Tag: DnD

  • Assigning Social and Exploration Experience in Uprising & Rebellion

    Assigning Social and Exploration Experience in Uprising & Rebellion

    In my campaigns we use experience points rather than milestone levelling. But, we also spend time in the social and exploration pillars, where the game as designed provides little guidance towards the experience that should be rewarded for success overcoming obstacles beyond traps.

    Rewarding the play I want to see, I have given out xp for solved plot points and discoveries. In the past these have been given out at the end of a session without the players knowing ahead of time what their character rewards would be.

    I’m going to attempt to pull back that veil, listing out major plots and side quests with xp values. My goal is so that the player characters will be rewarded for developing their stories and the overall campaign.

    Major plots

    Daoud’s 7th Fleet vs Twilight and Shadow the Black Dragons vs the Mayor with the Blue Dragons vs assembling Kirtinish forces on the east shore – 10,000 xp

    Kirtin-on-the-Lake is now torn between two of the Six Kingdoms and the separate appeals of two groups of Ken. Twilight and Shadow seem to thrive on misery, sucking up negative emotions from the war. The Mayor has gifted the Blue dragons significant territory and their co-operation requires unbonding from animal companions.

    The 7th Fleet wants to take the city back to Daoud. It is actually a massive cavalry army with horses, riding dogs and warbirds. Kirtin’s forces sit, waiting for the three sides to destroy each other and sweep back into the city as welcomed heroes.

    Our heroes haven’t picked a side, because they are all bad. In the past they’ve hoped for trade or normality looking to Sheljar for inspiration.

    via the Fantasy City Generator

    Lorebooks – 5,000 xp

    Our heroes have the Lorebook of Illusions and the Crate of Conjuration. They suspect there is another Lorebook locally and a fourth may be in The Ferments. They know not what power the Lorebooks provide, just that a group called the Scholars control them and the Proctors are a violent segment of Ken who are trying to acquire the various books. The world knows that the Folio of Necromancy and the Lorebook of Divination are in Sheljar.

    Defending their books from other Proctors or Scholars is as important as finding more, probably.

    Unseat the Mayor – 7,500 xp — COMPLETED

    The Mayor has turned his back on Daoud and joined with the Blue Dragons and their Ken allies. Even if the heroes cannot yet sway the four-sided war, the group wants the Mayor eliminated via election, appointment or violence — he just needs to be gone.

    Side quests

    Where is Wilkie? – 2,500 xp — COMPELETED

    One of their allies, Wilkie, former leader of the Dock District Guard fled. With their leader in hiding the Dock District has dissolved back to an ad hoc militia. The group of heroes had trusted Wilkie to defend their district.

    Missing Printers – 2,500 xp — COMPLETED

    The printing press and gobkon printers’ office burnt down in a dragon strike. No bodies were found. Once in hiding, then public, the Society of Veil and Shadow has again disappeared. Their pro-Sheljar message remains known, but there have been no broadsheets in three passings of Feylf.

    Is the new flag of quill and sword related to their absence?

    Bounties – 2,500 xp — COMPLETED

    Each of the known heroes has a bounty of 2,500 gold on them. This is mostly because the Mayor hates them for the murder of the gnome during his festival. But also because they keep trying to inspire the people toward concepts like freedom and respect.

    Character quests

    Keldrass wants to repair the bonds broken by the black dragons and help protect the city from the Ken.

    Gardar wants to increase the trade with Mehmd, earn respect outside of the caste system there and maybe have his own Goltoppa team.

    Seymore wants to teach commoners magic, because even though he doesn’t trust it the people need the power. He’s done a bit of this by spreading Minor Illusion.

    Req wants to maintain the independence of the Dock District.

  • Batons and short staves – two new finesse weapons

    Batons and short staves – two new finesse weapons

    In 5th edition D&D I create a lot of rogues. This is a change for me, for in my earlier forays into Dungeons & Dragons, I mostly played clerics, bards and paladins. Part of the appeal of the rogue in 5e, is that it has became the main skill-monkey class. Mostly mundane there are interesting stories to be told via the mastermind, the inquisitive, the scout and the propagandist.

    One thing I find lacking for three of those options is the narrative around using a weapon that knocks opponents unconscious. While the rule set allows any weapon that does enough damage to kill to be declared a non-fatal blow, there’s something about an mastermind smacking a thief upside the head with a baton and knocking them out.

