrible season, and I will honor their gift.
5	My destiny awaits me in the wilderness finding that plant that will make me feel the earth again.
6	I must repay my village’s debt.

Flaw Table

d6	Flaw
1	I am judgmental, especially of those I deem homebodies or otherwise lazy.
2	I become depressed and anxious if I’m away from the land too long.
3	I have lived a hard life and find it difficult to empathize with others.
4	I am inclined to tell long-winded stories at inopportune times.
5	I work hard, but I play harder.
6	I am obsessed with finding that one fantastic plant, often to the detriment of other pursuits.

Harvester

Like a miner in their cave or a farmer in their field, you too make your living through reaping the riches of the natural world. Your resources, however, are the monsters and creatures that populate the multiverse. Although there are some who would scoff and call you a mere butcher, you understand the subtle complexities in the fantastical anatomies you find in your adventures, and only you are qualified enough to harvest them.

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Harvesting Kit, Languages: One of your choice.
Equipment: A set of traveler’s clothes, a hunting trap, harvesting kit, a cloak made from a creature you harvested, and a belt pouch containing 5gp.

Feature: Connected

You have been harvesting creatures for a long time and as part of that, you have become deeply acquainted with the large industry of crafters and merchants that rely on the wares you bring. Whenever you enter a place of civilization, you have no trouble finding merchants willing to buy your materials or crafters that can work with your wares. You are also savvy in the bargaining techniques used when haggling over prices and are not easily tricked during negotiations. You often find yourself able to secure a good price, or even a discount on services relating to harvested materials.

Suggested Characteristics

Harvesters are an odd bunch, half outdoorsman, half entrepreneur. As someone who spends most of their time in the hunting and being elbow deep in dead bodies, you probably have a different worldview compared to most.

Personality Trait Table

D8	Personality Trait
1	I am often covered in blood and viscera, which other people find off-putting.
2	I see no moral issue about harvesting any once-living creature, even if they were clearly sentient. “Waste not, want not”, after all.
3	I often unnerve people with my discussions of the more disgusting aspects of creature anatomy.
4	I am obsessed with self-sufficiency; anything I wear must have come from something I harvested.
5	I say a small prayer before harvesting a fresh kill, thanking it for its sacrifice
6	The hunt is what excites me more than anything. Harvesting is just how I keep mementos of my prey
7	I insist on using every little bit of what I kill, it would be an insult to that creature’s life otherwise
8	I have a myriad of harvested trophies from rare game which I show off whenever possible

Ideal Table

d6	Ideal
1	Life. Harvested meat will feed the hungry, harvested furs will warm the cold. Through death, comes life. (Good)
2	Honor. I refuse to use something harvested from a creature that I did not kill with my own hands. (Lawful)
3	Necessity. Creatures kill and harvest other creatures to survive. You may not like it, but it’s just the way things are. (Neutral)
4	Opportunity. If something is already dead, what’s the point of letting its corpse go to waste? (Chaotic)
5	Dominance. Nothing shows off your strength like having your own Owlbear-head trophy. (Evil)
6	Money. People always want hides, pelts, and skins; I may as well be the one to profit off it. (Any)

Bond Table

d6	Bond
1	My clan won’t respect me unless I bring back the head of a rare and dangerous creature.
2	Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of wearing a unicorn fur cloak. If you have a better way of getting one, I’d like to hear it.
3	Hunting and harvesting creatures are the only way I know how to make money and feed my family.
4	Visions of a monstrously large creature haunt my dreams. They won’t stop until I find it and claim its pelt for my cloak.
5	I am interested in studying the anatomy of rare and magical creatures and I need samples to continue my research.
6	Harvesting creatures has been my family’s profession for generations; I’m just continuing this long line of tradition.

Flaw Table

d6	Flaw
1	Once I decide that a creature will become my next trophy, nothing will stop me from getting it.
2	Some would say I get a little too much pleasure in slicing corpses open and tearing out their fresh organs.
3	I’m always looking for the next big hunt, something that will probably get me killed.
4	I tend to exaggerate the quality of my harvested wares to inflate their price.
5	Once I kill something, I will drop everything to take a trophy from it before moving on.
6	I see other living creatures as just organs in a skin bag, waiting to be sold.

Customization Options

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-03-02

Customization Options

The combination of ability scores, race, class, and background define your character’s capabilities in the game, and the personal details you create set your character apart from every other character. Even within your class and race, you have options to fine-tune what your character can do. But this chapter is for players who-with the DM’s permission – want to go a step further.

This chapter defines two sets of rules for customizing your character: multiclassing and feats. Multiclassing lets you combine classes together, and feats are special options you can choose instead of increasing your ability scores as you gain levels.

Multiclassing

Multiclassing allows you to gain levels in multi pie classes. Doing so lets you mix the abilities of those classes to realize a character concept that might not be reflected in one of the standard class options.

With this role, you have the option of gaining a level in a new class whenever you advance in level, instead of gaining a level in your current class. Your levels in all your classes are added together to determine your character level.

For example:

If you have three levels in wizard and two in fighter, you’re a 5th-levei character.

As you advance in levels, you might primarily remain a member of your original class with just a few levels in another class, or you might change course entirely, never looking back at the class you left behind. Vou might even start progressing in a third or fourth class. Compared to a single-class character of the same level, you’ll sacrifice some focus on exchange for versatility.

Multiclassing Example:

Gary is playing a 4^th-level fighter. When his character earns enough experience points to reach 5^th level, Gary decides that his character will multiclass instead of continuing to progress as a fighter. Gary’s fighter has been spending a lot of time with Dave’s rogue and has even been doing some jobs on the side for the local thieves’ guild as a bruiser. Gary decides that his character will multiclass into the rogue class, and thus his character becomes a 4^th level fighter and 1^st – level rogue (written as fighter 4/rogue 1).

When Gary’s character earns enough experience to reach 6^th level, he can decide whether to add another fighter level (becoming a fighter S/rogue 1), another rogue level (becoming a fighter 4/rogue 2), or a level in a third class, perhaps dabbling in wizardry thanks to the tome of mysterious lore he acquired (becoming a fighter 4/rogue 1/ wizard 1).

Further details are in Chapter 6 of the Player’s Handbook.

Feats

A feat represents a talent or an area of expertise that gives a character special capability. It embodies training, experience, and abilities beyond what a class provides.

At certain levels, your class gives you the Ability Score Improvement feature. Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking that feature to take a feat of your choice instead. Vou can take each feat only once unless the feat’s description says otherwise.

You must meet any prerequisite specified in a feat to take that feat. If you ever lose a feat’s prerequisite, you can’t use that feat until you regain the prerequisite.

For example:

The Grappler feat requires you to have a Strength of 13 or higher. If your Strength is reduced below 13 somehow-perhaps by a withering curse- you can’t benefit from the Grappler feat until your Strength is restored.

All the possible Feats are available for Players to choose for their characters except the Lucky Feat.

Homebrew Feats

As the Campaign progresses more Homebrew feats will be discovered and made available to the characters.

Blindfighting

Extensive and continuous training in complete darkness or in some cases with the aid of blindfolds, have allowed you to hone your remaining senses to a razor’s edge. This specialized combat training has granted you the ability to perceive your surroundings in ways others couldn’t begin imagining. Must have proficiency in Perception.

You develop blindsight up to a range of 20 feet.
Your blindsight can only work in a setting where your character can use his other senses, like hearing and smell.
You gain advantage on Perception checks relying on hearing and scent.

Eldritch Empowerment

You learn two Eldritch Invocation option of your choice from the warlock class. If the invocation has a prerequisite of any kind, you can choose that invocation only if you’re a warlock who meets the prerequisite.

End Him Rightly

You have mastered a little-known sword technique. As an action, you can unscrew the pommel from your sword and throw it at a creature within 20 feet of you. When you do so, you make a ranged weapon attack against it using your Strength modifier (you are proficient in this attack). On a hit, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier and must make an Intelligence saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier or be stunned by the impracticality of your tactics until the end of your next turn. The pommel lands within 5 feet of the target, and you have disadvantage on all attack rolls made with the sword whose pommel you unscrewed (due to it being imbalanced) until you pick it up and use an action to screw it back on.

Requires proficiency in at least one kind of sword.

Gastronomy

You have taken the art of cooking to a new art level. No longer will you look at ingredients like a normal person. You now have new eyes and a mind that always churns thinking of what could be turned into a recipe and a meal. This path is not one followed by mere chefs, but those whose life of adventure and search of new and unique food allows you to excel beyond “just cooking a meal”.

You immediately gain the following abilities:

Increase your Constitution or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
You gain proficiency with cook’s utensils if you don’t already have it.
As part of a short rest, you can cook special food, provided you have ingredients and cook’s utensils on hand. You can prepare enough of this food for several creatures equal to four + your proficiency bonus. At the end of the short rest, any creature who eats the food and spends one or more Hit Dice to regain hit points regains an extra 1d8 hit points.
With one hour of work or when you finish a long rest, you can cook several treats equal to your proficiency bonus. These special treats last eight hours after being made. A creature can use a bonus action to eat one of those treats to gain temporary hit points or heal equal to your proficiency bonus.
You can cook what would normally be poisonous dishes and make the editable. The DC for success is eight + the CR of the creature to be eaten. Success means the specific meat or vegetable is no longer poisonous and can be eaten safely. Failure means that eat consumer of the food takes the CR in 1d6 damage. Once the meal is cooked, no one knows if it is poisonous or not until eaten. Upon a successful meal, the consumer of these meals gains a resistance to poison for as many hours of the CR of the creature eaten hours. Only one attempt can be made per long rest.
Much like an alchemist you can craft wondrous creations, but yours are made of meals. Given at least two hours and the proper ingredients you can craft many different, delicious, and powerful dishes. Some recipes might take longer to accomplish.

Resourceful

You’ve always hated leaving anything to waste and have always made sure you get the most out of any situation.

You gain proficiency in the harvesting kit and the herbalism kit.
You ignore any penalties for harvesting a creature that died a particularly violent death.
Both appraising and harvesting a creature take half the time than it normally would.

Tool Expert

You have honed your proficiency with particular tools, granting you the following benefits:

Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
You gain proficiency in one tool kit of your choice.
Choose one tool kit in which you have proficiency. You gain expertise with that tool kit, which means your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make with it. The skill you choose must be one that isn’t already benefiting from a feature, such as Expertise, that doubles your proficiency bonus.

Town Drunk

You have been drinking for years and have gotten used to the effect of alcohol.

Once you have this feat you gain the following benefits:

Tipsy and Drunk are now the same level (1/2 your intoxication level)
You no longer have disadvantages until you reach Wasted.
You gain a +2 to reach the “Blackout” stage.
You won’t get hungover if you don’t pass Drunk.

Upgrade Familiar One

Minimum Level: 8

As a wizard you have explored and developed new techniques on how to best train and increase the usefulness of your familiar. This feat gives you three more familiar points to spend on your summoned familiar.

Upgrade Familiar Two

Minimum Level: 16

Continuing where you left off, you have been able to calculate the exact amount of spirit and magical energy it takes to upgrade your familiar again. You can spend another three extra points on your familiar.

Upgrade Pact of the Chain Familiar One

Minimum Level: 8

Much like the wizard spells of upgrading their familiar, the warlock can do the exact thing, but using different methodologies. Communing with their patron and instead of requesting additional power for themselves, they request it for their familiar, which will convert their current familiar with a Stage Two version.

Upgrade Pact of the Chain Familiar Two

Minimum Level: 16

Requirement: Upgrade Pact of the Chain Familiar One

Continuing the tradition and power allotment, the warlock begs their patron for yet more power for their familiar creating something that is far more than a familiar and something short of a real monster. Some of these would give dragons a pause. This feat allows the Chain of the Pact to grow into a Stage Three familiar. Note that Upgrade Pact of the Chain Familiar One must have already been chosen.

Perks

Perks are like feats, but in a lessor sense. They can alter how a character does something, but the low-level Perks will mostly add in a new flavor to the play. These are rewarded to the characters at specific points of the campaign, such as when a new major chapter has been completed. They are awarded to the party by the gamemaster at the appropriate time they decide.

Adored

Minimum Level: 6

Class Requirement: Bard

Adoration. When a creature using one of your bardic inspirations dies, you can, as a reaction if you are not restrained, begin a standing ovation. Illusory roses, confetti, and underwear appear around the creature as if thrown from an adoring crowd whose rapturous applause can be faintly heard. The creature rolls the bardic inspiration die with advantage (it rolls two dice and chooses the highest result).

Once you use this perk, you may not do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Attunement

Minimum Level: 3

Through the thorough understanding of yourself and the attunement of magic items, you can attune to one additional item than normal.

Avoidance

Minimum Level: 3

If you hit a creature with a melee attack on your turn, you do not provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the end of your turn. Once you use this perk, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Beneficent

Minimum Level: 6

Class Requirement: Paladin

Minimum Level: 3

You catch yourself instinctively finding the center of gravity of items you hold, often balancing them on a single finger.

Centre of Gravity. Choose any weapon with which you are proficient. Until the end of your next turn, that weapon gains the thrown property (range 20/60) and gains a +1 bonus to attack, and damage rolls you make when you throw that weapon. Once you use this perk, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Dodge

Minimum Level: 6

As a reaction, turn any Critical Hit against you into a normal Hit. Once you use this perk, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Empath

Minimum Level: 3

You may add 1d4 to any Insight checks or Charisma saving throws. Once you use this perk, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Escape Artist

Minimum Level: 3

Your pursuers swear you bathe in grease; no one can keep their hands on you.

If you add your proficiency bonus to an ability check made to end the grappled or restrained condition on yourself, you can instead add twice your proficiency bonus.
When you escape a creature’s grapple on your turn, you can immediately use your bonus action to attack the creature you escaped.

When you attack with a short bow, longbow, light crossbow, heavy crossbow, or hand crossbow, you can treat a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20 as a critical hit. Once you use this perk, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Master Swordsman

Minimum Level: 6

Your expertise with the blade is unmatched and few rival your skill.

While wielding a sword, when you take the dodge action, you can use your bonus action to make a single melee attack at disadvantage.
While wielding a sword and attacking at disadvantage, you can choose to ignore the disadvantage and instead attack with advantage. Once you use this feature you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.
When attacking with a sword, you can choose to deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, rather than the normal damage type. You must choose the damage type of the attack before making the attack roll.

Material Caster

Minimum Level: 3

Whenever you cast a spell that has a material component that is consumed by the spell, and the material component has a gold piece cost, such as revivify or arcane lock, the material cost for the spell is reduced by 25%. For example, revivify would require diamonds worth 225 gold pieces, rather than 300 gold pieces.

Once you use this perk, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Pious

Tactician

Minimum Level: 3

When a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see makes an attack roll, you can use your reaction to grant advantage on that roll. Once you use this perk, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Tracker

Minimum Level: 6

Class Requirement: Ranger

You find yourself able to hone your senses on families of creatures and gain additional insights into the creature as you track it.

Tracker. You meditate for 10 minutes, focusing on one type of creature: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. For the next 8 hours, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track creatures of that type.

On a successful check, you learn the following:

The direction the creature headed.
If the creature is aware of your presence.
The creatures approximate speed (in mph).
How long since the creature was last in this place.
If the creature is healthy, bruised, bloodied. or wounded (> 75%, 50-75%, 25-50%, or <25% of hit points respectively).

Once you use this perk, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Tradesman

Minimum Level: 3

You gain proficiency with one tool, instrument, gaming set or kit of your choice. This perk cannot be used to gain expertise with any tool, instrument, gaming set or kit. You can choose these perk multiple times if you choose a different tool instrument, gaming set or kit each time.

Vile

Minimum Level: 6

You have Resistance to Poison damage.

Weathervane

Minimum Level: 6

You have Resistance to Air or Wind damage. You have advantage to remain standing against any attacks that might cause you to fall prone.

Whip Master

Minimum Level: 3

A whip in your hands becomes a deadly weapon.

When you hit a large or smaller creature with a whip, the creature’s speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
Whips you wield gain the light property.
The damage die of whips you wield increases from 1d4 to 1d6.
You gain a +5 bonus to BDSM.

Alchemy

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-09-02

Alchemy (Potion Creation) and Poison Crafting

Alchemist’s Supplies

RAW Cost: 50gp
RAW Weight: 8lbs
Items: Two glass beakers, a metal frame to hold a beaker in place over an open flame, a glass stirring rod, a small mortar and pestle, and a pouch of common alchemical ingredients, including salt, powdered iron, and purified water.
Crafting Restrictions: Requires access to heat.
Mundane Item Crafting: Acid, Alchemist’s Fire, Antitoxin, Ink, Perfume, Sealing Wax, Soap
Magic Item Crafting: Potions and a handful of metallic products
Artwork Creation: Creative but harmless potions meant to entertain instead of enhancing.
QA Artwork Bonus: None
Structure Building: N/A
Adventuring Utility: Proficiency bonus added to attacks made from alchemy items, and benefits when interacting with potions and other substances.

The process of creating a formula for a potion is part chemistry, part luck, and a lot of gold for ingredients that are wasted. Fundamentally, the first thing that an Alchemist needs to create is the formula for a potion, and this is the research phase of the creation.

Herbalist’s Limited Alchemy: While herbalism is primarily used for gathering herbs, a creature with proficiency with herbalism kits has a limited proficiency in creating potions in addition to gathering herbs. You can use proficiency with an herbalism kit in place of alchemist’s supplies when creating potions of healing, antidotes, antitoxins, and vials of poison.

When crafting in this way, you use an herbalism kit and proficiency with it in place of alchemist’s supplies. This crafting otherwise works the same as using alchemist’s supplies. You can add additional ingredient modifiers when crafting in this way.

Poison Creation: The formulas are the same for poison crafting. Use the poison rarity for Research Points that are required to develop the formula, and then the creation table for making that poison.

Skill Usage

Arcana: Proficiency with alchemist’s supplies allows you to unlock more information on Arcana checks involving potions and similar materials.
Investigation: When you inspect an area for clues, proficiency with alchemist’s supplies grants additional insight into any chemicals or other substances that might have been used in the area.
Alchemical Crafting: You can use this tool proficiency to create alchemical items. A character can spend money to collect raw materials, which weigh 1 pound for every 50gp spent. The DM can allow a character to make a check using the indicated skill with advantage. As part of a long rest, you can use alchemist’s supplies to make one dose of acid, alchemist’s fire, antitoxin, oil, perfume, or soap. Subtract half the value of the created item from the total gold piece worth of raw materials you are carrying.

Alchemist’s Supplies Basic Skill Use Difficulty Table

Activity	DC
Create a puff of thick smoke	10
Identify a poison	10
Identify a substance	15
Start a fire	15
Neutralize acid	20

Default Formulas

All alchemists are assumed to have the following common formulas already in their lab notebook:

Acid
Alchemist’s Fire
Antitoxin
Normal Ink
Perfume
Basic Poison
Sealing Wax
Soap

Research Point Cost

The base cost is just that, a starting point. If the researcher is taking an existing uncommon potion and only slightly improving or changing it and does not warrant a full rarity change, then the cost would be somewhere between the two rarity levels. All the costs are suggested values for existing potions and their rarities. There is not a straight formula since potions are graded by rarity instead of spell levels, but the end cost does follow the same progression.

Example:

A standard Healing Potion is a Common rarity and heals 2d4+2. The alchemist wants to create a potion that heals 3d4+3, which is better than the Common one, but not as good as the Uncommon Greater Healing potion. The Research Point cost should be split between the rarity which would give it a cost of 75 Research Points.

Potion Creation Research Point Cost Table

Rarity	Research Point Cost	Minimum Character Level
Common	25	1
Uncommon	75	5
Rare	150	9
Very Rare	300	13
Legendary	500	17

Research Point Reductions

Only one of the two existing potion/formula reductions may be used for any specific formula creation.

Existing Potion: If the researcher has on hand another potion that is very similar and it can be used as an exemplar starting point, then a reduction up to 25% of the total Research Points needed can be applied to the cost. The potion that is used for this is also consumed during the process.

Existing Formula: If the Alchemist has a full formula created by someone else, there is a 50% reduction of the total research points required to create the spell. While it might be a formula, it most likely will not be accurate missing or brewing idiosyncrasies of the alchemist that created that formula, therefore requiring the formula to be validated through additional research.

Facility: If there is a dedicated facility for the research and creation of alchemy formulas, then up to 25% of the cost can be reduced by expending facility points to replace the research points. See the facilities rules for more details.

Potion Formula Creation Completion

Once the alchemist has collected enough Research Points it is time to put together the formula and test it. There is no benefit in expending more Research Points or gold pieces once the minimum has been met, these would just go to waste since they will not impact the final DC. The Research Points that will be used for completing the project are spent and lost and are not recoverable. The creator will make an Alchemy Supplies skill roll. No other modifiers or advantage chances can be applied to this roll. It can only be a straight roll.

Once again, if the product being created is a slightly improved version of an existing potion, but not sufficiently to increase the rarity, the DC will increase as the average of the two rarity DCs as selected by the DM.

Example:

If the roll is equal to or greater than the listed DC, the potion formula has been created and can be considered entered into the Alchemist formula book. Failure means that the formula was not created, and the alchemist must start again, but in their next attempt the amount of Research Points required is reduced by 50%.

Potion Formula Creation Success Table

Rarity	DC For Success
Common	8
Uncommon	14
Rare	20
Very Rare	26
Legendary	32

Potion Creation

Now that the alchemist has created a formula, now it is time to start brewing some up. For each single dose of potion to be created will require a certain amount of ingredients as well as a difficulty check. The listed required ingredients are only the minimum and should include additional ingredients depending on the type of potion being created.

Potion Creation Failure

If at any time the alchemist rolls a natural one on any of the potion creation processes, it blows up in their face. Roll on the following table to find the results.

Potion Creation Failure Table

Roll (d100)	Effect	Common	Uncommon	Rare	Very Rare	Legendary
01-05	Oh, my loving god: Roll on the wild magic table	One roll	Two rolls	Three rolls	Four rolls	Five rolls
06-25	Oh, this is going to hurt: Your attempt at potion creation blows up in your face. Damage is random (1d12): Acid (1), Bludgeoning (2), Cold (3), Fire (4), Force (5), Lightning (6), Necrotic (7), Piercing (8), Poison (9), Psychic (10), Radiant (11), Slashing (12)	2d6	3d8	4d10	5d12	6d20
26-50	This is very bad: You find that you have temporarily lost the ability to cast spells.	One Day	Three Days	Five Days	Ten Days	One Month
51-90	This is not good: You find that you have temporarily lost the ability to make potions.	One Day	One Week	One Month	Three Months	One Year
91-99	This is confusing: The potion you created does the opposite you were expecting, but it looks correct to you, and you think you succeeded.	–	–	–	–	–
100	How did I do that: Success! Your potion still turned out, but only a single dose no matter how many ingredients you used.	–	–	–	–	–

Potion Creation Table

Potion Rarity	Ingredients	DC to Create Single Potion	DC to Create 1d4 Potions	DC to Create 1d6 Potions	DC to Create 1d8 Potions	DC to Create 1d10 Potions	DC to Create 1d12 Potions
Common	3 common ingredients Glass Vial	10	12	14	16	18	20
Uncommon	1 common ingredient 3 uncommon ingredients Glass Vial	14	17	19	21	23	25
Rare	3 uncommon ingredients 2 rare ingredients Glass Vial	18	22	24	26	28	30
Very Rare	2 uncommon ingredients 3 rare ingredients 2 very rare ingredients Crystal Vial	22	27	29	31	33	35
Legendary	5 uncommon ingredients 4 rare ingredients 3 very rare ingredients 2 legendary ingredients Crystal Vial	25	31	33	35	37	39

Essence Requirements

When crafting potion specific rarity levels of ingredients are required, but there is also a requirement of the proper type of ingredient. If a healing potion is being crafted, then 50% of those ingredients need to be either divine or curative in nature. If you are making a poison, then you would need at least 50% poisonous ingredients, and so forth. The following table gives a rough guideline to these, but there could be other specific requirements as per the DM looking over the required recipe.

Type of Ingredient Table

Potion Type	Ingredient Type Required
Healing	50% Curative, Divine, or Poisonous ingredient of each type
Ability or Form Changing	50% Primal ingredient of each type
Magical Results	50% Arcane ingredient of each type

There will be other specific requirements as per the DM looking over the required recipe.

Example:

The alchemist is creating a Potion of Fire Breathing, which is an uncommon magic item. At least one of the uncommon ingredients must be of a fire origin.

Session XI, Prelude

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-05-09

15^th of Mirtul of the year 1492

The mid-morning started off some serious dialogue among the party. ISAC had to get some information off his chest about what had been happening to him. He explained that he is never asleep nor has ever needed to breath, but when the giant bug had ambushed him, his thoughts vanished for a period time, and then there was the dream. A dream that made him feel suffocated and unable to breath, a unique experience for him. And he too heard a voice speak out.

“I shall tear the breath from all of you, I will give you unending agony of being torn asunder and spread your blood and flesh over the wind”.

It was clear that the party had now dreamed of the four different elements, and something dire at the same time. The conversation then veered around different tactics that they might want to employ the next time they got into combat, especially trying to control Sky’s need to run forward, something he himself did not seem to really understand why he did that. Something deeper within him was the cause and anxiousness of that.

The discussion also covered the need to start using the members of the party to take care of the actions that they were best at, such as searching, trap finding, and other aspects of general exploration and adventure. Once the talks were complete, the group began moving forward again.

Sky was able to notice that the eastern most doorway seemed to have had the most amount of traffic. Working carefully to not set off another alarm Vladimir and Fwoosh worked together to ensure a smooth and quiet entry into the area behind the door. No trap, nor alarm was found, but a long corridor that went south and had a branch that went southeast just a bit passed the door. They could feel cold air come from the southern passageway.

Hoping that this would lead to the exit, they skipped the southeastern passageway, but Avery did notice that it went about a hundred feet and ended in a door. As they creeped south, they found another junction in the corridor, this time one heading straight west into additional hallways. They were also able to see a staircase that would take them further down and south. Fwoosh was able to hear the faint sound of water splashing coming from the southern direction.

Wanting to be more thoughtful and careful with their actions and movement, Vladimir and Fwoosh headed down the stairs leaving the rest of the group further up the corridor and safely out of the way. Just past the stairs to the west, the passageway opened into a room. It was not too large, but it was mostly filled with a large pool of water. The pool was large enough to almost reach all the walls of the room. The more horrifying sight was that there were 30 to 40 skeletons scatters around the room. All in different positions, none had any remnants of clothing or belongs, as if they had been tossed into the different limited open spaces around the pool.

Thinking that whatever that was in the room, was not going to be pleasant, Vladimir decided that retreating was the best option. While coming to that conclusion, Vladimir was able to notice that something very large was swimming in the water. As he attempted to look closer, he noticed that it seemed to be a person on the top part and a long fish body on the bottom. Nothing he had ever seen, nor heard of before. The swimming figure seemed to be chained to something in the water.

As they both turned around and began to depart, they heard a young woman’s voice calling out to them.

“Can you not leave; I am trapped here. I am afraid they will come back and kill me. Can you please help. I can help a little bit, but…. I am chained here by magic and cannot escape.”

“What are you?”

“I am a mermaid; these water worshipers summoned and trapped me here.”

“What is with all of these skeletons here?”

“There is a priest here, he sacrifices people here to his water god.”

Vladimir was strongly doubting her words and determined that there was just something wrong with her and what she had been saying but was not able to figure out anything specific, the mermaid seemed to be honest with him.

“Hold on, we will be right back”.

“Don’t leave me, you are the first non-worshipers I have seen here.”

“We will be back in just a second.”

Moving somewhat quickly, Vladimir and Fwoosh rushed up the stairs. Discussing the issue with the group, Angelica was able to remember about other primitive god worshiping that might have had sacrifices like what was described. The green glowing chains that held her there were an interesting point. Maybe if they could be removed, she would be able to return from wherever she had been summoned from. As a result, Vladimir pulled out his broken dagger to ask it for an Augury about trusting the mermaid.

“WOE.”

Getting an answer that did not bode well, he suggested they just leave her there. With the rest of the party ready to drop her like a bag of dirt, they began discussing where to go next, when they heard another different voice behind them, from down the stairs. A haggard, creaky, and just old sounding female voice.

“Oh, my little lambs, you could have made this so much easier.”

What Vladimir and Fwoosh were able to see was an old woman approaching them. She looked like she was covered in ice, and as she approached, a freezing cold mist spread out over 30 feet from her decreasing the already cold temperature to something well below freezing. Cold enough to start causing them pain and damage.

As battle broke out, anyone that entered or stayed in the misty area took damage. The battle raged further up the stairs with the hag first engaging them with different ice spells and finally closing in to attack them with her claws. With a fair amount of effort, the party was finally able to kill her. Upon her death, the freezing area dissipated, and she melted into a pool of water.

Exploring the now unoccupied room, they were able to find a fair amount of coin, and using his innate Detect Magic, Fogo was able to find a magical stone lantern as well as what appeared to be a scroll case. Avery looked at the scroll inside, and it was evident that what was contained on the scroll was some sort of arcane writing, but Avery would still require a fair amount more training and experience to be able to read or utilize that scroll.

Moving on to the southeastern angled corridor the party made their way to the door at the end of it. While all the doors in this basement had been replaced with new and reinforced door, this was the first time they came across one that was so heavily banded in iron. Even though there was a locking mechanism, the door itself was not locked. Taking a cautious method of opening it, they group could see another door immediately to the north with the same reinforcements as this door, and a very long somewhat straight corridor heading directly east.

After a quick listen to the door, the party decided that going down the long corridor was a much better idea. They began walking down that hallway, but it proved to be much longer than they expected. After traveling over 400 feet and a slight slope upwards they stopped. The party could feel that the further they walked the colder the temperature became. Figuring that this was probably the exit, they then went back to that last door to ensure no one would be ambushing them from behind.

After preparing for entry, they opened the door to a group of soldiers who all immediately opened fired with their crossbows. Attempting to position themselves more intelligently and tactically they cast several spells, while the group hoped that the soldiers would advance, but that would be in vain. The soldiers, much better trained in tactics compared to the bandits, kept their distance and moved in and out of the far room for cover and only exposed themselves to fire their crossbows.

Knowing that they needed to close, the party rushed forward and engaged in melee with the men. A slaughter ensued except for one brave soldier that managed to hold out for well over a minute. The men in front were replaced as quickly as they were killed, and then the sergeants replaced them, finally a lieutenant entered the fight, and finally their boss who stood in the back tossing out damaging spells at the party. At one point, he even managed to Banish Angelica to some remote realm.

But, even the heavily armed, armored, and spell casting boss was defeated but not before causing most of the party to have been wounded and several to be knocked out. Angelica at some point transferred back to this world without any difficulty except for falling on a large pile of dead soldiers.

With the battle over, the bodies looted, and everyone gathering in the room at the end of this hallway, they were faced with another heavy door to the east. After a lot of chatter, they decided to start resting right here and not open that beckoning door.

This is where the session ended.

Campaign Notes

The group managed to get to the local boss in time before he departed this base for the next one. If they had spent just a little more time and they would have missed out on a lot of things. The ice hag was obviously feeling under the weather and did not fully execute all her powers but made for an interesting encounter.

Red Larch

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-03-24

Red Larch has been an important stop on the Long Road for two centuries now. Named for a distinctive stand of red larch trees that were cut down when the hamlet was founded, Red Larch became a settlement in the first place thanks to a drinkable spring that fed a sizable pond ideal for watering horses, oxen, and pack mules.

An east-west trail meets the Long Road at the pond, running west to the logging community of Kheldell and east to Bargewright Inn and eventually Secomber. Another trail leads to quarries in the Sumber Hills and to ruins of stone keeps long ago left to monsters and outlaws (the Haunted Keeps).

In recent years, new quarries have been opened on the northwestern edge of town. So far these have yielded up great slabs of marble much prized in Waterdeep for facing large new buildings and repairing older edifices. Red Larch is also a center for stonecutters quarrying slate on the fringes of the Sumber Hills.

While Red Larch remains prosperous, dark omens are appearing. The heart of the Sumber Hills has become far more dangerous, with monsters lurking seemingly everywhere (no one goes into the hills berry picking or hare-hunting these days, though Red Larcher children traditionally did so daily in summer and fall). Banditry is on the rise, and the weather seems to be getting more severe and more unpredictable. Several Red Larcher shepherds have seen strange figures watching them from distant hillsides in the wild fields east of town where they have traditionally grazed their flocks. Quarry workers used to cut by torchlight when orders were backing up but do so no longer, shunning the pits by night. They are spooked by rumors of dark-robed figures in stone masks lurking in the darkness beyond the torchlight. The townsfolk fear that dangerous times are at hand, but no one seems to know what to do about it.

Cobbler

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-09-07

Cobbler

Cobbler’s Tools

RAW Cost: 5gp
RAW Weight: 5lbs
Example Items: Awl, Closing Block, Gouge, Hammer, Last, Latchet, Paring Knife, Needle and Thread
Crafting Restrictions: None
Mundane Item Crafting: Footwear for common, costume, fine, and travelers clothing.
Magic Item Crafting: Small but relevant list of magical footwear.
Artwork Creation: Can create valuable footwear that sells quickly due to high demand.
QA Artwork Bonus: Selling Products takes half as many days to find a buyer.
Structure Building: N/A
Adventuring Utility: Able to mend the party’s footwear, which depending on the DM could confer a benefit.

Default Blueprints

To cobble is to cobble and a shoemaker is always welcome in the world of the barefoot. They can make the following:

Common footwear (shows, sandals, boots)

Skill Usage

Arcana, History: Your knowledge of shoes aids you in identifying the magical properties of enchanted boots or the history of such items.
Investigation: Footwear holds a surprising number of secrets. You can learn where someone has recently visited by examining the wear and the dirt that has accumulated on their shoes. Your experience in repairing shoes makes it easier for you to identify where damage might come from.
Maintain Shoes: As part of a long rest, you can repair your companions’ shoes. For the next 24 hours, up to six creatures of your choice who wear shoes you worked on can travel up to 10 hours a day without making saving throws to avoid exhaustion.
Craft Hidden Compartment: With 8 hours of work, you can add a hidden compartment to a pair of shoes. The compartment can hold an object up to 3 inches long and 1 inch wide and deep. You make an Intelligence check using your tool proficiency to determine the Intelligence (Investigation) check DC needed to find the compartment.

Cobbler’s Tools Basic Use Difficulty Table

Activity	DC
Determine a shoe’s age and origin	10
Find a hidden compartment in a boot heel	15

Crafting

For much of the crafting for this skill set and tools, just use the Mundane Crafting rules unless there is something specific that the character wishes to create outside of the normal things.

Gods of the Multiverse

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-03-02

Gods of the Multiverse

Religion is an important part of life in the worlds of the Dungeons and Dragons multiverse. When gods walk the world, clerics channel divine power, evil cults perform dark sacrifices in subterranean lairs, and shining paladins stand like beacons against the darkness, it’s hard to be ambivalent about the deities and deny their existence.

Many people have a favorite among the gods, one whose idea is and teachings they make their own. And a few people dedicate themselves entirely to a single god, usually serving as a priest or champion of that god’s ideals.

From among the gods available, you can choose a single deity for your character to serve, worship, or pay lip service to or you can pick a few that your character prays to most often or just make a mental note of the gods who are revered in your DM’s campaign so you can invoke their names when appropriate. ]If you’re playing a cleric or a character with the Acolyte background, decide which god your deity serves or served, and consider the deity’s suggested domains when selecting your character’s domain.

The Pantheon

In the following pages are showing the different Pantheons that exist in the Campaign. The Pantheons are represented by several columns of Information:

Name: What they are called and worshiped by
Rank: At what power level is that deity compared to the others: Greater[G], Intermediate[I], Lesser[L], Demigod[D]
Alignment: What alignment the god/goddess themselves have and will act toward
Portfolio: What powers that specific god/goddess is known to have
Domain: What domains of power that the god/goddess covers. These are the divine domains that clerics focus on.
Worshipers: Who worships this specific god/goddess.

Pantheons

Faerunian Pantheon
Drow (Dark Seldarine) Pantheon
Dwarven (Morndinsamm) Pantheon
Elven (Seldarine) Pantheon
Giant (Ordning) Pantheon
Gnome (Lords of the Golden Hills) Pantheon
Halfling (Yondalla’s Children) Pantheon
Orc Pantheon

Faerunian Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Akadi	G	N	Elemental air, movement, speed, flying creatures	Air, Illusion, Travel	Animal breeders, elemental archons (air), rangers, rogues, sailors
Asmodeus	G	LE	Power, domination, tyranny	Evil	Slavers, tyrants, bureaucrats, lawful evil creatures
Auril	L	NE	Cold, winter	Air, Evil, Storm, Water	Druids, elemental archons (air or water), frost giants, inhabitants of cold climates, rangers
Azuth	L	LN	Wizards, mages, spellcasters, monks	Arcana, Illusion, Knowledge, Magic, Law, Spell	Philosophers, sages, sorcerers, wizards
Bane	G	LE	Strife, hatred, tyranny, fear	Order, Evil, Destruction, Hatred, Law, Tyranny, War	Conquerors, evil fighters, evil monks, tyrants, wizards
Beshaba	I	CE	Random mischief, misfortune, bad luck, accidents	Chaos, Evil, Fate, Luck, Trickery	Assassins, auspicians, capricious individuals, gamblers, rogues, sadists
Chauntea	G	NG	Agriculture, plants, farmers, gardeners, summer	Life, Animal, Earth, Good, Plant, Protection, Renewal	Peasants, indentured servants, druids, farmers, gardeners
Cyric	G	CE	Murder, lies, intrigue, deception, illusion	Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Illusion	Power-hungry humans (usually young), former worshipers of Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul
Deneir	L	NG	Glyphs, images, literature, scribes, cartography	Good, Knowledge, Protection, Rune	Historians, loremasters, sages, scholars, scribes, seekers of enlightenment, students
Eldath	L	NG	Quiet places, springs, pools, peace, waterfall	Peace, Nature, Family, Good, Plant, Protection, Water	Druids, pacifists, rangers
Erbin	L	NE	Vengeance	Destruction, Evil	Assassins, fighters, rogues, beggars
Finder Wyvernspur	D	CN	Cycle of life, transformation of art, saurials	Chaos, Charm, Renewal, Scalykind	Artists, bards, saurials
Garagos	D	CN	War, skill-at-arms, desctruction, plunder	Chaos, Destruction, Strength	Barbarians, fighters, warriors, rangers, soldiers, spies
Gargauth	D	LE	Betrayal, cruelty, political corruption, powerbrokers	Charm, Evil, Law	Corrupt leaders, corrupt politicians, sorcerers, traitors
Gond	I	N	Artifice, craft, construction, smithwork	Forge, Craft, Earth, Fire, Knowledge, Metal, Planning	Blacksmith, crafters, engineers, gnomes, inventors, lantanese, woodworkers
Grumbar	G	N	Elemental earth, solidity, changelessness, oaths	Cavern, Earth, Metal, Time	Elemental archons (earth), fighters, monks, rangers
Gwaeron Windstrom	D	NG	Tracking, rangers of the North	Animal, Good, Plant, Travel	Druids, rangers, troll hunters
Helm	I	LN	Guardians, protectors, protection	Light, Twilight, Law, Planning, Protection, Strength	Explorers, fighters, guards, mercenaries, paladins
Hoar	D	LN	Revenge, retribution, poetic justice	Fate, Travel	Assassins, fighters, rogues, seekers of retribution
Ilmater	I	LG	Endurance, suffering, martyrdom, perseverance	Life, Twilight, Good, Law, Strength, Suffering	The lame, oppressed, poor, monks, paladins, serfs, slaves
Istishia	G	N	Elemental water, purification	Destruction, Ocean, Storm, Travel, Water	Bards, elemental archons (water), sailors, travelers
Jergal	D	LN	Fatalism, proper burial, guardian of tombs	Fate, Law, Repose, Rune, Suffering	Monks, necromancers, paladins
Kelemvor	G	LN	Death, the dead	Grave, Fate, Law, Protection, Repose, Travel	The dying, families of the dying, grave differs, hunters of the undead, morticians, mourners
Kossuth	G	N	Elemental fire, purification through fire	Destruction, Fire, Renewal, Suffering	Druids, elemental anchors, fire creatures, Thayans
Lathander	G	NG	Athletics, birth, creativity, dawn, renewal, self-perfection, spring, vitality, youth	Life, Light, Good, Nobility, Protection, Renewal, Strength, Sun	Aristocrats, artists, athletics, merchants, monks, the young
Lliira	L	CG	Joy, happiness, dance, festivals, freedom, liberty	Chaos, Charm, Family, Good, Travel	Bards, dancers, entertainers, poets, revelers, singers
Loviatar	L	LE	Pain, hurt, agony, torment, suffering, torture	Evil, Law, Retribution, Strength, Suffering	Beguilers, torturers, evil warriors, the depraved
Lurue	D	CG	Talking beasts, intelligent non-humanoid creatures	Animal, Chaos, Good	Druids, entertainers, outcasts, rangers, travelers, unicorn riders
Malar	L	CE	Bloodlust, evil lycanthropes, hunters, marauding beasts and monsters, stalking	Animal, Chaos, Evil, Moon, Strength	Hunters, evil lycanthropes, sentient carnivores, rangers, druids
Mask	L	NE	Shadows, thievery, thieves	Darkness, Evil, Luck, Trickery	Assassins, beggars, criminals, rogues, shades, shadowdancers
Mielikki	I	NG	Autumn, dryads, forest creatures, forests, rangers	Animal, Good, Plant, Travel	Druids, fey, creatures, foresters, rangers
Milil	L	NG	Poetry, song, eloquence	Charm, Good, Nobility	Adventurers, bards, entertainers
Myrkul	Q	NE	Death, decay, old age, exhaustion, dusk, autumn	Death	Evil mages and cultists, necromancers, undertakers, and powerful undead
Mystra	G	NG	Magic, spells, the Weave	Arcana, Good, Illusion, Knowledge, Magic, Rune, Spell	Elves, half-elves, incantatrixes, mystic wanderers, sorcerers, spelldancers, spellcasters, spellfire channelers, wizards
Nobanion	D	LG	Royalty, lions, feline beasts, good beasts	Animal, Good, Law, Nobility	Druids, fighters, leaders, paladins, rangers, soldiers, teachers, wemics
Oghma	G	N	Bard, inspiration, invention, knowledge	Charm, Knowledge, Luck, Travel	Artists, bards, cartographers, inventors, lore masters, sages, scholars, scribes, wizards
Red Knight	D	LN	Strategy, planning, tactics	Law, Nobility, Planning, War	Fighters, gamesters, monks, strategists, tacticians
Savras	D	LN	Divination, fate, truth	Fate, Magic, Spell	Diviners, judges, monks, seekers of truth, spellcasters
Selûne	I	CG	Good lycanthropes, neutral lycanthropes, moon, navigation, questers, stars, wanderers	Twilight, Chaos, Good, Moon, Protection, Travel	Female spellcasters, good lycanthropes, neutral lycanthropes, navigators, monks, sailors
Shar	G	NE	Caverns, dark, dungeons, forgetfulness, loss, night, secrets, the Underdark	Cavern, Darkness, Evil	Anarchists, assassins, avengers, monks, nihilists, rogues, shadow adepts, shadowdancers
Sharess	D	CG	Hedonism, sensual fulfillment, festhalls, cats	Chaos, Charm, Good, Travel	Bards, hedonists, sensualists
Shaundakul	L	CN	Travel, exploration, portals, miners, caravans	Air, Chaos, Portal, Protection, Trade, Travel	Explorers, caravaneers, rangers, portal-walkers, planewalkers, half-elves
Shiallia	D	NG	Woodland glades, woodland fertility, growth, the High Forest, Neverwinter Wood	Animal, Good, Plant, Renewal	Druids, farmers, foresters, gardeners, nuptial, couples
Siamorphe	D	LN	Nobles rightful rule of nobility, human royalty	Law, Nobility, Planning	Leaders, loremasters, nobles, those with inherited wealth or status
Silvanus	G	N	Wild nature, druids	Nature, Animal, Plant, Protection, Renewal, Water	Druids, woodsmen, wood elves
Sune	G	CG	Beauty, love, passion	Chaos, Charm, Good, Protection	Lovers, artists, half-elves, adventurers, bards
Talona	L	CE	Disease, poison	Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Suffering	Assassins, druids, healers, rogues, those suffering from disease and illness
Talos	G	CE	Storms, destruction, rebellion, conflagration, earthquakes, vortices	Tempest, Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Storm	Those who fear the destructive power of nature, barbarians, fighters, druids, half-orcs
Tempus	G	N	War, battle, warriors	Chaos, Protection, Strength, War	Warriors, fighters, barbarians, gladiators, rangers, half-orcs
Tiamat	L	LE	Evil dragons, evil reptiles, greed, conquest	Destruction, Evil, Law, Tyranny, Scalykind	Evil dragons, chromatic dragons, Cult of the Dragon, evil reptiles, fighters, sorcerers, thieves, vandals, conquerors
Torm	L	LG	Duty, loyalty, honor, obedience, paladins	Good, Law, Protection, Strength, War	Paladins, heroes, good fighters, good warriors, guardians, knights, loyal courtiers
Tymora	I	CG	Good fortune, skill, victory, adventurers	Trickery, Chaos, Good, Luck, Protection, Travel	Rogues, gamblers, adventurers, Harpers, lightfoot halflings
Tyr	G	LG	Justice	Order, Good, Law, Retribution	Paladins, judges, magistrates, lawyers, police, the oppressed
Ubtao	G	N	Creation, jungles, Chult, the Chultans, dinosaurs	Planning, Plant, Protection, Scalykind	Adepts, chultans, druids, inhabitants of jungles, rangers
Ulutiu	D	LN	Glaciers, polar environments, arctic dwellers	Animal, Law, Ocean, Protection, Strength	Arctic dwellers, druids, historians, leaders, teachers, rangers
Umberlee	I	CE	Oceans, currents, waves, sea winds	Tempest, Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Ocean, Storm, Water	Sailors, weresharks, sentient sea creatures, coastal dwellers
Uthgar	L	CN	Uthgardt barbarian tribes, physical strength	Animal, Chaos, Retribution, Strength	The Uthgardt tribes, barbarians
Valkur	D	CG	Sailors, ships, favorable winds, naval combat	Air, Chaos, Good, Ocean, Protection	Fighters, rogues, sailors
Velsharoon	D	NE	Necromancy, necromancers, liches, undeath	Magic, Undeath	Liches, necromancers, seekers of immortality through undeath, Cult of the Dragon
Waukeen	L	N	Trade, money, wealth	Balance, Envy, Pride, Protection, Sloth, Travel, Trade	Shopkeepers, merchants, guides, peddlers, moneychangers, smugglers

Drow (Dark Seldarine) Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Eilistraee	L	CG	Song, beauty, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight	Chaos, Charm, Drow, Elf, Good, Moon, Portal	Good-aligned drow, hunters, surface-dwelling elves
Ghaunadaur	L	CE	Oozes, slimes, jellies, outcasts, ropers, rebels	Cavern, Chaos, Drow, Evil, Hatred, Slime	Aboleths, drow, fighters, oozes, outcasts, ropers
Kiaransalee	D	CE	Undead, vengeance	Chaos, Drow, Evil, Retribution, Undeath	Drow, necromancers, undead
Lolth	I	CE	Drow, spiders, evil, darkness, assassins, chaos	Chaos, Darkness, Destruction, Drow, Evil, Spider	Drow, depraved elves, sentient spiders
Selvetarm	D	CE	Drow warriors	Chaos, Drow, Evil, Spider	Barbarians, drow, fighters, those who like to kill, warriors
Vhaeraun	L	CE	Thievery, drow males, evil activity on the surface	Chaos, Drow, Evil, Travel	Assassins, male drow, half-drow, poisoners, shadowdancers, rogues, thieves

Dwarven (Morndinsamm) Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Abbathor	I	NE	Greed	Dwarf, Evil, Luck, Trade	Dwarves, misers, rogues, shadowdancers
Berronar Truesilver	I	LG	Safety, honesty, home, healing, the dwarven family, records, marriage, faithfulness, loyalty, oaths	Peace, Dwarf, Family, Good, Healing, Law, Protection	Children, dwarven defenders, dwarves, fighters, homemakers, husbands, parents, scribes, wives
Clangeddin Silverbeard
Deep Duerra	D	LE	Psionics, conquest, expansion	Dwarf, Evil, Law, Mentalism	Dwarves, fighters, psionicists, travelers in the Underdark
Dugmaren Brightmantle
Dumathoin	I	N	Buried wealth, ores, gems, mining, exploration, shield, dwarves, guardian of the dead	Cavern, Craft, Dwarf, Earth, Metal, Protection	Dwarves, gemsmiths, metalsmiths, miners
Gorm Gulthyn	L	LG	Guardian of all dwarves, defense, watchfulness	Dwarf, Good, Law, Protection	Dwarven defenders, dwarves, fighters
Haela Brightaxe	D	CG	Luck in battle, joy of battle, dwarven fighters	Chaos, Dwarf, Good, Luck	Barbarians, dwarves, fighters
Laduguer	I	LE	Magic weapon creation, artisan, magic, gray dwarves	Craft, Dwarf, Evil, Law, Magic, Metal, Protection	Dwarves, fighters, loremasters, soldiers
Marthammor Duin	L	NG	Guides, explorers, expatriates, travelers, lightning	Dwarf, Good, Protection, Travel	Dwarves, fighters, rangers, travelers
Moradin	G	LG	Dwarves, creation, smithing, engineering, metalcraft, stonework, war	Forge, Knowledge, Craft, Dwarf, Earth, Good, Law, Protection	Dwarves, metalworkers, dwarven defenders, engineers, fighters, miners, smiths
Sharindlar	I	CG	Healing, mercy, romantic love, fertility, dancing, courtship, the moon	Chaos, Charm, Dwarf, Good, Healing, Moon	Bards, dancers, dwarves, healers, lovers
Thard Harr	L	CG	Wild dwarves, jungle survival, hunting	Animal, Chaos, Dwarf, Good, Plant	Druids, inhabitants of jungles, rangers, wild dwarves
Vergadain	I	N	Wealth, luck, chance, nonevil, thieves, suspicion, trickery, negotiation, sly cleverness	Dwarf, Luck, Trade	Dwarves, merchants, traders, rogues, wealthy individuals, rich

Elven (Seldarine) Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Aerdrie Faenya	I	CG	Air, weather, avians, rain, fertility, avariels	Air, Animal, Chaos, Elf, Good, Storm	Bards, druids, elves, rangers, sorcerers, travelers, winged beings
Angharradh	G	CG	Spring, fertility, planting, birth, defense, wisdom	Peace, Chaos, Elf, Good, Plant, Renewal	Community elders, druids, elves, farmers, fighters, midwives, mothers
Corellon Larethian
Deep Sashelas	I	CG	Oceans, sea elves, creation, knowledge	Chaos, Elf, Good, Ocean, Water	Druids, elves, fishermen, rangers, sages, sailors
Erevan Ilesere	I	CN	Mischief, change, rogues	Chaos, Elf, Luck, Trickery	Bards, elves, revelers, rogues, sorcerers, tricksters
Fenmarel Mestarine	L	CN	Feral elves, outcasts, scapegoats, isolation	Animal, Chaos, Elf, Plant	Druids, elves, outcasts, rangers, rogues, spies, wild elves
Hanali Celanil	I	CG	Love, romance, beauty, enchantment, magic, item artistry, fine art, artists	Chaos, Charm, Elf, Good, Magic, Protection	Aesthetes, artists, enchanters, lovers, sorcerers, bards
Labelas Enoreth	I	CG	Time, longevity, the moment of choice, history	Chaos, Elf, Good, Time	Bards, divine disciples, elves, loremasters, scholars, teachers
Rillifane Rallathil	I	CG	Woodlands, nature, wild elves, druids	Chaos, Elf, Good, Plant, Protection	Druids, rangers, wild elves
Sehanine Moonbow	I	CG	Mysticism, dreams, death, journeys, transcendence, the moon, the stars, the heavens, moon elves	Chaos, Elf, Good, Illusion, Moon, Travel	Diviners, elves, half-elves, illusionists, opponents of the undead
Shevarash	D	CN	Hatred of the drow, vengeance, crusades, loss, arcane archers, archers, elves, fighters, hunters, rangers, soldiers, sorcerers	Chaos, Elf, Retribution	Arcane archers, archers, elves, fighters, hunters, rangers, soldiers, sorcerers
Solonor Thelandira	I	CG	Archery, hunting, wilderness, survival	Chaos, Elf, Good, Plant	Arcane archers, archers, druids, elves, rangers

Giant (Ordning) Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Annam All-Father	G	N	Giants, creation, learning, philosophy, fertility	Magic, Plant, Rune, Sun	Giants
Diancastra	D	CG	Trickery, wit, impudence, pleasure	Family, Trickery	Giants
Grolantor	I	CE	Hunting, combat, hill giants	Chaos, Death, Earth, Evil, Hatred	Hill giants
Hiatea	G	N	Nature, agriculture, hunting, females, children	Animal, Family, Good, Moon, Plant, Sun	Giants, wood giants, firbolg, voadkyn
Iallanis	L	NG	Love, forgiveness, beauty, mercy	Good, Strength, Sun	Giants
Karontor	L	NE	Deformity, hatred, beasts	Animal, Cold, Evil, Madness, Strength	Fomorians, verbeeg
Memnor	I	NE	Pride, mental prowess, control	Death, Evil, Mentalism, Rune	Giants, evil cloud giants
Othea	D	N	Motherhood, fertility, family	No domain, dead	Giants, giant-kin, ogres
Skoraeus Stonebones	I	N	Stone giants, earth, buried things	Cavern, Earth, Protection, Temperance	Stone giants
Stronmaus	G	NG	Sun, sky, weather, seas, joy	Air, Good, Protection, Sun, Weather, Sky	Cloud giants, storm giants
Surtr	I	LE	Fire, war	Evil, Fire, Law, Strength	Fire giants, giants
Thrym	L	CE	Frost giants, strength, cold, ice, war	Chaos, Cold, Destruction, Earth, Evil, Strength	Frost giants

Gnome (Lords of the Golden Hills) Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Baervan Wildwanderer	I	NG	Travel, nature, forest, gnomes	Animal, Gnome, Good, Plant, Travel	Druids, forest gnomes, rangers, rock gnomes, tricksters
Baravar Cloakshadow	L	NG	Illusions, deception, traps, wards	Gnome, Good, Illusion, Protection, Trickery	Adventurers, deceivers, gnomes, illusionists, rogues, thieves
Callarduran Smoothhands	I	N	Stone, the Underdark, mining, the svirfneblin	Cavern, Craft, Earth, Gnome	Fighters, gemcutters, hermits, jewelers, illusionists, opponents of drow, svirfneblin
Flandal Steelskin	I	NG	Mining, physical fitness, smithing, metalworking	Craft, Gnome, Good, Metal	Artisans, fighters, gnomes, miners, smiths
Gaerdal Ironhand	L	LG	Vigilance, combat, martial defense	Peace, Gnome, Good, Law, Protection	Administrators, fighters, judges, monks, paladins, soldiers, warriors
Garl Glittergold	G	LG	Gnomes, humor, trickery, wit, illusion, gem cutting, jewelry making, protection	Trickery, Craft, Gnome, Good, Law, Protection	Adventurers, bards, defending soldiers, rogues, gnomes, illusionists, jewelers, gemcutters, smiths, practical jokers
Segojan Earthcaller	I	NG	Earth, nature, the dead	Cavern, Earth, Good	Druids, elemental archons (earth), fighters, gnomes, illusionists, merchants, miners
Urdlen	I	CE	Greed, bloodlust, evil, hatred, uncontrolled impulse, spriggans	Chaos, Earth, Evil, Gnome, Hatred	Assassins, blackguards, gnomes, rogues, spriggans

Halfling (Yondalla’s Children) Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Arvoreen	I	LG	Defense, war, vigilance, halfling warriors, duty, halflings	Good, Halfling, Law, Protection	Halflings, fighters, paladins, rangers, soldiers, warriors
Brandorbaris	L	N	Stealth, thievery, adventuring, halfling rogues	Halfling, Luck, Travel, Trickery	Adventurers, bards, halflings, risk takers, rogues
Cyrrollalee	I	LG	Friendship, trust, the hearth, hospitality, crafts	Peace, Family, Good, Halfling, Law	Artisans, cooks, guards, halflings, hosts, innkeepers
Sheela Peryroyl	I	N	Nature, agriculture, weather, song, dance, beauty, romantic love	Air, Charm, Halfling, Plant	Bards, druids, farmers, gardeners, halflings, rangers
Urogalan	D	LN	Earth, death, protection from the dead	Earth, Halfling, Law, Protection, Repose	Genealogists, grave differs, halflings
Yondalla	G	LG	Protection, bounty, halflings, children, security, leadership, wisdom, creation, family, tradition	Twilight, Family, Good, Halfling, Law, Protection	Children, halflings, leaders, paladins, parents

Orc Pantheon

Name	Rank	Alignment	Portfolio	Domain	Worshipers
Bahgtru	L	CE	Loyalty, stupidity, brute strength	Chaos, Evil, Orc, Strength	Barbarians, followers, orcs, physically strong beings, warriors, wrestlers
Gruumsh	G	CE	Orcs, conquest, survival, strength, territory	Cavern, Chaos, Evil, Hatred, Orc, Strength, War	Fighters, orcs
Ilneval	L	NE	War, combat, overwhelming numbers, strategy	Destruction, Evil, Orc, Planning, War	Barbarians, fighters, orcs
Luthic	L	NE	Caves, orc females, home, wisdom, fertility, healing, servitude	Cavern, Earth, Evil, Family	Monks, orc females, runecasters
Shargaas	L	CE	Night, thieves, stealth, darkness, the Underdark	Chaos, Darkness, Evil, Orc	Orcs, assassins, thieves
Yurtrus	L	NE	Death, disease	Death, Destruction, Evil, Orc, Suffering	Assassins, monks, orcs

Session XXX – Chapter One

evil.curmudgeon@gmail.com

2023-12-04

19^th of Kythorn of the year 1492

Knowing that Fogo had been captured the party started their planning for the rescue. Sending Dancer and Fwoosh back to the keep seeing if they could get a better idea of the current guard situation and if those in the keep were acting any more alert than normal.

Before sending them out, Vladimir led the others in their planning on possible ways of assaulting the keep. Vladimir, for some unknown reason, had convinced himself that there must be a tunnel from the earth monastery to the pirate keep. Even though that would be a tunnel nearly 20 miles long underground. Fwoosh and Avery were the most skeptical of that theory.

As the planning continued, it seemed that everyone except Avery, thought that some sort of distraction would be needed at the gate to attract the attention of the guards. They kept trying to convince Avery that he was the best choice, especially if he were mounted on his hairless cat steed. He would be able to magic missile outside of the vision of the guards and tease them into paying attention to him and not the rescue force that would be coming from the water side.

To figure out on how to synchronize their assaults they decided on a piece of string that would be used to measure the height of the moon from the ground. Each group would have the same size string and start the attack when the moon hits the correct position. The rescue group would delay a bit to see if they could hear any response from the keep guards and hope that they would be drawn to where Avery was attacking.

ISAC was hoping to use the ship as a distraction as well by setting it on fire either on the way in or on the way out. This could also have the impact of decreasing some of the pirate activity on the river. To make sure their string method would work, Vladimir pulled out his broken sword and cast Augury.

“What are the chances it will be cloudy tonight?”

“Woe”

Not sure what the answer meant; they assumed the best. As he was doing this, the rest noticed that Vladimir’s pupils had turned into six pointed stars. Vladimir start explaining about a dream he had and thought that maybe the broken sword was able to do more than just augury. Concentrating more, Vladimir asked a question again of the broken sword.

“Where in the pirate’s castle is our friend Fogo currently found?”

“In a cavern’s embrace, where shadows shiver,

Embarking on an underground river.

In a boat, adrift, whispers echo the way,

Through the labyrinth, where secrets lay.

A landing emerges, stone cold and still,

Unlocking the passage, a gateway to fulfill.

Through the door, an entry to despair,

To the prison’s heart, where hope’s rare.

Dank walls confine, like a solemn vow,

In the dungeon’s hush, time seems to slow.

Yet within these depths, resilience may rise,

As shadows part, revealing freedom’s prize.”

These words burned in Vladimir’s brain as a vision of it flared and filled his thoughts until it ended. While this was going on, his eyes glowed with an unearthly light, something bright and something harsh at the same time. With those words they felt comfortable with the plan and their ability to find Fogo within. Deciding to set up a camp with the wagons and horses about a mile away to be the final meet up point once the action was over.

Dancer and Fwoosh set out to spy on the keep one more time. There were more guards on all the walls, and they seemed to be more alert and looking for intruders more than previously, but the surprising thing was that it seems that the pirate ship had left at some point.

When these details were brought to the rest, there was a lot of concern expressed about the missing ship. If it was looking for them or if it might come back while they are trying to sneak in. Having an extra variable only made the endeavor riskier. Waiting for darkness the group sat each in their own thoughts. Vladimir was most concerned about the odd chance he might drop his favorite weapon, his magical maul. Hoping he could solve that, everyone waited for the time to start moving.

Avery set out first heading to the front of the keep and waited for the correct position of the moon. The rest used Angelica’s Water Walking spell to creep closer and wait for the correct time.

Unleashing a dozen magic missiles, Avery blasted apart the three guards on the wall with the gate. It was so sudden and completed so quickly the rest of the guards were unaware of the action. It was silent and Avery failed in his attempt at attracting attention. Moving to the north wall he unleased more magic killing two of the three guards on that wall but leaving the third one alive. The last one began screaming in fear alerting the rest in the keep. Avery marched on back to the main wall and waited for guards to show up.

As an alarm bell sounded loudly in the keep, the party crawled further and closer to the keep. As they approached, they also heard a horn within. They continued forward and passed by the small sea wall and moved into the protected cove. Slowing down to make sure they would remain unseen; they were able to hear the sound a metal on metal and what seemed like a heavy door opening toward the front of the keep.

Back in the front, Avery could see the gate open and nine bugbears running out after him. Riding away on his naked cat, Avery ensured he was further away from a run distance of the bugbears but still in range of his magic. He slowly peppered the group with his firebolt. After killing two thirds of them and running over 600 feet away from the keep, the moral of the bugbears finally broke and the remainder started running back to the safety of the keep. Avery followed shooting them one at a time killing the last one as he was but feet away from the gate.

However, with that distance, and showing his location to those on the wall, they guards were able to fire off a volley of arrows from their long bows hitting both Avery and his naked riding cat. Startled at being wounded, Avery turned around and rode hard away from the keep hoping there were not any other pursuers.

The rest of the crew finished their sneaking into the cove and were able to make their way to the gate leading to the underground river. With some effort Fwoosh and Dancer were able to unlock the gate and the group moved into the tunnel. Once entered, they could see a poorly lit landing over 80 feet away. Two small boats were moored, and a set of steps led upward out of the water.

Being aware of the serpent that might still be haunting the water they moved forward carefully, except Dancer who sprinted forward and was able to climb up on the landing in an instant. From there, he moved to the two doors and listened to them. The rest continued to move forward slowly since Vladimir and Angelica were unable to in the dark and had to led by hand by ISAC.

It seemed that were able to infiltrate safely, or at least it appeared so. Once they were about 30 feet from the landing, a serpent leaped from the water and bit Vladimir. It had been completely invisible in the water, and its movement did not disturb the water in any way, as if it were made of water. After the bite, a quick tail smash pounded, and then the serpent breathed out a cone of cold damaging everyone in the party. Combat has started.

The combat was fierce and loud which saw both Vladimir and Angelica getting knocked unconscious. If not for his death grip on his maul, Vladimir was sure to have been disappointed. ISAC used some of new powers and turned invisible while the serpent was killed. As they started gathering on the landing one of the doors opened and out game some strange looking men. It was not long before the other door opened as well where more of them started crowding into the landing. One of the men in the stairs was some sort of caster and started using his magic against the party.

The battle was rough, but as they were killing them, the caster ran off back up the stairs to undoubtedly to sound the alarm while his compatriots failed to fend for themselves well enough. With the guards dead, Vladimir and Angelica ran into what appeared to a prison area to look for Fog. The first door they opened contained five beaten dwarves and two humans chained to the wall, two of the other rooms seemed to only contain some commoners, but in the last and most secure room contained both Fogo and a human. Both were naked, beaten, tortured, and in mage style constraints, which included a ball gag, some metal press gloves that prevents their fingers from moving, and a bag over their head. It was then, that more guards showed up in the stairwell slowing down the recovery of Fogo.

These proved to me much weaker than the previous guards and were dispatched quickly. Dancer ran forward and freed Fogo from his chains and constraints while Angelica applied a little bit of healing to both Fogo and the unknown man. As Angelica was healing the man and the bad removed from his head, she recognized him. It was Imar from Rassalantar. He was the military cleric that had been very friendly to them before they had been banish.

This is where the session ended.

History Lesson

Orc Ecology

Here we are again on our almost weekly program. I am your host David Bourgh-Ettin, and we are here talking about the Savage Frontier. It is impossible to talk about the geographical, or even political climate without understanding some of the races that live within the Savage Frontier. This week we will be looking more closely into those green-skinned barbarians known as orcs.

Introduction

Orcs are a savage, violent and aggressive race of humanoids which take delight in plundering and killing innocent people. They once dominated Avistan in the Age of Darkness, where they appeared after they were expulsed to the surface by the dwarves in their Quest for Sky. But thousands of years later their most prominent presence has been reduced to the harsh lands of the Holds of Belkzen, which lies wedged between Varisia and Ustalav.

Physiological Observations

A typical male orc stands about 7 feet tall and weigh around 300 to 400 pounds, with females being slightly smaller and lighter. An orc is born with a deep green skin color which becomes more greyish as they age. The skin of an orc becomes entirely grey near the end of its lifespan, though few orcs live to witness that happen. Except for their skin, orcs are most recognizable by their short, pointed ears and the lower jar tusks, which they sometimes use in combat. Orcs are all nearly bald, except for some sparse filthy black hairs on the back of their head. Orcs are known for being extremely ferocious: able to keep on fighting after receiving fatal wounds before succumbing to them.

The true origin of the orc has been debated by many scholars, with some claiming them to be corrupted elves and others going as far to claiming they evolved from the goblinoid races. Whatever their origin, it is a fact that orcs surfaced after being expulsed from underground during the dwarves’ Quest for Sky. These orcs differed a lot from the orcs as we know today, being shorter (only up to 6 feet) with more rounded ears and grey skin tones. This kind of orc can still be found in the most remote mountain ranges, where dwarves have not yet migrated.

Orc anatomy is like that of other humanoid races: an Orc has relatively thick bones to support their 7 feet height and possess excessively large muscle groups. Another evident difference is their digestive track, which is relatively short due to an Orc’s carnivorously oriented diet. Given the grey skin of subterranean Orcs, scholars assume the green skin is an evolutionary development to act as camouflage.

Social Observations

Politics: Orcs group together in tribal communities for food, protection, and numbers. These communities are ruled by a single individual, a chieftain which is often a warlord or shaman. A chieftain wields the highest power within a community and dictates the laws of a tribe. In larger tribes, where the community is split into a main camp and several peripheral camps, the chieftain may anoint paramount chiefs to rule in his name. These chiefs collect and pay tribute to the chieftain in the form of food or plunder.

The sudden death of a chieftain (which is not at the hands of a challenger) and subsequent lack of an immediate successor almost inevitably throws a tribe into chaos and infighting, until a new leader arises and establishes dominance. The chiefdoms themselves are also relatively unstable forms of organization. Orc tribes are prone to periods of collapse and renewal, where tribes band together but eventually fragment through some form of social stress, after which they slowly band back together.

In some unique cases female orcs have been observed to rise to the position of chieftain. These females are more vicious and intimidating than their male counterpart, and they rule their tribe with an iron fist. Not surprisingly, they alleviate the females within a tribe of some of their tasks. A female chieftain also brings a considerable change in the looting behavior: tribes become more systematic and selective in the towns they attack, maximizing their returns and minimizing their losses.

Religion: Orcs are merely interested in satisfying their own needs, which is a reason why an orc would not worship a god. But they also dislike having a master, and they perceive the worship of a deity as subjugating themselves to it. Despite this, shamans frequently rise to power and enforce the worship of a god to exert control over the tribe.

The gods that shamans devote a tribe to directly influence the amount of control they have. Thus, they typically choose gods which portfolio suits an orc the best. Typically, this is either Asmodeus or Gorum. But tribes worshipping Norgorber, Rovagug or Zon-Kuthon are not unheard off. There have been some unique cases in which a shaman has successfully engaged a tribe in worship of himself. These forms of devotion rarely last long, as a shaman’s rivals will disprove his divinity as the first possible opportunity.

Warriors: Orc raiding parties are, thankfully, uncoordinated, disorganized, and opportunistic, striking only at targets weaker than themselves. It is due to this lack of the ability to effectively coordinate that orcs rarely develop a lasting nation. However, sometimes great leaders arise which can unite several tribes together and stand at the head of almost unbeatable orcish hordes, which will ravage across the land and plunder every town and village they’ll come across.

On an individual level, however, orcs are still fearsome warriors who plunge themselves in combat with great strength and ferocity. We have been able to identify several types of warriors within the orcish ranks.

Orc warriors make up the brunt of many tribes across the Holds of Belkzen. These orcs charge into combat against the nearest foe they can find. They’ll keep attacking with their falchions until either their enemy (or they themselves) are beaten, after which they seek out another target. Foes that resist will quickly find numerous orcs ganging up on him until he is worn down.

Orc berserkers, sometimes also called Orc barbarians, are the most fearsome sight in a battle. These brutes occasionally lead a charge, but more often seek out the strongest enemies on the battlefield to match their strength. They fight with great axes and can take an incredible amount of punishment.

Orc riders are an uncommon sight. These orcs were brave enough to tame a worg and ride it as a mount. Since these orcs lack in numbers, they often perform skirmishes on the flanks of an enemy, or after a battle pursue anyone trying to flee.

Behavioral Observations

Male-female interaction: Males are, unsurprisingly, the dominant gender within a tribe. If they are not out raiding, or occasionally patrolling a camp’s perimeter, they spend their time indulging themselves with food, torture [of slaves] and fighting rivals. Male orcs rarely take up professions as they disgust at even the thought of having to go through the effort to create something themselves, instead of taking it. However, in some cases a male might take up the craft of armour- or weaponsmith and become a valuable and protected asset of chieftains.

Females fulfil the role of the lesser gender within orc society, which is most likely attributed to having a much calmer and collected nature, compared to their male counterpart (this does not mean a disgruntled female orc wouldn’t tear off an arm). Males delegate much of the day-to-day tasks to the females within a tribe. These activities include, but might not be limited to cooking, cleaning, nursing, and herding. Females also seem to be more likely to take up a profession, like leatherworking or seaming to create or repair both tents and clothing.

Reproduction & childhood: With love seeming to be an almost alien concept among males, orcs do not form lasting relationships. Males rather see females, and their offspring, as ‘property’. Males thus create harems of females, the size of which is directly linked to their position within a tribe. Males do not partake in care for their own children, though they might occasionally teach their sons to fight. Children are instead raised by their mothers and learned how to survive within a tribe by assisting them in their day-to-day tasks.

Reaching adulthood is no small feat for orcish children. After leaving infancy they almost immediately must fend for themselves against older members of the tribe. Already in childhood do most males, encouraged by their fathers, start intimidating children of the same age or younger than them. When reaching adulthood, male children are initiated by leading the charge in a raid, in which the survivors of the vanguard are considered adults. Females don’t receive an official rite, though they are deemed adults once they develop their secondary sex characteristics, at which point they are forced into a harem.

Inter-Species Observations

Orcs take little regard for members of their own species, and even less for members of others. They enjoy raiding neighboring towns, and always enslave survivors of such endeavors. Male slaves are sold off for gold, weapons, and armour. Female slaves have the less fortunate fate of becoming part of the ‘daily entertainment’ within a camp.

Negotiating with an orc is almost always entirely fruitless, for they will keep increasing their demands after an agreement is made or lose their temper during a negotiation and satisfy themselves with whatever the negotiator(s) have on hand.

The best way to have an orc cooperate is by being more dominant than the orc itself, often accomplished by intimidation. However, unless the orc is restrained or otherwise prohibited from engaging in combat, he will have to be literally beaten into submission. This is no small feat, as most orcs fight to the death rather than being taken, as this would make them the laughingstock of the tribe.

On a political level, cooperation with orcs is even more problematic. Eradicating a tribe is easier than keeping them as vassals, due to an orc’s tendency to either rebel against or backstab their superiors. More often, nations that must deal with orcs and who have been unable to do this by military means often placate them with gifts of food or treasure. History has shown that providing arms and weapons has always proved counterproductive, as these seem to, almost inevitably, often be used against the gifting nation itself.

Iceshield Orcs

The Iceshields were an orc tribe dwelling in an area of rolling grass-covered hills where the Dessarin Valley met the western High Forest in the late 15th century DR. Where a branch of the Dessarin Valley meets the western High Forest are rolling grass-covered hills recently claimed by the orcs of the Iceshield tribe. They dwell in crude lodges made from timber cut from the forest. Elves and centaurs regularly emerge from the High Forest to attack and set fire to these lodges, but the orcs keep cutting down trees and rebuilding them.

The Iceshield orcs haunt the hills and grasslands north of Grudd Haug, near the western edge of the High Forest, and have forged a tenuous alliance with Guh the hill giant chieftain. They are the least loyal of her supporters and don’t get along with the goblinoids. Boorvald Orcbane, Great Chief of the Ghost Tree Uthgardt tribe, true to his name, hunts orcs and frequently launches attacks against the crude Iceshield orc-holds along the western edge of the forest.

Orc raids are common occurrences throughout the frontier, as small bands of orcs steal livestock or waylay the occasional supply wagon. In recent days, a tribe hiding in the rough lands east of the Sumber Hills has become markedly bolder. The Iceshield orcs are attacking farms and cattle ranches throughout the region, and orc scouts have been sighted by patrols less than a day’s ride from Yartar.

The Iceshield orcs reside in a handful of lodges spaced about a day apart along the western edge of the High Forest. They have long been a thorn in the side of the denizens of that wood and the settlers who farm and ranch in the plains to the west. Now the Iceshields have become a prominent threat. Disruptions to the weather and landscape due to the powerful magic being used by the elemental cults has been taken as a sign from Gruumsh that blood and gold must flow from the lands of lesser races.

The orcs seek supply sources in the valley. Scouts found that the farmers and ranchers in the area are prime options. Now, roving war bands attack the frontier families directly, raiding the homesteads with impunity. In addition to stealing livestock, the Iceshields take any carts and wagons they find, loading them with loot. They take the families as slaves and force them to tow the conveyances back to the Iceshield lodges.

Some independent-minded squads of orcs decided that the fertile land of the homesteads was more appealing than serving as underlings in their own lodges, and they killed the original owners to occupy the land. They have no intention of farming the crops or tending the livestock, but they intend to stay until the food runs out, then move on to the next settlement.

Campaign Notes

With Avery attracting attention and causing a fair amount of damage, the party was able to get into the tunnels with only some difficulty and found Fogo and an old friend. But with all the noise they have made, and that one of the responders got away, how much time do they have left before more men show up. Enemies are probably less than a minute away at this point.

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18th of Kythorn of the year 1492

19th of Kythorn of the year 1492

Campaign Notes

Description

Personality and Backgrounds

Character Details

Alignment

Languages

Personality Characteristics

Inspiration

Gaining Inspiration

Awarding Inspiration

Using Inspiration

Reset of Inspiration

Homebrew Proficiencies

Harvesting Kit

Backgrounds

Expectations

Homebrew Backgrounds

Built in a Lab

Feature: Quick Study

Suggested Characteristics

Far East Traveler

Why Are You Here?

Feature: All Eyes on You

Suggested Characteristics

Farmhand

Feature: Rustic Hospitality

Suggested Characteristics

Harvester

Feature: Connected

Suggested Characteristics

Customization Options

Multiclassing

Feats

Homebrew Feats

Blindfighting

Eldritch Empowerment

End Him Rightly

Gastronomy

Resourceful

Tool Expert

Town Drunk

Upgrade Familiar One

Upgrade Familiar Two

Upgrade Pact of the Chain Familiar One

Upgrade Pact of the Chain Familiar Two

Perks

Adored

Attunement

Avoidance

Beneficent

Cantrip Sage

Chemist

Cloakmaster

Climber

Cunning Movement

Deft

Dodge

Empath

Escape Artist

Firebrand

Fit

Fleet-Footed

Fleetness

Full of Life

Gorilla Technique

Gourmet

Hard of Hearing

Hardheaded

Hardy

Healer

Healthy

Impalement Arts

In the Darkness

Interfere

Marksman

Master Swordsman

Material Caster

Pious

18^th of Kythorn of the year 1492

19^th of Kythorn of the year 1492

15^th of Mirtul of the year 1492

19^th of Kythorn of the year 1492