Tag: Playing D&D

  • Spinebloom Farms, a riverside desert

    Spinebloom Farms, a riverside desert

    Not all desert communities are near an oasis. Long ago the Spineblooms settled in a desert area where the West Thundermoon River took a slow bend. Along that bend in the shallow salty marsh they do their best to raise some rice, as well as some fruited cacti, peppers, vines and largeflower onions in pods.

    Originally the Spineblooms were a group of goliath druids, frequently connected to storms and fire. For many generations they’ve lived on The Bend in earthen huts only partially protruding from the ground.

    Now, most are not magical. Instead they raise birds — herons (to fish), mynahs (pest control), bulbuls (warnings), waders (fishers) — in an aviary. They frequently trade their rice and catch upriver at the Multunyn Trading Post.

    The Location

    • Based on a sketch by the player that included domed buildings mostly underground
    • Using zone-based combat by Sly Flourish and enabling active locations similar to location moves.
    • Ensuring environmental oddities of The Ferments are included.

    Thundermoon River

    Slow, wide and muddy at The Bend, the Thundermoon River floods every early spring and during storms. It is the source of water which has to be filtered prior to use.

    Auntie Dauthia Spinebloom kée Dustcaller is here during the daytime, fishing.

    • Elemental affinity: Water
    • Hazards: People frequently get stuck in the sands, animals do not. Every second round in the river a person must make a DC: 12 Strength check or be restrained.
    • Allies: Birds from the aviary are common here.
    • Max occupancy: 10 medium creatures.

    The River connects to Spinebloom Commons (the main home) and lower river marsh.

    Lower rice marsh

    Less productive than upper marsh, the lower marsh is an edge of wild marsh plants and some rice that isn’t farmed. Within the plants one may find a mud mephit rehydrating, or the chwinga family that settled in the Farm.

    • Elemental affinity: Mud, water, salt
    • Hazards: Some chwingas settled here after the mephit flood.
    • Allies: The chwingas may insist they are allies while acting like foes, or they are foes acting like allies.
    • Occupancy: 5 medium creatures.

    Lower rice marsh connects to the Upper Marsh, Spinebloom Commons and to Thundermoon River.

    Spinebloom commons

    The main home is inside the Commons. It has a large kitchen and a conversation pit with several small beds cut into the earth at the edges. These ‘rooms’ are frequently sectioned off with blankets or robes, with only a tiny shelf for personal goods. At the entry to the hut is a placement for staves, cudgels and gardening equipment.

    Every member of the Spineblooms spends significant portions of their days in the Commons. They will clean items, repair them, play, and gather. All property is communal and the next person will want to use it shortly — it gets left there.

    • Elemental affinity: Hearth, dust, earth
    • Hazards: Interior has several changes in elevation. The kitchen has many flare ups that could occur. During certain lunar conditions the conversation pit has a dust devil in the center.
      Exterior is cluttered with loose tools, toys, cleaning pans and other small chore sites. It is difficult terrain and an improvised weapon is always at hand. Creatures knocked prone may take damage from the clutter.
    • Allies: There are always Spinebloom children present. Roll 2d4 to see how many. Half will be small. 1d4-1 adults are also present.
    • Occupancy: 8 medium creatures outside and 8 medium creatures inside.

    Spinebloom Commons is centrally located and connects to every other zone, except the Path of Dragons.

    Upper rice marsh — also known as Marsh Chwinga

    Once upon a time the upper marsh was highly productive for rice, eels and herbs. Now it has long furrows of damage from two dragon/ken invasions and the curse of the chwingas make it flourish for foods while everyone dreads entering the space.

    • Elemental affinity: Water, mud, plants
    • Hazards: Chwingas may take a soul. When a creature drops to zero HP and fails two or more death saves the chwingas can choose to stabilize it, mud wrap the body and have it kept until the mud breaks.
      There is currently an elven mage encased. The Spineblooms have not attempted to free the elf as its group tried to damage their home.
    • Allies: In this space the Chwingas act through their blue thoughts, sideways from morality of people.
    • Occupancy: 7 medium creatures.

    Chwinga marsh connects to the lower marsh, the Commons and the aviary.

    Unkie homes

    Adult and middle aged men are the Unkies. They are kept aside from the Commons and the Aunties. They maintain the extremely competitive nature of goliaths, using their abilities and size to show off during the days.

    Most of the Spinebloom Unkies came of age during The Awakening. The elements rage within them, frequently out of control. Lalok is peaceful. Others have wandered away with the few that stay not quite fitting in with the farm’s demeanor weaving with nature and kin to grow and thrive as one.

    • Elemental affinity: Hearth, fire, air, water
    • Hazards: These homes have doors with locks and they can be barred from the outside. Random spouts of elemental anger pop up regularly.
    • Allies: Unkies are usually around, but disorganized and will wrestle solo.
    • Occupancy: 5 medium creatures outside. Each hut fits 1.

    Unkie homes connect to the Aunties, to the Commons, to the River and to the path.

    Auntie homes

    Most of the women of the family live in smaller huts here by ones and twos. These small dugouts are protection from the elements, but few have cooking hearths.

    Two took significant damage during a dragon attack, one of which collapsed and is now a pit.

    • Elemental affinity: Hearth, dust
    • Hazards: The pit-home is a ten-foot fall.
    • Allies: Aunties are frequently in the area able to help with militia actions.
    • Occupancy: This is a larger space able to hold 12 medium creatures outside.

    Auntie homes connect to the Unkie homes, the path, the aviary and the Commons.

    Fruitful Aviary

    A mix of cacti and spined bushes the aviary is the home of the non-waterfowl that companion with the Spineblooms. Some of the cacti have fruits that the family eat, turn into jam, and use for meads.

    Unkie Lalok Goateye Spinebloom is found at the aviary most times of the day, sometimes sleeping near the spiney bushes. He can create a small pool of water for the bird bath if need be.