    Three batons
    By Bill Smith from the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre

    Common within the literatures that inspire our game are also tales about short staves that flip about stabbing with the point and smacking with the side — see various interpretations of Sherlock Holmes. My campaign needed one of these because a player in Uprising and Rebellion Campaign Two is a streetsweeper. Their broom handle makes sense as a weapon for them.

    And so, the baton and the short stave were born.

    Baton

    Type: Simple | Cost: 5 gp | Weight: .5 lbs | Damage: 1d4 | Type: Bludgeoning | Properties: Light, Finesse | Mastery: Nick

    Short stave (broom handle)

    Type: Martial | Cost: 5 cp | Weight: 2 lbs | Damage: 1d8 | Type: Bludgeoning | Properties: Finesse | Mastery: Sap

    The baton is just a refined club so that you can play as Sticks from the Vlad Taltos Saga. The short stave (broom handle) is based on the rapier, the current best weapon for a rogue, but merely bludgeoning and cheap.

    There’s nothing game breaking from these additions. There’s no power creep.

    There is a whole lot more story. And that’s the whole point to Full Moon Storytelling — story creep.

    Masteries were added on Oct. 15, 2025

  • Twilight Fables – a sourcebook designed for 5e D&D focusing on European folklore

    Twilight Fables – a sourcebook designed for 5e D&D focusing on European folklore

    As an active participant on ENWorld, I watched the Twilight Fables project grow from idea to concept through approach and playtest. As an already funded project, supporting it on Kickstarter means my readers will not be backing a failed project — it’s done. The books have had proofs printed. Rod Waibel has a different approach than typical for this Kickstarter.

    So I invited him to share it with the readers of Full Moon Storytelling, because you might enjoy a few more monsters for your D&D game.

    Twilight Fables is now being shipped to backers.

    If you didn’t get it then, but want it now, head to Izegrim Creations store to purchase a limited run of the same hardcovers backers get. The pdf is also available for 5e D&D and OSR. The DriveThruRPG versions can be purchased here (5e, OSR).

    A montage of art in Twilight Fables

    Note: The original folklore was dark with mature themes and may include triggering subjects.  Think more Brothers Grimm and less modern fairy tales.  Reader discretion is advised.

    From the Twilight Fables Kickstarter.

    What is Twilight Fables

    Twilight Fables is a sourcebook designed for 5e focusing on the original European folklore as it was told generations ago. More Brothers Grimm and much less Disney, if you will. When Dungeons & Dragons was created, most of the monsters were based, albeit loosely, on folklore. However, it was in the vision of those who were creating it, so creatures like drow, kobolds, goblins, etc. don’t resemble anything like the folklore that created them. 5e D&D has been out a while, and there has been a ton of content created for it, but I found this area lacking.

    Wizards of the Coast recently came out with a fey-themed book, and while a great product in its own right, it was nothing like original folklore. I felt that those old stories, approached with the appropriate caution, could lend to exciting and interesting adventures of their own. I say “approach with caution” as no accident. For those unfamiliar, many of those stories were allegories of caution directed toward children. “Stay away from that creek, because there’s a terrible monster there that will eat you!” “Remain pure and chaste or you’ll turn into a terrible creature!” That sort of thing.

    Since much of folklore was created during dark times (literally the Dark Ages), there are several instances of abuse and suffering. For example, the original story of Hansel and Gretel is even darker than most realize when you learn why they kept getting lost in the woods. Ableism, sexism, child abuse, and consent issues show up often in those stories. Therefore, I made it a point to address this right up front in the book, and put a disclaimer on the cover. People can skip right past those sections that deal with these issues easily by a displayed marker if they want to avoid any triggering event.

    [Dave here: Rod and his team put a disclaimer on the individual creatures that are most likely to bring up the worst memories people have.]

    You may be asking yourself, “Why bother creating something that has so many problematic themes?” Fair question. Quite frankly, it’s because outside of those few monsters, the lore is rich with great stories and potential. As long as we approach it with an informed perspective and have the agency to control which portions we use, there’s a ton of value in this book. And it’s good to have the option. I did my very best to minimize those problem areas and advise that such issues should not be included in the typical game. I stress how consent among all the players at your table is recommended before incorporating any potential problem areas.

    Now that that’s out of the way, what exactly does Twilight Fables include?

