Author: Dave Clark

  • Coffee Gear – a 5e D&D Tool

    Coffee Gear – a 5e D&D Tool

    Everyone needs a good pick-me-up. The studious wizard, the pickpocket, the noble, and the farmer all can take advantage of the boost of energy whether the beans are from far-off mountains or nearby hills. Adventurers aren’t on standard sleep schedules so the not-quite-magical bean roaster and brewer is quite helpful in the wildes, caverns, dungeons, and seas of any world.

    Components: Coffee gear includes a pound of beans, 2 small spoons, 2 small cups, mortar & pestle or small hand grinder, an ibrik or small moka pot, a small rotisserie or pan roaster (can be powered by fire or certain cantrips), spices and sugar.

    Those cantrips that could power the two styles of roasters are: Control Flames, Create Bonfire, Druidcraft, Fire Bolt, Prestidigitation, and Produce Flame.

    In most D&D worlds a pound of green coffee should be priced around 3 gp and available similar to how cloves are in your worldspace.

    Photo by Svetlana Ponomareva on Pexels.com

    Insight: As someone that is in tune with the life of a cafe, coffeehouse, or court you can read the emotions and even pick up rumors spreading through the crowd.

    Example: As the party enters a bar or coffeehouse there is a buzz of conversation. Volgat Emberstone recognizes the conversations, listening in on the chatter around him. The player tells the DM that they are attempting to learn if Crylia the Goblin has been in the area. Per Xanathar’s Guide, as this Insight check is aided by the Tool, the player rolls with Advantage if they are proficient in both Insight and Coffee Gear, using the higher modifier of the two. If they are only proficient in only one of the two, they would use just the higher modifier rolling a single d20.

    Nature: Familiar with the origins of the glorious bean, you have learned about various locales where coffee is grown.

    Example: Marching through Windy Heaven Ridge, Umog sees some wild coffee. The player is wondering if this area is where they might find the tail feather of the Peryton that the Archmage of Cryssalis Valley hired them to bring to him.

    Remove Exhaustion: During a Short Rest you can roast and prepare a unique beverage for a single humanoid that drinks water. This special beverage can remove one level of Exhaustion, up to level 3 (going from 3 to 2, or 2 to 1, or 1 to no longer exhausted).

    Coffee Gear

    ActivityDC
    Roast Coffee (takes 1 hour)10
    Prepare Typical Beverage (takes 10 minutes)10
    Understand The Hills, Mountains Where Beans Grow15
    Discern Emotions, Learn Rumors In Coffeehouse15
    Remove Exhaustion20
    Photo by Tom Swinnen on Pexels.com
  • D&D Things I’m Reading This Week

    D&D Things I’m Reading This Week

    Some like to claim that they are low prep Dungeon Masters. Myself, I’m a high prep DM. Everything I encounter in life is prep for how I run games, or play characters. Every person I meet, every fiction I encounter, every blog entry, every song – these enter me and fuel my approach.

    The following is a collection of some of the things that stuck with me over the past week. Consider it a curated post of the fuel for my games, and likely a regular feature here at Full Moon Storytelling.

    Humor

    Let’s kick this off with what my broadcasting instructor would call a kicker. This is also a snapshot in the continual mainstreaming of the game-of-nerds.

    https://twitter.com/WizDiceOfficial/status/1321463212634738688

    New to the Game?

    Every week someone asks me about starting to play for the first time. The growth of D&D, and RPGs in general, is stunning. That only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. So how does one start?

    Wired kicks us off with a long look at How to Get Started in Dungeons & Dragons. The story is packed with interviews, links, and the approach that D&D is meant for everybody – there shall be no gates, no keepers.

    College clubs and libraries are hosting sessions for first timers. So is D&D itself. The new monthly weekend sessions hosted by D&D and the Adventurer’s League are a low cost way to start your own journey.

    Maps

    Fantasy maps tell stories. Within each you’ll find 1000 thousand tales. Axebridge from Dyson Logos shows that not every city need to be contained in walls.

    Release the Kraken on Axebridge over Blackbay

    Or you can make your own procedurally generated town or city using a Watabatou and Kobold Press.

    How Many Intellect Devourers Could Dance on the Head of a Pin?

    You Can Fit 100 Intellect Devourers on the Outside of Leomund’s Tiny Hut

    New Product Review

    There’s a ton of info coming out about Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. This is my favorite of the week. IGN interviews Jeremy Crawford about the newest rules expansion.

    My Playlist While Writing

    This list is my personal creation. I often listen to music while doing my prep for gaming sessions, always with the goal to put me in the mood for that adventure.

  • Renton’s Sporting Triumphs: From Moses to Title IX

    Renton’s Sporting Triumphs: From Moses to Title IX

    As is appropriate for so much of Renton’s history, the exhibit starts with a Moses. Henry Moses, of the dxʷdəwʔabš/Duwamish, often referred to as chief, is the entry point for Renton History Museum’s journey through sports history.

    Originally scheduled to launch in spring, the museum and exhibit adapted to a the COVID-19 pandemic. Mask usage is required, the staff takes your info for possible contact tracing, there is a path to guide you through the main exhibits, and with the spacious main hall you feel comfortable even when others enter.

    The exhibit itself shifted as gaining access to artifacts was complicated due to the pandemic. The delay the launch means that it is up at the same time as What Difference Do Renton Women Make?

    Being up at the same time as an exhibit focused on women makes sense for the dive into Renton’s sporting history. After Moses, the display shifts to two girls who helped Renton High School dominate the King County high school basketball scene in the 20s. And then girls’ sports disappeared from schools.

    While Renton produced an Olympic quality women’s track star during the stretch between the Great Depression and Title IX, it was more by accident than any plan. After 37 years with a smattering of sports, the US legal ruling brought about a surge in opportunity for female athletes.

    The best museum exhibits do not explain everything. Instead they open up stories that inspire you to learn more. Renton History Museum will help do that for the visitor. Even those steeped in the tales of the South King County city will learn that Mark Prothero was more than a lawyer that defended the Green River Killer, but one of Washington’s best swimmers ever.

    Before Zach LaVine was winning dunk contests Renton High won titles in both football and basketball, with seven players that featured on both squads. There are other pros that called Renton home, not just a birthplace.

    The triumph in the exhibit is the way that it teases you to learn more – to understand and connect with Renton via sports. That there is a throughline to the other feature exhibit as well as two of the three static subjects for the museum is a great bonus.

    Further Reading

    Dave Clark is a Renton-Kent resident for the majority of his life. Clark was previously a participant in Hero’s Feast: Finding Community through Dungeons & Dragons. His past writings have featured at WeRTacoma.com, SounderAtHeart.com and numerous other outlets.

  • Add a Herding Dog to your D&D Game

    Add a Herding Dog to your D&D Game

    Animal companions are a tradition in Dungeons & Dragons. The Ranger with a hunting dog; the halfling riding a wolfhound; the dogs guarding the entry to the castle — all have status as tropes. In the standard rules the “Mastiff” represents all of these.

    But not every dog is a mass of muscle, teeth, and bark.

    Belgian Shepherd by Fouquier ॐ declared public domain at https://flic.kr/p/2i12JQq

    Other dogs exist in any fantasy world. These doggos deserve game-love, too. Inspired by Ambrose, the ranger in the game where my dwarven axe-wizard Awf slings spells and swings a battle axe like some kind of D&D version of John Casey, the Herding Dog leapt into existence.

    The desire with the Herding Dog was to not have an increase in power for a medium canine, but represent how shepherds, collies, sheepdogs, and other AKC Herding Group members are different from the working group types that the Mastiff embraces.

    There’s a small dip in strength, constitution, and damage with the most significant boosts being adding Animal Handling (to embrace the ability to make the herd go places) and Pack Tactics (to represent that herding dogs often work in groups).

    The minor changes give this dog a different identity, stay at the same power level, and give Ambrose a friend that isn’t purely a means to biting enemies. We’re using the Herding Dog in our campaign. Let me know if you decide to add it to your own.

    Terriers and Retrievers are on my list of potential design additions.

  • Five Shops along Moonset Street

    What I like about this is the density of the shops and how they share spaces, as well as the alley. Dyson Logos did an interesting mix of spaces with this.

    Dyson Logos's avatarDyson's Dodecahedron

    Five Shops

    Here we have a collection of five mercantile businesses along the south side of Moonset Street. These are fairly traditional business designs – in most cases there is no access to the interior of the business for shoppers and they instead interact through the long shop windows.

    Moonset Street Shops Moonset Street Shops

    From left to right we have:

    • First Building – Front – Cloth Shop
      • This shop mostly deals in lengths and bolts of cloth, imported and domestic. They also provide some dressmaking and tailoring services (the workshops being in the rooms behind the shop, one sharing space with the owner’s bedroom).
    • First Building – Back – Trinkets & Jewelry
      • This shop actually has a “shopping space” within the building (so that people can examine the wares without taking them outside) including a small showroom and counters where work is done as well as sales. The back rooms include a workshop and…

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  • Awf Hornjaw et Loragwyn

    Awf Hornjaw et Loragwyn

    In creating Awf there were a few goals. As one of the more experienced players in the party I wanted to have at least a secondary stat be Intelligence. With the party being four to six PCs, there was room for at least one multi-role character. There’s a fighter, a rogue, a ranger, a cleric in the regular group.

    That meant that I could fill a few roles – this dwarf axe-wizard is a solid secondary front-line warrior and secondary spellcaster.

    He’s clearly not optimized.

    As someone who generally tries to avoid the more typical tropes with my PCs, Awf let me explore a few things that 5th edition empowers that weren’t possible when I was originally playing in 1st and 2nd edition of AD&D. He’s a Dwarf Wizard who uses a Battleaxe, fairly well.

    The desire to explore a new subclass was approved by my DM. The Bladesinger made sense for a frontline warrior/spellcaster. But, Dwarves aren’t supposed to be one.

    Courtesy of Delaney Saul for my birthday

    That meant exploring his backstory. Awf has started to talk about that in his backstory in the game, so now it makes sense to share a bit of it.

    His hometown suffered a goblin attack. At the time he was a righteous adolescent who believed in the power of his family and village. Unfortunately his homestead was destroyed by goblins. He will never forgive this act.

    Fortunately the Order of the Shooting Star, mostly Elven Bladesingers, saved the town through a flanking operation. Awf’s family survived. But he lost respect. They weren’t powerful enough; they weren’t strong enough.

    So when the Shooting Stars left, he followed. There was strength in their magic. He followed them for more than ten years. The orphan-by-choice was a hanger-on. He shadowed the lessons of the Eagle Song, as they used axes in their maneuvers, but small axes, for they were not dwarves.

    By day Awf Hornjaw was an annoying outcast who offered just enough service to be useful. By night, Awf Hornjaw studied the ways of the Loragwyn clan’s magic.

    Being 3’11” and 211 pounds, he didn’t fit in the Knightly Order. He was too fat, too slow, too Dwarf.

    But Awf worked. The insulting nickname “Fat Goose” became his calling card. His axe took on the name Oie Cendrée. He learned and succeeded.

    Eventually the Loragwyns and the Shooting Stars accepted Awf. His noble desire to sacrifice anything to help others fit their ideals. His skill with adapting Oie Cendrée to the ways of the Song were intriguing.

    As Awf left the Shooting Stars they awarded him their name. Awf Hornjaw et Loragwyn is a man with two last names, two identities, and one goal – to find the goblin clan that threatened his family and show them that the Fat Goose is ready to sing the song of violence and ring the gong of death.

  • Cantrips and Backgrounds Are a Perfect Match

    Cantrips and Backgrounds Are a Perfect Match

    My backgrounds project continues to expand, adding in many medieval/Renaissance professions that fit in the apocrypha of D&D and related fantasy worlds. At this point there are nearly three dozen frameworks down. None of them demand a magical world.

    But, this is D&D, and in all (?) of the official, product-supported worlds of 5th edition magic is not something that is only held by leveled PCs and NPCs. If you visit a shrine in Forgotten Realms there is a great chance that one of the Acolytes there knows Thaumaturgy. The number of Guild Artisans (tailor) in Eberron that know Mending is almost certainly larger than the number that do not.

    In these worlds there should be tales of those who became heroes after their less-than-mundane lives. The fantastic is part of the D&D experience – both in heroic journeys and in everyday life.

    Exploring what cantrips make sense leads me to listing those cantrips that are not designed for warfare – essentially ignoring damage cantrips, but there are a few that make sense. Let’s take a look at the DnDBeyond list of cantrips and pare it down to just things that commoners would possibly know.

    Cantrips for Fantastic Living

    • Control Flames – Yes, it can do damage, but its primary purpose is about starting and putting out fires. I’ll explore a Firefighter.
    • Create Bonfire – Similar to above.
    • Dancing Lights – This also has combat roles, but imagine the ability of a theater designer to take advantage of Dancing Lights in ways that amplify that experience. The name does not leap to mind, but a variant entertainer using light is needed.
    • Druidcraft – The most obvious way this works is to help a Farmer, Rancher, Herder, etc. On the other hand, imagine a Weather Forecaster.
    • Gust – Sailing across the sea and stuck? Find your empowered crew who can create a tiny wind.
    • Light – The uses are nearly infinite. The Lamplighter will be both apocryphal and fantastical.
    • Mage Hand – Thieves and Wizards alike enjoy this one, but so would construction workers. Why bother with a ladder when you have Mage Hand?
    • Magic Stone – While this is a combat cantrip it feels proper for certain wilderness Backgrounds to have access to it. An Herbalist hunting for a rare shroom may need to defend themselves, for example.
    • Mending – Tailors and Tinkers around the world would be thrilled.
    • Message – This would be useful for the Pamphleteer, the Town Crier, the Spy, the City Watch, and many more.
    • Minor Illusion – Another cantrip that would suit Entertainers.
    • Mold Earth – Masons and Farmers could both find uses for this cantrip.
    • Prestidigitation – A Realmsean Dry Cleaner could profit off of making the bloodied heroes, and criminals, presentable. Similar to Light and Druidcraft the Backgrounds that could take advantage of this are nearly infinite.
    • Produce Flame – A third in the fire series.
    • Shape Water – Immediately upon reading this one I thought about construction of aqueducts and water wheels.
    • Spare the Dying – In gameplay this may be one of the weakest cantrips. In the rough and tumble alleys of Baldur’s Gate it keeps the citizenry alive – Medic and maybe for the Barber as well.
    • Thaumaturgy – Acolytes and Sages should probably already know this one. The organized faiths of the world would have plenty of priests and others able to shout above the masses. This also has great application for a Town Crier, Herald, and Soldier.

    Several more attacking cantrips have possible secondary uses. These are ignored because not every D&D world need be one of violence for the commoner.

    Next Steps

    In some cases adding these minor spells to existing Backgrounds makes sense. That would involve a slight change to the current rule set. We know that a cantrip is considered roughly equal to a skill or language based on the Feats Linguist, Prodigy, and Skilled. The product will address that.

    But knowing these cantrips also means an exploration of how certain roles in the medieval/Renaissance apocrypha of D&D change because of magic. A Lamplighter (a custom background in development) with Light should be behaviorally different than one still using flint, steel, and oil.

    Both will exist. You will be in charge of how your world borrows the ideas to come in Before We Were Heroes (tentative title).

    Your world should be apocryphal and fantastic.

  • Arise & Descend: Entering the Manor House

    Arise & Descend: Entering the Manor House

    If we are to be heroes, we must act with in the faith of ourselves, our gods, and those that look to us for hope. This band of becoming-friends is strong willed and capable.

    We are willing to risk, a bit brash (that may be my fault). Those that oppose us are able to surrender. We will not kill them if they do. There are things we will not tolerate. Those enemies do not live long.

    Together we will free this town and rescue our patron. What happens on the way will happen.

    Spoilers for the D&D Starter Set adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver follow.
    Our adventures started with an ambush by goblins, then a rescue of Sildar in the goblin caves. From there we cleaned up the southern part of town prior to attack the Red Brands at their manor house.

    Have you met my friends? Maybe I should introduce them.

    Krakom is another dwarf. A fierce fighter who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me Krakom is sometimes confused by my behavior. While I prefer a big axe, Krakom has mastered the use of a massive hammer — bang-bang.

    Norran might be an elf. I’m uncertain. He can slip through a crowd, or into the dark, and disappear for a bit. An arrow will fly free from where Norran might be and pierce the heart of our enemies. Most often he’s the scout.

    Ambrose is my orc-ish friend. Deft with a hurled spear and willing to enter a fight with two weapons when hand-to-hand combat ensues Ambrose likes to use an axe, which I appreciate.

    Rowan has faith. She’s more than a believer. Tymora works through her. The human helps keep us alive, which is appreciated, of course. Rowan is also a wonder at sussing out information from people who aren’t trying to destroy us. She’s trusted. Hopefully we can all be trusted soon.

    Sorry, I got distracted. You were asking about the manor house. Yes, we raided it. Yes, at daylight. We needed to sleep. No, we weren’t concerned with them being warned by the near dozen of deaths and surrenders from the previous day.

    [mutters under breath: coward]

    No, not you.

    Anyway. We went to the manor. Shortly after entering we dispatched three more Red Brands, found some rations, and a bit of coin. The one we didn’t kill indicated that the GlassStaff would be down a hall.

    While my friends discussed the ‘proper action’ I opened the door to that hall. We knew what to do. Let’s do it.

    Behind that door was a powerful stench of rotting flesh. Someone vomited. No, it wasn’t me [it was me].

    A disgusting monstrosity was beyond the doors. It had one large eye in the center of its head and a massive maw. The hands were large with nails that may as well been claws.

    We destroyed it because talking wasn’t working. It wanted to eat the flesh of peoples. There is no saving those types.

    You want to know what happens next? Fill my mug. I’m out of Elverquisst. Fill the mug. I’ll have more tales when you return.

  • Arise & Descend: Cleaning Up Phandalin

    Arise & Descend: Cleaning Up Phandalin

    Rescuing Sildar with finding Gundran left the group feeling somewhat successful, but there is worry. We know just enough to start tracking down where our patron is being held. First, we must complete the hired mission – delivering the goods to Phandalin.

    Getting paid is good for morale. As our coffers fill we learn that this poor frontier town has little in the way of a constabulary, and rather large department of Protection Racket.

    The group decides that before we rescue Gundran we will help this town live without fear. Time to clean the streets!

    Spoilers for the D&D Starter Set adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver follow.
    Our adventures started with an ambush by goblins and then a rescue of Sildar in their caves.

    One things I’ve realized about Phandolin, as opposed to my home village or the woods where I earned the name Fat Goose, is that everyone is caught up in some kind of tragedy or ill business. Between the Red Brands/Cloaks terrorizing the town, the goblins able to raid with impunity, some kind of haunted house, and a set of mines which a dwarven community is trying to bring back this frontier town needs heroes.

    That’s what we are. The Loragwyn family taught me that. People in need deserve help, even if you fail while you try.

    At Barthen’s Provisions we were paid for the work we’d completed. Unfortunately Sildar demanded his oxen back. I’d grown comfortable with the dumb beasts. Mayhap, I’ll purchase them from him in the future.

    While most of us were concentrating on getting paid for an unplanned return of merchandize, Rowan, the Priestess of Lady Tymora, visited a shrine. In the eve, after a few battles she shares what occurred at that shrine.

    “You wouldn’t believe how it warmed my heart to find shrine to the Lady Tymora in this little village. It made me feel like the Lady’s luck will be following me wherever I go. And the cleric who cares for the shrine, Garael… I can’t wait for all of you to meet her. She’s in need of our help, but I expect she’s going to be a great help to us as well.”

    We learn that there is a coster that is responsible for the rest of the goods we rescued from the goblin caves. There should be a bit of money in returning those goods.

    Money is good, but solving problems is better. I’ve always felt that addressing confrontation straight on is best. The Red Brands have a particular bar that they enjoy.

    We visit it. Or we try to visit it. A handful step out to confront us.

    “What are you doing here?”

    I respond, “We’re here to clean up town.” I cast a basic spell to clean up the poor, dirty bastard’s disgusting cloak.

    My generosity is ignored. Those idiots. It takes a bit for us to clean up the south end of town and this stupid bar. We leave behind four dead bodies, a handful of smarties that surrender.

    Those that surrender let us know of more dangers at the manor house – bugbears, undead, more red brands, a couple of wizards. This is probably beyond our capabilities.

    I toss a gold towards the barkeep. His inn is a mess after our conflict. While my companions interrogate, I clean. This town needs help. We help.

    We take the dead to the edge of town to serve as a warning, their red cloaks hanging over their bodies as a symbol towards those who would terrorize good peoples.

    The living we leave with Sildar overnight. In the morn we are to raid the manor house.

    Life is only worth living if you are to help others. The people of Phandalin will live free, or our band will perish.

  • Exploring Additional 5th Edition Backgrounds

    Exploring Additional 5th Edition Backgrounds

    Over the past couple of weeks I’ve started working towards a bundle of dozens of backgrounds for use in 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. The basic version of these would be to fill out the space of time before you became a hero — so toss that Folk Hero in the trash.

    The goal is to keep the core of these with the 2 skills and 2 language/tools of the base system, while having handful that may go beyond the base ruleset. Each would have a description, the gained skill set, equipment, the feature (maybe an alternate) as well as the including the personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws.

    Backgrounds, when fully explored, give power to the social and exploration pillars of play. With them we discover that point of time “Before We Were Heroes.” There will also be need for at least one more language and a few more tools.

    My goal, is to put this forward as a product on the DMs Guild, eventually. If my dreams come to fruition that I would partner with an experienced editor. I have an artist and designer in mind at this point. Depending on the editor, I may need a cultural consultant or two.

    The list grows daily. At this point a few have full descriptions and associated personalities, while others are a title with the skills associated with the Background. Here is a list, in order of inspiration, that is far from complete.

    • Farmer
    • Minder
    • Barber
    • Crier/Herald
    • Pamphleteer
    • Lamplighter
    • Clerk
    • Hunter/Trapper
    • Third-Born
    • The Gambler
    • Lantan Mechanik
    • Barista
    • Tea Master
    • Bartender
    • Tax Collector
    • Oracle
    • Caravanserai
    • Tinker
    • Messenger
    • Teacher
    • Perfumery
    • Talking Drummer
    • Herbalist
    • Brute Squad
    • Logger

    Eventually these will be organized — likely by urban and rural. A few more magical and mystical backgrounds will be added. Those will likely include tropes that can only exist in a world of fantasy.

    For now, my focus is on what the heroes of our times did, before they became legends.