    • Elemental affinity: Plants, water
    • Hazards: The maze of briars and cacti are spiny everywhere. Those knocked prone will take damage.
    • Allies: Many birds and Unkie Lalok are present
    • Occupancy: 4 medium creatures usually separated by the plants.

    The fruited aviary connects to the Commons, the Path of Dragons, the auntie homes and the upper marsh

    Path of dragons

    A few months ago this path was simply “the path.” It is bare trail with scratched ruts in hard dirt that heads towards the West Thundermoon Mountains.

    Then dragons and their ken attacked. They attacked again. Since the river is where the Maltunyans visit, the path is now the Path of Dragons. Everyone assumes more dragons are coming soon. They left one of their own behind.

    • Elemental affinity: Dust, sand
    • Hazards: Drakes, dragons and their Ken may come at any time.
    • Allies: None
    • Occupancy: There is no limit.

    The Path connects to the Auntie and Unkie homes.

    The image is a stylized fantasy map depicting a region with diverse geographical features. The terrain is primarily sandy with scattered trees and mountain ranges. At the top left corner, the title "The Ferments" is displayed, with the region stretching across to the "Thundermoon Range" at the top center. Various areas are marked, including "Fatwoods" and "Palemarsh" to the west, represented with dense forests. "Sands Of Ar" is a large desert area in the center. To the south lies a large body of water labeled "Dark Wassr," depicted in a light blue-green color. Key locations such as "Raven Watch," "Sanctum Of The Black Witch," "Brightshelt," and "Ourten" are marked with symbols like houses or skull icons. A compass rose is placed near the water, aiding orientation. Paths, indicated by dashed lines, connect various locations.
    Created using Perilous Shores

    Allies

    Auntie Dauthia Dustcaller

    Ask a Spinebloom and Auntie Dauthia is a Spinebloom. If you can convince Duathia to talk she may, eventually tell you she’s a Dustcaller, a separate desert goliath collective that lives even more remotely. She’s mastered the ability to use small dust devils to carry fishing lures and nets around the river, until she catches something.

    Every member of the family has a different tale about what Auntie Dauthia did before they found her injured along the path. She was a thief, a sorcerer, clergy with the Reformed Church of Quar, a warrior of the wilds or some other mystical thing. They all agree that there is no better fisher in all the land and likely the world.

    Unkie Lalok Goateye Spinebloom

    Lalok once left the home to work in a caravan. He’s wandered the Ferments and Western Wildes, seen Telse and the Evereflow, visited the Cliffs of Galinor, and Fort Ooshar. He’s seen everything.

    He’ll never tell you about his encounters protecting the caravan. It”s the cities and his friends he tells tales of while sipping on cacti mead and with a flutter of sandpipers around him. He still has a massive pike, a shield the size of a table and a helm missing a third of an eye ridge where is slightly bulging ‘goateye’ is.

    Adversaries

    Chwingas

    These elemental sprites act on their own will, with purposes that center the elements, not people. Though intelligent, it is impossible for normal kin to understand what the chwingas want. They are extremely active when Unkies or ken are in the area. If someone tries to visit the encased elf the chwingas attempt to block that path through mischief and thievery.

    Dragons and their ken

    Twice ken and dragons struck at the Farm. They damaged upper marsh while attacking the Auntie homes and the Commons. These powerful magic users are not local to The Ferments and remind most of the myths of a time unification, before companionship.

    Downtime and Quests

    Guarase is searching for answers as to why the dragons and their ken came to the Spineblooms. The two attacks leave few clues and lots of damage.

    There is a body and two members of the family were away during The Awakening when magic came back to The Ferments

  • The D&D Stranger Things boom is bigger than you think

    The D&D Stranger Things boom is bigger than you think

    This post will not contain spoilers for Season 5 because I haven’t yet watched Season 5 of Stranger Things, though I do know it features more Dungeons & Dragons than Seaons 2-4 combined.

    If you were to go into Target this fall you’d see a massive Stranger Things display somewhere in the store. Part of that display would feature the D&D boxed set Welcome to the Hellfire Club, which is a continuation of Eddie’s D&D campaign. It felt late, because Eddie isn’t part of season 5.

    It was not late.

    Welcome to the Hellfire Club sold out at Target. It sold out on Amazon. A light informal survey of local-to-me stores have it as sold out. The physical boxed set can still be ordered on DnDBeyond.

    Sure, that could be a lack of ambition from Wizards of the Coast by not manufacturing enough of the sets.

    It’s much more likely that the heavy lean back into D&D by Stranger Things Season 5 drove more desire for D&D the game than previous seasons, Critical Role and Baldur’s Gate 3. BG3’s drive of interest into D&D is hard to quantify, but has an extended window over several years.

    Google Trends can show you.

    A chart showing the popularity of search for Stranger Things and D&D. The D&D element is tiny. Stranger Things had a big surge in Fall of 2022 and a massive surge in Winter of 2025.

    Search trends for Stranger Things

    Here are the four adjacent media and D&D

    Chart showing search trends for Stranger Things, D&D, Baldur's Gate 3, D&D: Honor Among Thieves and Critical Role. The Stranger Things spikes are in Fall of 2022 and Winter 2025. Baldur's Gate 3 spikes in Spring 2023. There are small increases in interest in D&D and Critical Role scattered on the chart.
    Stranger Things is more popular than the others by far.

    D&D, the game, had its biggest boom from the movie, but…

    Google trends chart for D&D, the game. It's biggest spike is Spring 2023 when Honor Among Thieves, the D&D movie released. It's next largest spike is from Stranger Things Season 5 and Season 4. BG3 increased it a bit.
    Stranger Things Season 5 nearly matches D&D: Honor Among Thieves

    There’s one major difference — lack of tie-in gaming products.

    Rime of the Frostmaiden contained a single adventure related to the movie. There was a boutique NPC download related to the movie, but nothing like the amazing boxed set Stranger Things got. Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus was barely related to the video game and its release timing was horrible.

    Nothing sold out because of Honor Among Thieves, the best D&D marketing in the history of the game, because D&D wasn’t run as a franchise system with business units failing to talk to each other.

    Both the current starter set and Welcome to the Hellfire Club are selling out.

    What’s that mean for us Dungeon Masters?

    1. Be welcoming to new and returning players.
    2. Reduce house rules when they join you.
    3. Talk about the intent of your table and what type of play you focus on .
    4. Be familiar with the most popular products.
    5. Help teach your current players to DM.
    6. See if local cafes, libraries, schools, pubs, etc need DMs.

    We are responsible for growing this glorious hobby. Thanks to the Creative Commons, various SRDs, the eternal nature of homebrewing and the thousands of other roleplaying games there is always something that’s right for someone.

    Find what’s right for your family, your friends and your community.

    People are interested. It’s up to you to be the reason they stay interested.

    Fediverse Reactions
  • A letter to the workshop

    A letter to the workshop

    TO: Flasfur Wreltor with Blackbirds and the gobkons Chofs Chupmolea badged al-Chems and Bolnis Abica nox Qawaha via Artok at the Keep

    Aboard the ship you’ll find a vial of the corruption I discovered. Additionally this letter’s addendum includes a report of testing as well as a sketch-print of a mechanical hand discovered on this long journey. When I return is unknown. This journey shall be long and ideally fruitful. It is also violent and absurd. Tsavancoast is a land of extreme wealth and extreme poverty, with many artificers, tinkers and crafters mostly gobkon with a few goliaths, plus you wouldn’t believe if but I think there’s a human using cattle to turn wheels like we might a mill. I saw a monkey pushing bellows.

    It’s a large city. Where Sheljar is one with the land and full of righteousness Tsavancoast is bright even at night, garish. There’s gambling where we stay. I win regularly.

    Sorry. Too long. I get distracted.

    You are probably wondering what’s happened with the corruption. It’s a much bigger problem than we or Le Remoden Eisha or the Dragon Council thought. There’s also a local leader in Tsavancoast who is working to spread the corruption while supposedly being in Le Remoden Eisha.

    I found that out after repelling an army of walking trees and this weird elf-insect hybrid creatures. Yes, others helped, including some great dwarven sappers who brought down a bridge, scouts that helped save outlying communities, a lot of wizards. It was a staged battle. Midqh helped quite a bit. I learned how to make even bigger fire and booms through its apparatuses.

    Anyway, after that massive series of battles — yes, we won, that’s how you’re getting this letter — we chatted with the leaders of the wizard and dragon groups, plus a gent named Ryghast. Don’t ask me the order of who talked to who and when it happened. We were in a casino! I won a few games, many games.

    Eventually we chatted. But chatting with Ryghast was difficult. He took me into a magical silence to spill secrets. I tried and tried and tried to break his spells with my own systems. A wizard of his power is well beyond my teknical abilities.

    BUT, in his confidence he told me of his double-crossing ways. I immediately told Amos, Rolf, Crag and Nandi, who passed the information around.

    Probably created a big enemy. Hopefully he didn’t follow the Sadijh back to the keep. If he did please flee. Artok cannot defend you on his own.

    Anyhow, we’re back off to the wilds. The source of the corruption that created that army of trees is our goal. I don’t know when I’ll see you again. I have ideas about what we can do with this hand and I’ve started to work on armored carts with Rolf. There’s also a clockwork amulet that can give one a second chance. My latest invention is to burn a bit of corruption to power our items.

    See you again under the Dragon Moon.

    Xabal Gaitee Quarter-Flagged Optigraph Balaneer nox Free Tink and non-Commissioned Officer of the Sadijh (on leave in absence)

    This recap of the Defense of Tsavancoast is written in first person by Xabal, a gnome artificer, to their hirelings at Xabal’s Workshop set in the Age of Myths campaign.

  • West Thundermoon Trading Post, home the Maltunyns

    West Thundermoon Trading Post, home the Maltunyns

    Traveling the harsh lands of the Ferments? Find everything you need at WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST!!! Settled in the foothills of the Thundermoon Mountains a half a day’s ride west of Ourten, WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST is the go to location to find all of your hunting and travelling needs.

    Run by the Maltunyn family for generations, they’re knowledge of the local terrain, as well as their selection of only the finest gear will ensure your travels will be safe and comfortable. Or you could pick up some of the finest furs and rations provided by master hunter Velthuria Maltunyn, and her daughter Keesrah. If you need a quick repair, or even an herbal remedy or two, Cay Maltunyn has you covered.

    With the experience of generations, and a deep love of the land and air, the WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST is a must for any serious travelers of the Thundermoon Mountains. Visit the WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST today!!!

    You can find that brochure throughout the villages and homesteads of the Thundermoon Mountains in The Ferments.

    Keesrah Maltunyn, a human guide and drakewarden ranger with a raven named Crow, is the player character who calls the trading post home.

    The West Thundermoon Trading Post is about two days south by southeast from Orten. The post is on the southerly road towards a desert region. That road runs roughly parallel to the Thundermoon River. In the hills and mountains are a few fishing and hunting families.

    The Location

    The image displays a set of seven rectangular index cards arranged on a speckled stone surface. The cards have a grid pattern and are covered with handwritten notes. The cards are arranged in a T-shape with four cards on top and three below. Each card contains various textual labels such as locations and descriptive phrases. In the top row, the central card is labeled "Maltunyn Ground Floor," flanked by cards labeled "Bridge" and "Trading Stalls." The topmost central card features "Thundermoon River Bridge." Other notable labels on the cards include "Hunting Gate," "Lava Forge," "Guarded Entry," and areas denoted as "Stalls" and "Sheds." A pen is positioned at the upper right corner of the image.
    Zonal word map of the Trading Post

    Guarded entry

    A wooden wall surrounds the Trading Post. The entry is where all merchants and visitors arrive. There are two large doors, which are barred at night. A guard stand rises to the left of the doors, as one exits. It can hold one medium creature and grants them half cover. A ladder provides access.

    • Elemental affinity: None.
    • Hazards: Breaking down the closed door requires a DC: 15 Strength check.
    • Allies: The goblins and family can provide ranged or melee Militia Actions.
    • Max occupancy: Five medium creatures.

    The guarded entry connects to the lava forge, the merchant stalls and the loafing sheds.

    Lava Forge

    A small semi-open air forge where Cay works as a sometime smith. The heat and bellows are from an active fissure where magma surges underneath the trading post. Malk, the goblin captain, now helps out. Malk and Borkin also store their own clutter there, including the smog-buggy.

    • Elemental affinity: Earth, fire, lava
    • Hazards: Those knocked prone who fail their DC by five or more take 1d8 fire damage from the forge. Forced movement can result in the tools of the trade being knocked all over, turning the Lava Forge into difficult terrain. Oh, and beware of a lava flare — who knows when that will happen.
    • Allies: Cay, Malk and Borkin may be present
    • Occupancy: Four medium creatures.

    The lava forge connects to the guarded entry, to the trading stalls and the hunting gate.

    Trading stalls

    One large and two smaller open stalls sit in the large enclosed central space of the post. Various homesteads and outsiders come through with their wares on a seasonal basis. There’s a central fire pit with some large stones and simple benches frequently with a stew pot and hot beverages available.

    • Elemental affinity: Fire, air
    • Hazards: The cook pit can become a fire hazard, doing 1d8 damage to those who fall into it and setting their flammable gear on fire. It provides 10′ of bright light and 10′ of dim light at night.
    • Allies: Neighbors may be present depending on the season. They will almost always limit their help to rallying the Maltunyns.
    • Occupancy: 3 in the large stall, 2 in each small stall and room for 12 more medium creatures.

    The trading stalls connect to every other zone except the hunting gate.

    Loafing sheds

    Like everyone in the Six Kingdoms the Maltunyns have space for beloved animals. These sheds are designed for equines, canines as well as the rare bovine or more exotic companions. There are small cabinets for feed and tack.

    • Elemental affinity: Cold, air
    • Hazards: When occupied the animals could be feisty.
    • Allies: None typically
    • Occupancy: 7 medium creatures.

    The loafing shed connects to the guarded entry, the trading stalls and the Maltunyn home.

    Hunting gate

    Known for the gate that Caile leaves open it’s actually the place where Cay raises herbs. There’s also the gate to the hills where Keesrah and Velthuria hunt. It’s also a lower land, near the river.

    • Elemental affinity: Water, plants
    • Hazards: During heavy rains the mud creates difficult terrain. A rapid freeze after rains can lead to icy conditions.
    • Allies:
    • Occupancy:

    Thundermoon River bridge

    A few weeks ago there was a small wooden bridge over the river. Then the mephit mudslide took it out. Now a ford those that cross must be wary of mud mephits who settled in the area after the slide. Heavy rains may bring them back and upriver there is a threat that the open lava could change the river’s path.

    • Elemental affinity: Mud, water, maybe lava
    • Hazards: During floods the ford is impassable terrain without aids — ropes, other people or animal companions. Mud mephits may strike at random, the little chaos beasties they are.
    • Allies: One of the Maltunyn animal companions are frequently in the area.
    • Occupancy: This is a large space without a limit as it connects to the hills and mountains.

    Thundermoon River bridge connects to the hunting gate.

    Maltunyn home

    A two-story wooden building, the ground floor of the home is mostly accessible to the general public. The main room is a mix of general store with goods on consignment, smithed tools, dried or smoked meats and a few tables with chairs for visitors. This room can be entered from either the hunting gate through a small side door or the main entry connecting to the trading stalls. An outer stair to the second floor reaches the roof of the loafing sheds and a narrow platform along the wall running to the guard stand. There’s a small open kitchen/stove with a root cellar stretching under the homestead wall near the river.

    The second floor is two bedrooms and a small aviary.

    • Elemental affinity: Smoke
    • Hazards: Bar fights are rare, mostly because Cay is a smith and Velthuria is a scout.
    • Allies: If the trading post has visitors one of the family or goblins is always present.
    • Occupancy: 10 medium creatures
    The image is a stylized fantasy map depicting a region with diverse geographical features. The terrain is primarily sandy with scattered trees and mountain ranges. At the top left corner, the title "The Ferments" is displayed, with the region stretching across to the "Thundermoon Range" at the top center. Various areas are marked, including "Fatwoods" and "Palemarsh" to the west, represented with dense forests. "Sands Of Ar" is a large desert area in the center. To the south lies a large body of water labeled "Dark Wassr," depicted in a light blue-green color. Key locations such as "Raven Watch," "Sanctum Of The Black Witch," "Brightshelt," and "Ourten" are marked with symbols like houses or skull icons. A compass rose is placed near the water, aiding orientation. Paths, indicated by dashed lines, connect various locations.
    Created using Perilous Shores

    Allies

    Velthuria is Keesrah’s mother. A human scout with a small dog, she is the primary hunter and runs the operations such as rentals of the three stalls for merchants.

    Cay is Keesrah’s father. A human smith with a miniature pony, he uses a magma powered forge, Cay can craft anything with metals. He also grows herbs.

    Caile is Keesrah’s brother, a human with a small dog. Smitten with one of the Drudzhar Caile sometimes wanders off on his own. Ally, but adversary sometimes.

    Malk is a goblin captain and was saved in session one. A colonialist they are searching for resources for the Queen. They may become an adversary.

    Borkin is a goblin cart driver. They are less colonial and more willing to help the Maltunyns, especially in defense and general labor. Malk is still their boss.

    Henkel family

    River fishers in the ponds and streams of the low Thundermoons the Henkel family are halflings with river dogs. They are indebted to Keesrah after she rescued Taier one of their younger teens.

    Adversaries

    Clan Drudzhar

    A group of goliaths who live higher in the Thundermoon Mountains. Clan Drudzhar and the Maltunyn’s have been arguing, and sometimes openly fighting, over hunting territory in the mountains for years. One of their children is in love with Caile.

    Their home is high in the scrub mountains and was recently near the mud mephit floods. They and the Maltunyns use different styles of traps and will frequently destroy each other’s snares. Birds of prey are their most common companions.

    Elements of mud and lava

    Mud mephits, magmin and lava elementals roam the Thundermoons. These adversaries are manifestations of The Ferments, a land that refuses to be tamed.

    Children of Chorl

    Punch chickens raided a market stall, but quick action by Keesrah and her acquaintance Ellis ended the theft and the punch chickens. The two later learned that the Children of Chorl raided Ourten too. These human-animal hybrids seem to be hiding in the hills or plateau near Pirna Farms, now Ellis Mill.

    Kon colonialists

    While saving the lives of Malk and Borkin pushed off the investigation by the Queen’s goblins into how the resources of The Ferments could replace the tar trees of their homeland. That colonial raid and investigation may expand.

    Downtime and Quests

    Keesrah is researching how to create Serpent Scale Mail armor. She’s learned that the elemental drakes do not leave behind enough resources. The dragonkin raiding Spinebloom Farms do.

    Previously some work was done to reinforce the guarded entry which connects to the road Outsiders arrive along.

  • Ferments, Sessions three & four: Mud mephit slide, wake, fey chwinga

    Ferments, Sessions three & four: Mud mephit slide, wake, fey chwinga

    In session three the focus was on Keesrah. A duet session handled on Discord due to let turnout, session three was a fine example of the intent behind The Ferments campaign — always find a way to play D&D.

    Session four was held at Logan Brewing in Burien, as is typical. Keesrah and Guarese attended.

    What did the other characters do? We’ll use downtime to talk about the use of their homesteads as bastions, Xanathar’s downtime actions and/or improving their defenses for Militia Actions. And, due to player feedback we’re including traps in Militia Actions to embrace the case where a homestead may be solo or light on membership.

    The Ferments reading;

    Session three

    Keesrah heads into the scrub mountains for food to celebrate the visit of the liquor-creating family of halflings from downway. Her mom is on the trip.

    During this trip in horrific weather a mudslide forces a change in path, and eventually she is attacked by mud mephits. It’s a fierce encounter on the edge of failure. But together the two managed to hold off the mephits.

    Later in the trip home they notice a fox, Rennard. Using spellcraft, Keesrah learns that fox is the companion to Taier Henkel. Tier is missing, and presumed dead.

    Keesrah and her mother, Velthuria, need to cross the mudflow to return home. Using some craft, luck and Crow the Raven the two managed to safely cross the mud mephit slide. Keesrah is punched by a mud mephit swimming through the flow.

    After the flow and storm subsides Keesrah and Caile (the brother) head into the hills to talk to the Henkels and then the Drudzhars. One of these conversations goes much better than the other.

    As a sign of fellowship, and because of Caile, Taier’s memorial is to be held at the Trading Post — there’s also easy access to the liquors from the visiting family.

    The celebration goes well, except for the fight between Caile and Keesrah.

    Learned clues

    • Keesrah Maltunyn learned that the Henkel halflings get along with Clan Drudzhar.
    • Caile is friendly with both the Henkel halflings and Drudzhar.
    • Taier Henkel washed away in the mephit mudslide.
    • Keesrah rescued Taier’s fox Rennard.
    • Taier’s body was encased in mud by chwingas claiming he gave them a piece of his soul.
    • Chwingas released Taier when Guarase Spinebloom said he’d find them another bit of soul — maybe his.
    • Ken raiders with an ambush drake made their presence known. One donated its soul.
    • Guarase earned a Charm of Heroism granted by the semi–domesticated fey chwinga that now live in the Spinebloom’s rice marsh.

    Session four

    This was the first session featuring the Spinebloom homestead. It is a series of mostly underground dome structures in a desert environment. Many Spineblooms have some druidic magic and they use this and their traditional growing methods to have the least influence on the environment as possible.

    The same river that goes past the Maltunyn’s flows to the Spineblooms. Since The Ferments are infested with extreme elemental influences the desert and scrub mountains are close than is practical in a typical world.

    Keesrah and Caile travel along that river to try to find Taier’s remains. That journey includes meeting Guarase who helps them search. There is a mud casing hidden in the rice marsh the Spineblooms farm.

    Unfortunately there are also chwingas, little elemental sprites whose morality is not the same as humanity. These chwingas rescued Taier, but kept him cased as a way to protect him during the mephit mudslide.

    In order to get Taier free the chwingas demand another soul. Somewhat confused, Guarase agrees. Then the goliath figures out that they mean his soul.

    During this exchange the non-chwingas notice two advancing elves and an ambush drake. Keesrah sends Caile and Taier home.

    Guarase and Keesrah fend off the elves, while the drake and those elves destroy a third of the rice marsh including many chwingas. When one of the elves is dropped unconscious in the marsh a chwinga captures its soul.

    The elves also damage a Spinebloom home.

    Keesrah and Guarase learn of more threats to The Ferments, more friends that could be made and the challenges to come in a land that threatens their livelihood.

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  • Ferments, Session two: Punch chickens, Malk the taker, Lenny the lynx

    Ferments, Session two: Punch chickens, Malk the taker, Lenny the lynx

    The second session of The Ferments campaign, an East March style took place again at West Thundermoon Trading Post.

    Again, the session started with rolling on the random encounter chart. Only one of the encounters happened, as there was a lot of great roleplay between the characters.

    That encounter was with “Chickens with arms and fists” also referred to as “punch chickens.” These larger-than-a-turkey chickens have humanoid arms coming out of their wing joints and are semi intelligent.

    The Ferments reading;

    Session two started with a brief recap of the last session and a reminder of the nature of the East March campaign — problems come to you.

    Then Keesrah spoke to her brother, Caile, about the situation with the open door up to the game trails. That conversation leads to the discovery that the brother is dating one of the goliaths in the rival clan up in the hills. Keesrah leans on the young love bird to keep the doors and gates closed as the brother mocks Keesrah for the fight with the fire snakes.

    Ellis, a guest (another PC) enters the compound seeking materials for their homestead. He’s taken over an abandoned plateau homestead nearby. Those religious zealots left the region nearly 30 years ago during the time of the born generation. With decades of wear on the home, mill and other equipment Ellis will have to work hard to reopen the spring-fed mill and granary.

    Needing smithed goods, Ellis chats with Keesrah’s father, Cay, and the goblin Malk. During those conversations Keesarh and Ellis learn that Malk is not merely a refugee, but has strong goals to learn how to take the magma and steam power from The Ferments to the Queen.

    This learning is specifically called out in the quick recap as a note for all players. As was the brother's love interest.
One piece of advice I try to follow is to remind players of the clues their characters learn. Our memories of a game are more fallible than our characters' memories of their lives.

    Learned clues

    • Malk (goblin leader) is a taker. They want to take whatever they can from The Ferments that helps the Queen.
    • Keesrah’s brother has a lover up with the Goliath Clan Drudzhar.
    • Ellis homestead was previously abandoned by religious zealots during the Born Generation when magic returned.
    • Someone is creating animal hybrids.

    Those first three clues are from the conversations between the characters and the named NPCs.

    The fourth clue was an interjection because I could tell the table needed some action, plus there were two random encounters rolled and we hadn’t gotten to either.

    Using the open door to the game trail from session one, and the obvious wealth of the trading post as inspiration the punch chickens were the easier of the two random rolls to integrate.

    Punch chickens

    Three punch chickens are discovered by Ellis’ lynx, Lenny. The lynx flushes them out of one of the merchant booths. Those armed chickens are carrying some goods away, sprinting towards the open door.

    What are punch chickens?

    Statistically they are axe beaks (Black Flag page 371) that punch rather than poke. Their special ability of Evasion turns out to be too significant for 2.5 combatants.

    Deadly encounter

    This is a deadly encounter with two characters and one combatant animal companion. The action economy combined with consistent dodging means both characters are dropped unconscious. The final roll comes down to Ellis’ lynx versus a wounded punch chicken. The lynx lands the fatal blow.

    Keesrah did bar the door preventing a simple escape, so even if they had completely failed there was a narrative success available via the peasants and non-heroic NPCs.

    Keesrah’s mother, Velthuria, helps the group heal.

    During the recovery the group used some social checks to learn that the punch chickens likely originate from a group that myths call the Children of Chorl (an evil transmuter who tried to create various hybrid creatures).

  • Inkling Dragon

    Inkling Dragon

    Inkling Dragons are thought to be related to pseudodragons, but where the pseudodragon is a wilderness lover the inkling dragon is generally an urban drake that enjoys being surrounded by books, scrolls and pamphlets.

    Generally the size of a large rat or small cat inkling dragons can be mistaken for an immature jaculus drake. As all dragonkin hoard something, an inkling dragon is consumed with the pursuit of knowledge and writing, similar to paper drakes.

    An inkling dragon without a companion can be found in libraries, universities, bardic colleges and wherever records are kept. Some are creatives writing fiction and song. Others are historians, tracking the world through the written word. At least one inkling dragon is known to only write in mathematics. This inkling dragon, Aymon, is a friend of transmuters, tax collectors and merchants often working as a clerk or calculator.

    The Inkling Dragon was created as part of a limited commission in the upcoming book Dragons of the Dwindling by Dragons of Wales (Andy Frazer).
    Follow Dragons of Wales on Instagram, Threads and Mastodon. Support Dragons of Wales on Patreon.

    Inkling Dragon companions

    Frequently inkling dragons and writers bond over their love of the written word. Sought after by many wizards and writers, an inkling dragon chooses their companion as much as their companion chooses them — the tiny dragon has to find the work engaging and relevant to their own writing.

    1. Wizard
    2. Bard
    3. Propagandist
    4. Novelist
    5. Poet
    6. Merchant
    7. Tax collector
    8. Cleric
    9. Clerk
    10. Noble

    This work includes material taken from the Black Flag Reference Document 1.0 (“BFRD 1.0”) by Kobold Press and available at Black Flag Roleplaying

    Pencil sketch of a tiny dragon resting on a book. The pointy tail arches over the back with drips of ichor coming out of a feathered tip. The arms seem to be vestigial wings with opposing fingers capable of handling obects
    Art by Dragons of Wales in the forthcoming book Dragons of the Dwindling

    Inkling Dragon stat block

    Inkling Dragon (CR 1/4)
    Tiny Dragon

    Armor Class 14 (natural armor, small size)
    Hit Points 8
    Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft.
    Perception 11 Stealth 12
    Resistant none | charmed
    Senses darkvision 30 ft., keensense 10 ft.
    Languages Common and four other languages (or cultures)

    STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
    -3+2-1+4+1+1

    Heightened Senses. The inkling dragon’s Perception is 20 when perceiving by sight. Ability checks for Perception using sight use Intelligence.

    Magic Resistance. The inkling dragon has advantage on saves against spells and other magical effects.

    Limited Telepathy. The inkling dragon can magically communicate simple ideas, emotions, and images telepathically with any creature within 30 feet of it that can understand a language it knows.

    Copying a Spell into the Book. When an inkling dragon or its companion finds an Arcane spell of 1st circle* or higher, the inkling dragon can add it to a spellbook if it is of a spell circle the companion can prepare and if they can make time to decipher and copy it. For each circle of the spell, the process takes 1 hour with no gp costs. Once the inkling dragon spends this time, the companions can prepare the spell just like their other Arcane spells. Copying a spell from a scroll into a spellbook doesn’t consume or destroy the scroll. Non-magical writing is written four times as fast when compared to humans. The inkling dragon produces ink from its tail as long as it isn’t at level two exhaustion or higher.
    * Black Flag uses circle as D&D uses spell level.

    Ritualist. An inkling dragon with its own book can be a Ritualist, per the Black Flag Talent. The spell source is Arcane. Intelligence is their spellcasting ability. The inkling dragon knows one 1st circle ritual (typically Identify). If the inkling dragon is a companion to a spellcaster it can learn rituals at the same circle and source as their spellcasting companion.

    1st circle Arcane rituals

    • Alarm
    • Create Familiar (these can only be common beasts)
    • Identify
    • Illusory Script
    • Unseen Servant

    ACTIONS

    Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
    creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage and the target must succeed on a DC 11 DEX save or be poisoned for 10 minutes. If the creature fails the save by 5 or more, it is stained by ink per Ink Stain below. This staining does not count against the number of uses per day.

    Ink Stain (1/short rest). On a successful sting the inkling dragon can mystic mark (Ranger) one creature. While a creature is marked (including for the attack that triggered the mark), the inkling dragon and allies deal an extra 1d4 damage to it (of the same damage type as the weapon) each time you successfully hit it with a weapon attack. A marked creature can use an Action to remove the Ink Stain. An inkling dragon that is a familiar or companion to a character may use this ability proficiency bonus (of that character) times per day rather than once per short rest.

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  • Saying yes to adventure

    Saying yes to adventure

    It’s incredibly difficult to capture what D&D can be in 30 or 60 seconds. That may be part of why the latest advert for the Starter Set, Heroes of the Borderlands is 75 seconds.

    That’s also a short amount of time.

    My sessions are typically three hours. We’ve played nearly a dozen campaigns in 5th edition from 2014 to the present averaging a game session every other week for the past 11 years.

    Critical Role plays closer to four hours on average with the main campaign playing about 40 sessions a year over that same stretch.

    How do you introduce the layers of play, the layers of friendship and the depth of potential in a minute?

    Wizards of the Coast did that by showing a generation of players who said yes to adventure in the 90s and now play with their kids.

    Saying that first “yes” to playing D&D

    The people who introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons way back in the 80s introduced me to science fiction, to creative writing, to journalism and debate.

    Later the second group I played with introduced to the concept of joining the Army, anime/comic books, writing my own game, and British comedy because we played Twilight:2000, Albedo, TMNT, Synnibarr, MERPS and of course D&D.

    Saying yes to Vampire: The Masquerade helped me during language school, when the stresses of required success were overwhelming and I needed an escape from the combination Army-university life.

    A year later saying yes to D&D with another nerd in 5th Special Forces Group helped me be myself while being all I could be and more. Those duet sessions created an escape and creative outlet.

    Then I stopped.

    Saying yes later

    As my soccer blog matured and jobs came-and-went 5th edition D&D came out. I didn’t have a group. I hadn’t played in two decades except for those dozen or so sessions with a combat medic.

    But, I was intrigued.

    I asked my friends who wrote with me, who edited, who advised a small soccer blog as we grew.

    Those first sessions of 5e included grand friends who helped each other learn the new system, remember our pasts and tell tales of glory through fellowship.

    Those campaigns tuckered out and then ceased due to a wonderful job opportunity and then the pandemic.

    Yes during covid

    My last yes to adventure was when one of those friends asked me to DM again. During the pandemic I’d stopped running sessions. I still played, but online play and my DMing style don’t get along. I tried it once, in an actual play.

    This yes meant getting a new group together. The old groups had scattered. Unlike the characters in that D&D advert I’ve never managed to maintain a group across decades. Not even my brother who was part of that first yes still plays.

    But we got together.

    And it grew. It taught me to share my world with another DM. This most recent yes reminded me that the fellowship at the table is as important as the fellowship of the characters.

    This yes has our group playing in public, right in front of other people who don’t know what D&D is. We played with strangers who became friends. We introduced others to the game.

    Marketing D&D

    Saying yes to playing role playing games took me a lot of places.

    And in 75 seconds the marketing team behind D&D reminded me of all of that. Taking us backwards on a journey of glory, of watching a child grow up, of a pregnant woman playing the game and a group of friends who stick together from 1995 to the present is brilliant.

    Where will yes take you?

    To the Caves of Chaos and The Ferments. To rolling d20s at a brewery and getting on stage at a security event. To Krynn, to Theros, to Sigil, to Exandria, to Trinyvale, to The Strix, to Wagadu, to al-Qadim, to Grim Hollow, to Drakenheim, to Midgard, to Obojima, to Eberron, to the darkest crypts and the glorious eternal afterlife, from dragons to halflings.

    But mostly it will take you on a journey of friendship and discovery of the stories that you are unable to tell yourself.

    That’s what saying yes does — it opens you up to things beyond what is contained within your own being.

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  • Ferments, Session one: Smog buggy and fire snakes

    Ferments, Session one: Smog buggy and fire snakes

    The East marched on West Thundermoon Trading Post.

    Wrapping up a typical day, Keesrah noticed a thick, acrid cloud coming from the east. At the same time a not-unusual goliath walked up the packed dirt road from the south.

    The goliath, Guarase Spinebloom, reached the gates of the wooden palisade enclosure a few minutes before the smog buggy. Keesrah starts closing the doors.

    The smog buggy encounter was one of three random encounters rolled by the three players taking part in today's session.

    In a thick accent, the boss of the smog buggy, a goblin with driver and second passenger, demands/requests entry to escape “fire snakes.”

    Keesrah messages her mother. This takes nearly a minute because it is the spell. She opens the gate and lets the rancid smoke engulfed clackety buggy into the trading post.

    Mere feet behind them are fire snakes.

    This was not a euphemism. They are snakes, made of fire.

    Fire snakes were also rolled on the random encounter chart.

    The fight is swift with another Trading Post visitor, a halfling with six tiny terrier companions, Luke with a silent and non-appearing q in his name. Luke is a cleric and joins in the defense. He was picking up farm implements from Keesrah’s father, a smith whose forge burns over an open lava seam.

    Luke, Keesrah and Guarase try to defend these goblins. They have difficulty conversing with the goblins. Though the goblins know common (Telsian as we’re using cultures not languages)the two dialects known aren’t similar between the Ferments-born and the Essians (goblin born).

    A unique use of Create Water by Luke reduces the fire snake effectiveness for a round, while also limiting the spread of fire in the walls.

    During the fight the fire snakes kill one of the goblin minions and damage everyone, as well as a bit of the palisade. It’s a win, but with a hefty loss.

    A mistake the DM, me, made was having four fire snakes. Standard fire snakes have too many hit points for three 1st level characters, even with their allies.
As soon as I realized the error I dropped them to 13 or 14 HP. That meant the fight was very difficult, but not a campaign ender.

    A morale roll means that the smog buggy driver will likely never leave the trading post again. Their best friend is gone, burnt. Malk, the goblin boss needs to repair their buggy, which is also crispy, and find a crew and find the resources to use as fuel. The goblins normally use tar trees, but outside of Essia those are extremely rare.

    Malk and Keesrah’s father talk about the possibility of using lava to fuel the smog buggy.

    After a bit of rest, and setting up a guard by Keesrah’s family the group tries to recover. They talk a bit.

    Looking around the Post they notice the overflight of dozens of hunting birds. The Maltunyn family rivals up in the hills almost always bond with birds. At a heightened alert, the group of Luke, Guarase and Keesrah notice that one of the smaller doors out to the game trails is open. Keesrah’s younger brother is gone.

    The overflight was the third random encounter rolled.

    Key learnings (SlyFlourish would call these secrets).

    • Goblins are searching The Ferments for a resource that can fuel their smog-tek.
    • Fire snakes are now aggressive, rather than passive. They will chase outsiders in the area.
    • Keesrah’s brother snuck out at night. That raised an alert from the adversarial clan nearby.
    • Community helps community. No matter the challenge and the danger.

    This was the first session of The Ferments, an East Marches Campaign set in the World of the Everflow.

    It is an experiment in using random encounters, defensible places, and a West Marches style to talk about community, control of knowledge and love of pets.

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  • Your D&D campaign should have eyeglasses

    Your D&D campaign should have eyeglasses

    One of the tenets of Dungeons & Dragons is that your character can be anything. Well nearly anything. There are certain limitations on species, mostly due to fantasy tropes. Those continue to expand. The embrace of characters with crutches, wheelchairs, and other ambulatory aids continues. Official books always include art showing these samples.

    While the movement towards inclusion of disabled people as potential heroes is slow. It is there. This is wonderful. Because everyone deserves representation. Everyone should have the choice to see themselves as a hero.

    Me? I wear glasses. Have all my life. This includes when I was a cartoon superhero as a linguist in the 5th Special Forces. On the range? Glasses. Jumping out of airplanes? Glasses. Setting det-cord? Glasses. Giving an IV? Glasses.

    But how would my character where glasses? How could I play this?

    My next D&D character is a glasses wearer.
    They carry dozens of lenses for varied uses. One of the land’s best archers, they can shoot a bee’s nest at 300 lengths.
    Once a truffle hunter always paying attention what was close, they now look afar, constantly.

    Created at Hero Forge.

    There’s no rules for wearing glasses. The fix is simple. The worlds of D&D have magnifying glasses (100 gp, can start fires) and spyglasses (1000 gp, doubles size of object). So grinding glass isn’t a problem within typical D&D. Neither is the construction of simple frames. In the real world glasses as we know them date to the 13th century.

    Eyeglasses or Spectacles

    Type: Adventuring Gear | Cost: 25 gp* | Weight: —
    Wearers of eyeglasses or spectacles have their vision corrected to normal within the world.

    * any player who wants to start their character with lenses should be permitted at no cost.

    Now, you may ask — what happens if they get knocked off?

    First, I say? Whatever. No, seriously, is your game a constant barrage of disarming player characters of their weapons, shields, and spell components? If not, then don’t worry about it. If you do run that kind of game, then use the same rules for other disarms and expect that characters would carry an extra set of lenses, as I did when I was a cartoon superhero. Maybe their next attack is at disadvantage if you feel cruelty is necessary in your game of heroics.

    Those rules are rather unnecessary. My glasses fell off only once during training exercises that involved nearly the highest level of training in the US Army (I was SOT-A, not tabbed).

    Hero Forge, DM Heroes, ReRoll, Never Ending all have glasses options for art. Currently DnD Beyond does not have character art with glasses, but many of the 2024 books do.

    A gnome hero from DM Heroes.

    My next D&D Character is bespectacled.
    They wear lens to correct their poor eyesight. Not a nerd, just a person who lives life with lenses on their face. They slay dragons with a giant sword and use their shield to protect their friends.

    This post was originally published in 2022.

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