    An example of the layout in Twilight Fables.
    • There are more than 200 creatures, all with detailed page entries. Reference the included screenshots to see some of the changes that the core books did not have. These include but are not limited to quirks, lore, suggestions on incorporating them into your game, spell lists within the stat block have been removed and replaced with detailed spellcasting abilities, etc. 
    • [Dave here: the expanded lore and quirks are a great addition to the game]
    • Dozen of magical artifacts pulled from mythology and lore
    • Crafting rules
    • Tons of player options, including warlock patrons, cleric and ranger subclasses, races, feats, and spells.
    • Lore of the Otherworld (Fey Realm) as it was explained in folklore, including living in the Fey Realm, the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and becoming an Archfey yourself!
    • A plug-in-play campaign that can be used in your existing campaign to shake things up a bit.

    Where can I learn more?

    On Kickstarter

    Website: Twilight Fables | Facebook: Izegrim Creations | Twitter: @IzegrimC

    Let’s say I want to get this, what do I get if I back the Kickstarter?

    I’m taking a slightly different approach to running this Kickstarter from other companies. Most companies offer a PDF and a hard or soft copy. That’s great, because that’s what the majority will use. However, when I did Chromatic Dungeons last summer, I learned it’s just as important to listen to the minority, because they deserve to get what they want as well. So for Twilight Fables, the digital package includes a PDF like usual of the main book. But then it also includes a PDF with no background, for ease of reading and printing. And it includes an RTF version for those with visual impairments and for those who want to cut and paste information easily. Also included are tokens and markdown files for those who use VTT gaming. That’s all for LESS than most companies are asking for just a core PDF.

    Beyond that is the actual hard copy option of the book. I’ve had the advance copies in my hand already, and I was pleased with the quality. I’d love to get the $50,000 stretch goal because that allows me to get offset printing with glossy pages, gilded pages, and ribbon bookmark. But if that doesn’t happen, it’s OK because the Print on Demand book is still of very good quality.

    And that’s pretty much it! No crazy stretch goals that put the project at risk for delivery. 

    Let me close in saying how much I appreciate the support from everyone. From the great artists I got to work with, including the legendary Gerald Brom and Darlene the Artist, to all of the backers who support me!

  • Now is the time to reduce the house rules in your D&D game

    Now is the time to reduce the house rules in your D&D game

    Dungeons and Dragons is more popular than ever. That is undeniable. The game has grown and become a side channel to the mainstream, with its influence everywhere. But it is about to get a lot more popular. Tens of millions are going to watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

    That’s going to attract a lot more neophytes to the game.

    Honor Among Thieves, the next D&D movie looks fun
    The Honor Among Thieves trailer has vibes of Thor: Ragnarok, Guardian of the Galaxy, and Princess Bride.

    But the D&D movie is not the only thing that will grow fantasy gaming.

    Johnny Stanton, the Cleveland Browns fullback, and his group have been featured in Sports Illustrated. Stanton is also part of San Diego ComicCon’s Everybody is Playing Dungeons & Dragons! seminar — expect even more coverage of his game in mainstream media.

    From Chris Pine saying every high school should have a D&D club to mainstream local soccer fundraisers like YachtCon playing the game (we’ll do something this year too) the game is spreading faster than ever before. After a season of not-really-D&D Stranger Things dipped back in with the Hellfire Club. Season five, the final will also be D&D themed.

    There’s also D&D adjacent properties like Wheel of Time (season 2 of Origins is out in August and season 3 is already happening) and Rings of Power (season 1 in Fall). Witcher keeps going strong. Vox Machina got a season 2 and probably will get a third. List goes on, and on.

    There’s no better time for fantasy TV and movies — none.

    As experienced players and DM’s it is our responsibility and duty to welcome these new players to the game. One way to do that is through the classic Starter Set, the Stranger Things boxed set, the Essentials Kit, the new Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, Spelljammer Academy, etc, etc.

    But you also have your home games with elaborate and thought-out original plots. These games are the most common way to play D&D, a majority do not play in the official worlds. There’s a danger in welcoming people to the game the first time in an original world. Those campaigns can have a lot of custom rules.

    When the Lorebook Hunters first started in the World of the Everflow there were more than four pages of custom rules, heavily tweaking the game. Now there are just four sentences of rules not taken from the books – all able to integrate with DnDBeyond, excepting the custom subclasses. Players new to the game can create a character in 30-60 minutes rather than hours.

    That helps first-time players pick up the game. There’s plenty of support online for the official rules — blogs, video, podcasts, social media. There’s only your table as a place to learn about custom rules. That can be intimidating. Plus they need to pick up custom lore. Another barrier to play.

