Tag: homebrew

  • Expanding character personality and 11 other things to help you game

    Expanding character personality and 11 other things to help you game

    Roleplaying is more than a stat block. It’s that stat block, plus the personality of a character you assume for however that game lasts. Early in D&D and the hobby’s history that personality would be as simple as the class, race and maybe alignment. That resulted in a pattern where many characters had the same personality.

    As alignment faded, and especially during the surge in actual plays, personalities became vibrant. Original 5e even tried to reward personality using the traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws system plus alignment. It was too much to handle for a few hours a week of fun.

    How can we simplify the personality?

    By using archetypes from fiction — these pull at our souls because they are common. BUT. A character with a singular archetype is also boring, just like the idea that every single lawful good Paladin has the same personality is boring.

    The most recent episode of Scriptnotes went over ways to incorporate archetypes in screenwriting.

    It’s the intersection of two or three archetypes that makes a character interesting. They need positive and flawed attributes, and tension.

    Their archetypes are a version of short-form personality. Ejecting trope-y D&D concepts by force and giving your character simple ways to remember who they are in their soul is easy — especially if you use their card system — which I’m backing.

    Two positive attributes, one flaw; both in a single word — you can remember that. You probably are already playing that way!

    Xabal, my goblin artificer, is quick-witted, kind, and overthinking.

    That’s more interesting than chaotic good.

    I started to listen to Scriptnotes because it helped me be a better DM and rare short fiction writer, not because I think I’ll be in a writer’s room someday. And now they’re both working on D&D TV projects. Craig Mazin is working with HBO on the Baldur’s Gate series while John August is working on the Ravenloft project. Almost every episode mentions D&D.

    Other things to help inspire your game, help you play, or help you design

    Any Human Ever creates short bios based on the history of our world. It can be a start to seeding interesting NPCs.

    Dyson Logos Small Shop Series — now with 14 small shops in a market road of a city, these help me more than dungeons.

    Scipio’s Resources for RPG creators — bookmark this if you ever think you are going to publish for pay. The assembly of resources is excellent.

    British Columbia has a floating island that keeps disappearing. Welcome to spooky season. Floating islands are fascinating enough, but what if it pops in and out of the fey realms regularly? What if it isn’t haunted, but everyone that lives on it thinks that the village on the edge of the lake are the haunters? This could be a fun one-shot.

    You know I have strong thoughts on using cultures rather than languages. Two other bloggers riffed on those concepts over the summer.

    All of us agree that you should use Culture rather than Language at your D&D table. Pick the system that works best at yours — I may run Melestrua’s version in my next campaign.

    Dice are six thousand years older than previously thought, and American. Remember, your D&D tech doesn’t have to mirror Western and Central Europe. It can, but even then, it doesn’t have to mirror a single era.

    I love Adempz idea of using Success Thresholds rather than single-roll DCs. Having ways to expand the mechanical heft of a social or exploration encounter is good! This is a variant on stealing Blades in the Dark clocks, basically.

    M.T. Black fleshed out traveling in a way I need to use at the table. D&D travelling used to be a significant element of the game, but now is frequently ignored. Swift, simple mechanics that amplify story and setting like Black does here are perfect.

    Traipse offers a new way to think about commonality via 1, 10, 100000. Within the World of the Everflow dragons in the Age of Myths were closer to 10, but in the modern era of Uprising and Rebellion they are 100,000 — extremely common, almost like humans. Those are two different levels of danger.

    What links should I include in the next edition of Lore Collage?

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  • In darkness there is light — the Lamplighter Background is now for 5e D&D, 5.5e and Black Flag

    In darkness there is light — the Lamplighter Background is now for 5e D&D, 5.5e and Black Flag

    Within our fantasy worlds are massive cites. There are lots of problems with the scale of some of these cities — they need farms, roads, and light because residents are up at all hours. Settings like Ravnica and Eberron deal with the largest cites via magic. Those worlds with less magic manage metropolises with some magic, some magically imbued races and hand-waving. One of those hands we can wave relates to light.

    Magic is the simple way to add light to cities. Another way to have them with some level of light for safety and to encourage all races to reside within is via a public lantern system. For about 150 years this was the process in Western Europe and Northeast America. People would go through and light lanterns along the street. Those shops and establishments that wanted business in the evening or early morning would do the same.

    These workers would live split lives as early risers and night owls.

    Let’s crank all of this up to d20 and make them potential heroes. Meet the Lamplighter, for “in darkness there is light.”

    This post was originally published in 2021 for 5e D&D only.

    Photo by Josh Hild on Pexels.com

    Lamplighter

    You know your neighborhood. You don’t have a favorite bar, or food stand, or favorite bakery — they all are you favorite. They know your route, you know when every one gets up or goes to sleep. You know the street urchin, the acolyte, the haberdasher, the goblin family that makes the best trinkets (maybe you have one favorite). They all know you too.

    Getting around the city you use a run-jump parkour along the crates and awnings, somehow never letting your lighting candle go out. You flow through the streets and alleys. You’re a great observer and with the other Lamplighters the group always knows the secrets and rumors of a land — a nobleman leaving the tavern too late, a merchant up too early with visitors on the stoop, a door left opened. And you know the guilds and gangs of the underground, because when your lights go out they are there, ready to do their work. They know you, and never act against you (unless you count putting out a light early), because you are a beloved symbol of the city. You are a Lamplighter.

    Lamplighter (5.5e / 2024)

    Ability scores: Dexterity, Charisma, Wisdom
    Feat: Music of the Street
    Skill Proficiencies: Insight and Athletics or Acrobatics
    Tool Proficiency: Carpenter’s Tools
    Equipment: Common Clothes, Ladder, 5 Flasks Oil, Flint & Steal, 5 Candles, Hourglass, Signal Whistle, Pouch with 2 GP and 7 SP or 20 gold pieces

    Origin Feat: Music of the Street

    Dance of the Street . Through a mix of jumping and tumbling, non-magical difficult terrain is not difficult for you as long as there are solid surfaces available in your movement, or you have a pole of some kind. Your jump distance increases by your proficiency bonus.

    Song of the Street. After spending an hour in a bar, market, restaurant or other third place in a new non-magical urban area hostile humanoids are indifferent to you.

    Rhythm of the Street. When fighting more than one creature at melee range you are able to assess the pattern of combat. Twice per short or long rest you may use your Reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class when a melee attack would hit you.

    Lamplighter (Black Flag/ToV)

    Skill Proficiencies: Insight and Athletics or Acrobatics
    Additional Proficiencies: Thieves Cant
    Equipment: Common Clothes, Ladder, 5 Flasks Oil, Flint & Steal, 5 Candles, Hourglass, Signal Whistle, Pouch with 2 GP and 7 SP or 20 gold pieces.

    Talent
    You are familiar with the rhythm and beat of the streets. Pick one of the following Talents;

    • Athletic
    • Aware
    • Quick

    Lamplighter (5e/2014)

    Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Insight
    Tool Proficiencies: None
    Languages: Thieves Cant, one other language (as always, use Cultures instead of Languages)
    Equipment: Common Clothes, Ladder, 5 Flasks Oil, Flint & Steal, 5 Candles, Hourglass, Signal Whistle, Pouch with 2 GP and 7 SP

    Feature: Songs of the Street

    When visiting a new town or city you quickly pick up the rhythm of the streets. The Lamplighter is able to figure out what neighborhoods and buildings are most active at what times, when the urchins and gangs are out, when the guards are on patrol. The pace of a city and its people is second nature to the Lamplighter.

    In your hometown your knowledge is more accurate and more complete, and you will always know someone who will help you in a time of need.

    Lamplighter Design Goals

    Frankly, this background started with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Jack in Mary Poppins Returns. The lamplighters featured throughout the movie, riding bikes, lighting the neighborhoods of London, and inspiring people to be their best through song, dance, and conversation. There are some bard themes, but nothing is magical besides a few people loving their town and making it better.

    Beyond what Jack does in the movie, there’s also an opportunity for a Lamplighter in the massive cities of not-quite Eberron levels of magic. These workers are active at dawn and dusk. As Waterdeep, Skuld, Calimport and other transition between night and day the neighborhoods transition too. Lamplighters are not guards or police. They fill of space of advisor, guide, and concerned citizen.

    They know that the world’s largest cities need the hope and safety that lanterns provide. Without that comforting light what is a city anyway?

    Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons

  • Ritual casting Cantrips in D&D

    Ritual casting Cantrips in D&D

    Worlds with mild or pervasive magic, magic that’s not merely for combat should have more rituals. These rituals would be to represent the fictions around hedge mages, working mages, knacks, folk magic and the like.

    But how do we do this in a world that isn’t just low magic, but nearly no trained magic — by Ritual casting Cantrips.

    Now, that seems counter intuitive. In D&D and the rest of the 5e ecosystem we’re used to seeing cantrips as a less than six second flash of action. The non-combat ones, especially the four most flavorful ones, aren’t powerful.

    That’s exactly why we’re stealing those four and turning them into rituals for the hedge mage, the folk witch, the knacked one.

    Converting to Rituals

    Currently the casting time is one Magic Action or Action for Druidcraft, Elementalism, Prestidigitation and Thaumaturgy.

    1. Make the ritual last 10 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours.
    2. Expand the impact of these spells exponentially.
    3. Give them to commoners.
    4. Do not let the trained casters cast these as rituals as they are less powerful than constantly casting using an Action.
      1. Do let casters have the higher impacts when their combat cantrips get more powerful.

    Druidcraft

    From the 5.2 SRD;

    Whispering to the spirits of nature, you create one
    of the following effects within range.

    Weather Sensor. You create a Tiny, harmless sensory effect that predicts what the weather will be at your location for the next 24 hours. The effect might manifest as a golden orb for clear skies, a cloud for rain, falling snowflakes for snow, and so on. This effect persists for 1 round.

    Bloom. You instantly make a flower blossom, a seed pod open, or a leaf bud bloom.

    Sensory Effect. You create a harmless sensory effect, such as falling leaves, spectral dancing fairies, a gentle breeze, the sound of an animal, or the faint odor of skunk. The effect must fit in a 5-foot Cube.

    Fire Play. You light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a campfire.

    Adjustments by effect

    • Weather Sensor. 10-minute ritual. The forecast is for the next two days. 1-hour ritual. The forecast is for the next four days. 8-hour ritual. The forecast is for the next eight days.
    • Bloom. 10-minute ritual. You can create two blooms. 1-hour ritual. You can create four blooms. 8-hour ritual. You can create eight blooms. These blooms last as long as the ritual.
    • Sensory Effect and Fire Play. 10-minute ritual. You may create two of those effects in a 10-foot cube. 1-hour ritual. You may create three of those effects in a 20-foot cube. 8-hour ritual. You may create four effects in a 40-foot cube. Sensory Effect and Fire Play can be combined when part of a ritual.

    Elementalism

    The various effects are similar to Sensory Effect and Fire Play, but with minor changes.

    • 10-minute ritual. You may beckon or sculpt two elements. The effect can be within a 10-foot cube or square. Effects that last a minute last two minutes instead.
    • 1-hour ritual. You may beckon or sculpt three elements. The effect can be within a 20-foot cube or square. Effects that last a minute last four minutes instead.
    • 8-hour ritual. You may beckon or sculpt up to four elements. The effect can be within a 40-foot cube or square. Effects that last a minute last 10 minutes instead.
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    Prestidigitation

    This is the most complex of the flavor cantrips.

    Sensory Effect and Fire Play. 10-minute ritual. You may create two of those effects in a 10-foot cube. 1-hour ritual. You may create three of those effects in a 20-foot cube. 8-hour ritual. You may create four effects in a 40-foot cube. Sensory Effect and Fire Play can be combined when part of a ritual.

    Clean or Soil. 10-minute ritual. The size of impacted area increases to 2-cubic feet. 1-hour ritual. The size of the impacted area increases to 4-cubic feet. 8-hour ritual. The size of the impacted area increases to 10-cubic feet or one Large (or smaller) creature.

    Minor Sensation. 10-minute ritual. The size of impacted area increases to 2-cubic feet for two hours. 1-hour ritual. The size of the impacted area increases to 4-cubic feet for four hours. 8-hour ritual. The size of the impacted area increases to 10-cubic feet or one Large (or smaller) creature for eight hours.

    Magic Mark. 10-minute ritual. The mark lasts two hours. 1-hour ritual. The mark lasts four hours. 8-hour ritual. The mark lasts a day.

    Minor Creation. 10-minute ritual. The item or image lasts for a minute. 1-hour ritual. The item or image lasts for ten minutes. 8-hour ritual. The item or image lasts for 1 hour.

    Thaumaturgy

    Altered Eyes. Booming Voice. Fire Play. Tremors. 10-minute ritual. The effect lasts for 2 minutes. 1-hour ritual. The item or image lasts for ten minutes. 8-hour ritual. The item or image lasts for 1 hour.

    Invisible Hand. 10-minute ritual. You can influence two doors. 1-hour ritual. You can influence four doors. 8-hour ritual. You can influence 16 doors at once.

    Phantom Sound. 10-minute ritual. You can create two sounds. 1-hour ritual. You can create four sounds. 8-hour ritual. You can create 16 sounds at once.

    This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    In the Lands of the Everflow

    Before The Born Generation and the return of magic the rare, mild magicks of the world were the Bonding, the clandestine Scholars, and extremely rare ritual casters who could only cast these four Cantrips and Rituals as per Black Flag’s Ritualist Talent (page 81). Even the Scholars could only cast using rituals during the three thousands years without magic, but those rituals were casting normal spells at that length of time and then holding concentration on them until they were needed.

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  • Be the hands that weave – a D&D background for 5/5.5 D&D and Black Flag

    Be the hands that weave – a D&D background for 5/5.5 D&D and Black Flag

    Weaving, sewing, quilting, tapestries — these arts were part of what common people did in the times that inspire fantasy storytelling. It’s rare that these professions are featured as heroes, but they should be. They are community leaders or practitioners of the quiet circle, often of women unempowered in a society.

    From these origins one may rise to be a powerful Artificer, a storytelling Bard, a Mastermind Rogue, a healing Druid, a Cleric of Peace, a vengeful Paladin. Or something else.

    The weaver is not soft, though they can make great fabrics. A quilter is not necessarily warm to all. These are the people who toil with nimble fingers and converse with those too often overlooked by authority.

    These are the people who see destiny in fabric.

    Originally published 23 May 2023
    Updated on 14 August 2026

    A vertical loom in a wooden branch shack. The threads on the loom are blue
    Photo by Erik Mclean on Pexels.com

    Clothier/Weaver

    You are an independent artisan who makes fabric or clothes or blankets. Your specific art is less important than what you do with it. Your friends and colleagues know things and count on you.

    Authority may overlook your presence, but you know their tenor and can hide what they are looking for — whether that’s a person or a thing.

    Clothier (5e)

    Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Sleight of Hand
    Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit, Weaver’s Tools
    Languages: No additional
    Equipment: Blanket, 3 candles, chalk, cloths (either common or winter), 3 needles, spool of thread, pouch, 5 gold

    Feature: As the Wheel Wills

    You have a certain comfort and understanding that you aren’t always in control. You have advantage on saves against fear, charm and other enchantments after the first round in these conditions.

    Additionally, you are able to find and protect secrets. When using Insight or Sleight of Hand to keep or discover secrets you do so with double proficiency.

    Personality: use the Folk Hero and Guild Artisan as guidance.

    Clothier (5.5e / 2024)

    Ability scores: Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma
    Feat: As the Wheel Wills
    Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Sleight of Hand
    Tool Proficiency: Weaver’s tools
    Equipment: Blanket, 3 candles, chalk, cloths (either common or winter), 3 needles, spool of thread, pouch, 5 gold or 15 gold

    Origin Feat: As the wheel wills

    We are only threads. You have a certain comfort and understanding that you aren’t always in control. You have advantage on saves against fear, charm and other enchantments after the first round in these conditions.

    In the circle. You are able to find and protect secrets. When using Insight or Sleight of Hand to keep or discover secrets you may roll a d4 proficiency bonus times per Long Rest.

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    Clothier  (Black Flag)

    Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Sleight of Hand
    Additional Proficiencies: Weaver’s tools
    Equipment: Blanket, 3 candles, chalk, cloths (either common or winter), 3 needles, spool of thread, pouch, 5 gold or 15 gold

    Talent

    You are familiar with fate and the conversations among the hidden folk that keep a community running. Pick one of the following;

    1. Field medic
    2. Scrutinous
    3. Ritualist (Arcana)

    Design Goals

    Avoiding the Folk Hero’s problem of “if you’re already a hero you shouldn’t be level 1” is my primary goal with the Clothier. It’s the primary goal with many of the backgrounds I’ve created. Common people become heroes through playing D&D — although someday I’ll make a False Hero, one who hasn’t yet been heroic.

    Fernando Pessoa once said “Sometimes, when I wake up at night, I feel invisible hands weaving my destiny.”

    I also wanted to capture the magic of weaving and other arts of cloth. These aren’t arts that I understand. They are arts that I want to celebrate.

    From the literature that inspires D&D the lines from Wheel of Time about “the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills” prodded me into action.

    Finally there are some important quilters in my life. This background goes out to them too. Whether by stitch, by arms long or short, they are the fabric of our lives. A quilter can tell a story in squares and thread. Hopefully this story helps tell theirs.

    Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons

  • The Tinker — A D&D Background for 5e, 5.5e and Black Flag

    The Tinker — A D&D Background for 5e, 5.5e and Black Flag

    The clattering of tin as they come over the hill; a belly laugh as the tinker learns of some gossip from mother; the circle of enraptured youth as a tale that is at most half-true is told; the fussing over a minor repair for a family that has no goods to offer in service.

    In fantasy the Tinker is a trope that captures a travelling fixer who knows news, rumor, and myth. Their wealth rides a donkey or canoe with them and every community on their circuit is home and an unknowable set of peoples. Now, you too can play a Tinker.

    Original: 3 August 2021
    Updated: 13 August 2026

    Photo by Isa Sebastiu00e3o on Pexels.com

    Tinker

    Maybe you grew up in a family of smiths, or were raised by bards, or maybe you were kind of good at a lot of arts, but not really good at one in particular. Whatever your past you decided to leave the ‘civilized’ world and help those families on the frontier. When things break you fix them.

    When communities break you share that information with others who need to hear it. You carry as much information as you do tin. Your donkey is your only friend on the trails throughout the wilds. Everyone you meet trusts you, even the bandits, brigands and raiders. They need your services too.

    Tinker (5e/2104)

    Skill Proficiencies: Performance, Insight
    Tool Proficiencies: Tinker’s Tools, Vehicle (Land or Water)
    Languages: None
    Equipment: Donkey/Mule/Pony (if water vehicles chosen a canoe, rowboat or skiff is appropriate), Tinker’s Kit, 1 Pound Each Tin, Copper, Iron, Pack Saddle, 3 Pots, Traveler’s Clothes, Pouch with 5 Gold

    Feature: I Can Fix It

    Facing a mundane device that is broken you are able to fix it, even if you don’t have the proper supplies and parts. This repair may only last a few minutes or a few hours, though it is enough for the device to last through it’s next use. You may wind up using a copper coin, or a bit of string, or a knife during this repair. This feature can be used to fix ammunition, traps, broken wheels, or other adventuring equipment. The repair is not permanent.

    Tinker (5.5e / 2024)

    Ability scores: Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma
    Feat: I Can Fix It (or choose between Linguist or Skilled)
    Skill Proficiencies: Performance, Insight
    Tool Proficiency: TInker’s Tools
    Equipment: Donkey/Mule/Pony (if water vehicles chosen a canoe, rowboat or skiff is appropriate), Tinker’s Kit, 1 Pound Each Tin, Copper, Iron, Pack Saddle, 3 Pots, Traveler’s Clothes, Pouch with 17 Silver or choose 30 gold.

    Origin Feat: I Can Fix It

    Ingenious repair. You can repair a broken piece of non-magical Adventuring Gear using another piece of gear using the Utilize Action. The repair lasts one minute and after that both items are broken.

    Idle hands make waste. When another character is crafting you count as two assistants, reducing the time it takes to craft non-magical gear.

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    Full Moon Storytelling is brought to you by Kristin Clark of Keller-Williams Lake Washington
    If you are looking to buy or sell a home in King or Pierce County, Washington support Full Moon Storytelling by supporting Kristin.

    She’s my partner in everything I do.

    Tinker  (Black Flag)

    Skill Proficiencies: Performance, Insight
    Additional Proficiencies: Tinker’s tools
    Equipment: Donkey/Mule/Pony (if water vehicles chosen a canoe, rowboat or skiff is appropriate), Tinker’s Kit, 1 Pound Each Tin, Copper, Iron, Pack Saddle, 3 Pots, Traveler’s Clothes, Pouch with 17 Silver

    Talent

    You are familiar with the a broad selection of peoples, their cultures, their tools, and their stories. Pick one of the following;

    1. Polyglot
    2. Scrutinous
    3. Trade Skills
    4. Ritualist (Arcane) — rare.

    Tinker Design Goals

    Throughout the literature that inspires Dungeons & Dragons are tales of itinerant workers who travel the barely civilized wildernesses drifting between villages. Primarily they are fixers, using bits of tin, copper, iron, leather, etc to repair farming tools or kitchen utensils in the homesteads too far from smithys.

    The fiction also has these tinkers as storytellers. They aren’t bards, as their magic is just the magic of carrying tales of other households, villages, and empires to people who long for information, but don’t want to live in places where information is common. The Tinker tells their tales around a fire or a meal, informing the group through storytelling. At their next stop they will share what they’ve learned. Every encounter is a bit of knowledge to share in an attempt to connect the frontier lands despite weather and monsters that keep those connections broken.

    For these reasons the Tinker has Performance and Insight. Consideration was made for History. That would seem to indicate an intellectual rather than a tale-teller. Insight made sense because of the way the literature has the Tinker connect to the families year after year.

    Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons