Author: Dave Clark

  • Deck of Many Gifts: A Holiday Shopping Guide

    Deck of Many Gifts: A Holiday Shopping Guide

    Not everyone is an expert on D&D, but thanks to the pandemic, nearly everyone knows someone who has taken up the hobby within the past year. If you are looking for ideas, this collection should help you find the perfect gift for the new Dungeons & Dragons fan in your life. Or, it’s a great way to share ideas with your family and friends that need to support your hobby during the holidays.

    The following collections of gifts are sorted by the style of D&D fan you are shopping for. None of the links, except one, has an affiliation with myself or Full Moon Storytelling. For the most part the links are not to Amazon, but to direct purchasing, or in some cases, King’s Books in Tacoma, an indie that needs support. For digital gaming only DnDBeyond is linked, but check what digital service your gamer uses to see how to best aid them in playing.

    Don’t critically fail. Shop from this gift guide instead.

    The Pandemic Casual

    Over the past 9 months many people took up the game to help create social interactions via digital spaces in a time when doing so in real life would help spread the disease. They may only be using the free version of the Basic Rules. Give them an upgrade.

    If they’re only playing a single campaign or so, they don’t need subscription on DnDBeyond. But it can be handy to grab the Player’s Handbook, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, or Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. These can expand your options as they level up or play their second and third character. If they use Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds go for those manuals on those systems.

    When they convert from digital play get a nice set of dice that inspires them and a written notebook for that analog pen & paper experience – my favorite entry level is from Field Notes. At the higher end, the Adventurer’s Kit from Arcana Note is stunning.

    The Digital Addict

    Others are now addicts, gaming a half-dozen times a week or more. These people need more expansive tools, and art.

    The Hero Tier on DnDBeyond is of great value if your giftee is constantly talking about their next character build rather than their current. The Sourcebook Bundle provides the maximum number of options in the 5th edition rule set.

    An expert at DMing on Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds will love Newbie DM’s Spell Templates. Support a map maker on Patreon – 2-Minute Tabletop, Dyson Logos, and Deven Rue are my favorites – so that they have great maps to help them game.

    The Beginner

    There is no better time for a family to start playing D&D together. For those with little to no experience in playing analog role-playing games start with the D&D Essentials Kit (currently less than $10). For those just a bit too young to start playing, The Young Adventurer’s Collection from Jim Zub, Stacy King, and Andrew Wheeler will give them the experiences of the multiverse through original art and writing. There’s also Adventure Begins, a basic board-meets-roleplaying game.

    The Collector

    They probably have all the gaming stuff already. You need to find them with something related to the game that they don’t have. There are high end options galore, including Beedle & Grimm’s assortment of adventures.

    Heroes’ Feast is a cookbook inspired by D&D. How ’bout a dice box with a caddypult? Or a prop map for their wall? Finally, rather than something inspired by D&D, why not give them Appendix N, the materials that inspired the game?

    The Actor

    Some role-players take a deep dive into their role. They create elaborate backstories, dress as their character, and only want to spin the tales from their singular deep build. You can aid them in this endeavor.

    Head over to HeroForge to create a custom version of their character. They even offer full color now. Now, find the perfect pairing of fancy dice, like the all wood from Artisan Dice (or poo, or bone?).

    They also likely need a prop or two. Maybe a sword, or sextant, or a spyglass. Match their passion with fun trinkets and maybe even a custom dice bag from Tea & Tails so they get in character as soon as they sit at the table.

    Creator of Worlds

    For some of your friends, the rulebooks are only part of the game. They aren’t interested in Faerûn, Krynn, Athas, Eberron, Oerth, or other pre-created realms. They are the Dungeon Master. They create their own places for heroic tales. They need other tools.

    For guidance in world creation, there is nothing better than the Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding. For those that need more monsters, the Tome of Beasts 2 expands the monsters in the world. As someone who gets a thrill from creating new villages and cities, Spectacular Settlements from Nord Games is amazing. Finally, the Monsters Know What They Are Doing, no DM should assume those beasties and what-not are dumb.

    Lifestyle

    Those that live the D&D lifestyle will love the Lambert House D&D shirts, Found Familiar coffee, and Friday Afternoon Tea.

    What if you’re Dave?

    If you’re me you’ll enjoy everything listed above, as well as things on my wishlist.

  • Four ways to use Oleg Dolya’s new Neighborhood maps

    Four ways to use Oleg Dolya’s new Neighborhood maps

    There are certain DMs (me) who aren’t good at drawing and or mapping. For us, a few dollars a month towards various map makers helps us create our worlds. Even if you don’t commission specific works, the services of Dyson Logos (my favorite dungeons), Two Minute Tabletop (my favorite battlemaps), Deven Rue (my favorite regional maps), and Watabou (my favorite procedural maps) can add depth to your gaming sessions — even when you don’t use miniatures.

    Oleg Dolya, the person behind Watabou, just released neighborhoods.

    This is vital for me. Uprising & Rebellion takes place in large city. Having maps of districts and neighborhoods within that is important for the game. Being able to create one on the fly as my players head off script is vital. Players will always go off script. Just because you think they’re going to have a battle in the Docks doesn’t mean they won’t visit North Shore, the Ward of Mighty Trees, the University or Silk Row.

    Created using Watabou

    Will I have two or three of these printed out just for the flavor of the next neighborhood over? Yes.

    Here are three other ways you can use the Neighborhood maps.

    1. Stitch together an assembly of several of them to create a city. The unnatural gaps make perfect sense as mountains, lakes, rivers, etc. A whole city at this level of detail would be interesting. Make certain to use the same color set for each.
    2. Some of the generations for the neighborhood map make sense as compact villages. Yes, Dolya has a village creator, but those don’t have wells, fountains, and ponds in them. The neighborhoods can.
    3. The map can be an underground cavern in the Dwarven city trope. First shift the colors using the ‘0’ key to one that has some darkness to it. Pretend that the trees are mushrooms, and that the streets are the passageways and tunnels to the rest of the world. Bone Wharf is now a Mountain Dwarf city.
    Created using Watabou

    The key to using a procedural map is that you aren’t going to get exactly what you want, or even close to what you want. You are going to get a usable map, fast. Let the oddities of the creation guide you towards creating the people and the space. That long road running from lower-left to upper-right on Silk Row? That’s obviously the Silk Row itself. The fountain is where the various traders and merchants gather to discus their deals. The light smattering of trees are for the very richest of households, those that raise silkworms in the climate that isn’t proper for them. There are some roads that run parallel to the Silk Row, those are for supporting businesses, not the wealthy traders. The non-enclosed squares like the large one up-and-right are areas that are pack animal friendly. You are the DM (or when you use as a player to describe a hometown the creator). Let the algorithm take you to answers you could never find on your own.

    What else do you see in Silk Row? Why is the dwarven city called Bone Wharf? What makes Bone Wharf unique?

  • The Hunter should be among your D&D Backgrounds

    The Hunter should be among your D&D Backgrounds

    Myth, legend and story energize Dungeons & Dragons. The game, especially in its 5th edition circles back and amplifies itself. So many of the tales which helped create the game are those of the zero who becomes a hero. A small town X becomes greater than life, saving kingdoms and worlds.

    These zeroes have so many professions. In 5th edition these preheroic roles are captured in Backgrounds. The game does a decent job of offering several. But some are missing — like the Hunter. A Hunter may be chasing a stag and stumble upon a sleeping woman. Or they set traps for furs, travelling to the city later.

    Currently you could use an Outlander or a Folk Hero. But you aren’t a hero yet. That’s going to happen at the table. The Outlander ignores many of the stories of a hunter who is part of the community from which the tale starts. That’s why you need a Hunter. So here it is.

    Photo by Vincent M.A. Janssen on Pexels.com

    Hunter

    Whether for your lone homestead or for a large city you hunt for your people’s food. You may do this with a bow, or a sling, or traps. You do this swiftly and effectively, honoring the prey for what they provide your family, friends, and neighbors. You may be a pseudo-noble authorized to hunt on the Queen’s lands or a trapper out in the wilds.

    Some hunters are expert trackers, others can stalk their prey for miles, while others still use snares. A hunter may focus on specific beasts, or not. No matter their preferred protein when they are on the trail they are completely dedicated to success.

    Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Stealth
    Tool Proficiencies: Leatherworker’s or Woodcarver’s Tools
    Languages: None
    Equipment: A non-magical ranged (w/ 10 pieces of ammunition) or 3 thrown weapons or 2 hunting traps, traveler’s clothes, waterskin, knife, whetstone

    Feature: Provider

    During a long rest you are able to find enough food for yourself and your proficiency bonus number of people for a day. You can do so and still gain the benefits of a rest, but still must sleep or trance as appropriate to your race or lineage. Additionally, you have twice your proficiency bonus for your Stealth or Survival skill gained from this Background when in natural surroundings. This bonus does not stack with Expertise or similar rules at any time.

    You are not proficient with the weapons that are starting equipment.

    For personality use the Folk Hero or Outlander, for now. When the Before We Were Heroes project is available for purchase every Background will have their own traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws.

    The Hunter can also be played as a Trapper without any changes beyond the name. Just choose the hunting traps for your equipment.

    Hunter Design Goals

    As usual this design started with the massive hole in the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook not having many mundane backgrounds and trying to shoehorn them into the Folk Hero. But being a hero is what playing the game is about, not the story in your past.

    With the Hunter I wanted to explore a way to grant Expertise, under a different name, to any character at 1st level. But, this is as pricey as the cantrip granted by the Drudge. There must be a cost. That cost isn’t just dropping a single skill, but dropping a skill and one language/tool/etc. That didn’t seem to be enough though. So, the rule is that a Hunter must choose one of two skills and cannot have the other at 1st level. Our mundane hunter is either good at tracking/trapping or good at sneaking — not both.

    The inspiration has to start with Artemis, Orion, and the Huntsman. But there are more, so many more. Missing this trope is glaring. Crockett, Boone, Ishi, and others can guide you to your own character.

    Other Custom Backgrounds

    

  • Add the Herbalist Background to your 5th edition D&D games

    Add the Herbalist Background to your 5th edition D&D games

    Picking herbs from a backyard garden, a hot house, or a forest outside of town the herbalist collects natural items that aid and harm. An herbalist can heal, poison, invigorate. They know the powers of plants and fungi to change how humanoids and beasts experience the world.

    Photo by murat esibatir on Pexels.com

    Herbalist

    You are a naturalist. You use the art and science of foods and other natural goods to change the way people experience the world. Maybe your favorite tisane helps awaken the weary, or heal the hurt, or cure a disease, or puts people to sleep. A poultice could stop blood flow, or cool the overheating.

    There’s power in the natural world and your various recipes. Clerics count on gods. Druids channel the magic of nature. An herbalist knows that life interacts with itself in interesting ways. There’s a magic to that, it’s just not ‘magic.’

    Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival
    Tool Proficiencies: Herbalist Kit
    Languages: Druidic
    Equipment: Sickle, 2 candles, Scroll case with 5 pieces parchment or a notebook, common clothes, component pouch, herbalism kit, 2 vials (1 w/ either antitoxin or healing potion)

    Feature: A Dash of This; a Dollop of That

    Using a short rest, you can always find the various fungus, plants, and whatnot needed to make antitoxin, healing potions, poison, or coffee-like substances. Your recipes manifest as salves, poultices, potions, pills, or any other way to deliver the ingredients. Any of your recipes take just a Bonus Action to use as they are more potent than typical.

    The personality traits, ideals, bonds of flaws of the Acolyte, Folk Hero, Hermit, Outlander, and Sage all make sense to borrow from during the playtest of this Background. When published all Backgrounds will have unique character traits.

    Herbalist Design Goals

    Again, this design exists because the Guild Artisan puts most Backgrounds that are related to Tools into a Guild. That’s fine for some stories, but it ignores so many others.

    A rural or farm community Herbalist is common in the lore upon which D&D is based. These can become Druids, Rangers, Clerics, Sorcerers, Wizards, and Warlocks most commonly. There’s also a fit with certain Barbarians, Monks, and Paladins. Frankly, a Rogue (Assassin) and Paladin (Devotion, Ancients), and even a Fighter (Eldritch Knight). Because frankly every background should have a story with every core class.

    There was also a desire to have access to Druidic, my least favorite D&D language, at a Background level. A couple Backgrounds grant access to Thieves Cant, and it makes sense to have at least one grant Druidic. Shortly, there will be a post about a new take on Druidic that expands it to cover at least one more class and a couple more Backgrounds soon.

    Nynaeve al’Meara from the Wheel of Time is a foundational character for this Background.

    Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons

  • Embracing the Mechanics of Backgrounds

    Embracing the Mechanics of Backgrounds

    As Wizards of the Coast makes changes to how race & lineage impact character creation there is some pushback towards removing Ability Score Increases from race and having that instead be a floating adjustment. There are many proposed adjustments and several games or third-party products include adjustments to this part of the system, to varying degrees.

    Ancestry & Culture and Level Up are the two that I’ve been most intrigued with to this point. My home game just uses floating ASI for simplicity’s sake. Another movement tries to connect the ASI to Backgrounds. One such proposal on reddit suggests this because;

    The backgrounds we have in basic 5e are fairly lackluster. Here’s some tools and a little feature. It’s kinda meh. You can almost skip them in character creation.
    What I’d like to see are dozens of backgrounds that provide: tools, languages, equipment, more substantial features, as well as appropriate ASIs. They could provide so many more variations with every published book as well as allow for plenty of homebrew.

    There are a few reasons this suggestion would not work at my table, and isn’t recommended.

    • You can already suggest that your Floating ASI connects to your character’s Background. As well as writing your character’s story as if the Floating ASI connects to your racial/species/lineage origin, or to Class, or whatever element you want. This empowers players to tell the widest variety of tales possible.
    • Assumptions about weak/strong, or unintelligent/smart people in specific roles aren’t as bad as those connected to race, but they’re still not great. Being a weak Farmer is a good story, whether or not the character is a Remarkable Drudge.
    • Backgrounds already do a lot of mechanical work. Embrace those mechanics. Their design tells your table so much about who you are and why you do the things you do. The Background rules do not need to change. They need to be used.
    Photo by Canan YAu015eAR on Pexels.com

    Mechanics of Backgrounds

    To review every Background in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition as written includes two skills (roughly 1/4 to 1/2 of the skills your character begins with), two languages/tools/games/instruments/kits (closer to half of the beginning amount), and a social or exploration themed feature. A removal of Backgrounds further reduces the social and exploration pillars bringing the game back to its wargaming roots, which ignores current desires of most gamers.

    This change also ignores the Traits, Ideal, Bond, and Flaw system. These few short sentences are guidance towards personality, more so than the archaic use of Alignment. They tell you about the who of your character. They are not a complete personality, but a snapshot. This system also adds mechanics to roleplay. When a character plays their Traits, Ideal, Bond, and/or Flaw they are granted an Inspiration Die. This d20 is consumed when a player wants to grant their character advantage (a handy house rule is that players can grant each other an Inspiration Die based on roleplay too). Having advantage is powerful. The math shifts.

    Together there are ten mechanics attached to Backgrounds. TEN.

    Plus those mechanics attach themselves to something else that race and calls do not — the story of what you did Before. Your zero to hero journey is fundamentally intertwined with Backgrounds.

    Backgrounds Empower Story

    What were you before you picked up a sword or spell to fight a bandit? How did that upbringing and background inform who you are becoming? Real world ‘adventurers’ are not the same, even if they are from the same ethnic group and took the same adventuring job. A studious nerd from the ‘burbs who became a linguist with the Special Forces has a different story from the hunter from rough rural lands who became a linguist with the Special Forces.

    Tools aren’t ‘meh.’ They are powerful ways to talk about what your character is outside of combat. Tools are one of the best ways to explain your character’s hobbies. And your character must have a hobby. People in the times that inspire our game had hobbies. Tools are also ways to tell cultural stories about a region. The existence of an expert coffee roaster or athlete carries worldbuilding implications. Knowing more languages than typical speaks to a character’s education (either by book or by street or by silk road)

    Those social and exploration features are some of the only ways that a Fighter will have social and exploration mechanics. The class is so blank slate that without Backgrounds that hole is massive. They also augment the ways that the rest of the Classes interact with those pillars of the game.

    Backgrounds help D&D players differentiate their characters by adding another layer of story from Before as they begin to tell the story of Now.

    Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons

  • Latest Unearthed Aracana sends us to the Phlogiston (maybe)

    Latest Unearthed Aracana sends us to the Phlogiston (maybe)

    With the announced pace of products picking up, we should also expect Unearthed Arcana’s pace to pick up. Today, Wizards of the Coast sent out the latest Dungeons & Dragons playtest document with six new races to play n the game. They have strong flavors of my favorite settings from the days of yore — Spelljammer.

    Unlike the foundational settings of D&D Spelljammer has no relationship to the real world or literature. The concept is D&D in space, but an odd kind of space with ships that look like dragonflies and mind flayer heads, all powered by hooking up a magic user to a chair/helm/etc that sucks magic from them. Each “solar system” exists within a crystal sphere, and outside of that is a highly flammable sea of a Phlogiston.

    There are prates, even crafter gnomes, space monkeys that can glide, Victorian hippo-people, asteroid trading posts run by beholders, fleets of mind flayers. The whole of the setting is comc book/cartoon joy with themes of exploration similar to Star Trek.

    Some of the new races are also part of the Planescape realm and the thri-keen are one of the signature elements of Dark Sun.

    Astral Elf

    An elf denizen of the Astral Plane who is likely thousands of years old.

    What I like

    Radiant Soul is a cool way to bounce back from death’s door once per day. That you must be down and making death saves in order to use it connects the mechanics to Astral Elf’s planar nature.

    Trance Tools are a non-cultural way to gain proficiency, nifty little mechanic. Maybe my favorite from this drop, which is funny because…

    What I don’t like

    Don’t know why the world needs another elf, ever. There are a lot in D&D these days, with more to come for every new setting. The Astral Elf, if the feedback is strong, will be the 14th elf within official D&D worlds for Fifth Edition.

    Also, just after so many reminders that each playable races is supposed to have a human-like age spectrum, the Astral Elf is even older than normal elves.

    Will I play one?

    Probably not. Elves and all their permutations are my least played race. The idea of an ancient people viewed as the ideal of sapience has little appeal to me.

    Autognome

    A mechanical gnome gifted with free will.

    What I like

    True Life is a brilliant way to empower healing for living constructs. The Warforged need this in the expected minor racial reworks coming with the three-book gift set.

    Built for Success strongly connects the rules of the race to why the race exists. Gnomes created these automatons to be better than gnomes are, at least at certain tasks.

    What I don’t like

    Sentry’s Rest is another variant on Trances. Having a party with a creature that needs 4 hours, and another that needs 6 hours, and most that need 8 hours adds unnecessary complexity to organizing watches.

    Will I play one?

    Yep, I love the little people. Also, I enjoy tool users and specialists. These would make strong Rogues.

    Giff

    A hippo-headed being of impressive size.

    What I like

    They’re big, really big. Playing a super-sized race that doesn’t have to smush itself through most passages is a great way to feel more powerful than you are in real ife. Hippo Build embraces this.

    What I don’t like

    Damage Dealer connects more strongly to Rogues and Paladins than the Giff’s traditional role as a Fighter. Also, that’s it. They only have two traits. The Astral Elf, embracing their racial superiority have seven.

    Will I play one?

    Yep. Absolutely. Anthropomorphic races are cool. The Giff’s traditional Victorian military culture can be fun. There will be a search for another trait that connects to their build, maybe something as boring as Tough Hide which gives them an extra hit point every level.

    Hadozee

    A highly adaptive simian being who uses winglike membranes to glide.

    What I like

    The climbing speed and Glide are both great ways to capture their tree glider meets monkey vibe.

    Dexterous Feet allowing a bonus action to Use an Object is good, but it doesn’t go quite far enough.

    What I don’t like

    Dexterous Feet should include the tail, and to enable more fun, should allow the activity via a Reaction too. Yes, that break the standard for Reactions, but it’s cool.

    Will I play one?

    Maybe. Kinda want to be an Artificer or Wizard, who manipulates their magic components with their feet and tail.

    Plasmoid

    An amoeba-like being.

    What I like

    These things are bizarre, the oddest playable concept in the game. You have no standard form, as you are an Ooze. Shape Self enables you to look kind of like a person and also lets you grow an ‘arm’ up to ten feet long.

    What I don’t like

    The mechanics are great, the ability to be one the creatures mentally needs a lot of explanation.

    Will I play one?

    Not until the lore is revealed. My head needs help wrapping around this concept even more than it does for Lizard Folk.

    Thri-kreen

    A six-limbed, telepathic insectoid.

    What I like

    Secondary Arms is a good solve for how these six-limbed peoples work with the D&D action economy. There is a fun synergy with Two-Weapon Fighting and with light thrown weapons when you have multi-attack or related abilities.

    What I don’t like

    Sleepless Revitalization reveals another Long Rest variant to confuse the party.

    With five racial traits, most with power, they are insectoid elves.

    Will I play one?

    No, but they are absolutely necessary for the world of Dark Sun, and maybe in my own world (spoiler?).

  • 8 Cantrips to Enhance Fall Festival Celebrations

    8 Cantrips to Enhance Fall Festival Celebrations

    Festivals, holidays, and celebrations are great ways to add verisimilitude to your game. Plus, everyone likes a party. With Halloween and its associated celebrations (All Saints Day, Samhain, Harvest tide, Día de los Muertos, etc) there is frequently a lean into those themes within our gaming. That can be as simple as skeletons, headless horse riders, ghosts, or more complexity. Or it can just mean the presence of cornucopias, jack-o’-lanterns, and candles as the party walks through a village.

    Copying real world makes sense. Twisting and adapting it a bit makes even more sense. You can advance your game world even more by leaning into the Dungeons & Dragons of it all (or your game of preference) by leaning into what makes D&D unique and special — the presence of various kinds of magic.

    Photo by David Gomes on Pexels.com

    Over the next month I’ll be following the prompts from Magic: The Gathering to share the lore and rules within my campaign world. Some will be short hits, others expansions on previous lore. These prompts may just inspire regular rather than irregular blogging.

    https://twitter.com/wizards_magic/status/1443977494164426752

    This entry grew when thinking about pumpkins. And then the mind drifted. Pumpkin > Jack ‘o Lantern > Will o’ Wisp > Dancing Lights. These 8 utility cantrips in the Basic Rules can add a bit of flavor to your world’s Fall festivals.

    • Dancing Lights – A spell almost certainly inspired by the Will o’ Wisp, the four tiny lights can be any color, a pale silver would be best for this usage. Place them behind a cloth used for ghostly apparitions inside windows and trees making those fake ghosts look even more spectral.
    • Druidcraft – There are so many ways to use Druidcraft that it almost needs its own post, but what if your fake cemetery started to reek, or you cause a group of tree leaves to fall all at once?
    • Light – The image attached to the post almost perfectly demonstrates a use for this tiny spell. Lighting up a carving for the hour after sunset is magic I can get behind.
    • Mage Hand – What haunted house doesn’t have a torch floating by in a spectral hand?
    • Message – Within worlds of lighter magic Message can be used as a friendly spook as people walk about the town.
    • Minor Illusion – A couple of the descriptions of possible illusions read as if they were designed for Halloween… “its volume can range from a whisper to a scream” and “muddy footprints” are ideal haunts.
    • Prestidigitation – Create small marks on doorways that ‘ward’ off evil spirits or welcome visiting neighbors.
    • Thaumaturgy – The ability to dim all lights along a street creates an unwelcome space where spirits can hide and fear can thrive.

    How do you incorporate the mystical, fantastic, and magical into your Fall festivals?

  • The Four Moons — anchoring multiple calendars through celestial bodies

    The Four Moons — anchoring multiple calendars through celestial bodies

    The World of the Everflow has four moons, and several calendars based on those moons and the sun. The calendar and moons arose not because of the name of the site, but because a player asked a question to which I didn’t have an answer. From that simple question the calendar was invented. Lore has developed since then. Most moons are connected to a third of the Six Kingdoms, as well as to the powerful storylines about Bonded Companions, Magic, or Teknology. Each of these moons is also a simple way to tell time. These imperfect solution is intended to help keep players focused on the story at the table, not mechanics. I use a similar technique when talking about distances.

    Over the next month I’ll be following the prompts from Magic: The Gathering to share the lore and rules within my campaign world. Some will be short hits, others expansions on previous lore. These prompts may just inspire regular rather than irregular blogging.

    Meet the Four Moons of Aur.

    Feylf – the weekly moon

    Photo by Alex Andrews on Pexels.com

    Whipping through sky (compared to the real world) Feylf, the Moon of the Fey, is connected strongly to magic. Just 28 years ago this moon’s importance was about myth, legend, story. Now there is a connection to reality that frightens some. It is bright and silvery.

    The Week

    There are nearly zero in-game mentions of the days of the week. This gets too complex for most gaming sessions.

    1. Elmsday starts the week and honors Selley (Goddess of Birth, Life and Death) and Belsem (Goddess of the Untamed). Things begin before they are fully developed.
    2. Bell’an’Aur is the second day of the week. It starts with a rejection of that which can’t be tamed and ends with a dinner celebrating Aur. Aur is the name of the planet. It hadn’t had a name until the calendar issue came up. In Kirtin and Crinth this is Feylfday and is the day when Feylf is full, shortly after sunset.
    3. Quarsday is the third day. It celebrates Quar (God of Rivers, Mountains)
    4. Day of Glight honors the Lord of Knowledge. In developed lands the afternoons are given to learning.
    5. Torday honors Torq (Goddess of Sea and Storm).
    6. Az and Sel is day six. This honors not a god within the Wildes/Kirtin/Daoud, but the man and dog that legend says discovered the bonding. Nik is also frequently honored on this day. Azsel recognizes Az and Sel as man and dog that were raised to godhood.
    7. Day of Oun is the end of the week. Oun and Obscon are not honored. The Lords of the End are respected in that all things end. They are feared.

    Many druids and monks practice their faiths at New and Full Feylf. As do the mages of Ken, the Scholars, and the Proctors of Grace.

    Glibbon – the monthly moon

    Why does the moon look purple

    On a cycle of 31 days, Glibbon is not connected to any mysticism around the Fey/Ken, nor the Kin, nor Dragons. For the people of the Everflow, Glibbon is a marker of time, nothing more. While they know that Glibbon is connected to the tides and the sea, as its mass and orbit combine with the others to give earth-like tidal patterns (yes, this is a cheat) there is no connection to any ancestor from Kin.

    But, for the Queen and Kon, the primary influencer of the tides connects to various water-powered projects, and Glibbon s named after the first Goblin queen who discovered how to channel the tides to create an irrigation system that would prevent drought n the lands of the tar-trees. All Kon royalty wear purple for Glibbon, the Purple Moon.

    Kin – the seasonal moon

    Photo by Pedro Figueras on Pexels.com

    Circling Aur every 71-ish days, Kin represents the season cycles of birth, growth, harvest, and passing. Almost perfectly consistent with the orbit around the Sun, Kin is named after the bond of love between peoples and their companions. Red, like the blood and heart of people, Kin’s full moon is a time to celebrate the cycle of life and the bonds that make the World of the Everflow a special place.

    Matching the cycle of planting and harvesting, especially within the Western Wildes, Kirtin, and Daoud, the Blood Moon is vital for farmers and herders. Every Full Kin is celebration of the season. In Kirtin and northern Daoud (conquered Kirtin) Winter’s Kin and Summer’s Kin are also the times when the royal court moved between Kirtin-in-the-Sky and Kirtin-on-the-Lake. Less noble peoples may also move during these times, though the Long Wars often interfere with the migratory lifestyle of the Kirtish peoples.

    The Dragon – the generational moon

    Photo by alexandre saraiva carniato on Pexels.com

    Up in the Crinth Confederation the key moon is The Dragon. Completing an orbit every 20 years. They count a person’s life by the number of Full Dragons the individual has seen, with infrequent exceptions for those born a few short years prior a Full Dragon. Their companions are also knows by how many Full Dragons they typically live to see. The Crinth are longer thinkers than most of the realms of the Six Kingdoms.

    The Dragon is full — golden and huge — to the human eye for over two years, as its cycle lasts just under 20 years. The massive moon is connected to the myths and legends of the Time Ancient, when magic and dragons were plentiful. Plenty of emerging faiths have sprung up around The Dragon now that both dragons and magic are again known.

    Within Kirtin-on-the-Lake these faiths gather in the Ward of Mighty Trees/Dead Forrest around the Red Oak, hoping to see the birth of a new dragon in the World of the Everflow — will this happen when The Dragon is full or new? (I actually haven’t decided, as it will be determined by the needs of the story).

    The Sun – years go by

    Anything attached to a year, no matter the calendar in question, uses the orbit of Aur around the Sun. The idea is to keep things as simple as I can with this fictitious calendar. Players need to have a basic understanding of the way the world works within the rules.

    The various calendars all have a Year Zero that starts at a different time. For most of the continent year zero has been re-established as the Year of Awakening. The Church of Quar, the nations of Sheljar and the Western Wildes, Azsel, Mehmd, the Crinth Confederation, and the Scholars all use this convention. The current campaign is set in 28 Post Awakening Quar Calendar.

    For Kirtin and Daoud their Year Zero s when Daoud first took Kirtin-on-the-Lake, back on 4th day of Autumn 792 BA. Their wars define their reality.

    How do the celestial bodies in your world connect to the stories you are telling? Because that’s all that matters with background details like the number of moons and a calendar — story.

  • Uprising & Rebellion Campaign Two: One Sheet

    Uprising & Rebellion Campaign Two: One Sheet

    This campaign is set six years after the Lorebook Hunters returned magic to the World of the Everflow. It is set in Kirtin-on-the-Lake, and is centered on political intrigue with social and exploration pillars being as important as combat. Every player is united in rebellion against the corrupt Mayor, but may have differing ideas about how the various factions can help Kirtin-on-the-Lake be free.

    Made using the Medieval Fantasy City Generator.

    Campaign Premise

    You are common people living in and around Kirtin-on-the-Lake who are inspired to free the city from under the rule of Daoud. You may want it to once again be part of Kirtin, or you may want to copy the Free City of Sheljar. The City Guard, a unit of Daoud’s military, and even Dragons, who see Kirtin-on-the-Lake as their ancestral home, stand in your way.

    Background

    Kirtin-on-the-Lake was once the winter capital of Kirtin. Taken over by Daoud in the generational wars it is a city of borders even before the Awakening and the discoveries of the Lorebook of Divination and the Folio of Necromancy. Now, the Ken and their Dragons are trying to capture what they claim are their ancestral homeland. Daoud and Kirtin remain at war over the city.

    There is also a general uprising of peoples inspired by the Free City of Sheljar. The Mayor has managed to consolidate power by playing the various factions off against each other; this hasn’t helped the common people beyond allowing them peace.

    Made using Perilous Shores

    Grand Conflicts

    The Proctors of Grace and their other allies want to control access to magic. Certain Dragons also want to repopulate Kirtin-on-the-Lake as the Ward of Mighty Trees is the ancestral home of certain types of Dragons (at least a Red as that first DragonTree has regrown).

    Daoud will not allow their winnings (Kirtin-on-the-Lake and the Slope) to leave their control after centuries. The rebellion has taken control of the Dock District. What will they free next? While the mayor may be willing to have the rebels help repel the Proctors, he serves at the whim of an empire that refuses to recognize Kirtin-on-the-Lake as anything but its own territory.

    Factions

    • Mayor and City Guard, generally aligned with Daoud, he is willing to look the other way and cede districts to other invaders for a price.
    • Daoud, the conquering empire of the south. Normally a naval power in the World of the Everflow, their long conflict over Kirtin-on-the-Lake is their largest land holding.
    • Kirtin, the mountain kingdom has been at war with Daoud and Azsel for so long that all of its peoples serve in the military.
    • Proctors of Grace and the Ken, lead by Dragons the various fey peoples are experts at magic and claim that Kirtin-on-the-Lake’s Ward of Mighty trees is their homeland. They also want to put the power of magic under their control and only their control.
    • Society of Veil and Shadows, these rebels are inspired by the Free City of Sheljar and its empowerment of all thinking peoples. Whether Kin, Ken, or Kon the people deserve equality of treatment and opportunity.

    Rumors

    • There are half-animal/half-people roaming the Western Wildes.
    • Out in the Ferments forms of life based on the elements are driving out the Kin there.
    • Headquartered Church of Quar has lost control of the Everflow (the source of all healing potions).
    • Peace has come between the Kingdoms of the North as the Crinth Confederation and Azsel are more concerned with the Kon and the Ken.
    • The Dragons seek the Robe of the Magi.
    • The Tome of Abjuration and its Proctor may be in the city or surrounding area.

    Facets

    • Exploring the zero-to-hero tropes, rebellion, and who gets to control knowledge.
    • Sandbox play.
    • Player agency creates history.
    • Drop in/drop out, whatever.
    • Sessions are 2-3 hours. Adventures are 1-3 sessions.

    Variant Rules

    • Playable races are Human, Hin/Halfling, Goliath/Firbolg, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome (wood only), Goblin, Hobgoblin, Bugbear.
      • Only the Kon (goblinoids may be Artificers.
      • Kin start with a Bonded Companion
      • Ken start with a Feat that grants a 1st level spell such as Magic Initiate.
      • Kon start with Tek
    • There are a few custom subclasses available (Way of Frayed Knot, Society of Veil and Shadows, Conscript, Propagandist, Liberator, Circle of Sewers).
    • There are several custom backgrounds and tools available. We will use cultures, not languages.
    • Use point buy or standard array for starting attributes. If you want something random, the redrick roller gives random point buy valid stats.
    • Start at 3rd level, because power is cool.
    • Long rests require 24 hours within sanctuary. This creates a pace of play more similar to novels than video games.

    Practicum

    Sessions will be on Sunday afternoons and evenings, floating times based on the Puget Sound pro soccer schedule. Characters must be created prior to dropping in. The table will be on an outdoor patio at one of a few locations in South King County.

    Email, private message, or text for more details.

  • My next D&D character is…

    My next D&D character is…

    For some finding inspiration for their next Dungeons & Dragons character can be difficult. A way to solve that difficulty is to find some part of our actual reality as a starting point, and then give it a twist. Maybe add something magical, or heroic, or tragic — and then smash something else from reality into that idea as well.

    Over on my Twitter account I ocaissionally present my every day life as inspiration for D&D characters. This series always starts with “My next D&D character is“.

    Let’s take this Propagandist (or Bard) concept.

    https://twitter.com/bedirthan/status/1400560210901553153

    I had recently been gifted a knife for which I had no sheath. When searching for a way to protect both it and the family I remembered my Field Notes notebook from the End Pages series. It was the perfect length. Then, springing from that secret spot in the mind where inspiration resides I thought of a character who stored their blades inside notebooks.

    They certainly write in the book as well, because they must — tracking those who have wrong them or those they care about; jotting down a possible secret; picking up the stories during their travels. Basically they use the notebook the way normal real people do, except it also has a dagger in it.

    Cleaning Houses

    While helping my wife prep homes for sale my mind sits within itself and wonders what magic would be helpful to complete this act. My latest idea was for someone who isn’t smart, but they are either lazy or overworked. So they took the fast way out and made a Pact with the Great Old One. Their Tome is full of rituals to help make living life easier. This warlock isn’t evil. They just needed a way to make living life easier. Now they are on a quest for a mighty power.

    Or, maybe your character studied to learn Prestidigitation because that’s what they needed to do in order to be better at helping the family business. They dreamed of being a warrior. Then one day those things combined.

    https://twitter.com/bedirthan/status/1398123279840268290

    During the winter you see an ice sculpture — your next PC is a Water Genasi that carves Ice Sculptures. When the weather is too warm they create the ice that’s needed for sculpting.

    I’ve been a sports writer spanning from amateur to semipro to pro (you can hire me), so many of my ideas revolve around sports. Each with nuance and difference, and yet all come about through following sports.

    During this whole pandemic period I came up with the idea that the party healer also heals the mind. This was entirely a creation due to my own personal mindspace during the pandemic. I needed a party healer that heals body and mind. The mind of adventurers is inherently broken. Like Special Forces soldiers they see some shit and though they work for noble cause (often) there are still mental scars.

    What would the heroic version of my time as a linguist look like? A Mastermind or Inquisitive Rogue, halfling (duh) who studies the cultures and communities of the world, granting them a bit of insight when they fight, but also able to operate as the party face.

    Inspiration is everywhere. It’s in beer, in mushrooms, in trees, in walks down by the river, in your trips to the thrift shop, in the social media you consume. Our life is filled with interesting characters and characteristics. These can be your next PC or NPCs.

    A few of them I’ve statted up over at DnDBeyond. Feel free to use them. If you do just kindly share that you got the idea from Full Moon Storytelling.