    Reducing both of those weights helps a first-time player become a perpetual player and eventual Dungeon Master.

    Tips for types of rules to add

    • Optional rules from the Dungeon Master’s Guide — they’re already official, in a book for others to read.
    • Rules that enable your story — the World of the Everflow has a key question as to why we love pets. It wouldn’t be the same without the bonus feat of Bonded Companion.
    • Changes that empower cinematic flavor — since many people new to the game will come from watching film give them that vibe.
    • Tweaks that don’t require technical knowledge — asking a first time player to learn a VTT rather than just video or theater of the mind can reduce their interest.

    At the same point, if you have a massive world already, don’t retro those rules. Find ways for your table to welcome new people into your complex lore and ruleset. Use session zeroes frequently, both one-on-one and with the group. Tell a new player why you have those rules. House rules that help tell the communal storytelling are always better than house rules that add complexity, at least for the modern gamer coming at D&D as a storytelling game that empowers group tales of action and adventure.

    Most of all, enjoy the new players and their new stories. They’re going to add to your table coming up with ideas and concepts you’ve never seen before. If you are doing it right you’ll have a more diverse group, telling more diverse tales — and you’ll be stronger both in real life and in the game.

  • Honor Among Thieves, the next D&D movie looks fun

    Honor Among Thieves, the next D&D movie looks fun

    There’s a lot of reasons to be worried that the next D&D movie wouldn’t be good. The last few were not. Fantasy as a genre struggles to have blockbusters. There were also reasons to think it would be good. John Francis Daley and Jonathon Goldstein (co-directors, co-writers) have great experiences making good movies. They are both Dungeons & Dragons nerds. Daley is a credited writer on Rime of the Frostmaiden. The actors are what a big budget film needs. ILM did the effects. The location shots were where you want medieval fantasy to be shot (England and Czechia are the current leaders).

    But lots of people were cautious.

    Today’s trailer was as good as you can expect from any massive movie.

    The party, or cohort of actors, have a vibe. It’s strong. They enjoy each other. All of them but Hugh Grant speak about their new (Pine, Jean-Page) or old (Lillis, Rodriguez, Daley, Goldstein) love of the game. Chris Pine said that every group of actors should always play the game.

    Rege Jean-Page said that every high school should have a D&D club. That’s when Sophia Lillis and Michelle Rodriguez both played.

    That’s when I started.

    I’m not worried about this movie. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves looks to be a fun romp by a diverse group that conquer evil together while getting into more trouble with each bit of success.

    And there’s an owlbear and a gelatinous cube and two dragons, and bad planning — that’s D&D.

    You know what else is D&D? A group with different skills, different pasts, different presents, different races, genders, everything — then they bond together towards a common goal and the sum of their parts is stronger. Because as Jeremy Crawford once said “a diverse group is a strong group.”

  • Gendarmes of Sheljar Campaign: One Sheet

    Gendarmes of Sheljar Campaign: One Sheet

    This campaign is set seven years after the Lorebook Hunters returned magic to the World of the Everflow. It is set in the Free City of Sheljar, and is centered on clearing portions of the bog-city from the return of undead and tunneling nightmares. Combat and exploration will be heavier than social play at the beginnnig. Every character is united in keeping residents of Sheljar safe and mostly unified in the ideals of Free Shejlar (all thinking peoples have value), but may have differing concepts about how to do so.

    The bog-city of Sheljar sits in a lowland below a waterfall. The climate is cool and wet, think the lowlands of the upper Salish, the moors of Scotland with a boggy multi-island brackish lake similar to New Orleans.

    Campaign Premise

    The party is a group of guards that volunteered and is paid to help the Lorebook Hunters keep the people of Sheljar safe from skeletons, zombies, wights and other undead. Tunneling Nightmares may have returned to isles in the bog-city as well. They will start in the old neighborhood of Jherr as recent migrants have noticed a cavern with odd noises and smells.

    Made using Perilous Shores, this is the neighborhood of Jherr, to the north and east of the core of Sheljar. The southeast corner is less brackish than most of the bog-city, almost an internal fresh water space.

    Background

    The Flag of the Free City of Sheljar features the moon Feylf in crescent, a white triangle entering a field of the sea and Boo, in his skeletal form.

    Once upon a time, the Empire of Sheljar ruled all of the Western Wildes, from the Cliffs of Galinor to Mira to Qin. Then, the Born Generation of magically imbued teens (27 years ago) caused chaos and disruption, upending the old ways. One of the Born Generation, the Necromancer, thought he was doing good, keeping dying peoples and animals with their families, but these horrifying undead monstrosities were often rejected. As he raised more and more, people fled Sheljar, emptying it out, leaving the bog-city nearly abandoned to the Necromancer and his unliving nightmares. A misty stench then started to control the city and more people fled.

    It was not until after the eruption of the volcano, the battle of Cortez and Chorl, and the Lorebook Hunters eventually slaying the Necromancer that Sheljar felt free again. Now, six years later the Free City of Sheljar welcomes all thinking peoples. Those that return to their former homes have their property back. Those without homes are granted plots and space with the promise of aid. Few ships dock at Sheljar, but that number increases every month.

    Sheljar has several dozen gobkon, a few dozen Ken with no known dragons, but most of its 2,000 generally agrarian peoples are various Kin with their animal companions. The Gendarmes and the Lorebook Hunters are the only standing ‘army.’ Most of the residents are frontier peoples ready to defend their cottages but only have clubs and other utensils as weapons.

    A map of the former Empire of Sheljar, now a series of independent city-states and free towns.

    Grand Conflicts

    At the start this is a simple island of the week adventure, where the Gendarmes are responsible for discovering and clearing pockets of undead.

    Factions

    • Lorebook Hunters – this is the leadership of Sheljar.
    • Cult of Nak – these are the remnants of Chrol’s transformations.
    • Fort Ooshar is under control of the Fox and Crow, a gang that sees opportunity to raid the migrants heading to Sheljar
    • A death cult has taken over the lands west of Telse.

    Rumors

    • The Folio of Necromancy may be missing. Saffron had held it prior to rising to part of the leadership council.
    • What is that stench out east? Tunneling Nightmares?
    • The Volcano of the Glass Tower is glowing.

    Facets

    • Exploring the zero-to-hero tropes, friendship with animals, and who gets to control knowledge.
    • Sandbox play.
    • Player agency creates history.
    • Drop in/drop out, whatever. This is an episodic campaign.
    • Sessions are 60-90 minutes. Adventures are 1-3 sessions.

    Variant Rules

    • Playable races are Human, Hin(what they call themselves)/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, 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 1st level because several are new to the game, let’s learn together.
    • The Gendarmes start with a small sailing boat (Crew:4 for rudder, sails, a repeating heavy crossbow, and a fire sling).
    • 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 Wednesdays right after work, played over Meet with shared screen used to help set the scene. Theater of the Mind will be the most common form of combat, ideally using cinematic descriptions which will grant Inspiration. There is a campaign on DnDBeyond, used only by the participants rather than open to public.

    Every character is assumed to have Common Knowledge in the Six Kingdoms.

  • Inkling as a Warlock familiar

    Inkling as a Warlock familiar

    The Strixhaven mascots make great familiars, but they’re a bit weak compared to the other options available after 1st level. The imp is clearly the power-play. It’s a CR 1 monster, not the 1/4 and 1/2. And while that’s not a significant problem, it’s one that can be fixed. What would you need to do to make the Inkling Mascot a more permanent companion/familiar?

    Recently other companions are designed around un-fluffed stat blocks. The Primeval Druid has a beast, but all description is up to the to the player and DM. One of the players in the Uprising & Rebellion campaign is a multiclass Warlock-Rogue, who just leveled up in Warlock and took Pact of the Chain for the slightly boosted familiar.

    Combining the player’s desire with recent history means I’ll be making a few adjustments to Nerinmil’s familiar.

    First, the quick part. A bunch of stuff is going to get that character’s Proficiency Bonus (Stealth, to hit, a bonus Armor Class, uses of Ink Spray per Long Rest). We’re also going to add Perception as a proficient skill, because the player has mostly been a ranged attacker and spy who wants to enhance their current role via the familiar.

    Because the player really liked the imp, I’ll be granting the ooze-y Improved Inkling resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Also, because of that spy role desire, I’m adding in a Reaction: Ichorous Form – When an opponent makes an opportunity attack the Improved Inkling may take use its reaction to flow around the attempted attack if it has perceived the attacker. That opponent than has disadvantage on its attack role.

    We’ll also be boosting its mental attributes to Int: 10, Wis: 12, Cha: 10 and dropping the Strength to a 6.

    Spot hanging out in his bottle (photo by Jill Burrow on Pexels.com)

    Armor Class 16
    Hit Points 18
    Speed 10 ft., fly 45 ft. (hover)
    Initiative +3

    STR: 6 (-3) | DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 14 (+2) | INT: 10 (-) | WIS: 12 (+1) | CHA: 10 (+0)

    Skills: Stealth +6, Perception +4 (passive 14)

    Resistances: Bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from non-magical weapons

    Immunities: Psychic, Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Prone

    Blot at +6 for 1d4+3 psychic

    Ink Splot is now 3/Long Rest at DC 13

    Reaction: Ichorous Form – When an opponent makes an opportunity attack the Improved Inkling may take use its reaction to flow around the attempted attack if it has perceived the attacker. That opponent than has disadvantage on its attack role.

    This was a quick and dirty reskin and improvement based on conversations with the player. It works for the world, where the founder dragons from Strixhaven are part of the Ken’s power center. It works for the character, because his rogue class will eventually be a Propagandist. Using a amorphous ink thing to pick up rumors to put in the broadsheet is perfect.

    tl;dr – reskin official creatures to make them appropriate for your world.

  • Reblogging: Monsters of the Multiverse Humanoids, Part 1 — The Monsters Know What They’re Doing

    Keith Ammann’s The Monsters Know What They’re Doing is a great book (and blog) that converts that statistics for a D&D monster to the types of tactics that monster would use in combat. With the recent release of Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse Keith look how humanoids from Volo’s and the first Mord’s to see how the tactics would change. I’m looking forward to running the duergar with these new stats from Monsters of the Multiverse and guidance from Keith.

    I’m going to look at the significant changes to monsters in Monsters of the Multiverse in the order they appear in MOAR! Monsters Know What They’re Doing… 3,398 more words

    Monsters of the Multiverse Humanoids, Part 1 — The Monsters Know What They’re Doing
  • They might be giants, a new Unearthed Arcana

    They might be giants, a new Unearthed Arcana

    A big, hefty Unearthed Arcana was released in late May. Giant Options hints at a something massive — the book could be a Giant version of Fizban’s, the First World’s war between giantkin and dragons, or a new set of player options with this just being the first of a series.

    Some of these will be immediately available to players in my campaign. Others need more work before I would allow them. Overall they are strong and I’m encouraged by more flavorful Feats being added to the game.

    Archetypes/Subclasses

    Barbarian: Path of the Giant

    “Barbarians who walk the Path of the Giant draw strength from the primal forces that are the Giants and their elemental ilk. Their rages surge with elemental power and cause these barbarians to grow in size, transforming them into avatars of primordial might.”

    What I like:

    The Giant Power cantrip makes perfect sense. Connecting rages to growing in size and throwing things is excellent. Elemental Cleaver is basically Thor’s ability, so that will be very popular. Adding a ruleset for the fastball special fits this concept, but I’m hoping to see more mooks used as ranged weapons than friends.

    What I don’t like:

    Unless a campaign uses culture rather than language, learning the language of Giant just because you turn into one makes no sense.

    Will I use it in play:

    Yes. Every mechanic fits the build except for the odd way D&D embraces languages.

    Druid: Circle of the Primeval

    “The Circle of the Primeval teaches that, though the land may change over time, it never truly forgets. By tapping into the timeworn memory of the earth, these druids summon and bond with the spirit of a primeval behemoth — a hulking creature that once ruled the ancient world alongside the giants.”

    What I like:

    While there are other abilities, the main reason you want to play this Druid is for the Primeval Companion. Similar to the new Beast Master Ranger beasts, the Primeval Companion has very light flavor. Want it to be an ankylosaurs or wooly mammoth or a velociraptor? You can. It just starts a bit small than those first two were, but that’s easy to call an adolescent. It’s nice that it can avoid your overflowing blasts, because your dino-companion is probably in the fray while your druid is back a layer. Scourge of the Ancients comes on in the late game, giving 1st level spells purpose.

    What I don’t like:

    Nothing.

    Will I use it in play:

    These fit Mehmd, in my home campaign, very well.

    Wizard: Runecaster

    “Runecrafter wizards enhance their spellcasting through the ancient power of runes. Though the tradition originated with the giant rune casters of old, runecraft magic has expanded to encompass countless languages and practitioners across different worlds.”

    What I like:

    Like most of the non-school Wizards, the Runecaster feels more powerful, especially so in a campaign that ignores material components and spell inscribing costs. The runes themselves have interesting riders when combined with spells — cast a magic missile and boost the health of ally with a Life Rune for example.

