Have your Forgotten the Forgotten Realms?

For a moment I did.

The 4e campaign guide was sitting there under the DMG 2, under the Eberron Campaign Guide . . . just sitting there lonely.

When I first purchased the book (and the companion Player Guide), I was not impressed. While I liked the PG’s swordmage, dark pact, and spellscarred options, the FRCS felt  . . . meh. I’d spent a lot of my 2e career DMing in the Realms, and the 4e version of Faerun felt different just for the sake of being different. I put the book aside and forgot about it . . .

Due to the fact I will be finishing my Master’s degree and seeking a Ph.D., it is likely I am going to be moving again. This fact got me to thinking (like everything does) about RPGs. I’ve got a pretty solid group of guys to game with here. Consistently show up, want to play, and we are all friends aside – I wanted to run one more 1-30 campaign for them, for me, before I rambled on.

But what?

Initially, I had big ideas of a homebrew world full of grit and darkness and house rules . . . but with teaching, working on a thesis, pursuing my fiction, and my small freelance ‘career’, time wasn’t available to do that. Besides, some of my ideas of fun, I think may run contrary to what my players would want . . .

Eberron seemed a viable alternative. I like the pulp-noir feel, I enjoyed the campaign setting, but as I dug into the setting harder than I ever had before, I noticed something that made me shy away from running it. Points. Of. Light.

I really enjoy the 4e points of light concept, of vast swathes of darkness crisscrossing the land. Eberron with its nations and its conspiracies doesn’t encapsulate the feel I am looking for. I wanted a campaign that could feel more rugged, more episodic . . .

Forgotten Realms! I dug through the book again, and for some reason things really popped with me. The spellplague’s created this world that, while depending on it, has to have grown wary of magic. It is war torn with the shades of Netheril leading the way. It is points of light, Anarauch, Damara, Narfell, and just so much uncharted land in general between the cities on the map.  I got so swept up in the Forgotten Realms fever, I skimmed the boards and the wiki, and I whipped up a campaign guide centering on Maloren’s Rest, a small Cormyrian village abutting the Farsea Swamp.

I’ve already posted the campaign guide (a few posts back), and I don’t want to ruin the game. But I will be posting a campaign journal. . .

Really the point of this post is to just say give the Realms one more chance. I feel it gets some bad raps because of the powerful NPCs, but you know what, that’s a DM thing. I for one am looking forward to uncovering ancient Netherese ruins, lots of magic items, and partaking in high adventure across the width and breadth of Faerun once more . . . and here’s a little treat that my player’s can likely look forward to meeting down the road.

(As always a work in progress)

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One other thing I want to mention is NEVERMET PRESS. You can check them out in my blogroll, but the reason I really wanted to mention them is to ‘pimp’ some writing I did with them.

So here is the skinny:

NMP just released the first of the Portrait of a Villain series; this one details the Desire, a seductive woman who uses her wiles and intelligence to rule her criminal empire with an iron hand clothed in a velvet glove.

The PDF is only $9.95 (I’ve got the link for sale to the right) and you get a lot for that. And the great thing about it is that it is full of drop-in and use material; that is to say it is not all linked together, but it is all derived from different designers view concept of the Desire.

Included you will see: (~ = about)

~ 25 new statblocks full of 4e baddies (arguably the most useful 3 party product for 4e, as it is very easy to cut and paste or put into the Monster Builder)

~ 6 new magic items.

1 new paragon path.

A fully developed city. A handful of fully developed organizations. 3 fully developed encounters. A bunch of art and maps . . . a lot of other stuff I’m missing.

So, if you are a DM and you want material that is comprehensive enough to place a whole heroic level arc around look no further. You will not be disappointed.

Overall, I highly recommend it – and heck you’d help feed a rogue, which keeps me off the streets!

Picked Pockets – Mad Dwarven Woman

So I promised a new villain for one of the story arcs for my next campaign, and here she is. This is Morgana (from Dungeon Mag’s Den of the Slave Takers) with some slight twists. She is now a dwarf (no halflings in the homebrew, I’m afraid). In addition, she’s less into worshipping Torag and much more an alchemist who got mixed up with some recent aberrant influences . . .

Now for some pockets worth picking:

• Chatty DM – If you are coming here to link to Chatty’s site, your blog-reading priorties are mixed up. But if by some chance you have not seen it, Chatty delves into a particular subject that constantly frustrates me with 4e – treasure. I am not sure I agree with the direction he is going there, and I think that stems from us seeing different problems with the parcel system, but it is thought-provoking and worth a look. Chatty DM’s Treasure System.
• Some people love them, some people hate them, but regardless Geek’s Dream Girl has probably one of the best recent ones. Maybe its because I’m a fan of Eberron, but so far I enjoy reading her campaign logs.
• Lastly, I’ve really been scouring other game systems lately. Check out Life and Time’s of the Philippine Gamer for more info on FantasyCraft, and this blog for info on the forthcoming Warhammer RPG.

Theme: madness

Even before the concept was ‘codified’ in DMG 2, I’ve been a fan of the way 4e has themed certain powers. Kobolds are shifty, Dwarves are tough to move, etc . . . Seeing this thread established early on in the system, I crafted my homebrews to operate in a similar manner. All the Thompson Boy bandits have bloody opportunist. All the wizards of Sedgme can fly once an encounter.

But the DMG 2’s idea of theme opens this power structure up even more. Now when creating a themed group of baddies, we can think in broader terms. Some of the baddies may have X and Y, others may have Z . . . regardless the mix all of these powers echo a theme.

So, as I am in the midst of prepping a new campaign and wanted to come up with a theme for an aberrant cult, Awakened Eyes, that will likely play a major role, I turned back to the DMG 2 for inspiration. Instead I found an answer. Or at least half an answer; 4 of the 8 powers of the Those Who Can Hear (DMG 2 120-121) work very well for my own mad cultists:

Aura of Madness: Works nicely, not overpowering and fits the theme.

Mind Twist: Really, really like this power. It is like dominate-light. I think the way it is described it can easily fit a sense of madness or insanity.

Seeds of Madness: Another great controller-type power that shows how infused some of these beings are with Far Realm weirdness.

Psychic Feedback: Maybe my favorite power of this aberrant theme. It highlights that all the aberrant worshippers are connected via their insanity, and the psychic energy that thrums between them.

Now the remaining 4 powers did not really do it for me. One gave an action point (boring), one was a slow effect that didn’t jive with the flavor of a mad cult, one was a ‘psychic scream’ that again didn’t jive with what flavor I was looking for, and the last was a simple leader power involving movement (boring).

So here are a few additions I’ve added.

This really works for brutes. I think it captures that "I'm one angel dust" or "this guy just busted out of the asylum" kind of madness.

 

 

 

 

 

I keep envisioning the player's finally whittling down their first BBEG and the skin of her forehead splitting open to reveal this horrid, alien eye.

 

 

 

 

 

May need to play with this one a bit, but I like the concept of the insane being particularly resistant to Will-targeting effects. I could just make this an inherent bonus, but I at least want to highlight the flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea being here that once the aberrant-themed baddie has 'touched your mind' with a pyschic power, he gains some sense of what your thinking. Hence the ability to evade. Good RP should go along with this - Example - Ask your player what's on his mind right now? Then have the villain repeat that back to him . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow, I’ll show you how these powers are being used on my version of Morgana, from my version of Den of the Slavetakers. Also, the return of Picked Pockets.

Bullywugs

Icky, swampy bullywugs. But why? They are already statted in the MM2, and in the recent 4e netbook . . . Answer: because they just didn’t cut it for me. Yes, I borrowed some concepts from those two sources, but bullywugs in my campaign are filthy, mucky, swamp loving brutes. More toady than froggy, more croaky than leapy, and definitely unable to belch fire and lightning . . . nor do they give hp back and bumble across the battlefield hurting themselves.

I will be collecting monsters here in a PDF every 50 or so . . . you can expect them to have a full write up then, but here are the bullywugs stats.

 

Bullywug Hopper		Level 1 Skirmisher
Medium natural humanoid		XP 100
Initiative +5                          Senses Perception +1 Swamp Stench aura 1; each enemy that spends a healing surge within the aura is weakened until the end of its next turn. HP 27; Bloodied 13 AC 15; Fortitude 13; Reflex 15; Will 11 Speed 6 (swamp walk), swim 4
m Spear (at-will; standard) • Weapon
+6 vs AC; 1d6 + 3 damage.
M Leaping Charge (recharge 6; standard) • Weapon
A bullywug hopper shifts up to its speed. It can move through enemy squares and difficult terrain. It must land adjacent to an enemy; +6 vs AC; 2d6 + 3 damage.
C Phlegmatic Croak (encounter; minor) • Poison
Close blast 2; +5 vs Reflex; 1d6 + 3 poison damage and the target is blinded until the end of the bullywug’s next turn.
Alignment Unaligned		Languages Primordial
Skills Acrobatics +8, Athletics +6
Str 12 (+1)	Dex 17 (+3)		Wis 12 (+1)
Con 11 (+0)	Int 7 (–2)		Cha 10 (+0)

Deathshade Wisp

Well, thanks to the awesomeness of Open Design: Courts of the Shadow Fey (join us, join us, join us), I’ve been lucky enough to get a Monday Monster posted up on the KQ site. Take a look at the Deathshade Wisp!

Critter Collection: Skinning

New Skin, Old Monster

While far from being exclusive to 4e, the concept of re-skinning a beastie has definitely been advocated in the latest edition. With the help of adventure tools, it could not be much easier. Simply click the monster, make whatever minor edits you see fit, if you need a new power drag and click and voila! New bad guy.

For me, a self-admitted ‘tinkerer DM,’ this functionality cannot be overstated. Even though I personally enjoy making new monsters whole cloth, the speed, ease, and convenience of simply switching some keywords around cannot be beat.

Before I present today’s beasties, let me stress the other, sometimes overlooked, function of re-skinning in 4e. It is a player tool just as much as a DM tool. Let magic missile become fire dart. Let your cleric of the Raven Queen do necrotic damage instead of radiant.

I tend to look at 4e has a deli. Powers (PC & monsters’), info from the setting guides, certain classes, certain races . . . all of these are going to appeal to certain people. It is up to you as the DM or player to pick and put together the ones that work best for you.  This can be as broad as making a campaign with no dragonborn or tieflings, or as specific as turning a Magma Claw into an Icewrought Hound for your upcoming game. The bottom line is just because it is in D&D doesn’t mean it’s a condiment, meat, or veggie (god, this analogy fails) you must use. The best sandwiches go together, they do not possess all the options . . . and sometimes your ham and cheese, is a ham and swiss, sometimes it is a ham and cheddar, sometimes it is a . . .

An Eladrin Arcane Archer modified into a Duergar who worships Levistus . . .

Sometimes its a Magma Claw who becomes an Icewrought Hound . . .

A Minor Update

I’ve just reconfigured my damage houserules; they now include my critical fumble rules. As always they can be found in the 4th Edition Material tab above.

I plan on doing two more updates tomorrow:

1) Add a Bestiary, Items, Power, and Feat section to the Material tab.

2) Scouring the interwebs for a few more houserules to add to my collection.

I also would like to get off my but and contribute to this month’s carnival, so we shall see.

Oh, and just to make this an official 4e blog . . . feel free to use these guys to round out your local Thieves’ Guild.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Anry the Bladed

Sunlight glistened silver off the pirate captain’s cutlass. He held the point firmly against the throat of Sergeant Funrin, drawing a thin crimson bead of blood that sat still and heavy on the sailor’s skin.

“Thinking you and your mates could run us through in the night, eh, guardsman?” The pirate’s face turned up into a handsome, if mocking smile. “A twilight assault seems a bit, hmm what’s the word?” He turned to face his crew and gave a quick shout, “What’s the word boys?”

“Sounds like something we’d do, cap’n!” The quick response came; laughter, thick and laced with anticipation for the night’s events, followed in its wake.

“Aye, it does, it does. And since you led your men to kill me in the most pirate-like fashion, I’m inclined to let you walk with your life. Code of the sea and all.”

Sergeant Funrin let out his breath, unaware he’d been holding it. The action caused his skin to prick uncomfortably against the cutlass still held at his throat. His voice fumbled weakly. “You’re serious?”

The pirate’s eyes flashed more steel than the cutlass in his hand or the dirk at his side. “Course not.” With a flick of his wrist, the cutlass swung downward away from the neck. A deep gash appeared on the sergeant’s uniform . . . and chest. Blood trickled through skin, bubbling near the surface. The pirate grabbed the shocked and dying navy man’s throat and held his eyes so they’d gaze into his own. “You won’t be alone for long, son. I’m gonna send every last one of you Port Blacksea men down to Davy Jones. And when you get there, tell him Anry the Bladed sent you.” Anry through the man backwards and turned away, not caring to watch the man fall overboard.

Misunderstanding can be the root of so many evils, and the story of Gaulx Rinemein is a prime example. A half-elf born to a human mother in the city of Port Blacksea, Gaulx faced varying levels of prejudice throughout his childhood and adolescence. None of these particularly wounded him, though the he could not deny the stinging loneliness he felt from time to time. Fortunately, three things helped him through those early years: his mother’s care, his quick wit, and his diligence.

It was this latter attribute that endeared Gaulx to many of the boatmen and dock laborers who worked the Port. Young Gaulx did heavy lifting, learned to fish and sail, and was extremely useful (and cheap labor) to a variety of sailors and merchants. As he grew into a young, and as many of the city girls would tell you, handsome, man, he envisioned a life at sea.

He had no idea how true that vision would be.

The misunderstanding in Gaulx’s life came when the Port Blacksea authorities knocked on his mother’s door late one evening. They found her in bed with an elf, Gaulx’s father. These amorous visits were kept secret from the young half-elf because his father had no desire to play the role, and because Gaulx’s mother was too passionate about his father to force the issue. Had this been another time or another place, such discretion would not demand the attention of any authority, however, in Port Blacksea this was not the case. A contingent of elves from the nearby Gorelle Woods had long been a thorn in the side of the local constabulary; they practiced banditry, murder, and other crimes all under the banner of fighting for their hereditary lands – lands now considered property of Port Blacksea. Gaulx’s father was considered an accomplice to this group.

A scuffle ensued. Gaulx’s father escaped; his mother died.

Upon discovering the situation, Gaulx flew into a fit of rage, and ran a guard through. Faced with impending death, a sailor who’d hired him many times before paid for his release. Anry, as the wizened sailor was called, took the angry half-elf under his wing and taught him the life of piracy; he nurtured his hatred of Port Blacksea, and before he passed on, he gave his name to Gaulx. “You are the 7^th Anry, a name that will always strike terror into the cold heart of Port Blacksea.”

Anry wants nothing less than to watch Port Blacksea burn. He is merciless in his execution and assault on vessels that would call the Port home. So efficient has he been in his three years of piracy, that the name Anry the Bladed has become known even further along the coast; the bounty for his head has raised itself accordingly.

Anry’s plan is simple. Kill any merchant leaving or arriving to Port Blacksea. While the Port still remains strong, his efforts have begun to play out. The constant threat of death and piracy has slowed the number of ships coming in and raised prices for incoming goods to a level uncomfortable with the local government.

Anry’s natural charisma has made him a superior leader. Despite starting with only one ship three years ago, the pirate has managed to gather a sizable armada of pirates. His forces number no less than six pirate ships, with at least a hundred buccaneers answering to Anry’s banner, a dirk and cutlass crossed over a crimson field.

By Land, By Sea (Heroic)

Merchants who do business in Port Blacksea find themselves with a quandary. The threat of Anry the Bladed has forced them to find a more ‘cost-effective’ manner of getting goods into town, namely by caravan. While this is not without its dangers, namely a rogue band of wild elves who roam the forests, it has proven to be the wiser route.

Until lately . . .

Recently an entire caravan was slaughtered by a group of elves, a tactic unusually cruel and complete considering their past efforts. An investigation of the area revealed a dead elf wearing a bandana … Anry’s banner. It would seem that the charisma of Anry has turned inland in an attempt to fully throttle Port Blacksea. Will the PCs be able to fend off pirates and elven bandits? Will they be able to disrupt this dangerous union? Or will Port Blacksea fade away under the double-edged assault?

Guilt and Vengeance (Heroic)

Gaulx’s father, and elf named Mirilian, has seen too much pain in his life. The loss of his homeland to the greedy Port Blacksea authorities, the death of his wife at their hands, and the loss of his son to a life of piracy. Two of these things cannot be undone, one . . . one perhaps can be. The grieved father seeks out the PCs and makes an ultimatum. Bring my son to me, or Port Blacksea will burn within the week as every elf in the region will make one final assault. He promises that if his son can be brought to him, alive and unharmed, his people will seek peace with the Blacksea authorities.

To complicate issues, the beleaguered merchant’s guild just put a price on both Anry and Mirilian’s heads, the total being more money than the PCs have ever seen.

Pirate vs. Ninja, Miscellaneous

Like the Hatfields and McCoys only with more shuriken and hook-hands.

Ok time for a little Miscellany before we move on to visit the respective leaders of the Jets and Sharks . . . er, Pirates and Ninjas. (Here & Here)

Quite simply put, not everyone has the skill to be a ninja, and not everyone has the moxie to be a pirate. Someone has to be low man on the totem pole, someone has to be fodder. Allow me to introduce the Ninja Foot Soldier and the Scallywag. These guys are the mooks that fill out a ninja camp or pirate ship, respectively.

The other miscellaneous additions are the Ninja Monk (a man whose body should be registered as a lethal weapon) and the obligatory ship mage, the Seastorm Seer (lighting and water do not mix well).

Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and, as always, these are subject to revision so feel free to critique. Thanks.

** As one last note, I do plan on giving these a more complete write-up (i.e. tactics, encounter groups, etc), but will probably lump them together in a PDF.

Pirate vs. Ninja, Round 2

The pirates are upset they did not get the Teenage Mutant Pirate Turtle deal.

So a few days ago, we took a look at the grunts of the Pirate v. Ninja universe. This week we move up the chain a bit. The Shadestep Shinobi is a ninja whose almost bordering the mystic levels of what a ninja can achieve. He is a terror in combat, even though he lacks any extra-powerful attacks, because of his amazing mobility and ability to blend with the shadows (see also concealment).

On the other hand the Sea Dog Buccaneer is about the lack of mobility. Namely through a deadly use of opportunity attacks and his wicked Run ‘em Through, he is going to keep you pinned down.

As always these are works that are subject to revision and playtest. Feel free to comment and critique or side with either Pirates or Ninjas.