    Overall the narrative of the runes is strong and fills a hole in the game.

    What I don’t like:

    Rune Maven is a complicated recovery mechanic. Thankfully Think DM broke down how it works.

    There’s also a disconnect between the narrative and the mechanics. The runes are being cast in less than 6 seconds, but when you think of a runemaster those runes should take time.

    Will I use it in play:

    I’m undecided. It is a bit complicated above level 9. I also must get over my frustration about crafting a rune taking a time

    FEATS

    A few of the feats are meant to be taken at first level, the kind of powers a character might be born with or that inspires them to go out adventuring. Others are clearly too powerful for 1st level and so are gated at 4th or 8th level, which makes sense unless the character is a fighter who gets their second feat at 6th level. These 4th and 8th level feats also don’t make narrative sense. Why would the powers of a giant manifest based on adventuring?

    Feats: Rune Carver Apprentice and Rune Carver Adept

    The two rune feats are meant to be taken in a series. Apprentice first and than at 4th level or higher after taking Apprentice a character make take the Adept.

    What I like:

    Unlike the Runecaster Wizard, these runes are inscribed during a long rest – lovely! Unlike other spellcasting feats, the Rune Carver feats offer a high level of versatility. There are 19 different spells that one may have available. Just one at the Apprentice level and from two to six as an Adept.

    What I don’t like:

    The Apprentice assumes that versatility is more significant than a cantrip and ASI or two cantrips, which every other 1st level spell granting Feat has. My solution would be to add one of the general cantrips as a choice or even more broadly, every cantrip tagged with Utility on DnDBeyond.

    Will I use it in play?

    Absolutely. I love these. I have no idea where they fit in my world, but they belong.

    Feats: Elemental Touched; Outsized Might

    These are the other two feats that don’t have level requirements. Both could connect a character to the primordial or the Giants. One thing that latter-stage D&D does is strongly connect the Giants to elements, but not in the same ways as dragons.

    What I like:

    The spell-like abilities granted by Elemental Touched are perfectly flavored, like Top Chef finale quality flavor.

    Outsized Might is excellent for grapplers and other martial artists. It is also story-full. Imagine a Stout Halfling that carries more than strong Humans. That’s great as a rare ability granted by a Feat.

    What I don’t like:

    The versatility of Elemental Touched removes strong flavor potential. Being touched by every element is part of what went wrong with the Four Elements Monk and it continues to be poor story here.

    Outsized Might overlaps heavily with a few races (Orc, Bugbear, Centaur, Firbolg, Goliath, Loxodon), which isn’t as fun. There’s no practical way for Powerful Build to stack. While the Feat is still useful, there may need to be a way to make up for that.

    Will I use it in play?

    Elemental Touched may be tweaked to connect to a specific element while granting an additional use.

    Outsized Might isn’t great, but I’d allow it.

    4th Level Feats: Fury of the Frost Giant; Keenness of the Stone Giant; Vigor of the Hill Giant

    The three lower power common giants are bundled together and locked in as something a character would take just before they enter tier 2 play. This makes some sense as there are more and more ways to have a Feat at 1st level (my campaign allows a Feat for every 1st level character).

    What I like:

    Keenness of the Stone Giant has a strong connection to their lore as wizened leaders who tend to be less into the violence of other giants.

    Vigor of the Hill Giant is perfect — 100% perfect. The lore of the Hill Giant is wrapped in mechanics that directly connect the character to the big, dumb oafs that use trees as clubs and use hills as pillows.

    What I don’t like:

    Frost giants make you afraid, more than other giants? I don’t get the narrative justification.

    Will I use them in play?

    If a player asked, probably. But I’d have to come up with a story for Keenness and Fury. The core D&D assumptions about Giants aren’t present in my world. I would allow Vigor right out of the box.

    8th Level Feats: Ember of the Fire Giant; Guile of the Cloud Giant; Soul of the Storm Giant

    These big hefty feats are overly delayed for Fighters. They’re powerful, probably the most powerful Feats of 5e and unchained. You don’t have to start with Outsized Might to somehow develop a connection to Giants. Maybe you should. Maybe these should be three-feat chains that include Elemental Touched and Outsized Might.

    What I like:

    The flavor of Ember of the Fire Giant is well done.

    Misty Form from the Cloud Giant is very powerful, a non-concentration casting of blur is encounter changing. It also fits the narrative.

    What I don’t like:

    An attack at 8th level does more damage than Ember of the Fire Giants does, and while there’s an area of effect it isn’t big enough to mitigate the reduction in damage. I might throw on one of the fire cantrips to increase versatility.

    A soft caution on adding a lot of divination to the game must be given. It’s one of the thought spells that can dramatically change the genre of play.

    The Storm Giant grants a defensive bonus, which feels unusual for a giant. How hard can it be to hit a 40′ tall human-like representation of a thunderstorm? But, it’s a great ability. So much so that I wanted to list this as a like, even though my narrative first thoughts are that I don’t like it.

    Will I use it in play:

    I like these, all of them. Even the weak Fire Giant ability is a lot of fun.

    Overall many of the Feats add 5′ and 10′ ranged abilities. These ranges are very tactical and hard to do in Theater of the Mind. I’ve come to thinking that TotM works better with abilities that are 5/15/30 rather than 5/10/20/30.

  • Tea Master – a new Background for D&D

    Tea Master – a new Background for D&D

    Tea, tisanes, rooibos, herbal concoctions and other similar hot drinks are staples in many cultures of the real world and fit so many Dungeons & Dragons cultures as well. The sub-culture around ceremony and expertise makes sense as a Background in 5th edition.

    Why would a Tea Master go adventuring? They could be searching for a new supply; have run out of their own supply; know that there is a threat to the trade routes they depend upon; heard from the nobility of a need for the government; have a loyal customer that needs aid. A Tea Master like many service types develops a relationship with the people they serve. Those connections are easy to leverage into relationships that help power story — plus they have tea.

    Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

    Tea Master

    You are a server of fine teas. Maybe you worked in a tea shop, or were a tea merchant, or were the tea master for a noble estate. You prepare teas and small bites of food for the thinking peoples in the area. This can be as simple as a cuppa or an elaborate ritual.

    You may be an expert in particular types of tea (powders, fermented, naturals, or combination). These teas and tisanes may come from your local community or come from other lands far from your origin. Regardless, you start with 24 servings of your favorite tea or tisane (tisane=herbal tea). When creating your tea master consider the peoples you served tea to in the past, consider who taught you the ceremony(ies) you know. Use these flavor decisions to embrace your role as a Tea Master.

    Skill Proficiencies: History and Insight. If you are using cultures rather than languages, then replace history as per those rules.
    Tool Proficiencies: None
    Languages: Two languages
    Equipment: Alms box with 25 silver, bell or whistle or hand drum, tea set for 6 including tea for 4 ceremonies for 6 (10 pounds and 25 gp value), fine clothes, waterskin

    Feature: Tea Ceremony

    Performing a 1 hour ritualistic ceremony you serve tea often with small plates of food, but that is not required. The ceremony is patient and calming, shifting NPC attitude from hostile to indifferent or indifferent to friendly, if the NPC can be convinced to partake in the full ceremony. PCs partaking in a tea ceremony can use Hit Dice to heal as if the time was spent on a Short Rest.

    Personality Traits that make sense for the Tea Master could be from the Acolyte, the Guild Artisan, the Hermit, or the Sage. Mix and match these as necessary.

    Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

    Design Goals

    There are a few reasons I wanted to make the Tea Master. During my time in the Middle East I experienced a couple versions of tea ceremonies. These were done as a welcome to a home or to a camp. In my personal life I have also experienced the elaborate high tea that used to be part of the nobility of England. These seemed to fit the social portion of D&D, especially as they stretch back in time to the days which inspire our stories.

    Within fiction there are two tea ceremonies that stand out in my mind — both from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Tumnus uses a tea ceremony to distract and then poison Lucy. The Witch uses a tea ceremony and foods to make Edmund think that she is not a threat. Both examples fit the literature that inspires our game.

    There was also a desire to make the tea ‘rules’ different than coffee ‘rules.’ The two are similar in that they are water with vegetation that often provides stimulation as well as being from locales far from the founding cultures of the game. Both belong in D&D, because they were in Europe in the era that inspired the game AND because D&D is about much more than Europe.

    Another goal was to remove specificity of culture from the tea ceremony. Tea ceremonies do not have the direct lineage that coffee does (coffee houses have a direct lineage to Ottoman cafes). Tea is a more widespread crop with various cultures celebrating the leaf. So make your tea ceremony your own. Celebrate a real culture, create a pastiche, or invent a new one — do it honoring real cultures that you are a member of or that you’ve studied.

    Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons