Eternity TTRPG Articles

Stoneborn of Crooked Moon: D&D Gargoyles

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:37:25 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMnHDV9p7hk

Transcription

What if your next D&D character was carved instead of being born? And what if their entire purpose was decided the moment they were made?

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. Today, we’re returning to Crooked Moon to explore the playable monstrous races that this awesome campaign setting provides. Next on list are the Stoneborn from Pholsense – I hope you’re ready, as this race is really fun.

Stoneborn are carved from – well, from stone – by the ruler of their land—and they’re brought to life through a divine force called the Silver Path.

In Pholsense, Stoneborn don’t come from families. They literally start as blocks of stone. The ruler of the province, Archbishop Danton Alexandre Renault (a name you may have heard from some of my other Crooked Moon videos – particularly the ones based on specific adventures), oversees their creation.

A body is carefully carved into shape—usually with wings and a humanoid form. So, think gargoyle statue. At some point during this process, the Silver Path—a divine power—brings that body to life.

Based on the lore of Crooked Moon, we don’t really know exactly what “the Silver Path” is. It’s not like buried somewhere obscure, later on in the campaign book. I think it’s left open-ended so your group, or DM, can sort of play it up as they’d like. Mystery is, after all, a big part of the Crooked Moon setting.

It’s worth starting here with the Stoneborn though because the Silver Path is the process of how this carved statue of stone awakens.

The Silver Path is clearly stated in the lore as A divine force or guiding power associated with order, light, and purpose.

In the Crooked Moon setting, whether you’re playing a Stoneborn or want to highlight them as a DM, the Silver Path functions as:

A religious belief system (what people worship) – as the whole process of Stoneborn creation is either overseen, or even performed, directly by the Archbishop
A real source of power (it actually does things, like awaken inanimate stone)
And is a standard for morality (what’s considered “good” and “right” in the lands of Crooked Moon)

In short, the Silver Path is the god-like force that defines “order and good” specifically within the lands of Pholsense.

It’s also worth noting that the Silver Path is not described as a spell, and it’s clearly not some form of hidden technology. It is like a divine power.

So, moving on, the Stoneborn are made of whatever stone they were carved from. That determines their color and texture. Their shapes can vary a lot, depending on their creator’s artistic choices. This means that your Stoneborn could be a gargoyle, like I mentioned before. But, they could also have features similar to animals, dragons, or angels. You can also have a lot of fun with it and mix different traits rather than having just one clear form.

All Stoneborn do have wings, but they’re heavy. And they can fly—but just not quickly or easily.

When it comes to the land of Pholsense it’s a strict and orderly place. Rules are taken seriously, and roles are clearly defined. Stoneborn are usually created to actually serve a very specific function within their society.

Common roles include:

Guards
Enforcers of the law
Or protectors of important places, such as religious buildings (perhaps even locations where the Silver Path takes place)

Because they are created rather than raised, many Stoneborn strongly believe in following their assigned purpose. But – and this makes for great roleplay opportunities – not all of them agree with their assigned paths, forever.

Some eventually start to question:

Why they were made
Whether their role in life is fair
And whether the Archbishop—or the Silver Path—is always right

Mechanically, Stoneborn are durable and flexible. They’re classified as Constructs. You can choose to be Small or Medium-sized. They also have a flying speed equal to half their normal movement.

When it comes to abilities, Stoneborn come with:

Argent Gleam

Once per long rest, you can use a bonus action to choose one of two effects:

1) Path’s Grace

You cast Bless without needing components.

2) Zealous Charge

You take the Dash action, and your next attack deals an extra 2d6 radiant damage—even if the attack misses.

Next, they have Silver Bulwark

When you take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, You can use your reaction to gain resistance to those damage types until your next turn.

And then lastly, Watchful Senses gives you proficiency in either:

Insight
Perception
or Survival

When it comes to roleplaying, Stoneborn characters are mainly about purpose. You might think about:

Why your character was created
Whether they still believe in their assigned purpose now
And how they feel about the person who made them

Some Stoneborn fully trust the system they come from. Others might not. You can also explore their relationship with the Silver Path:

Do they see it as a real guiding force?
Or just something they were told to believe in?

Finally, Stoneborn don’t die of old age, in quite the same way as most creatures. After a long life—around 300 years—they physically break down and return to rubble. Personally, I think it would be kind of cool if they just permanently petrified, returning to their state before the Silver Path – almost like every Stoneborn graveyard isn’t just filled with creepy gargoyle statues like in most fantasy games... but the graveyard is the gargoyles... providing a glimpse into each stoneborn’s life, and what mattered to them.

So what do you think? Would you play a Stoneborn, or have you played one already?

And more importantly—Would you follow the Silver Path… no matter where it leads, or what it asks of you? Or would you be a black sheep among the gargoyles?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below. I think next up I have planned to cover the Plagueborn. But if you have another Crooked Moon race on your mind that you want me to dive into, let me know.

See you guys next time!

Lost Gary Gygax MegaDungeons Crowdfund

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:36:27 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-Ut7R3J2m0

Transcription

Lost megadungeons from Gary Gygax himself are hitting crowdfunding this week. This is unpublished content from the father of D&D that's been sitting in archives for decades. Plus, the community is reacting strongly to what this might mean for old-school gaming.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG - your go-to source for all things D&D and tabletop RPG news. Today we're diving into what might actually be the most significant piece of D&D history to surface in years.

So here's the scoop that's got the “old school renaissance” community in a frenzy. The Gygax Trust has announced they're bringing previously unpublished megadungeons created by Gary Gygax to crowdfunding platforms.

Now, before you ask "wait, didn't Gary pass away in 2008?" - yes, he did. But here's the thing that makes this absolutely incredible. These aren't reconstructions or "inspired by" content. These are actual, honest-to-Mordenkainen unpublished works that Gygax created but never got to release during his lifetime.

Here’s what We're Actually Getting:

According to the announcement, we're looking at multiple megadungeons that showcase Gygax's legendary dungeon design philosophy. And when I say megadungeons, I mean the real deal - we're talking about sprawling, multi-level complexes that could keep your party busy for literal years of gameplay.

The Gygax Trust is being pretty tight-lipped about specific details, but they've confirmed these materials were found in Gary's personal archives. Think about that for a second - these are dungeons designed by the original dungeon master. They are effectively classic D&D dungeons... that were never released.

Also, I will be putting links for these megadungeons in the video’s notes, so be sure to check there to back them and get your copies if you’re interested!

And with this... Community Reaction Is Off The Charts

The D&D OSR (old school renaissance) subreddit is absolutely exploding right now. One user posted: "This is like finding lost Beatles recordings. Gary's dungeon design was unmatched - geometric, deadly, but fair. If these are authentic Gygax creations, this could be the most important RPG release in decades."

But it's not just the old school gamers who are getting excited. Even 5e players are recognizing the historical significance. Over on r/DnD, another user wrote: "Even if you never run OSR games, owning actual unpublished Gygax content is like having a piece of D&D's DNA. This is our hobby's history."

Now, here's where it gets interesting from a business perspective. The Gygax Trust is going the crowdfunding route rather than partnering with Wizards of the Coast or another major publisher.

This makes total sense when you think about it. Crowdfunding gives them complete creative control, and honestly - The OSR community has proven they'll throw serious money at quality old-school content. Just look at the success of campaigns like Rappan Athuk or Barrowmaze.

Here’s What This could mean For The Hobby:

These dungeons matter beyond just nostalgia. Gary Gygax wasn't just the co-creator of D&D - he was a master of dungeon ecology and design philosophy that modern game design still draws from.

These megadungeons could provide incredible insight into how he approached long-form campaign design. We're talking about seeing the evolution of ideas that influenced everything from the Temple of Elemental Evil to modern 5e adventures.

Plus, let's be real - in an era where a lot of published adventures hold your hand every step of the way, getting pure, unfiltered Gygax dungeon design could be exactly what some tables are craving.

D&D has effectively – shall we say, lost its soul(?) – in recent decades. This represents a return to what D&D was at its core, from one of the gentlemen behind the game.

There are some Questions with these adventures though, that Everyone's been Asking

Of course, the community has concerns too. The big question is authenticity and presentation. How complete are these materials – that is, is there a reason they weren’t published to begin with? Will they be published as-is with Gary's original notes, or will they be "updated" for modern sensibilities?

One user said: "I hope they preserve Gary's original voice and design philosophy, even if it means the content feels dated by today's standards. That's literally the point - we want to see how the master actually designed dungeons."

So that's this week's big news! The return of Gary Gygax content through crowdfunding is honestly something I never thought we'd see.

What do you think? Are you excited for authentic Gygax megadungeons, or do you think some things should stay in the past? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

If this video got you hyped for some classic dungeon crawling, smash that like button and subscribe for more TTRPG news every week. I’m certain these will be some dungeons that I’ll be covering in the future, once they’re available.

Until next time, keep those dice rolling!

Does DnD Actually care about Gen Con Again? Return to DnD's Roots

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:07:17 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvxI1GXJerE

Transcription

Dungeons & Dragons is finally returning to the convention that made it famous… Well, to be clear – D&D has been at Gen Con. It’s just, they haven’t really had much of a presence there in recent times, have they? Even small indie games have had substantially larger booth space than D&D, which I saw last year basically tucked into a back part of the convention, with pretty much only like a 20ft by 10ft space, or so. If even that, to be honest.

And, I don’t know for sure if D&D hosted many events even at Gen Con while we were there last year. Maybe a few intro games? But if I had to guess, I would’ve said that third parties may have run more games of D&D than Wizards of the Coast D&D actually did.

But, after years of near silence… Wizards of the Coast is planning to go all-in on Gen Con again.

The real question is—why now? We’ve seen a lot of relatively big moves from D&D recently, back towards its roots. So, what could this move mean for the future of D&D?

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to news channel for all things D&D and tabletop roleplaying.

Today we’re diving into some pretty cool news, hopefully a big positive for the direction of D&D: Wizards of the Coast is officially heading back to Gen Con with D&D in a big way. And honestly… it’s kind of a full-circle moment.

Let’s rewind for a second, because – as I’m sure you know – Gen Con isn’t just any convention. Gen Con was founded back in 1968 by Gary Gygax, which to be honest, I didn’t know prior to researching for this video. If you aren’t aware, Gen Con is now the largest convention for tabletop gaming, I believe in the world. It pretty much takes over Indianapolis for, what I can confidently agree, is probably indeed the best 4-days of gaming each year.

At the time they started Gen Con, it was just a small gathering of wargaming fans in Wisconsin. But in 1974… Gygax and Dave Arneson released Dungeons & Dragons. And, of course, Gen Con became ground zero for spreading the game. People would attend… pick up a copy… and bring it back to their hometowns. That’s how D&D went viral—before the internet even existed.

It turns out, hanging out with cool people in person and telling them about cool things – in person – was the OG way to go viral. Go figure!

So, fast forward a few decades… Gen Con became the D&D event, and the tabletop gaming event. We’re talking massive tournaments, huge reveals… Even a life-sized castle built on the convention floor. Yeah. That actually happened.

But then something changed. In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has been… mostly absent. No big booths. No major announcements. Just a quiet, minimal presence—if anything at all. I can tell you, seeing them last year, like I mentioned, was not only unimpressive... it was actually even a bit sad. I remember thinking like, “why are you guys even here? Why bother with a booth like this, it just makes D&D look bad.”

And other fans have definitely noticed, as well.

At this point, you might be wondering: why did D&D pull away from Gen Con, anyways? Well, a few key things:

First—vision. Wizards started treating D&D less like a game… and more like a global entertainment brand. You’ve seen the somewhat recent movie, and then they’re pushing hard towards digital tools now, trying to make D&D more of a money-making tool, and truthfully, less like the D&D we all grew up with.

Second—control. Instead of third-party events like Gen Con, Wizards of the Coast has focused more on their own events. Things like MagicCon – for Magic: the Gathering.

And third—cost. Giant booths and live events are expensive, and brand-awareness is not the same as actual sales. In the past, the cost of large-scale live events like Gen Con was a no-brainer investment for D&D. However, with D&D moving towards online income, live spaces didn’t fit the online vision as much.

So, for years… Gen Con became more of a community-run D&D space rather than an official one.

But now—that’s changing.

Wizards vice president recently confirmed that Gen Con is about to become a major part of D&D again. Starting this year:

Annual D&D product roadmaps will be revealed at Gen Con
They’ll have more organized play events
And there will be more direct and “official” community engagement

Like so many of the things Wizards of the Coast is doing to push live community spaces for D&D again, this could be a big deal – but it will depend on how well Wizards follows through. Still though, this is the first time in years that Wizards is showing up where the players are. And this could be a great sign for the game.

With all of this in mind, we now finally come to the question: “why is this happening now?”

There are a few clues. First—D&D has lost major momentum in the TTRPG space, let’s be real. Wizards is, perhaps, finally recognizing the loss of their community, and is trying to reconnect with the people who built the community to begin with.

We’ve seen:

The return of classic settings – which is ok. I’d rather see – as one recent viewer put it – new stuff. Done in the classic way, but some actual new content would be x1,000 times better.
And they are creating new seasonal content, with a return to D&D modules and “official” weekly play at local gaming stores.

Second… Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.

The OGL controversy. You may remember: The Open Gaming License controversy, when Wizards of the Coast tried to change D&D’s open license in a way that would restrict creators and potentially take a cut of their earnings—sparking massive backlash and boycott calls from the community. That moment seriously damaged trust with fans.

And while things have cooled down… This Gen Con push feels like a very intentional move to rebuild goodwill. Because if you want to win back hardcore players—You show up at Gen Con. That’s all there is to it. Show up, and make it fucking awesome. Make your audience actually want to play D&D again.

For a lot of fans, D&D skipping Gen Con has felt… weird. It’s the place where the fire started. It’s been the biggest name in tabletop ghosting the biggest tabletop event in the world, in favor of creating online subscription models that very few people actually want.

But now? This feels like a return to D&D’s roots. A reconnection with the community that built the game’s legacy in the first place.

So the real question is—Is this just good PR…

Or the start of a new era for D&D? What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

And if you enjoyed this coverage, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and roll for initiative on the next video. See you next time!

The Return of Official D&D Modules in 2026 - The Future of D&D

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:07:34 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r1xrclddMg

Transcription

A piece of classic D&D is coming back… but just not in the way you’re probably expecting.

Wizards of the Coast just announced something that could completely change how many people play D&D—short, fast, old-school adventures are officially returning.

And yeah… I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that – as so often, depending how well Wizards of the Coast can execute this – this might actually be the biggest shift in D&D storytelling in years.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to party member for all things Dungeons & Dragons.

Today we’re breaking down the return of adventure modules, what they are, why they disappeared, and whether this is actually genius… or just another attempt at recovering a piece of D&D that’s already forever sailed away.

So this all dropped at Gary Con in Wisconsin, which was March 19-22 ^nd , just a couple weeks ago. That’s where the VP of D&D, confirmed that modules are coming back.

If you’ve only played modern D&D, where campaign books are pretty lengthy and involved, this might not sound like a big deal.

But it kind of is a big deal because this isn’t just a new product… it’s a return to D&D’s roots.

If you aren’t familiar though, you may be wondering – what even is a module. Back in the early days of D&D, adventures weren’t the massive 300-page books we often see now. They were short, self-contained stories.

Think quick, punchy adventures you could finish in a session, or a few sessions. They’re basically the ancestors of modern one-shots.

These official D&D modules, which many people absolutely loved, were:

Compact
Easy to run
And perfect for drop-in play, for someone who was a more casual gamer, or for someone visiting, etc.

But when 3rd Edition rolled around, D&D itself changed. The game shifted toward long-term campaigns, deeper character progression, and structured storytelling—and short, standalone modules just didn’t fit that vision anymore.

This brings up a whole order of interesting topics, but in older D&D (like Basic and Advanced D&D), the game assumed:

That you’d jump between adventures
Characters might not persist long-term – character death was super common, and almost even encouraged
And the game world was only loosely connected

Modules fit that style of play perfectly, where you can do a quick story that is compelling, engaging, and action-packed, but doesn’t necessarily try to stretch that narrative further into a larger context.

3rd Edition D&D, however, introduced:

Strong character progression systems
Feats, skills, and long-term character builds
And most importantly, a focus on ongoing story arcs

Suddenly, D&D became about one continuous campaign , not disconnected adventures. So instead of a: “here’s a dungeon for the weekend” vibe, the design officially shifted to: “Here’s a story that takes your party from level 1 to 15.”

It’s also worth mentioning that with 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast introduced the Open Game License . This license meant:

That third-party creators could make adventures freely
Which inevitably led to the market becoming flooded with small modules.

So, Wizards of the Coast didn’t need to focus on short adventures anymore. Instead, they could focus on:

Big flagship campaigns that had a longer shelf life, and felt like “premium products”
With lengthier and more involved Core rulebooks

While letting the community handle smaller content.

To summarize the history, D&D once offered “official” short, adventure modules. That module model shifted towards third-party creators with the advent of 3 ^rd edition. And now, 26-years later, third parties are still creating modules, but we’re also making a return to “official” D&D modules.

Moving forward, the big question is: what’s different this time?

According to D&D, these new modules will tie into something called D&D Seasons, which we’re already getting a taste of now. Think of themed content sets that last 3–4 months. The idea is basically what Magic: The Gathering does with Card release sets. Every 3months, they roll out a new set, where players can access new content. In this case, with D&D, it’ll be a new module, or new modules, based around the current set’s theme.

Examples could include what we’re seeing with D&D Seasons for 2026, which will each be three-month series:

starting with the Season of Horror
followed by the Season of Magic
And then finally into the Season of Champions with this year’s last quarter.

These modules will also connect to organized play programs—in-store sessions of quick weekly games, for those local gaming stores that want to host these kind of events. Overall, D&D is aiming for:

· Faster games available to more people (meaning like 1-2hr adventures, rather than the 3-4hr sessions many longtime players often get into, with their friends)

· Easier prep for DMs

· And more accessible D&D overall

We don’t know yet if these will be physical books… or digital-only releases on D&D Beyond. My guess is there will be both available.

Modern D&D campaigns are a big commitment. Oftentimes you’re talking months… sometimes years. And I love that, personally. Probably, anyone who’s ever been part of a long-term successful campaign, does love that style of play.

However, I think we can all agree that not all campaigns make it very far, at all. I’ve heard the average number of sessions for most campaigns is 7-usually before they fall apart because of scheduling conflicts, lack of player interest, etc.

So, modules are intended to flip the current long-term D&D campaign dynamic, not by replacing them, but by giving players another choice.

Modules aim to be:

Easier for new players to get into D&D,
Create less pressure on DMs/ less requirement for preparing a long-term campaign
And provide alternatives of play that could be perfect for people with busy schedules

This might be what the D&D community needs right now. At the end of the day, these modules coming out will essentially be one-shot sessions that D&D provides for anyone who’s interested.

My take is that Wizards of the Coast has made some tremendous mistakes with D&D. However, I do think that an attempted return to D&D roots is move that makes a lot of sense. The real test will be in the execution.

If Wizards can make this new generation of D&D modules feel fresh and meaningful—then they may be onto something. If, however, they feel like recycled content with a new label… Players will notice, and probably resent the effort a little bit.

I’m just saying, we don’t need more content on Strahd, Tomb of Horrors, and many other adventures Wizards has been putting out. I’ve been playing those adventures since the original modules and content on them.

Personally, I’d be looking for something new, and that means Wizards of the Coast would have to get creative and take some content risks. Which... is something big companies don’t often like to do. That’s why we see so many remakes of movies, rather than exploring new ideas. Corporations often prefer “safe money” over true art.

But, what do you think? Are you looking forward to trying these new modules… or will you stick with longer campaigns? And do you think D&D will create some awesome new concepts, or try to rehash the same adventures people have been playing for years, in hopes of relying on past success?

Drop your thoughts in the comments.

And if you want more D&D news, updates, and tools to make your games smoother and more enjoyable—hit that like button and subscribe.

I’ll see you guys in the next one.

Interview with Game Designer Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset & PEN

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:32:01 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9In5gaz65s8

Transcription

Jacob Tegtman (00:01.848)

Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, where we cover really everything tabletop gaming related, Dungeons and Dragons.

Now we're finally jumping into some of my favorite topics, which is game design and getting to spend some time with great game designers up and coming, people who are established. And today we're interviewing Josiah Mork, who is the owner and lead designer for Hoodwink Gaming. So welcome to the show. Thanks for being part of the channel.

Josiah (00:33.142)

Thanks, it's my pleasure. Yeah, it's been great working with you on eternity and getting to swap ideas. So I'm really looking forward to being able to talk through some of that process with you.

Jacob Tegtman (00:44.478)

Awesome, Ben. Yeah, I've been looking forward to talking with you. We always have a lot of fun when we catch up. I think this will be a really good conversation. There's so many parts of your mini games that I've wanted to ask you about for really such a long time. And it always felt like we were working on some project or discussing something. But now I have a really good excuse to just nail you down for maybe about an hour-ish and hopefully die.

Josiah (00:50.028)

for sure.

Josiah (01:04.972)

There's always something.

Jacob Tegtman (01:14.352)

dive into what you've been doing and why you've made some of the decisions you've made, which I think are really interesting. I'm sure, yeah. So do you just want to maybe start by introducing yourself more, know, who you are, what you've done, and yeah, where you're going?

Josiah (01:20.968)

Yeah, well, hopefully I've got good answers for you. We'll see.

Josiah (01:32.756)

Yeah, absolutely. yeah, like you said, I'm Josiah. I'm from Michigan, living just out of DC now. I've been designing and playing board games since my early teen years, I guess I would say. I love creative writing and storytelling. That's just been an amazing way that I've found to connect with people.

My actually my undergrad and my grad degrees were in communication and looking at how communication connects us and strategies and stuff behind it. And so I find a storytelling a really compelling way to do that. But before I had gotten into school and whatnot, you know, I was homeschooled. I was in late middle school and I was reading this cartoon. Maybe you are some of your viewers have seen it. Foxtrot comics. And there are some.

Have you seen it? Highly recommend, highly recommend. It's really funny. But there are these two characters, they're really nerdy middle schoolers and they were playing Dungeons and Dragons in the comic. And I just thought that was the coolest thing. But my parents, know, I'm a Christian, my family's Christian, fairly conservative. And so my parents were more familiar with like the 80s, like D &D scare, very like Stranger Things season four.

And so they were not really like, yeah, not really D &D fans. And so I was like, well, okay, I'll create my own. And that's how it all got started, you know? And then it was a great way to make friends in my Boy Scout troop. You know, we would play, would swap ideas, we would...

Jacob Tegtman (02:51.202)

Yeah.

Jacob Tegtman (02:55.042)

Not too far ahead. Sure.

Yeah, that's awesome.

Jacob Tegtman (03:08.12)

time.

Josiah (03:09.972)

you know, go on crazy adventures with rules that didn't quite work. And then over time, you know, I just realized that there were all of these cool avenues to explore and storytelling that D &D didn't necessarily do. And so I just felt really passionate that this is my way to connect with people and connect people with each other is through writing games.

Jacob Tegtman (03:30.508)

That's amazing, man. Yeah, it's funny, like the ways that we get into gaming too. Like you mentioned those comics. you ever see Dexter's Lab? Okay. Okay. Yeah, was probably a little bit before. Yeah. There was like an episode that was kind of based on Dungeons and Dragons and I saw it when I was like six and that's what got me into it as well. yeah.

Josiah (03:39.616)

Yeah, well, I've heard of it. Yeah, I've seen clips from it, yeah.

Josiah (03:52.972)

It's so funny how it seems like every show, know, Community, Gravity Falls, like, there are all these shows of every different genre, and they all have like a D &D episode for some reason. And I love it, you know, but it's so random.

Jacob Tegtman (03:58.679)

Yeah.

Jacob Tegtman (04:05.302)

Yeah, like all of them.

Me too. Yeah, it is. Yeah. I also like the takes that different shows have on like nerdy board games. I think was like Parks and Rec had, I forget what the game was called. Yeah, you remember it. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool, man.

Josiah (04:20.81)

The Cones of Dunshire, yeah. Love that, love those episodes.

Jacob Tegtman (04:29.646)

So I want to dive into really all of those things more, but what games do you currently have available then? And your website will post it in the show notes as well, but it is hoodwinkgaming.com for anybody who's interested. But yeah, tell us about some of your games. And again, I feel like I want to go into all of these in more detail, but yeah, give us the summary version at least for now.

Josiah (04:55.05)

Yeah, so it's a little deceptive at the moment. My original titles and kind of most of the games that I do are under the pen brand. So play easily now is the acronym. We have war game and role playing game. But actually neither of those are on the market at the moment. If you go to my website. Yeah, we've got a landing page for the war game and we've got a preview for the RPG. And I've actually I've got.

Jacob Tegtman (05:12.95)

really? I was actually, yeah, I was checking it out like yesterday, so.

Josiah (05:24.422)

know, prototypes of both of those here. But they are still in development because of various different reasons of wanting to refine some ideas or just kind of ended up having to move to other projects. So they're almost launch ready. But those are the ones that they're working on for the longest, just the newest editions aren't quite together yet.

Jacob Tegtman (05:29.506)

Yeah.

Jacob Tegtman (05:39.96)

Yeah, nice.

Jacob Tegtman (05:46.04)

Very cool.

Josiah (05:46.164)

And then the one that I've been working on most recently, and that we actually have a new project launching next month for, is Star Set. So that's a grimdark survival-oriented tabletop role-playing game that we launched initially a couple years ago, and then just did a relaunch for the second edition for, which is much more crunchy, much more mechanical, and much more narrative-based. So really looking forward to building that out.

Jacob Tegtman (06:14.542)

That's exciting. Yeah, I can attest that game is great. I really enjoyed reading through it. Everything from the design of the book to the art to the way that you have, especially character building in that, I find super fascinating. You can just tell, yeah, the amount of attention to detail in there is like out of this world. It really feels like you guys...

Josiah (06:27.148)

Well, thank you.

Josiah (06:34.966)

haha

Jacob Tegtman (06:38.478)

You took the lore of the game and you baked it into every part of the game. Whereas I think a lot of games like, you know, we'll talk about D &D later. D &D is like the game that's everything. So it's like if it's in a fantasy book or movie or anything, like we'll just jam it into D &D somehow. And, you know, that kind of has its place, but for building characters and stuff, you know, like you don't, I don't know. It's supposed to be able to fit many different genres and you're

Josiah (06:42.72)

Mm-hmm.

Jacob Tegtman (07:08.612)

I think what's so cool about is that when you're playing Star set you're playing Star set Because from the very first thing you do with your character and their background and their skills even it's all based on the lore of this whole universe so

Josiah (07:19.902)

Mm-hmm. Well, I really appreciate that. mean, that's really the heart behind it when we were working on it is, we had a story that we wanted to tell and really created the universe to tell that story. And one of the things, you know, that I picked up studying communication is that, you know, we are attracted to details. And even if it's details that, we haven't necessarily experienced in our own lives.

Jacob Tegtman (07:24.963)

Yeah.

Jacob Tegtman (07:33.324)

Yeah.

Josiah (07:45.324)

hearing vivid details or strong emotions in other people's stories lead us to be more connected with them. And so that was something that we really trying to flesh out in Star Set. hopefully, from the sound of it, it hopefully worked pretty well.

Jacob Tegtman (08:00.352)

I think so, yeah, absolutely. So, what do we talk about first, man? Like, what do you want to talk about first?

Josiah (08:01.452)

Thank you.

Josiah (08:11.672)

man, I could talk about games for hours and hours, so I better let you guide that conversation.

Jacob Tegtman (08:14.944)

You

Okay, I just want to make sure we cover like the big things before we dive into the nitty gritty here. Yeah. Yeah.

Josiah (08:24.332)

Oh yeah, I mean, I kind of touched on, I guess I'll throw it out there. I'll throw it out there because it's really important to me and kind of the company into my story. you know, I really do, we're about to, you know, dig into the nitty gritty, like you said, and Dungeons and Dragons and all the different games that are out there. And I just think, you know, before whether you're a designer or a player, whenever you kind of step into a game, I think the most important thing and what's in the mission kind of a hoodwink that we try and do differently is that

Jacob Tegtman (08:33.379)

Yeah.

Josiah (08:53.446)

The games are just kind of an excuse. Really, the games are just an excuse to get together with people and to have FaceTime with people. And if working in social media has taught me anything, it's that people need that more than anything. And that's why we call it Hoodwink Games, because we kind of have all these substitutions. get hoodwinked into thinking that socializing is something that it's not. And really, it's just fellowshipping with people and joining community and FaceTime with people.

and talking about the things that matter with people. And the way to do that from going from stranger to best friend is in my experience games. And so that's kind of the heart behind it.

Jacob Tegtman (09:30.658)

That's been a cool one. Yeah.

You know, it's interesting you bring that up too, because this is something I've been thinking a lot about recently, especially as everybody's been seeing more AI come into their work, into their lives. And I feel that more than ever, people are wanting that human, real human interaction. And so as good as video games are looking nowadays and as fun as MMOs are and stuff like that, and I like all of those, I don't think I've

Josiah (09:43.628)

Mm-hmm.

Josiah (09:53.004)

Mm-hmm.

Jacob Tegtman (10:03.53)

found anything that's as fun is sitting around playing a tabletop role-playing game, especially in person. mean, even, you over FaceTime like this is fun, but something in person about it just makes it one of the best experiences.

Josiah (10:09.729)

video.

Josiah (10:13.142)

Mm-hmm.

Josiah (10:18.686)

It really does. It's those shared memories and those shared jokes. And, you know, I work in politics, doing social media for politics. And the thing that just aggravates me the most about politics, but also religion, people say don't talk about politics or religion because people care about it so much. And it's like those are things that we care about the most. So we should be able to share those with people. But you can't because as soon as you bring them up, you know, there are all these walls.

Jacob Tegtman (10:39.48)

Sure.

Josiah (10:48.062)

and games when you've played for a couple hours with somebody and slayed the dragon and made a couple jokes, then it's like, well, okay, now your opinion isn't the thing that I'm defining you on. The thing I'm defining you on is that, you know, you're a half drunk elf paladin or something like, and it just makes it easier.

Jacob Tegtman (10:48.416)

I guess.

Jacob Tegtman (11:04.014)

Yeah, that's so true. That's so true. Yeah, it definitely does break down those walls and give you that sense of shared history, even if it's like a shared mental history, theater of the mind. So, yeah.

Josiah (11:17.27)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's great.

Jacob Tegtman (11:21.428)

I agree, man. Especially when you're doing... So I haven't read through all of the lore of Starseq. There's just so much in there. I've read through a good deal of it. But I think one of the things that also stands out about at least that game, because I know Penn's still in the work in progress...

Josiah (11:38.599)

the

Jacob Tegtman (11:39.446)

that, you know, it does cover a lot of political things and it covers a lot of religious things and you aren't like pushing a view on anybody, but just inherent to human life is politics and religion. so games let you approach these topics like in ways that allow you to explore what could be, but in a safe way and have conversations about what could be without feeling like you're being attacked or told.

Josiah (11:53.856)

Mm-hmm.

Josiah (12:01.6)

Thank you.

Josiah (12:05.836)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, that's really the, again, I'm really glad that you feel that way about the game, because that was one of the number one priorities of it, is there are just really hard conversations that should be had. And that game kind of came out of COVID, where there were a ton of hard conversations people were having. And I think you could spend every day, every minute of every day with people.

Jacob Tegtman (12:14.306)

Yeah, for sure.

Jacob Tegtman (12:23.394)

That's right. That's right. Yeah.

Josiah (12:33.664)

but if they're not people that you feel like you can have hard conversations with, then you haven't really been in community at all. And so having a medium like that, where, like you said, I don't wanna tell anybody what they should believe. There are things that I believe are true about God and about the world and about politics and stuff, but those things have to exist relationally for them to mean anything to you. so...

Jacob Tegtman (12:39.788)

Yeah.

Jacob Tegtman (12:50.542)

Sure.

Josiah (12:58.954)

to have that space to kind of explore and talk and then role play through just makes it fun for one thing, but also makes it so much more personal and so much more impactful, I think.

Jacob Tegtman (12:59.374)

Yeah.

Jacob Tegtman (13:10.772)

I agree. So what is the next thing that you said you're working on with StarCert? I think I missed that when you mentioned earlier. Yeah.

Josiah (13:16.436)

Yeah, so my co-writer, Emily, and her husband Ryan, who did some of the art for Star Set, they have actually written and illustrated the first campaign for it. It's called Echoes on Mars, and that's going to be launching on Kickstarter next month.

Jacob Tegtman (13:31.822)

Okay. Okay, cool. That's exciting, man. So what number of Kickstarter will this be for you?

Josiah (13:38.092)

Thank

Josiah (13:42.294)

That's

Josiah (13:46.806)

seven maybe six or seven. I'm doing this one well I should say the plan is to do it on Kickstarter but changing a lot of things. I'm still talking to them. My wife is behind me. I still want to talk through some of them with her because it had a lot of very negative Kickstarter experiences and learned a lot. So we're to do this one if we end up doing it on Kickstarter very slim down and very different than some of the other ones. So it's a constant learning experience.

Jacob Tegtman (13:48.43)

Sort of. Yeah.

Jacob Tegtman (13:54.094)

Sure.

Jacob Tegtman (14:16.43)

Yeah, I just remember I feel like every year or so I feel like you're launching something on Kickstarter successfully. So at least from the outsider's view looking in, it's like man Josiah just knows what he's doing with selling games.

Josiah (14:30.208)

You

Well, I know a little bit more than I did last time and that's the goal. Yeah.

Interview with TTRPG Renaissance Man: Mildra the Monk

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 01:09:05 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si26EW5kj4Q

Transcription

Summary

Final Fantasy Legend Edition TTRPG discussion covered the game's high customization and free distribution via mythos inspiration and iterative research.

Final Fantasy Legend Edition Origin
Legend Edition is a medium-complexity TTRPG developed over 4 years to emulate the entire Final Fantasy mythos, avoiding a focus only on the SNES era. The core goal was to create a neutral sandbox emphasizing high customization that supports high fantasy, steampunk, and futuristic settings.

Design Philosophy and Research
The game is distributed for free to continue the tradition of high-quality, free fan-created content within the TTRPG community. Extensive research was conducted on the IP, including cut content and Ultimania books, which led to the design pillars of iteration and experimentation.

Customization and Unique Features
Character creation allows hybrid archetypes via the selection of 3 classes from over 50 available options with variable progression speeds. Unique Legend Edition features include row-based combat and active defenses, creating a tactical risk-reward system.

Details

Introduction to Final Fantasy Legend Edition Project : Jacob Tegtman welcomed Mildra The Monk, the lead designer and spearhead of the Final Fantasy Legend Edition project, to the Eternity TTRPG channel for their first interview of this kind. Mildra The Monk expressed appreciation for being hosted and agreed to begin by discussing their background and the nature of the project (00:00:00).
Mildra The Monk's Background and TTRPG Contributions : Mildra The Monk introduced themself as a content creator who has reviewed games, run playtests, and conducted over a thousand interviews in the last five years. They cover third-party D\&D material, indie games, and fan games such as Naruto 5e and Dungeons of the Dragoning, the latter of which started as an April Fool's joke that combined five different RPGs (00:01:03). Most recently, they served as the lead designer and project lead for the Final Fantasy Legend Edition TTRPG (00:02:26).
Running a Final Fantasy Legend Edition One-Shot : Mildra The Monk mentioned they had been running a one-shot using the Legend Edition for the past few weeks with rotating party members and ran one for Jacob Tegtman as they were planning content on the game (00:02:26). They noted that a community member has been developing a work-in-progress Roll20 sheet for the game, which had recently received a significant update (00:03:26).
Virtual Tabletop Support for Legend Edition : When addressing the question of virtual tabletop support, Mildra The Monk stated that they have not done any real coding in at least ten years and lack the skill set to build a custom sheet from scratch for platforms like Roll20 or Foundry. They acknowledged the community's support, noting that people are using their own time to support the game with tools like the Roll20 sheet (00:03:26).
Summary of Final Fantasy Legend Edition : Legend Edition is a medium-complexity TTRPG that took about four years to create, aimed at emulating the Final Fantasy mythos. The project originated from Mildra The Monk's pet peeve that previous tabletop versions of Final Fantasy heavily skewed toward the SNES era (IV, V, and VI), neglecting entries like VII, XIV, and XVI which appeal to newer generations of fans (00:04:21). The goal of Legend Edition is to use the recurring Final Fantasy mythos as a neutral sandbox for tables to build campaigns in any direction, prioritizing customization (00:06:43).
Game Design Flexibility and High Customization : The game was designed to be equally viable in high fantasy settings, like Final Fantasy III or IV, as it is in steampunk settings, such as Final Fantasy VI or XIV, and futuristic entries, such as Final Fantasy VIII or XIII. Jacob Tegtman noted that playing the game demonstrated that the number of classes and intricate character details allow players to create characters fitting any Final Fantasy experience they desire (00:06:43).
Reasoning Behind Free Distribution of Legend Edition : Mildra The Monk explained that the game is available for free because they came up as a tabletop player seeing high-quality fan games that were just as good as paid games, and they wanted to pass along that torch to the community (00:09:44). They expressed the desire for someone to take their work, hack it, and put up their own version, continuing the chain of free content (00:11:02).
Research and Design Philosophy for Legend Edition : A major focus of the project was capturing the soul of Final Fantasy, which involved extensive research, including reviewing existing games, cut content from games, behind-the-scenes interviews, and Ultimania books (00:11:02). The core philosophy derived from this research was "iteration and experimentation," which led to the game's foundational design pillars (00:12:16).
The Inspiration to Focus on Final Fantasy : Mildra The Monk is a devoted Final Fantasy fan, but other factors drove the project, including a desire to carry on the lineage of prior Final Fantasy TTRPG fan projects like the mid-90s Returners project (00:12:16). A core motivation was bridging the gap between video games and tabletop gaming, using Final Fantasy because its consistent mythology allows for adaptation that goes beyond merely replicating the video games (00:14:29).
Avoiding the Trap of Literal IP Adaptation : Mildra The Monk highlighted a common problem with tabletop adaptations of existing IPs, where designers attempt to adapt the source material wholesale, citing the early TSR run of Indiana Jones as an example where they only allowed players to play as movie characters. Instead, people generally prefer to create their own character within the world, such as being a student at Xavier Academy rather than playing as the X-Men (00:15:49).
Emulating the Mythos Over One Game : Mildra The Monk emphasized that designers should emulate the overall mythos of a franchise rather than hyperfocusing on one game or one era (00:17:00). For Final Fantasy, this is supported by recurring elements such as job names, play styles, spell names, summons, and abilities that maintain a consistent theme (00:18:09).
Classes, Character Creation, and Flexibility : The customization in Legend Edition is demonstrated by the character creation system where players select three classes with different progression speeds, allowing for a unique hybrid character from over 50 classes (00:21:27). This approach is a compromise that provides the strong thematic elements of the job system without restricting player choices, such as customizing weapon lists to be setting-agnostic and avoid favoring one style of fantasy (00:20:06) (00:22:24).
Key Design Pillars of Final Fantasy Legend Edition : Mildra The Monk outlined the three major pillars of the game's design: "mythos not setting," "customization is king," and the **phase structure** (00:24:24). The phase structure involves four acts—preparation, exploration, encounter, and downtime—which is loosely inspired by the Asian four-act format (kishōtenketsu) and the Town-Field-Dungeon trinity pioneered by Dragon Quest (00:25:34).
The Research Process as a Favorite Part of the Project : Mildra The Monk stated that the research phase was one of their favorite parts, which allowed them to discover early concepts for the video games that were eventually cut (00:27:50). Examples included the early name for Materia being "spheres," which was later revisited for Final Fantasy X, and a puzzle tattoo mechanic for Final Fantasy X's sphere grid, which was cut (00:28:33).
Inspirations and Creative Liberties in Design : The research led to design inspirations such as an unused Chocobo Lancer concept art from Final Fantasy XI resulting in the Chocobo Knight class in Legend Edition, addressing the long-desired idea of Chocobo cavalry (00:29:32). The team took certain liberties, like creating the speed-based Dervish to serve as an answer to the Berserker class, and the Ravager as a spell-spamming class, drawing from inspirations like Final Fantasy XIII (00:31:48).
Development of the Yo-kai Class : The Yo-kai class began as an idea for a controllable summon, similar to the Aeons in Final Fantasy X, but was changed to avoid replicating one game (00:31:48). The final concept for the Yo-kai, as avatars for Eidolons, was inspired by the design of Yoko in Bravely Second and the concept of the rider or shioal spiritualist in Voodoo (00:32:43).
Impact of Extensive Research on Project Quality : Jacob Tegtman acknowledged that the depth of research, spanning Final Fantasy lore, mythology, and diverse concepts like Voodoo, enabled Mildra The Monk to create over 50 classes, each with up to seven tiers of abilities, amounting to hundreds of unique mechanics that synergize well (00:33:58). Mildra The Monk affirmed that this extensive research, modeled after the preparation of Star Trek producer Harve Bennett before producing *Wrath of Khan*, was a necessary baseline (00:36:10).
Historical Context of Final Fantasy Combat System : Mildra The Monk highlighted Hiroyuki Itto, the pioneer of the job system and the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, noting that he cited American football and Formula 1 as inspirations for ATB (00:39:09). Mildra The Monk asserted that the shift toward action-based combat, seen in games like Final Fantasy XV and XVI, was an evolution building on foundations laid decades ago by Itto, not a radical shift (00:40:15).
Snapshot of Unique Legend Edition Features : For those unfamiliar with Legend Edition, Mildra The Monk listed key differentiators, including high customizability in the job system, easy creation of hybrid archetypes, fewer but more impactful skills, and multiple character creation/advancement methods (00:41:59). Jacob Tegtman added the unique row-based combat and active defenses, such as parrying and evading, which create a tactical, risk-reward philosophy in the design (00:43:17).
Future Vision and Upcoming Projects for Mildra The Monk : Immediate future plans include overseeing support elements like new Excel and HTML solo-play sheets, as well as writing world book guides, which are lighter books focused on emulating individual Final Fantasy entries like FFIII or FFVIII (00:45:13). They are also considering TTRPGs based on 2D fighting games, aiming for a defined setting like a fighting game version of Night City, and they intend to create a fantasy-themed mech game and a Wuxia-themed RPG (00:46:24).
Ongoing Efforts to Promote the TTRPG Community : Mildra The Monk is continuing their mission to showcase the totality of tabletop role-playing games by highlighting the international scene, including content from Brazil, Germany, and Sweden (00:50:01) (00:52:17). They mentioned forthcoming streams covering the Spanish Anima Universe, Sword World, and *We's Blade*, a game compared to *Panzer Dragoon* (00:51:15).
Availability and Support for Mildra The Monk : Mildra The Monk can be found streaming regularly on YouTube and Twitch, on Twitter where they highlight artists and indie games, and in their personal Discord (00:55:07). While Legend Edition remains free, they have set up support mechanisms like Ko-fi for those who wish to leave a tip (00:56:19).

Playable Monster Races in D&D: the Gnarlborn - Haunted Treants

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 16:01:41 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuryVcZdp4Y

Transcription

There are kind two ends of the spectrum for D&D races.

There’s Story-specific races: These come with a strong, built-in narrative that fits specific campaign worlds or settings, that almost tells you how to play them.

Then there’s more Flexible races. These are much easier to slot anywhere because they don’t necessarily come with an expected tone or backstory. You can sort of fit them into any campaign with ease – like playing a human.

Some D&D player races feel like they’re built for a specific kind of story. Others feel flexible enough to drop into almost any campaign. Gnarlborn from Crooked Moon… sit somewhere in between—and that’s kind of what makes them interesting. They have strong flavor, but they aren’t restrictive for your campaign. They come with built-in lore that gives you instant roleplay direction, but they aren’t so specific that you can only play them in your Crooked Moon campaign.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG.

As you can already tell, today we’re looking at a lesser-known player option for playable races, which is the Gnarlborn from Crooked Moon.

If you’ve seen my other videos on the topic, Crooked Moon has become one of my favorite D&D settings of all-time. We’re going through each of the races presented in Crooked Moon, and today getting to the treant-like Gnarlborn.

Starting with the basics, Gnarlborn are – well, born – from the soil of a region called Ardengloom, a forest that’s less “peaceful woodland,” and more “haunted, thinking ecosystem.”

The forest itself is filled with these massive trees called Elderwoods—each one housing lingering Fey spirits. Gnarlborn commune with these spirts and Elderwoods, forming an intricate and well-connected forest community.

So yeah, you’re playing basically “a tree person.” But you’re also playing something that exists in a constant, low-level conversation with ancient, possibly unreliable spirits. That alone gives you a strong roleplay hook without needing a complicated backstory, as your tie to those spirits, and who/ what they are could gain any level of depth that you’d like, over the course of a campaign – or even a few adventures.

Visually, Gnarlborn are humanoid, but like the trees in your yard, everything about them is asymmetrical—branches, moss instead of clothing accents, glowing hollows where a face might be.

No two look the same. Some might feel ancient and slow, while others might come across as curious or even a little disconnected—like they’re only partially focused on the present.

And since they can live for hundreds—sometimes thousands—of years, you can decide how much that actually affects your character. Are they wise because of their age, or are they just... slow?

Ok, when it comes to core mechanics, let’s talk about what you actually get—because this is where Gnarlborn become very usable.

First, we have: Deep Roots

You get advantage on checks and saves to avoid being moved or knocked prone. This is simple, but it can be very useful against certain enemies.

Next is: Elderwood Whispers

After every long rest, you can pick up a new skill, tool proficiency, or even a language. Temporarily. This is probably the most interesting trait the Gnarlborn have. It’s not flashy, but it gives you day-to-day adaptability, which can be nice. It rewards players who like planning ahead—or improvising, based on expected challenges for the day.

Third, we have what may be the Gnarlborn’s most *potentially powerful effect, which is: Grasping Branches

As a Bonus action, you restrain a creature if they fail a Strength save. Or slow them if they succeed. The main issue here is the saving DC isn’t very high (it’s 8, plus your Constitution modifier, plus your proficiency bonus). But! Even on a successful save, the creature has half speed for a turn.

So, grasping branches can be decent battlefield control without requiring you to be a spellcaster. And because this effect recharges on a short rest, you may just actually use it.

It’s not overwhelming—but it’s consistently useful.

Root Sense gives you tremorsense out to 60 feet. So, the ability to find Invisible enemies, Creatures behind walls, etc.

And lastly, you have: Towering Size

Which gives you advantage to end being grappled, and – if your group actually tracks carrying capacity, you can in fact carry more stuff.

Nothing flashy—but admittedly, very practical.

Playing a Gnarlborn definitely isn’t for every player. They don’t provide anything to spike damage, or even do anything unpredictable, really. But you are resisting disruption, controlling space, and adapting between sessions. They fit really well in parties that need consistency rather than specialization.

From the roleplaying side, Gnarlborn also work really well in campaigns that lean into:

Fey themes,
Haunted environments,
or Long timelines with ancient histories since they naturally connect to all of those.

Gnarlborn feel connected to something bigger: whether that’s the Elderwoods, nature, fey-touched spirits, or an ancient grove deep in the dark woods.

So, if you were to play a Gnarlborn, what direction would you take your character? Would you pick them for their subtle combat control, or more to explore their connection with the wilds?

Whether you’ve played them in a campaign already, or you have ideas for what you might like to try, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you in my next Crooked Moon race guide.

Crooked Moon's Ashborn: The Fiend-Touched Survivors of Chernabos

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:07:07 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soOa4Uhr2iM

Transcription

In Chernabos, survival is more than a question of strength. It’s a question of timing… instinct… and a little bit of luck.

Some creatures are shaped by that world. The Ashborn from Crooked Moon are made from it.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. No matter how many times I revisit Crooked Moon, or how much time I spend away from it, I always find myself pulled back to this awesome source book. There are so many fun and unique pieces of this Halloween-like world, that I just love exploring.

Today we’re continuing our look at the Crooked Moon races, and this time we’re stepping into the ash fields of Chernabos—To take a closer look at the Ashborn.

If you haven’t seen them, I’ve already covered two Crooked Moon monstrous races, including the Harvestborn, which are my personal favorite. At this point, I’m pretty confident I’ll actually just be creating a 5-10min video that dives into each of the Crooked Moon races, separately. So, be sure to check back to find those.

So, diving right into the Ashborn. Ashborn are small, fiend-touched humanoids, usually standing between two and three feet tall. They carry a distinct, almost devilish appearance—horns, muted red or gray skin, and sharp, expressive features.

And most notably—A scorpion-like tail, tipped with venom.

They’re comfortable in harsh places, and they tend to carry themselves with a quiet confidence. There’s a sense, when dealing with an Ashborn, that they’re already accounting for how things might go wrong… either, how they’ll respond if things were to go wrong... or how they’ll actually cause things to “go wrong,” themselves, and then benefit from the chaos.

Ashborn actually don’t have a lineage in the usual sense. Instead, they form in the wake of volcanic fury—drawn together from sulfur, ash, and something entirely fiendish at its core.

They emerge completely aware, capable, and already adapted to a land that would kill any other race – like, most humans, for example - in minutes.

As I’d mentioned briefly, Ashborn are small—rarely more than three feet tall. Their features reflect their origin: horned silhouettes, skin in muted reds and greys, and eyes that tend to catch the light in uncomfortable ways.

And then of course, there’s the tail. A scorpion’s stinger, carried as naturally as a hand.

Most Ashborn carry themselves with a kind of deliberate composure. Even in harsh environments, like with most Crooked Moon races, there’s a sense of presentation—care in how they dress, how they speak, and how they’re seen.

To me, it seems that they like to exercise control, even small amounts, and they have a bit of perfectionism to them.

Chernabos, the land of the Ashborn, is not a forgiving place. The ground is unstable—split by lava flows and sudden fissures. The air carries ash and sulfur, thick enough to choke. And resources—such as water, shelter, and again, even breathable air—are never guaranteed.

Clearly, the Ashborn don’t really need the kinds of things that humans need to survive. However, this kind of dangerous land also tends to favor a certain kind of thinking. Adapting to the environment, Ashborn tend to make quick decisions, have constant awareness, and perhaps their tendency to be a bit perfect in their presentation, they’re probably overall willing to act before they have perfect information... all in the name of survival.

Ashborn are shaped by their environment from the moment they come into being. They develop habits that keep them flexible:

And this is where their relationship with luck comes in. To an Ashborn, luck isn’t really about chance—it’s more about preparation meets opportunity. Or put another way, it’s about timing:

· knowing when to move.

· knowing when to speak.

· And of course, when to take a risk that others would avoid.

Mechanically, when it comes to actually playing your Ashborn, you’ll find that their cultural and personality traits of leaning into subtle control and well-timed disruption really come through.

First, you have: Ashen Legacy

You start with Minor Illusion, and later gain access to Charm Person and Invisibility. It’s a toolkit designed around Distraction, influence, and the ability to step out of sight when needed.

They have Darkvision with the standard 60 feet, which is expected, given where they come from.

As a reaction, Fiendish Fortune

Allows you cause an attack that would’ve otherwise hit you, to miss, once per short or long rest. Additionally, you redirect some of that damage as force damage, equal to your proficiency bonus.

Then we’re onto the Ashborn’s tail, with Scorpion Sting.

Their tail grants a natural attack, with added poison. They can deal this extra damage a number of times equal to their Proficiency Bonus.

When it comes to roleplaying, you can imagine how many fun directions you could take a halfling-sized devilish imp, with attitude.

They fit great as risk-takers, performers, negotiators who are comfortable lying outright to someone’s face, wanderers who pity others for their inability to survive without shelter and water. They could easily be thieves, political statesmen/ stateswomen, or really anyone who enjoys a bit of mischief – and maybe on occasion, a bit of cruelty.

I think what makes this race so fun though is that it leans into the devil ish side of things, but they’re still only 3-feet tall. So, they’re a bit more mischievous probably, than menacing. More lighthearted, than truly evil. But, those distinctions are entirely up to you to make.

So! The Ashborn fit neatly into almost any kind of story, with their natural rogueish charm, and devilish antics.

But I’m curious— How would you play your Ashborn? Or, if you’ve already had a campaign or adventures with one, let me know how that turned out for you!

Let me know in the comments.

And if you want to keep exploring the Crooked Moon races with me, there’s more on the way. So be sure to subscribe, and check in on future videos.

Thanks for watching!

D&D Encounters League Returns to Local Game Stores

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:23:41 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N3isve9svc

Transcription

Wizards of the Coast just brought back a piece of D&D history… and longtime players are doing a double take. After nearly a decade gone, D&D Encounters is officially returning to local game stores .

If you’ve never heard of it, D&D Encounters was a weekly organized play program where people could drop into their local game store and play a short, one-session Dungeons & Dragons adventure —no long campaign commitment required.

It was basically D&D’s version of Friday Night Magic . Show up. Grab a character. Roll some dice. But the program disappeared back in 2016.

And now Wizards of the Coast is bringing it back… which raises a few interesting questions. Is this just a nostalgic revival to bring new players into the hobby? Or is something bigger happening behind the scenes?

Let’s break down everything we know.

Welcome back to Eternity TT RPG , your party’s source for the latest Dungeons & Dragons news, updates, and community info .

And today we’re talking about the surprising return of the classic organized play program .

Back in 2010 , during the D&D 4th Edition era , Wizards of the Coast launched something called D&D Encounters . The idea was simple.

Local game stores would host weekly D&D sessions where anyone could drop in and play a single short adventure . Each session even revolved around a 60–90 minute encounter , meaning you didn’t need a full campaign commitment.

It was perfect for:

• brand new players
• busy schedules
• or anyone who just wanted to roll some dice after work.

And Wizards supported stores with exclusive materials , including:

• adventure booklets
• posters and maps
• character sheets
• and sometimes even custom miniatures .

But in 2016 , the program disappeared. It was replaced by Adventurers League , which shifted organized play toward longer, interconnected campaigns instead of single-session adventures .

At that time, D&D Encounters didn’t really fail. Wizards shut it down in 2016 when they reorganized everything under Adventurers League. But now that organized play has gotten complicated again—and new players struggle to get started—Wizards might be bringing back the exact entry point that they removed.”

Which, speaking of, on the topic of the D&D Adventurers League. It’s still technically a thing , but its status is also a bit… complicated.

· It still exists and people still play it.

· But official support from Wizards of the Coast has been much lighter in recent years on that front, as well.

So that program itself hasn’t been shut down. But the catch is that support has slowed.

· There have been fewer new official adventures produced recently.

· Wizards has been experimenting with other organized play initiatives , like we’re talking about today, and seasonal events.

· Much of the Adventurer’s League infrastructure is now community-run or maintained through Discord and fan sites .

That’s why the return of D&D Encounters is raising eyebrows — some fans wonder if Wizards is shifting toward shorter, store-focused events rather than the larger shared campaign model.

Right now speculation in the community is that:

· D&D Encounters will serve as an easy entry point for new players, which Wizards of the Coast is likely keen to acquire.

· Meanwhile the Adventurers League will remain with ongoing campaign play for long-term, dedicated players

But – and as with many things – Wizards hasn’t officially clarified their long-term plan yet.

Ok, so all of that background aside, let’s fast forward to 2026 . D&D Encounters is coming back. The announcement happened during this year’s GAMA Expo , one of the tabletop industry’s biggest trade shows. And this new version of it sounds very similar to the original concept.

Short… Accessible… Single-session adventures designed for drop-in play. Which honestly makes a lot of sense. D&D has exploded in popularity, but getting new players into their first game is still one of the biggest barriers .

A weekly store event could potentially solve that problem. At least in theory, and I’ll get back around to this in a minute. But the basic thought is that new players can show up. Grab a pre-generated character, so they don’t need to worry about min-maxing or even understanding character creation rules. Roll initiative. Boom—you’re playing D&D.

So, now the problem with that. This is the same concept that Wizards of the Coast uses with like Magic: the Gathering. I don’t know what your local game store’s like, but when’s the last time you saw a new player come to drop in at your weekly league night? Or even starter deck tournaments, for other games or events?

In my experience, the in-person player base is slowly dwindling for most games. And, I think that’s actually pretty sad. D&D is clearly a social game, and I think you can something from the overall experience without in-person play. Not that I mind digital play, and I realize digital also comes with its own advantages.

But, the bottom line is that I’m not really sure just opening a weekly D&D Encounters night at local game stores will actually pull in a lot of new players to the game.

Ok, so a little bit more framework into this. The new D&D Encounters program will also tie into something that Wizards recently introduced, called D&D Seasons . These are three-month themed releases built around a particular concept.

For example, the upcoming three sets will be:

• Horror themed adventures
• Magic-heavy campaigns
• and finally, Champion focused stories

D&D Encounters will help kick these seasons off by providing stores with Opening Weekend Play Kits , we think, based around these themes. The kits released for reach segment of the year will launch alongside major D&D book releases .

These kits will most likely include:

• prewritten encounters
• promotional materials
• store support tools
• and possibly exclusive content.

Wizards also mentioned weekly play support , though they haven’t revealed exactly what that includes yet. And they’re planning coordinated community events tied to each release.

Basically… They’re trying to turn D&D launches into mini events at local game stores .

So why is Wizards of the Coast bring back D&D Encounters now? A big part of it seems to be Wizards refocusing on local game stores . Over the past few years, a lot of D&D play has moved online.

Between:

• D&D Beyond
• Virtual tabletops
• and streaming games

Many players never step into a physical store anymore. Traditionally, stores have been the lifeblood of tabletop gaming communities . I’m not so sure that’s true anymore. There seems to be a BIG shift away from many traditional models, in the tabletop gaming space.

However, D&D Encounters does give stores something extremely valuable: consistent weekly events that make it easy for new players to come in the door.

According to Wizards leadership, this move is part of a broader push toward a franchise-style model for D&D releases , led by VP Dan Ayoub .

Instead of one-off books… They want ongoing seasonal engagement . Whether or not Wizards is really in-touch still with the D&D community, and this is an accurate call, remains to be seen. But, you can see based on what they think is happening, how they would feel that D&D Encounters would fit that model.

So, of course that brings up another pretty big question., which is: w hat happens to the D&D Adventurers League?

Because, as I’ve mentioned, the organized play program has been… pretty quiet lately. Like, for a while. There hasn’t been much new official content in recent years, in fact. And Wizards hasn’t said whether D&D Encounters will replace , supplement , or revive parts of the Adventurers League.

So, right now, there’s no official answer.

But many fans are speculating that D&D Encounters might become the easier entry point , while Adventurers League remains the deeper campaign system. But my impressions at the moment are that unless D&D Encounters really takes off, and creates a need for the Adventurers League to grow, then I don’t think it will be getting any more support from here than what it’s been getting.

So, here’s the thing. D&D’s a great game. For many of us, it was the first TTRPG we heard of, and got us into the hobby. It’s... no longer the best TTRPG out there, and hasn’t been for some time. I created a whole multi-article series on this, comparing the top games, on the Eternity TTRPG site – and even that list needs updating.

But I think for most of us, we’d love to see the hobby grow. If you’ve ever played TTRPGs in person, around a real table , you know that the dice rolling, the Miniatures clattering, and watching someone dramatically failing a persuasion check – in person, are all magical moments.

Short low-commitment sessions like D&D Encounters is offering may be one of the best ways to introduce new players. And that is exactly what D&D Encounters is designed for. If Wizards executes this well… It could become a gateway program that brings the next generation of players into the hobby .

Do I want to be pessimistic about this new program working the way Wizards intends? No. Am I though..? Yeah.

I think new players will continue to find the hobby, but I think D&D will continue to lose market share. For new players who get into the hobby specifically through D&D, I think this D&D Encounters program will only be generating a very small percentage of those new people.

Will I try out a D&D Encounters session at my local game store? ...maybe. Like many of you, I’ll probably wait to see what the buzz is around it first, to see if I might enjoy dropping in.

But I do hope that is amazing, and that everything Wizards of the Coast is trying to do with it actually provides what their main audience has been asking for.

So what do you think? Is the return of D&D Encounters exactly what local game stores, and the tabletop roleplay game community needs… Or is this a sign that Adventurers League and the overall organized play may be fading out in one final effort ?

Let me know in the comments.

And if you want more weekly D&D news, community info, and tabletop updates , make sure you like the video and subscribe.

Because the dice never stop rolling here.

The Future of D&D Books in 2026 - Eight New Books to Dive Into

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:39:31 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z2fTaAQS3g

Transcription

For months the D&D community has been asking the same question… “Where are all the new books?” Well—Wizards of the Coast finally answered.

2026 is bringing Ravenloft horror, high-magic arcana, a Feywild heist romance, and… a crochet owlbear.

Yes. Really.

Today we’re breaking down every single Dungeons & Dragons book announced for 2026 —what they are, who they’re for, and which ones might actually change your campaign.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your party’s reliable source for Dungeons & Dragons news, lore, and tabletop chaos.

Today we’re going through the entire 2026 D&D release schedule .

There’s quite a few books, so this list is meant to give you the quick, clean, and minimal filler low-down. If anything sounds good, you have something to start on for your own in-depth research.

So, let’s get started. The biggest announcement so far for 2026 is: Ravenloft: The Horrors Within , Releasing June 16th, 2026.

This new sourcebook expands the Domains of Dread , the gothic horror setting originally ruled by Strahd.

For Dungeon Masters, the book adds:

• new Darklords
• new monsters
• and expanded guidance for running horror-themed campaigns .

That includes subgenres like:

• gothic horror
• cosmic horror
• and psychological horror.

Players get new options too:

• horror-themed subclasses
• new species and backgrounds
• and expanded Dark Gift feats .

The book also expands the fear and dread mechanics , which could add some serious tension to horror campaigns.

And yes… Legendary monster hunter Rudolph van Richten is making another appearance.

Preorders begin April 13th , and digital versions hit D&D Beyond early in June .

So horror fans—Is Ravenloft your favorite setting, or are you still loyal to Curse of Strahd?

Then in September 2026 , we get one of the most mysterious releases: Arcana Unleashed.

Wizards of the Coast calls it a “high-magic sourcebook.” What we know so far is that it introduces new arcane subclasses from earlier Unearthed Arcana playtests.

Plus:

• new spells
• magic items
• artifacts
• and expanded customization options.

But the biggest addition might be a new “evolving magic item” system . That means magical gear that levels up alongside your character, which if done properly – could be pretty cool.

This kind of thing could also change how treasure progression works in campaigns.

We also know though that if this idea is done poorly… Well… could lead to certain things from this book being banned at some tables.

Launching alongside Arcana Unleashed is an adventure expansion called: Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall.

This adventure ties directly into the main Arcana Unleashed book and features the infamous Red Wizards of Thay . The story reportedly involves a massive magical war , with new lore about the organization.

And interestingly… A Red Wizards adventure was originally teased way back in 2023’s D&D Direct event , so this might finally be that storyline.

We don’t yet know if this will be:

• a full physical book
• or only a digital D&D Beyond adventure .

But if you like Forgotten Realms villains… The Red Wizards are about as dangerous as it gets.

Next up is something aimed at specifically Dungeon Masters : the Dungeon Master’s Workbook of Worldbuilding, releasing May 5th .

This one is all about building better campaigns. The book includes exercises designed to help DMs:

• design campaign worlds
• create memorable NPCs
• build maps
• and improve improvisation skills.

Which honestly might be the most important DM skill of all.

Because no matter how much you prepare… Players will always find a way to kick down the door that has nothing behind it. At least until you create something on the fly, that is.

So, this workbook aims to help DMs build living worlds instead of static storylines. I got some really great advise when I first started DMing, which was to steal everything. I think these kind of thought-provoking books help synthesize great material into something that’s also – at the same time – entirely your own.

Alongside the DM book, and launching the same day, is something aimed at new players and storytellers .

This is an interactive companion to the D&D 5.5e Player’s Handbook . Instead of rules, the book focuses on guided character creation .

It includes prompts that help you:

• build backstories
• connect your character to the party
• and design personal motivations that actually matter in the campaign.

Think of it like a creative writing workbook for D&D characters. If you’ve ever stared at a blank character sheet thinking… “Uh… I guess I’m an edgy rogue with amnesia? Oh yeah, and I’m an orphan – definitely, always an orphan.”

This book might actually help. And I mean that in a kind way. Nearly everyone benefits from a bit of help thinking through interesting character creation, without relying on the same tropes that Final Fantasy characters have been relying on for a few decades.

Then, we have something completely different. The Feywild Job releases June 30th . And this one is actually a D&D novel , not a game book. It’s written by C.L. Polk , a Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author.

The story follows two former lovers turned thieves hired to steal a magical artifact from the Feywild.

So imagine:

• magical heist story
• romantic tension
• with chaotic Feywild politics.

Basically romantasy meets D&D crime caper. Which honestly feels like the most Feywild thing possible. Every now and then I can get into a D&D novel. Maybe you’re like me and it’s been enough time to give a new novel a try.

Finally, we have Dungeons & Dragons Crochet: A Book of Many Patterns.

Yes—this is a real official D&D book.

Written by longtime D&D contributor Stacy King , it includes 20 crochet patterns inspired by the D&D multiverse .

We’re talking:

• Owlbear cub plushies
• Mini beholders
• And even a handmade Bag of Holding

So, this obviously isn’t a rules book. It’s basically crafting for D&D fans who want to bring the monsters to life—literally in yarn.

Kind of like D&D cook books, but crafts version. Which, by the way, I’ve seen a lot of these kind of things selling like hot cakes at local conventions, so you know it’s going to be in-demand. Buy it for the ladies in your weekly D&D group who are into crochet.

Ok, so I lied. There’s a bonus round here, which is one possible future release. There are strong hints that Dark Sun might be returning, which I shared about a couple months ago in a previous video.

Recent playtests included subclasses tied to the setting like:

• Gladiator Fighter
• Defiler Sorcerer
• and Sorcerer-King Warlock.

Those are classic Dark Sun themes . So, while nothing is officially confirmed… It’s very possible we’ll see a new Athas sourcebook in 2027.

And if that happens? It would be the first major Dark Sun release in decades. I’d be super into seeing something like that come down the pipeline.

That’s the full Dungeons & Dragons book roadmap for 2026. From crochet monsters… To gothic horror… To evolving magic items.

It’s actually a pretty diverse lineup. But, now I want to hear from you: Which of these books are you most excited for? And which one are you skipping entirely? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

And if you want more weekly D&D news, lore, and tabletop chaos— Make sure you subscribe.

Until next time… May your dice roll high and your players never step through the door that you never prepared for.

D&D is Now Officially called D&D 5.5e - No more One Dnd or Dnd 2024

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:48:04 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vE0niUm8vU

Transcription

Wizards of the Coast has finally done it. After years of calling it “One D&D(?)”… then “D&D 2024”… and pretending it wasn’t a new edition, while kind of also insisting that it was…

They’ve now officially named it what I had assumed the community at-large has been referring to it as now for probably at least a year, which is:

D&D 5.5e.

Was this the right call? Did, in fact, the community already decide this for them? And does this mean we’ve now officially entered into an edition war era again?

Let’s talk about it.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG — your go-to source for all things Dungeons & Dragons.

Today we’re breaking down Wizards of the Coast’s official confirmation that the latest, 2024 rules update is now officially known as D&D 5.5e , what it means for the community, and whether this name change actually does anything.

So, after years of brand confusion, Wizards of the Coast has indeed officially confirmed via a detailed FAQ that the 2024 rules update will now be called:

Dungeons & Dragons 5.5 Edition.

On D&D Beyond, all 2024 material will carry a “5.5e” tag, while legacy 2014 content will simply remain labeled “5e.”

According to the FAQ, the reasoning is simple:

Players mixing 2014 and 2024 content were confused about which rules applied. Which, yeah. No kidding.

And honestly? If you’ve ever tried building a character using mixed subclasses, spells, and feats… you know that confusion is real.

For years this thing – this edition – has had an identity crisis. First it was called One D&D — for some reason – positioned as “the future of D&D.” Then marketing shifted heavily toward “D&D 2024.”

And now?

We’re back to the old-school edition numbering convention.

Wizards of the Coast says using “5e” and “5.5e” makes it quicker and easier to tell what rules you’re using — especially on digital platforms. Which, I agree. I actually got my start into D&D during the 3.5e era, so nothing crazy there for my generation.

From a UX standpoint I think this also makes sense, especially as D&D continues to push their online gaming and presence. D&D Beyond has kind of always been a bit of a mess, to be honest. So any naming convention upgrade to simplify is kind of a win in itself.

But here’s where it gets interesting…

Wizards claims that “5.5e” matches how the community already talks about the game. But, to my surprise, it turns out the data tells a slightly different story.

According to Google Keyword Planner data (March 2, 2026) — filtered across the US, Canada, UK, and Australia — here’s how the search terms stack up:

“dnd 2024” – 6,600 monthly searches (+50% Year over year growth)
“dnd 5.5e” – 1,300 monthly searches (+19% Year over year growth)
“dnd 5.5” – 1,000 monthly searches
“d&d 5.5e” – 140 monthly searches

So while “5.5e” and its variant search options is growing…

“D&D 2024” absolutely dominates search volume — almost 2.5x higher, and growing substantially faster, it turns out.

Now, that doesn’t mean 5.5e won’t become standard over time. Especially with this “official switch,” it will. But this is an interesting choice since – this admittedly limited data, shows – that people were perhaps by-and-large finally beginning to actually adopt the “D&D 2024” title.

So, I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this on the channel, but my main profession is marketing. One small thing that immediately comes to mind is social media hashtags. You can’t use a period in hashtags.

That means:

#dnd5.5e – that’s out

So is it #dnd55e then (?)

#dnd2024, however, totally fine

All this to say is that from a modern branding and searchability standpoint, “D&D 2024” is cleaner. It’s more searchable. More social friendly. Maybe a little easier to type.

So this decision feels less like a marketing move… and more like a database clarity move. This is about tagging systems. Cataloging. Digital sorting.

I think D&D is still having a bit of an identity crisis, basically.

And with all this, here’s the bigger philosophical question.

If it’s called 5.5e… Does that mean it’s officially a half-edition? Historically, we’ve seen this before.

Like I’ve referred to a couple times already, Wizards of the Coast released 3.5e back in 2003 — and that absolutely felt like a mechanical overhaul.

But 5.5e? Is... more like a systemic refinement. Core math remains largely intact. Bounded accuracy is still king. Monsters hit differently, classes are tuned, spells adjusted… But I’m not sure I’d say it’s such a huge departure from 5e, like perhaps 3.5e was from 3e.

The community sentiment is mixed. Some players are relieved there’s finally more clarity. Others feel like the branding mess could have been avoided entirely, and I certainly agree with that.

And then there’s the group that’s been calling it 5.5e for two years going, saying: “I told you so.”

Ultimately though? The name doesn’t change the gameplay. By most metrics, the 2024 rules have been widely adopted and actively played. Which means whether you call it:

5.5e
5e 2024
One D&D
Or “The Patch Update”

The dice still roll the same.

This move feels like an administrative correction. Maybe it’s helpful for clarity, but isn’t really what D&D needs to move forward right now after all of the mixed feelings people have had about D&D, Wizards, and Hasbro.

Wizards of the Coast is aligning the digital ecosystem with how people track rules versions internally. Will 5.5e stick? Probably.

Will people still Google “D&D 2024” for years to come? Absolutely. You know they will.

But at the end of the day… A game by any other name still crits on a 20.

So, what are you calling 5.5e at your table?

Thanks for watching today! If you want more weekly D&D news, rule updates, and community deep dives — make sure you like, subscribe, and ring the bell.

Otherwise, I’ll see you next session.

D&D Beyond's Book Where Guaranteed - Everyone Dies - Beadle & Grimm's

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 20:06:24 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvU0p3UMOiU

Transcription

What if I told you there’s a brand-new D&D book…

where your party is supposed to die?

Not “might.” Not “if you roll badly.” But guaranteed total party annihilation.

And now it’s officially on D&D Beyond .

Today we’re diving into Faster, Purple Worm! Everybody Dies, Vol. 1 — the adventure anthology where death isn’t a failure… it’s the feature.

Let’s talk about what’s inside, what’s new, and whether this is actually one of the best low-level chaos tools of 2026.

It’s been a minute guys, but welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your go-to source for all things Dungeons & Dragons — from rule shakeups to purple worm-sized chaos.

Last summer, third-party RPG publisher Beadle & Grimm’s released something… deeply unhinged.

A 138-page anthology.

15 one-shot adventures.

All for level 1 characters.

All playable in 1–2 hours.

And every single one ends in a Total Party Kill.

Not “balanced.” Not “scalable.” Not “talk it out with the villain.” Just. Dead.

The book ties directly into the actual play series Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill! , which features celebrity players like Deborah Ann Woll , Seth Green , Anjali Bhimani , and co-founder Matthew Lillard .

The whole concept? Lean into the absurdity of low-level adventurers making catastrophically bad decisions… and go full cinematic disaster mode.

And honestly? That’s kind of genius. Because most tables never actually experience a true TPK. And this book says, “Cool. Let’s make that the entire point.”

So what’s new now that it’s on D&D Beyond ?

Mechanically? Same 15 adventures.

But digitally? It’s juiced up.

You get:

11 Quickplay Maps integrated into the Maps VTT
25 monster stat blocks (9 brand-new creatures + 16 variants)
17 new magic items ready to drop into character sheets
8 shareable handouts

That’s actually pretty solid integration.

And here’s the real surprise…

The price.

On D&D Beyond?

$19.99.

Compare that to:

$45 for print
$25 for PDF
$50 for bundle

That’s… unusually reasonable. For D&D... to be honest.

Which is not something we say often about digital toolsets.

Content-wise, it also leans into classic D&D chaos — including trips to Strahd von Zarovich in Barovia , and even tangling with the beholder crime lord Xanathar .

Level 1 characters.

Against that.

You already know how that ends.

If you’re newer to the scene, Beadle & Grimm is known for their ultra-premium boxed editions of official 5E books.

We’re talking:

Physical handouts
In-world props
Encounter cards
Massive maps

High-end collector-tier stuff.

Founded in 2018 by Matthew Lillard and partners, they built a reputation on premium experiences.

But this anthology? This is original content. Not just luxury packaging. And that’s interesting.

Because it signals something bigger:

Third-party publishers integrating more directly into official digital ecosystems.

That’s a big deal.

Here’s why this isn’t just a novelty book.

It’s low-commitment D&D.

Perfect for new players.

It reframes failure as entertainment.

Which is actually very healthy for the hobby. We can all take a solid step away from min-maxing, and pretending like we all need to be “good” at our favorite hobby, which to me is often besides the point of “having fun.”

Three - It gives DMs a safe sandbox for chaos.

Ever wanted to:

Drop a meteor?
Let the villain monologue uninterrupted?
Run a trap that is wildly unfair?

Now you can. Because the players know. They signed the waiver.

And weirdly? That kind of expectation-setting creates some of the most memorable tables.

This also feels very aligned with modern D&D culture — faster, punchier, content-friendly sessions.

And for $20 digital?

This might quietly become one of the best pickup party-night modules out there.

We’ve seen serious campaigns. And they’re awesome. We’ve seen grimdark epics. And they’re also awesome.

But this? This is D&D saying: “What if we just lean into the madness?”

And honestly… I love it.

Would you run a guaranteed TPK night at your table? Or is that sacrilege? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoy weekly D&D news, breakdowns, and community chaos — hit like, subscribe, and ring the bell.

And tell me:

What’s the wildest TPK you’ve ever experienced?

That’s it for today! Until next time all, I’ll see you next session.

Crooked Moon: The Final Chapter and Incredible Conclusion

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:32:31 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uajygh5mWSM

Transcription

“I once knew the kiss of the sun… Now, all that remains is annihilation.” This is how Crooked Moon ends.

Not with a dungeon crawl. Not with a mystery. But with a reckoning—between a fallen god, a broken man, and the land they’re both about to destroy.

Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG.

If you’re new here, I break down tabletop RPGs and the great stories they tell—what they’re actually about, why they work at the table, and whether they’re worth your time.

Today, we’re looking at one of my favorite campaign books of all time – and jumping right in to one of the best parts, which is the final chapter of Crooked Moon —the climactic conclusion everything in this campaign has been building toward.

Jumping right in: the Wytchwood bends beneath the will of Kehlenn, the Crooked Queen —once the Green Queen, an archfey goddess of rebirth. Long ago, she ruled a world without people. A brutal, cyclical wilderness where life was short, terrifying… and natural.

Then Phillip Druskenvald arrived.

Somehow empowered, somehow victorious, he shattered her, buried her bones beneath a crooked oak, and reshaped the land into something civilized. Cities rose. People multiplied.

And Kehlenn, broken, but somehow still alive, or conscious – remembered every second of it.

Centuries of hatred twisted her into something new—not a goddess of renewal, but of vengeance. Her plan has been unfolding slowly, patiently, sacrifice by sacrifice… until now.

Because Phillip has finally broken.

Phillip Druskenvald was once the most powerful being in the land. Now he’s a grieving man who has lost everything.

After the massacre at Rowan’s Rise earlier in the campaign book—and the death of Adela, the love of his life—Phillip retreats to the Green Queen Inn. There, surrounded by the stench of burned flesh and desperation, he turns to forbidden magic. The Old Ways. Resurrection.

It fails. And in that failure, Kehlenn finally reaches him. She promises what no one else can: Adela’s soul. Redemption. A chance to undo his sins.

So Phillip walks into the Wytchwood like a sacrifice that doesn’t yet know he’s already dead.

This is where the players come in. They follow. The Wytchwood isn’t just a forest—it’s ancient, hostile, and alive. And it isn’t empty.

Stalking the trees is The Horned King : a three-eyed, whispering embodiment of sin. A creature born from Phillip’s own soul, shaped by Kehlenn to be her consort and executioner.

He doesn’t attack, but he tempts.

He speaks to characters about their desires. Their doubts. Their secrets. He promises comfort. Power. Relief.

This chapter isn’t just about fighting evil—it’s about confronting what your characters want most… and whether they’ll pay the price to get that desire. The whole Wytchwood is like this for the players – numerous challenging encounters, interwoven with direct and indirect influence from the shadowy horned king.

Through it all, and finally, at the heart of the forest stands the Crooked Tree .

Beneath it, in a root-choked barrow, Phillip kneels—bound, broken, and waiting. Kehlenn doesn’t hide anymore. She tells her story plainly. She was robbed. Forgotten. Replaced. And now, she will unmake everything Phillip built. Civilization. Memory. And identity itself.

Phillip’s death, for her, will not be just vengeance—but it’s actually the final ingredient. The roots tighten. Phillip’s last word is a whisper.

“Please… Adela.”

And then he’s torn upward—into the tree.

At this point, The true Horned King is born, with Phillip’s body and soul being the final missing piece.

No longer a shadow, but a colossal, winged, horned monstrosity—part goat, part dragon, part man. Kehlenn watches from the bark of the Crooked Tree itself as the final battle begins.

This is the end of Crooked Moon as a campaign. Players get to experience an amazing multi-phase fight. There’s ritual circle burning beneath a grinning moon. And, of course, a god screaming encouragement as her consort tries to tear the world apart.

And when the Horned King finally falls—when his massive body collapses into blood, bone, and a single goat skull—it still isn’t over.

Kehlenn still clings to the land. Sensing this, from the remains of the Horned King, a goat’s skull lies in the burning ritual circle, before the tree —cracked, it whispers to the characters, speaking with Phillip Druskenvald’s voice.

Phillip, his soul barely intact, understands that killing the Horned King wasn’t enough. In reality, Kehlenn’s bond to the land still remains.

Phillip’s soul, which helped fuel both the Horned King and Kehlenn’s ritual, is no longer fully consumed . So, what’s left of Phillip lingers in the goat skull as a final, conscious remnant. And in that moment, Phillip realizes that Kehlenn can only be severed from the land through sacrifice , not violence.

So, the skull speaks, guiding the players toward the only remaining solution.

The sacrifice to unbind Kehlenn requires that each character give something up—something meaningful. Fail, and the ritual completes. The Horned King returns. And most importantly, the world ends crooked: it continues, but in a more or less permanently corrupted state where the living are doomed to short, terrifying lives, but in an endless cycle.

Succeed, however, and the Crooked Tree burns. If this happens, Kehlenn is bound to the moon she worshipped. Phillip and Adela fade together at last, their story finally at rest.

Druskenvald survives. It carries the scars of what happened, and it will never be the same. And this is why Crooked Moon lands so powerfully. The finale is built on tragedy, temptation, and consequence, with an ending shaped by sacrifice rather than spectacle. What matters most is what the players are willing to give up to save the world – not just their combat stats.

If you’re looking for a campaign that builds steadily toward a meaningful conclusion—one that rewards emotional investment and delivers a true sense of finality—this is the ending waiting for you in Crooked Moon.

No matter how much time I spend in the Crooked Moon campaign setting, I continue to be ever more impressed. If you pick it up for yourself, I’d love to hear what experiences you have with your games!

Lastly, to wrap up today’s video, I have a host of other Crooked Moon videos you may want to check out, that give greater context to this awesome campaign conclusion: race deep-dives, other adventures in the book, monstrous playable characters, the bestiary of boss monsters – and so much more.

So, be sure to check out those videos if they interest you! Otherwise, thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one.

Exploring Eberron now Relaunched on D&D Beyond

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 21:05:05 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eg7cXmFUVU

Transcription

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. Today we’re firing up our Mark of Finding to uncover something huge for Eberron fans — the beloved sourcebook Exploring Eberron has officially relaunched on D&D Beyond as a fully supported digital release.

Originally released back in 2020 on the DMsGuild as a third-party best-selling supplement by Eberron’s creator Keith Baker, Exploring Eberron was one of the most successful community books ever — and now it’s come full-circle.

That means it’s now officially available on D&D Beyond, fully updated to use with the current D&D rules and integrated into D&D Beyond’s digital tools like the Character Builder and Maps VTT .

So, you’re probably wondering – what’s inside the book? I’d say it’s deep content, not just lore, that the book dives into:

First, we have: Setting Races & Cultures

Exploring Eberron digs deep into the cultures and mindsets of iconic Eberron peoples like Changelings, Warforged, Kalashtar, Shifters, and Aereni elves. Rather than focusing on mechanics, these sections emphasize identity, societal roles, and story hooks that help these species feel rooted in the setting.

Then there’s Planes of Existence & Manifest Zones

The book offers a detailed look at Eberron’s unique planar system, where planes wax and wane in influence rather than remaining static. Manifest zones tie those planes directly to the world, creating locations where reality bends in ways that can dramatically shape adventures, cities, and campaigns.

Next up is: Character Options

Exploring Eberron includes a wide array of character options, from lore-driven subclasses to new species, feats, and spells, all updated for compatibility with the 2024 ruleset on D&D Beyond. These options are tightly woven into the setting, making them feel less like generic power boosts and more like natural extensions of Eberron’s world.

One of my favorites is: Magic Items & Monsters

The magic items and monsters in the book are designed to reinforce Eberron’s themes of magical industry, ancient empires, and strange planar forces. Many entries come with built-in story hooks, making them also quite useful for DMs looking to spark plot threads.

And finally, we have Expanded Eberron Lore

At its core, Exploring Eberron expands on the setting’s foundational lore, diving into the aftermath of the Last War, the influence of the dragonmarked houses, and the uneasy relationship between magic and technology. It provides context and nuance that help DMs portray Eberron as a world shaped by innovation, conflict, and moral ambiguity.

In total, the digital book includes 6 subclasses, 10 species, 12 feats, 4 spells, over 40 magic items, and 8 monster stat blocks — not bad value.

On D&D Beyond the digital book retails at $30 — basically what you’d expect for a mid-sized sourcebook.

If you already own the original 2020 PDF or print version on DMsGuild, the rules aren’t exactly the same, as the original used older rulesets obviously, but the lore is still gold.

So, is it worth it?

If you’re deep into Eberron, love D&D Beyond functionality, or want all your content integrated cleanly into the builder and VTT, then this is a no-brainer.

But if you’re happy with the DMsGuild version and don’t use Beyond much? You might stick with what you have — it’s still solid and compatible. Nothing crazy groundbreaking here, to be honest.

Exploring Eberron on D&D Beyond is a fantastic evolution of one of the setting’s best third-party books, and it’s great to see it finally fully supported and updated. There is a lot here to love.

Well, that is it for today, my friends. Let me know in the comments — are you grabbing this on D&D Beyond? Or sticking with your original edition? Otherwise, hit like, subscribe, and may your dice always roll well!

Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition — Classes & Jobs Explained

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:59:12 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPQfDB2cKSI

Transcription

Every Final Fantasy hero starts with a choice. Sword or spell. Raw power, or skill.

But in Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition, that choice doesn’t stop at your Class — it’s defined by the Jobs you choose from your class, the Circles you unlock, and the Limit Breaks that change the tide of battle.

Today, we’re breaking down how Classes and Jobs actually work in Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition — and how they shape your character from level one… to the final boss.

Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG channel! If you caught one of my recent videos from before the holidays, we went deep into the Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition core rulebook — and today we’re diving into one of the most iconic elements of any Final Fantasy system: Classes and Jobs ! Whether you’re planning your first character or optimizing a seasoned hero for this recently-released game, this guide has you covered.

One of the longest-standing traditions in Final Fantasy is its Job system , and Legend Edition embraces this fully. Classes in this game are the framework or chassis of your character — they determine your character’s HP, MP, trained Skills, associated Jobs, and your Class Limit Break .

Jobs are where the cool stuff really happens. Each Job is a set of abilities on a progression track, granting new Features at specific levels — these are called Circles . And you don’t just pick one — your character ends up with three Jobs (or four with optional full buy-in), each advancing at a different speed to give you abilities every level.

There are four broad Classes you’ll choose from. Each class has what you could consider as subclasses – in Legend Edition, these are the “Jobs.” So, for example, some of the Warrior Jobs are berserker, dervish, dragoon, fighter, monk, samurai, and so on.

So, let’s dive into the four classes:

Number 1 - Warrior

Masters of physical combat, Warriors excel in strength, endurance, and frontline fighting. Their Limit Break — Action Surge — lets them make extra attacks during an encounter, perfect for dealing burst damage.

2. Expert

Battlefield manipulators and support roles go here. Experts rely on their wits and skill versatility, and their Limit Break — Savant — adds bonus dice to Skill rolls based on their level.

3. Mage

If magic is your playstyle, Mages are your go-to. They lean into Spellcasting and area of effect mechanics. Their Turbo MP Limit Break doubles the effectiveness of MP spent on magical abilities during an encounter.

And number four is Adept

The hybrid class — versatile, adaptable, and capable of mixing physical and magical roles. Adepts don’t have a unique Limit Break; instead, they choose one from the other three classes, based on their job build.

Now here’s where Legend Edition gets fun. Across the system are 50+ Jobs drawing inspiration from classic Final Fantasy favorites — think Black Mage , Dragoon , Thief , and more — giving you a huge palette of archetypes to mix and match.

Each Job grants seven Features – called Circles – over its progression, spaced across levels based on whether the Job is on a Fast, Medium, or Slow advancement track — meaning strategic choices shape how your character evolves through the campaign.

So, for example, you may choose the Warrior class because you like its HP, MP, and Skill point advancement numbers, you like its limit break, and you enjoy playing that overall archetype for your character.

Then, you pick three Jobs to fill out your character. Say that you want a full warrior build, so you choose your three jobs to be: Dragoon, Knight, and Monk.

From here, you’d decide which of those three jobs would be on your Fast advancement track, which should go on your Medium track, and which will be on your slow advancement.

Important note here though: only one of your Jobs needs to be associated with your Class. That means the rest can actually be totally outside that box — so yes, you can be a Mage-warrior hybrid if it fits your concept!

You could be a warrior class, with the Dragoon, Black Mage, and Chemist jobs.

So, here’s the quick breakdown of Job progression:

Fast Progression: Abilities at levels 1, 3, and every 3 levels thereafter
Medium Progression: Abilities at levels 1, 4, and every 3 levels thereafter
Slow Progression: Abilities at 2, 5, and every 3 levels thereafter

This staggering system means every level feels like a growth moment. You get new Abilities (“Circles”) from all three of your jobs at the same cadence. But at the same time, you get Circles from the Jobs that are most important to you, at earlier levels.

The rule book mentions this too, but if you do want to try out this awesome system, I’d recommend that you don’t stress too much about your first Job choices. There’s a ton of options here, which is great for replayability, and experimenting with side campaigns.

But, there’s also too many Jobs to really nail down what you want to ideally play, the first time you try out this game. Probably instead, just pick classes that sound fun, and give it a whirl.

To wrap up this video, I’m going to cover my personal favorite Job from each of the first three Classes. Since there’s over 50-jobs, there’s too many for me to dive into – at least today. But hopefully these quick snapshots give you a picture of how Jobs work, what kind of Abilities each provides, and some inspiration for your upcoming game:

If I was to play a Warrior Job, I’d start with Dragoon:

As you probably know, Dragoons are also often known as Dragon Knights . Dragoons are aerial combat specialists who use momentum for power. Originally trained to pierce the hides of massive foes like dragons, their style revolves around leaping high above the battlefield and crashing down with overwhelming force. Depending on the setting, Dragoons may hunt dragons, fight alongside them, or carry on their legacy after their extinction — but they’re almost always portrayed as guardians who stand against towering threats .

In play, Dragoons are defined by the Jump and Blood of the Dragon Circles . Jump removes them from the battlefield for a round before returning with an automatic, high-impact strike. Meanwhile, critical hits generate Blood of the Dragon to fuel powerful Dragon Arts , which are the Dragoon’s situational combat techniques that modify your attacks, defenses, or Jump actions, for additional benefits.

Next up, for the expert class, I’d probably start with Squire – I just have so many good memories from playing Final Fantasy Tactics:

Instead of perfecting a single discipline, Squires develop adaptability through experience and improvisation. That flexibility makes Squires exceptional team players , able to step into gaps and support allies in many situation.

Mechanically, the Squire revolves around Fundaments — where they grant short-term bonuses to allies based on that ally’s Class. Warriors hit harder, Experts perform better at skills, Mages cast more effectively, and Adepts can receive whichever boost fits the moment. As the Squire advances through their Circles, they can grant Fundaments to multiple allies at once, add secondary effects like increased damage or longer debuffs. I’m not always a team buffer kind of guy, but I do like the way Squires here make everyone else better , turning party coordination into a great strength.

For my third Job, I’ll choose from the Mage class. This one’s really hard for me as I could see myself actually going like 3/3 mage, or maybe 2/3, at least. But, if I had to pick just one for my remaining Job slot, I’d go with Necromancer:

Necromancers are reclusive magic-users whose art is inseparably tied to death and the Shadow. Often misunderstood or feared, they’re immediately recognizable by their Bone Commander — an undead construct that serves as both assistant and bodyguard.

While some Necromancers lean into darker reputations, others act as shamans or intermediaries, communing with spirits to resolve unfinished business or bring peace to the dead. Their morality isn’t defined by their magic, but by how they choose to wield it.

In play, Necromancers are spellcasters with access to the Necromancy spell list and a powerful Companion system . Their Bone Commander acts on their shared action economy, providing combat presence without needing its own stats or hit points. Their Limit Break, Friends on the Other Side , allows damage from the party to count as Shadow damage, supercharging Necromancer features and reinforcing their role as battlefield controllers who blur the line between ally and undead asset.

So! There you have it. From adaptable Squires and sky-shattering Dragoons to shadow-touched Necromancers and beyond, Legend Edition’s Classes and Jobs are all about expression through choice . Your Class sets the foundation, but your Jobs — and how you progress them — define how your character actually plays at the table. Legend Edition feels... unmistakably Final Fantasy.

What I really want to know is... from the 50+ jobs available in Legend Edition, what three Jobs would best define your Character? List your Jobs in the comments.

Otherwise, thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this breakdown of Classes and Jobs in Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition, hit that like button, subscribe for more content, and ring the bell so you don’t miss our next video.

Three Quick Strange Things that Stranger Things Got Wrong About D&D

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 22:12:16 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQLN8bvlo-Q

Transcription

If you’re like me, you just watched Stranger Things Season 5, and it was amazing. Personally, I felt like it really hit similarly to the first season – they did a great job.

But you're watching Stranger Things, getting hyped about seeing D&D represented in mainstream media, when suddenly Mike declares he's casting a spell, as a paladin... at first level. And you're sitting there thinking, "Wait, that's not how that works."

Well, you're not alone. Today we're diving deep into three quick, but glaring D&D mistakes – or, perhaps intentional and fun D&D alternations – that Stranger Things has made throughout its run. I love Stranger Things, so this is by no means a criticism of the show.

If anything, some of these mistakes just makes me like it more. Because, let’s get real – most D&D games fudge something in the rules anyways. It’s part of the fun. And no one really wants to be a rules lawyer all the time.

What's up, dice rollers! Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG where we explore everything that makes tabletop RPGs amazing. I'm your host, and today we're taking a critical but loving look at how Stranger Things – arguably the biggest mainstream representation of D&D we've ever had – got some pretty fundamental (and sometimes funny) things wrong about our favorite hobby.

Now, before we dive in, let me be clear: I absolutely love that Stranger Things brought D&D into the spotlight. The show has introduced countless people to our hobby, and that's incredible.

As D&D enthusiasts, we can appreciate the show while also having some fun pointing out where the Duffer Brothers maybe should have consulted their Player's Handbook a bit more carefully.

So grab your dice, settle in, and let's explore three quick strange things that Stranger Things got wrong about D&D.

Mistake #1: The Demogorgon Campaign Confusion

I’m gonna call this “Mistake #1,” by the way, and you’ll find out why in just a minute.

But let's start with this big one from Season 1. In the very first episode, we see the boys playing D&D, and Will's character encounters the Demogorgon. Now, the show treats this like it's some kind of final boss encounter, but here's the problem: a Demogorgon in D&D is a CR 26 creature. Basically, a Lv.26 monster. That's endgame content for level 20 characters.

These kids are clearly playing low-level characters – probably somewhere between levels 1-5 based on their abilities and the campaign Mike’s describing. A real Demogorgon would obliterate their entire party in a single round without breaking a sweat. It would be like sending a group of mall security guards to fight Godzilla.

What the show probably meant to use was a lesser demon or maybe just called it a "demogorgon" as a generic monster name. But for D&D players, it's like watching someone try to drive a car with a boat steering wheel – technically it's transportation equipment, but it's completely wrong for the situation.

Is this really a mistake though? I’d say yes, technically. But also, we all know how kids get when playing games. Mike was probably like, “hey, you know what would be cool for my party of Lv.5 adventurers? Give them something that inspires them. Like this CR26 literal god.” It’s the type of move that every DM has done at some point – just go way, wayyy overboard. And again, that’s part of the fun with games like D&D.

Mistake #2: The Paladin Spell Situation

This one is really funny to me because it happens multiple times throughout the series. Mike's primarily the dungeon master for his group. But when he plays, his character is consistently referred to as a paladin, and we see him attempting to cast spells at what appears to be first level.

Here's the issue: in every edition of D&D that would have been available when Stranger Things is set – we're talking late 70s to early 80s – paladins don't get spells until much higher levels. In AD&D (Advanced dungeons and dragons), paladins don't get their first spell until 9th level. Even in modern 5th Edition, paladins don't get spells until 2nd level.

But the show has Mike casting spells right from the start. It's a small detail, but it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how the class works. It would be like showing a wizard swinging a two-handed sword as their primary weapon – technically possible in some circumstances, but it misses the point of the class – for that level, at least – entirely.

It’s another “mistake” though that many groups would make, probably especially kids. You want to play a character who can do cool things, at any level. So maybe this was another intentional move on the Duffer brothers’ part, showing not just the rules for D&D, but how people actually play.

Mistake #3: The Dice Rolling Drama

This one’s more about dramatic license. Throughout the series, we see characters making single dice rolls for incredibly complex situations, and the entire outcome hinges on that one roll.

Real D&D involves a lot more dice rolling and a lot more back-and-forth between players and the DM. Combat isn't usually resolved with a single dramatic roll – it's a series of attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and tactical decisions. The show makes it look like D&D is just "roll a d20 and see what happens," when the reality, as we all know, is much more nuanced.

The most egregious example is in Season 1 when Will's fate seems to hinge entirely on a single d20 roll. While dramatic moments like this can happen in D&D, they're usually the culmination of a longer sequence of events, not the entire encounter.

Of course, filming four kids rolling dozens of dice over and over doesn’t make for great visual episodes, I assume. This one is really more to point out that anyone who isn’t familiar with D&D may be a bit surprised walking into a real gaming session at how many dice really do get rolled.

On platforms like Reddit, the D&D community's reaction to these inaccuracies has been... interesting. Players have been discussing these since the show premiered.

One user pointed out in a popular thread: "I love that Stranger Things brought D&D to the mainstream, but I wish they'd gotten a consultant who actually understood the game mechanics. It's like they researched D&D by reading about it rather than playing it."

Another user noted: "The show gets the emotional core of D&D right – the friendship, the collaborative storytelling, the escapism. But the mechanical details are so wrong that it's distracting for anyone who actually plays."

Now, do these mistakes matter? I would argue they don't – Stranger Things is a TV show, not a D&D tutorial. People may come into the hobby with incorrect assumptions on how things work. But, if more people are getting into the hobby, then that's positive.

And D&D – or let’s at least say tabletop roleplay games – have experienced unprecedented growth partly thanks to Stranger Things, and that's amazing for our community.

So here's what I want to know from you: is there anything else fun or silly that I missed from Stranger Thing’s D&D inaccuracies? I’m sure there has to be more than just these three, so please hit me up in the comments and let me know what you’ve found!

And that wraps up our dive into Stranger Things, for today. Remember, this comes from a place of love – both for the show and for D&D.

If you enjoyed this quick video, make sure to hit that like button and subscribe for more D&D content.

Whether you're fighting demogorgons in the Upside Down or just trying to survive your first dungeon crawl, keep those dice rolling!

DragonLance Legends coming to Amazon in February

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 20:06:06 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=257fKzW8yzA

Transcription

Before there was Game of Thrones, Baldur’s Gate, and Critical Role.… there was Dragonlance .

A fantasy saga that defined an entire generation of D&D players — epic wars, tragic heroes, and dragons that actually felt like dragons. But if you aren’t familiar, what is Dragonlance — and why are we still talking about it in 2026?

Well to answer that last question, the new “Legends Edition” which is the second Trilogy of Dragonlance is coming to Amazon in February. This is a big deal because getting new copies of the original Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy, and now this second “Legends” Trilogy was becoming very difficult.

I’m hoping these new prints rekindle the spark of one of the greatest D&D settings and novel series of all time, and introduce even more people to its magic.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your home for D&D history, lore deep-dives, and the stories that shaped the game we play today.

If you love tabletop RPGs, classic settings, and learning why D&D looks and plays the way it does today, you’re in the right place.

So, let’s talk about one of my favorite fantasy settings – and fantasy book series of all times – Dragonlance .

Dragonlance started as a bold idea from Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman , later developed with Margaret Weis at TSR. To answer the burning question you may be having, right off the bat – yes, the Dragonlance adventures came before the book series.

At the time, most D&D adventures were simple and modular. You’d kick in a dungeon door, fight some monsters, grab treasure, and move on. Dragonlance asked a very different question.

What if Dungeons & Dragons could tell one long, epic story?

Instead of disconnected adventures, the Dragonlance team wanted a campaign with a clear beginning, middle, and end. A single, continent-spanning war. A story that unfolded over time, not just session to session.

To make that work, players wouldn’t create random characters. They’d play pre-generated heroes, each designed to fit directly into the narrative, with personal arcs baked into the plot.

That idea became the original Dragonlance AD&D module series — eventually twelve linked adventures telling the story of the War of the Lance.

On paper, it was revolutionary. At the table… it was complicated.

The problem is simple. And honestly, you can probably pause the video here and tell me the problem, yourself, based on your own D&D games. It’s basically this: D&D games, and it’s players – are unpredictable.

Dungeons & Dragons thrives on player choice, improvisation, and chaos. Dragonlance, on the other hand, needed players to be in very specific places, doing very specific things, at specific times.

If the party ignored a hook, skipped a location, or made an unexpected choice, the entire story could fall apart.

So the modules relied heavily on railroading — nudging, and sometimes outright forcing, players back onto the intended path.

That tension made Dragonlance awkward to run as a campaign. The story was strong, but the format worked against the strengths of tabletop roleplaying.

And that’s when Dragonlance found the form it was truly built for.

To promote the modules, TSR (that is, the company founded by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye, to publish D&D) decided to release a trilogy of tie-in novels.

That decision came late, the original author didn’t work out, and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ended up writing the first book themselves — in roughly three months.

The result was Dragons of Autumn Twilight, released in 1984. Which, even talking about almost brings a tear to my eye – the book was just that impactful to me in my teenage years.

TSR expected modest sales. But instead, the book was a massive hit.

For many readers, this wasn’t just their first Dragonlance novel — it was their first D&D novel. It introduced the idea that a D&D party could be the heart of a fantasy epic, with flawed characters, emotional arcs, and long-term consequences.

This is basically why Dragonlance matters to D&D history. And not just a little bit. It matters – a LOT. Dragonlance proved that Dungeons & Dragons wasn’t just a game system — it was actually its own entire storytelling engine.

If you haven’t read the novel series, I have some amazing news for you, shortly. But at its core, Dragonlance is about one idea: hope in darkness.

The world of Krynn is broken. The gods are distant. War is everywhere. People are scared, tired, and cynical. But, the world of Dragonlance isn’t saved by a single chosen hero. Instead, this novel series tells you that the world can be saved when ordinary people choose to do the right thing, even when it’s hard, and even when it feels pointless.

That philosophy shaped the tone of the setting. Dragonlance was darker than most TSR-era worlds, but it was never hopeless.

Friendship mattered. Faith mattered. Sacrifice mattered. Umm, a lot.

Those themes became incredibly influential, especially for party-focused storytelling in D&D campaigns.

Dragonlance also changed how dragons were treated in D&D.

Before this, dragons were often just very powerful monsters. Dangerous, sure — but still just another encounter. Dragonlance made dragons rare, mythical, and world-shaping.

What becomes the mystical return of dragons isn’t just a side quest in this setting. It’s THE central event that changes the balance of power across the entire world.

That idea — that dragons should feel legendary, and not just routine — stuck, and it still shapes how dragons are presented in modern D&D.

After the success of the original trilogy, Weis and Hickman followed it with Dragonlance Legends, which is what I’ll be getting to more about in just a few minutes.

Instead of escalating to an even bigger war, Legends zoomed in. It focused on the twins from the first trilogy: Raistlin and Caramon Majere, and on the topics of ambition, responsibility, and the cost of power.

It introduced time travel – which to be honest, I don’t love – personal tragedy, and consequences that felt intimate. This trilogy, too, was a massive success, even hitting the New York Times bestseller list — a first for TSR.

For a brief moment, Dragonlance wasn’t just a D&D setting. It actually became the face of D&D storytelling.

But Dragonlance’s greatest strength eventually became its weakness.

The setting was tightly bound to one story and one cast of characters. Once the War of the Lance was resolved, the world of Krynn felt… finished.

New stories struggled to find the same weight. Bigger threats felt repetitive. New heroes had a hard time stepping out of the shadow of the originals.

Unlike the Forgotten Realms, Krynn never felt like a neutral playground. It felt like a world where the most important story had already happened. And slowly, Dragonlance faded from the spotlight.

Dragonlance went quiet after 2010.

But in February 2026, we’re getting a new hardcover release of Dragonlance Legends — collecting the full trilogy with new behind-the-scenes material from Weis and Hickman.

It’s not a full revival of the setting. It’s a reminder of an important moment in D&D history, when the game experimented with storytelling in a way that permanently changed how we think about campaigns.

This trilogy about the twins: Raistlin and Caramon – is coming after the Chronicles trilogy was rereleased (I believe) just this last year – I got my copy from Margaret Weis at GenCon.

These books haven’t been in print for some time. So, if you like what you’ve been hearing about Dragonlance, or you – like me – are a longtime fan, you may want to pick these up.

You can get the original Chronicles Trilogy on Amazon now, and the second Trilogy – Legends – is coming out this February.

Dragonlance asked a question that D&D is still trying to answer: Is this game about total freedom… or about telling powerful stories?

Most tables today try to balance both. And whether you loved Dragonlance or bounced hard off its railroads, its influence is still baked into how D&D is played, written, and remembered.

So I want to know — have you read Dragonlance, or played in a campaign set in Krynn?

Would you run a Dragonlance campaign today, or does it feel too tied to its story?

Let me know in the comments, like the video if you enjoyed it,subscribe for more D&D deep dives, and I’ll see you next time.

D&D Beyond's Holiday One-Shot Wonders Adventure Pack

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 21:40:58 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kh5bY2opoA

Transcription

The holidays just got more magical… and a little chaotic! Today we’re unwrapping the brand-new One-Shot Wonders: Holiday Adventure Pack on D&D Beyond, perfect for your next winter game night — whether you’re running one session or surprising your group with some festive mayhem!

This pack delivers not just one, but five holiday themed adventures that you can run in about 3 hours each — from silly toy factory break-ins to battling puddling gremlins and more!”

So what exactly is in this Holiday Adventure Pack?

The pack includes five standalone adventures, each designed for a specific level range, from early Level 1–2 play all the way up to Level 11–12. Each adventure is built to be completed in a single three-hour session, with minimal prep required and optional guidance for scaling difficulty up or down depending on your party.

Included are also five fully illustrated battlemaps, featuring festive locations like a toy factory, an ice castle, and a grand holiday banquet hall. These maps are compatible with D&D Beyond’s Maps VTT, making them easy to drop into both in-person and online games.

Additionally, you can have fun with three brand-new monsters: the Great Fir Drake, Pudding Gremlins, and the Snow Sphinx.

Sometimes I feel these kind of holiday-themed monsters add charm to end-of-year games, and other times, I think it’s a bit of stretch to add them because they can feel a bit gimmick-y. But these ones, I like.

Each creature comes with full stat blocks, original art, and lore, giving DMs memorable seasonal threats that still feel mechanically distinct and interesting to run.

One thing I really like are the four new playable species, including a Frosty-inspired Snowborn, a humanoid reindeer known as the Tarandus, the tree-like Hederan, and the fox-folk Canisar. These species are fully integrated into D&D Beyond’s character builder, making them easy to use for one-shots or even longer campaigns. The reindeer-people kind of freak me out a bit, but I’d play a snowborn.

Rounding things out are twelve new magic items inspired by the Twelve Days of Christmas. These items lean into festive flavor while still offering practical in-game utility, making them fun rewards that won’t feel out of place at the table.

If you’re like – well – most of us, getting everyone together during the holidays is tricky. That makes one-shots like these a pretty decent solution — fast, fun, and filled with seasonal character. And, often chaos!

At $14.99 for the whole pack, it’s only about $3 per ready-to-run adventure , and that includes a lot of bonuses with the special holiday races, monsters, and 12-days of Christmas items. Overall, not a bad value for some D&D holiday cheer.

So there you have it — a festive, fun, and flexible way to bring your group together this winter. Whether you’re gifting this pack to your DM or grabbing it to run your own seasonal session, the Holiday Adventure Pack on D&D Beyond is a great way to keep your table rolling into the new year.

I’ve got a link to D&D Beyond in the video description for you, below, in case you want to pick it up!

That’s it for today! Hit LIKE if you want more holiday game ideas, SUBSCRIBE for D&D news and tools, and let me know in the comments — which adventure would you run first?

The New Final Fantasy TTRPG Is Here — And It’s Incredible

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:53:03 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GBbHsUFBR8

Transcription

Visit the Final Fantasy Tabletop Roleplaying Legend Edition Website .

Final Fantasy fans… it’s finally happening. A brand-new tabletop RPG built specifically to capture the tactical, job-swapping, limit-breaking chaos we love from the Final Fantasy series.

But… for those of you who are familiar with Final Fantasy d20, and other predecessors to this Legend Edition, why make a whole new system when Final Fantasy Tabletop RPGs have already existed in the past? And what makes the Final Fantasy Legend Edition so special?

Today, we’re diving in to the game that aims to become the definitive way to play in Ivalice—or any Final Fantasy world—at your table. Oh, and did I mention that this is a professionally-designed game book and PDF assets for every conceivable part of your game – and it’s all 100% free?

That’s right, free. This is a passion project brought to you by Mildra the Monk and his amazing team that they’ve been working on for years. It’s absolutely incredible what they’ve put together, and you can get it for your table today – at no cost.

Hey everyone, welcome back to ETTRPG—your home for tabletop news, deep dives, and world-building inspiration. If you love Final Fantasy, Tactics-style combat, or job systems with way too many builds to ever be able to properly enjoy it all, today’s video is for you.

So, Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition is a spiritual successor to the long-running Returners’ Final Fantasy RPG and its offshoots like Final Fantasy 4e and Omega Fantasy. But this isn’t just a rehash—this is a completely modernized, research-driven rebuild of the whole system.

The devs, among them Mildra the Monk, who has been a big supporter of us at Eternity TTRPG for years, spent three years dissecting the games, the lore, the combat, and all the unique systems that Final Fantasy fans love. The result? An intermediate-complexity tabletop RPG laser-focused on recreating the true Final Fantasy experience – at the table—without any confusing crunch, or decade-old legacy rules.

Ok, as I mentioned, there are other Final Fantasy tabletop systems already. But here’s what it boils down to for why it was worth it for Mildra and his team to create this new system.

Number one: Simplicity
None of the previous games fully capture the mythos of Final Fantasy while still giving players complete setting freedom .

Where earlier systems often tied you to a specific world, tone, or era, Legend Edition was built around a single core design principle, which is: “Mythos over setting.”

This means the rules capture the soul of Final Fantasy—Summons, Jobs, elemental affinities, cinematic abilities—but they don’t lock you to Ivalice, Gaia, Spira, or any one timeline.

Using this game system, you can: Recreate your favorite Final Fantasy world. Mash up multiple games. Or build your own world entirely from scratch.

This is FF energy, but not FF rails , that makes it such a big deal.

So, moving on, What Makes Legend Edition Stand Out? The first piece is: Ridiculously Modular Character Building.

In the future, I plan to do more videos on Final Fantasy Legend Edition. But let’s content ourselves today by summarizing – at least for this section – that there’s 50+ Jobs drawn from across the franchise. Included are fan favorites and long-time classics such as Dragoon, Black Mage, Thief, Time Mage, Gunbreaker, and dozens more. Using these 50+ Jobs, you do in fact have over 25,000 job combinations available to you, as a player.

And these aren't “same-y” class splashes. The track-based advancement system makes each mix feel meaningful, distinct, and highly customizable.

Oh—and there are 14 playable races taken from the Final Fantasy universe , each with their own unique ability.

This is one of the most flexible JRPG-inspired character engines out there.

The second big item that makes the Legend Edition Stand Out is Streamlined, Row-Based Combat, like your favorite Final Fantasy games from back in the day.

Legend Edition offers an easy-to-learn row-based combat system that keeps the spirit of classic Final Fantasy battles while speeding everything up.

You still get things like: Elemental affinities, Status effects, Skills with cinematic alt uses, And powerful Limit break moments. But, the math is way smoother than you’d expect. You won’t need a calculator, like if you took Final Fantasy I directly to your table.

Next up is that the book provide you with Mythos-Driven Campaign Systems.

Final Fantasy stories, across all games even back to the originals, are political. Big factions, world tension, and meaningful alliances are core to the franchise.

Legend Edition builds this directly into play with: A Reputation & Affiliation system . You also have what’s called “The Holdings system” to build your very own base. The game comes with expanded NPC creation rules, and a robust Skill Game system for non-combat set pieces.

This is the stuff that makes your campaign feel like a Final Fantasy game, not just another “game like D&D,” but with a “Final Fantasy” sticker slapped on their for flavor.

As if all of the core game’s features are not enough, The Expansion Books Are pretty Wild.

The Ultimania Expansion adds: 28 new races , 4 new jobs , 300+ sample items , Airship & Mecha creation systems , plus More Skill Games and Affiliations.

Meanwhile, the Enemy Intel Field Guide brings you 200 full NPC stat blocks , a Fully detailed bestiary, and Drop-in encounter prep tools. Basically, everything you need as a Dungeon Master to prep your game with maximum Final Fantasy feel, and minimal effort.

Additionally, if you want to run FF Tactics, FFIX, FFX, or even a fully original world—these books give you all the toys for each of those specific settings.

Wrapping it all up, Legend Edition emulates the cinematic spirit of Final Fantasy with its Big narrative beats, Cutscene-worthy skill moments, Dramatic faction politics, Summons that feel truly mythic, and Job classes that are meaningful extensions of character identity.

If you’ve ever said “I wish Final Fantasy had a premier tabletop version,” this is the game you need to try out at your table, next.

So, if you’ve made it this far, I think you and I both know it’s time for you to download your free copy of Final Fantasy Legends Edition. I’ve got that link in the video description below.

But I want to hear from you: what do you think? Does Legend Edition finally deliver that top-quality Final Fantasy tabletop experience we’ve all been waiting for? And if so, what will be the first Job class you’ll try out? Let me know in the comments.

Hit like, subscribe, and share this video with your party. Let’s get Mildra and his team the recognition on this masterpiece that they truly deserve.

Until next time—may your crits be big, and your summons be even bigger.

Relicborn — The Blue-Boned Swashbuckling Undead of Crooked Moon

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 16:18:20 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwDiy7u-wUo

Transcription

In Kalero, the canyon walls sing.

Not literally — but if you listen closely, as the desert wind slips through the stone crypts and carved tombs, you’ll hear something. A rhythm. A pulse. A beat. And when the Crooked Moon dips behind the cliffs, figures begin to emerge — their bones glowing with blue light, their skulls crowned with curls or braids, their steps half-dance, half-swagger.

These are the Relicborn — the living memories of Kalero. Dressed in vibrant fabrics, lacquered patterns, and sometimes… a flashy swashbuckler’s cape or rapier at their side.

Today on Eternity TTRPG, we’re diving into one of the most joyful, most soulful, and most stylish ancestries in all of Druskenvald.

Crooked Moon continues to be one of my favorite adventure supplements of all time, and you can pick it up on D&D Beyond.

Whether you’re a player wanting a character with flair, you’re a DM craving new cultural flavor for your campaign, or you’re just a lore-nerd who loves stylish undead — this one’s for you.

The Relicborn are a species native to Kalero, a province lined with towering canyon walls carved into catacombs and mausoleums.

But despite being born from tombs, they are anything but gloomy.

These are living skeletons , decorated with any number of colors, hand-painted motifs, and glowing patterns. Their bones are encased in a translucent magical substance that gives them full humanoid shape.

And if your Relicborn wants big curly swashbuckler hair? Yes. They can actually grow it from their skulls.

Where they come from is unique: they’re formed in the crypts of Kalero, rising from ancestral memory and celebratory magic rather than necromancy. Theirs is not a culture of undeath — it’s a culture of joy , reflection , and honoring the past through celebration.

Every Relicborn is essentially a walking festival — a living memory kept alive through music, dance, and stories.

Relicborn society is built on a delicate balance: the energy of a vibrant celebration and the quiet reflection of ancestral remembrance.

Imagine communities built along canyons, with lantern-lit walkways leading into ancient tomb-shrines. Families gather at night to play music, tell stories, and dance under blue and purple moonlight — while their ancestors' spirits look on.

Their festivals can last days. Their moments of silence last just as long. They thrive in community — in the stories of who came before, and who they themselves will become.

Relicborn live roughly 250 years , and when their time ends… they simply collapse gracefully into a pile of bones, returning to the crypts that first birthed them.

All of the fun roleplaying stuff aside, let’s break down how their mechanics reflect their culture, starting with the most signature ability:

Dance of Death

As a bonus action, you make a DC 15 Charisma Performance or Instrument check. If you succeed, your next attack roll this turn has advantage .

If you succeed by 5 or more? You roll one of your Hit Dice (without spending it!) and gain temporary hit points .

This is perfect for swashbucklers, bards, rogues — anyone who wants to flavor combat like a deadly dance.

Next, they have: Eternal Party

Relicborn don’t sleep. Instead, they complete a long rest in four hours so long as they spend it in revelry — music, storytelling, gentle dancing, or shared celebrations.

Imagine your party taking a rest and your Relicborn swashbuckler quietly jamming with a bone flute while keeping watch.

This one’s pretty good: Moment of Remembrance

When a creature you see within 30 feet fails a d20 test, you can use your reaction to add 1d4 to their roll.

Once you turn a failure into a success, you can’t use it again until a rest.

Relicborn are bursting with character potential.

They have Incredible aesthetics. From glowing bones to swashbuckler outfits — you can lean into a Day-of-the-Dead style undead, a pirate, a festival style, or something Gothic.

If you were to play a Relicborn…

What would your glowing bones look like when you’re afraid, happy, or angry? And when your long life ends — what do you hope those you care about remember about you?

Drop your ideas in the comments. And if you enjoyed this deep dive into the Relicborn, hit like, subscribe, ring the bell, and join me next time as we explore another Crooked Moon ancestry.

Until then — Keep the music playing. Keep the celebrations bright. And may every memory lead you to your next dance.

Fateweaving in The Crooked Moon — Personalizing Story

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:10:31 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl3c6djcgbo

Transcription

Imagine your character in a folk-horror saga — not just another adventurer, but someone with a personal fate, a hidden thread that drags them deeper into shadows and tragedy… or redemption.

That’s exactly what Fateweaving brings to Druskenvald in The Crooked Moon.

The Crooked Moon isn’t just another D&D book. It’s a 600-plus-page folk-horror campaign that plops players into a sun-starved realm of nightmares, rituals, and haunted rails.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your home for deep-dive D&D news breakdowns, world-building insights, and tools to level up your tabletop storytelling. Whether you’re a forever-DM, a lore-monster, or someone who appreciates a well-crafted adventure, we tackle the big ideas behind the games you love.

And today, as with many videos I’ve created over the past several months, The Crooked Moon gives us plenty to sink our teeth into.

What sets Crooked Moon’s System apart from the standard “roll dice, then fight monsters” is the optional system called Fateweaving — a way to bind each character’s past, motivations, and desires directly into the core of the campaign.

Fateweaving gives each character a Thread of Fate — one of 13 possible personal arcs. At character creation (or early on), each player picks a Thread that defines a personal goal: lost memories, cursed lineage, spiritual duty, monstrous ambition — you name it.

Then, throughout the campaign’s story, the GM weaves in six Narrative Touchpoints specific to that Thread. These form a full character arc , culminating in a personal climax and catharsis that runs parallel to the main story – they’re something much greater than just “side quests.”

The first touchpoint, Incitement , ties a character’s personal quest to the campaign’s opening (often aboard the spectral Ghostlight Express or within the Crooked House).

As the story progresses, the character meets allies or NPCs connected to their fate, uncovers secrets, faces a personal trial, then pushes through to their own climax — all while the main horror unfolds.

In the end, during the epilogue, each character receives Catharsis — the emotional and narrative payoff for their arc.

This means every player is actively living their own horror-tale inside the larger one of your full campaign.

You might ask: why bother with all this Fate Weaving stuff? It does add potential complexity to your campaign, after all. So why not just run a normal campaign?

It’s because Fateweaving transforms The Crooked Moon – or, any campaign you’re running –into a deeply personal story, for the players.

It gives each character agency and meaning — their choices and their backstories matter.

It increases emotional engagement for players : horror, hope, tragedy — when stakes are personal, every failure and every success resonates.

It helps GMs balance player spotlight : with distinct Threads, you can weave in scenes tailored to each player without derailing the main plot.

For players who love roleplay and character development — this is the sweet spot.

Let’s pick an example Fateweaving Thread — say the Thread of Deliverance – and run through it really quick, just to give you an idea for how this works.

The character begins lost, ejected from the spectral train, given only a broken compass. (this is the “Incitement” step)

Later, at a trading post, a shady merchant hints he knows of strange artifacts. (this then, is the “Connection” step)

On a creepy riverboat, the character recovers the first piece of a broken family heirloom. (with the “Discovery” step)

In a haunted cemetery sanctuary, they wrestle the second piece from a statue’s grasp. (the “Confrontation” step)

After the final boss — the Crooked Queen — they reclaim the last piece, reforge the heirloom, and choose either to become a ferryman of souls… or walk away free. (culminating in the “Climax + Catharsis” step)

Suddenly, your campaign isn’t just “we stopped the big bad.” It’s the players’ story. Their redemption. Their choices. And in this case – even their soul.

If you want to try out Crooked Moon’s Fateweaving system, here’s some very easy ways to get started:

L et your players pick Threads early in the campaign – or, if you’re already running one, let them pick at your next session – then collaborate to weave their backstories into the world you’re running.

Keep the Touchpoints flexible: treat them as narrative prompts — adapt to what your players do rather than forcing them.

Be generous with spotlight time: Fateweaving only works if each character actually plays their arc, and gets to express their character through each important moment.

Use Touchpoint rewards to drive engagement: use boons, stat bonuses, and narrative closure — they reinforce the importance of the arc.

Don’t be afraid to deviate: mix endings, merge threads, or create custom ones — Crooked Moon’s Fateweaving system is meant as building blocks for you, not a cage you have to live in.

If you run your next horror campaign in Druskenvald — or any other world where Crooked Moon’s spooky setting fits — consider using Fateweaving. It’s not just good for story… it’s the kind of DM fuel that turns players into protagonists, and campaigns into personal sagas .

That’s it for today! If you enjoyed this breakdown, don’t forget to hit like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more RPG-craft content. And hey — maybe share in the comments which Threads of Fate you’d gravitate toward first. Thanks for watching.

Harvestborn — Scarecrow Souls of The Crooked Moon

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 22:05:11 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgWieYGo8k8

Transcription

In Druskenvald, the fields whisper. When the harvest is ready, something else rises too — figures of burlap and bone, lit from within by ancient green magic. Welcome to Druskenvald, under the eerie light of the Crooked Moon, where the Harvestborn stand as living scarecrows bound to the land, the harvest … life and death.

Crooked Moon has become one of my favorite adventure supplements of all time, and you can get a copy from D&D Beyond.

Today on Eternity TTRPG , we’re diving deep into one of the most unique ancestries in the Crooked Moon setting: the Harvestborn . Whether you’re a player looking to build an unforgettable character, you’re a DM planning your next atmospheric campaign, or just someone who loves rich D&D lore, this video is for you.

We’re breaking down who the Harvestborn are, where they come from, what makes them so magically eerie, and how their mechanics and lore work together to create incredible storytelling opportunities. Think of this as your complete guide to understanding — and playing — these scarecrow-souled guardians of Enoch.”

The Harvestborn are somewhat like other mechanical races in D&D — but their spooky scarecrow model just makes for great stories, worth telling.

In The Crooked Moon / Druskenvald setting, each ancestry (or “species”) does have a sort of “home province,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean they only exist there.

Harvestborn are a constructed species native to the province of Enoch in Druskenvald. According to lore, they are crafted with great care by the lord of Enoch, Methuselah. These constructs are infused with a vibrant, green magic — the same life-essence that flows through the fertile fields of their homeland.

Methuselah is the patient, almost paternal figure who oversees the province of Enoch . He is deeply attuned to the green magic of his land — not merely as a ruler, but as a guardian of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth: under his watch, Harvestborn are created, nurtured, and eventually laid to rest so they may be reborn.

Though he is a lord, Methuselah is less interested in dominion through fear, and more through stewardship: his role is tied to growth and harvest, not conquest. This makes him a figure of both authority and nurture — one who shapes his people not just from straw and wood, but with intention and magic.

In a province-overview document for Enoch, Methuselah is described as: “a black-furred cat-man with eyes as gold as the province’s grain fields …” For role-playing, you could lean into the mystery of who this creator of Harvestborn is, and how his Character affects the Harvestborn: Where did this mysterious, and obviously powerful figure come from? What is his magical or ancestral origin? Does he share any soul-link with his Harvestborn creations?

Back to the Harvestborn, they resemble scarecrows — bodies of wood, straw, metal, and other implements. Their heads glow, sometimes made from pumpkins, turnips, or even burlap sacks. But though they look like eerie husks, they are deeply tied to life … and to death.

In their society, they live in harmony, focusing on community, fellowship, and the cycles of growth. Food is their harvest; death is their rebirth.

Mechanically, Harvestborn are constructs — not quite living, but driven by magic. They are Medium size, approximately 4 to 7 feet tall, and in-game move at 30 feet per round.

One of their defining traits is called Culling : when a Harvestborn damages a creature that is already wounded, they can deal an extra 1d12 necrotic damage . That’s powerful — especially when you’re finishing off a foe.”

But like their creator, they’re not just about dealing death. Harvestborn also have Gift of the Green . As a bonus action, you can touch the ground and grant healing: a friendly creature within 30 feet can roll a Hit Die, and they heal the amount rolled plus your proficiency bonus.

Then there’s Jack-O-Lantern : you know the Dancing Lights cantrip, and you choose whether your spellcasting ability is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.

Being constructs, you don’t need to breathe, eat, or drink. That’s the Scarecrow Nature trait. And for rest, you can actually skip sleep entirely: instead, you can take a Watchful Rest — staying motionless and conscious for 4 hours, but still count it as a long rest.

The Harvestborn are deeply thematic. Their existence is a living tension between life and death — they harvest crops, but they also harvest life’s vital essence. Their cycle of rebirth is intrinsic: they often live around 100 years , and then ‘accept death’ … only to be reborn again.

As a player, this opens up incredible role-playing opportunities. Do Harvestborn remember their past incarnations? Do they cherish each lifetime, or dread what comes next? Are they fully aware of their created nature … or do they feel things in a way similar to how a living soul does?

From a thematic standpoint, Harvestborn embody folk horror beautifully: agricultural rituals, seasonal death and rebirth, quiet sacrifices in the fields. Their identity is bound to community — they grow and heal their people, they protect the land … but they are also constructs, perhaps seen as eerie or uncanny by outsiders.

On a personal level: what memories do Harvestborn carry between lifetimes? Do they still form strong bonds with people of other ancestries, knowing they might reincarnate only to find their friend permanently dead? And then, perhaps, do they fear what it means to be reborn?

“So — why pick a Harvestborn for your Crooked Moon game? First, for the unique flavor: you’re not a typical D&D race. You’re a magical construct with deep roots in folk horror. Your mechanics reflect a duality: offensive power (Culling) and support (Gift of the Green), with cycles of death and rebirth.”

“Second, the role-playing potential is huge. Harvestborn come built in with internal conflict, an apparently never-ending cycle of life and death, the mystery of reincarnation — that’s rich ground for character development. And third, they fit the Fall/ Harvest time aesthetic: moody fields, harvest rituals, green magic shimmering in twilight — Harvestborn are made for a Harvest/ Halloween setting.”

At the end of the day, Harvestborn are more than just scarecrows — they are echoes of the land itself, vessels of green magic, and agents of an eternal cycle. In the folk-horror world of The Crooked Moon, they also bring a unique combination of power, mystery, and heart.”

But now, it’s your turn.

If you were to play a Harvestborn in your next game, how do you think you’d face your life, knowing that even after death – you’d simply be reborn? Would you welcome rebirth — or resist it, knowing that you’d never be able to outrun yourself, even at the end of your life? And if you could carry something forward into your next life – experiences you’ve had, love you’ve shared, desires you’ve felt, what would that be?”

“Drop your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to hear your cool Harvestborn roleplay ideas.

And if you enjoyed this deep dive into one of Crooked Moon’s coolest ancestries, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell. Next time, we’ll explore another one of Crooked Moon’s lineages. Until then, may your roots stay deep, your light burn bright, and may every ending lead you toward your next beginning.

Critical Role Season 4 - Episode 3 Recap - The Snipping of Shears

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 17:42:43 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRQRNqRGVMs

Transcription

Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG.

With the last recap of Critical Role’s fourth campaign, in episode 2, the Falconer’s Rebellion echoed through Dol-Makjar, and an angel’s bloodline rewrote what faith looks like in the series.

This third episode — The Snipping of Shears — pulls those threads tight: divine secrets, infernal bargains, and a murder that changes everything.

As a quick note before jumping in, if you haven’t seen my prior recaps of this Critical Role campaign, you should know that A LOT happens in these 4.5hr-ish episodes. Cutting all of that down to about 10minutes means that there will be a lot of summarization. If there’s anything you don’t quite follow, check out my previous recaps for more context.

This episode opens with Teor Pridesire, the soldier trying to live quietly under the banner of the Candescent Creed.

Sir Filoneus Halovar hires him as Wick Halovar’s new bodyguard and sends him to the Mercanaud Couturier — a tailor’s shop with more whispers than fabric.

In the bustling Ogrimok Market, where magic is forbidden, Teor runs into Sir Julien Davinos, who’s searching for Occtis Tachonis.

Julien recognizes the Couturier’s name — they make problems disappear for the Halovars.

Teor, unaware, walks straight toward them.

Back in Villa Aurora, Wick faces a truth that upends everything he believes. Photarch Yanessa Halovar reveals that the chained celestial beneath their temple — Aetheon — is his grandfather.

After the gods fell, she took Aetheon’s blood and wished for a child touched by the sun. That child became Godard, Wick’s father — and the foundation of the Candescent Creed.

The Halovars turned divine theft into religion. Yanessa built her empire of light to survive a world without gods — and tells Wick the rules of faith are for others.

His duty is legacy: marry well, expand Filament, and remember that true power runs in the family’s blood. For Wick, his prior belief has just curdled into this sickening feeling of betrayal.

Reeling from the truth, Wick turns to the only person who’s ever been somewhat(?) fully honest with him — his demon companion, Tyranny. She was crafted by the Prince of Demonkind, to serve the Creed’s image, and bargain for souls. But Tyranny hates her purpose. She’s bound to Wick alone, and begs him not to send her back to the Pit.

They realize they’re both trapped by family expectations — a believer and a demon chained by faith and fear. Wick promises she’ll stay free, and together they plan to rescue Teor before the Halovars decide that he’s expendable.

In another corner of Dol-Makjar, the hunt for Occtis grows dangerous. At the Penteveral, Murray Mag’nesson stands up to Primus Tachonis himself — and is promptly cursed for it.

Meanwhile, Occtis, Thimble, and Kattigan are ambushed by the Crow Keepers in the Guard Tower. Vaelus bursts in mid-fight, saving Thimble from a grisly end.

The gang learns that Casimir — Thimble’s former ally — had been stealing from the Crow Keepers, paid his debt in blood, and left behind a deed to a fortress, now stolen by Cyd. It’s one more piece in a spreading puzzle of betrayal.

While others fight and scheme, Thaisha and Hal Fang build something new — the Hallowed Round, a theatre rising from Dol-Makjar’s old scars. Once a temple of oppression, it’s now reclaimed for art and community. An orc musician reminds Thaisha that rebellion isn’t just war — it’s creation.

At the Couturier, Teor meets the Mercanaud brothers — charming, unsettling, and reeking of infernal power. Before he can act, he’s trapped in a circle carved into the floor — a nine-pointed star that reeks of sulfur. Calastro Mercanaud begins cutting Teor’s shadow apart, piece by piece, with silver shears.

Then, salvation: Wick and Tyranny arrive under false orders, bluff their way in, and free Teor.

The three escape, but Tyranny’s terror says everything — they’ve just angered something far darker than House Halovar.

At Hal’s home, the pieces finally align. Hal attunes to Thjazi’s sword — the Liar’s Blade — and sends Thimble north to avenge their brother. Wick, Tyranny, Teor, Thimble, and Kattigan form a small band: the Soldier’s Table. Azune watches them ride out, whispering the names of the fallen. It feels like history beginning again.

At the Palazzo Davinos, the story turns from politics to nightmare. Julien watches in frozen horror as an invisible assassin reaches into his father’s skull and pulls it free. Upstairs, Occtis and Aranessa are trapped by silence as his brother Ethrand arrives — holding the Stone of Nightsong.

He orders the ghouls to open Occtis’s chest and put the stone ‘where it belongs.’ And then? Fade to black.

Alright — here’s why The Snipping of Shears hits so hard, and what you can learn from it for your own table.”

1. Secrets mean more when they’re personal.
When Wick learns that his faith is built on a lie — that his family’s light was stolen from a fallen celestial — it’s devastating not just because it’s awesome lore, but because it’s his grandmother telling him the truth. That’s the lesson: don’t dump exposition from an old scroll. Deliver it through someone the character trusts. When revelations come from family, mentors, or companions, the heartbreak feels real, and the fallout drives roleplay for sessions to come.

2. Make corruption generational.
The Halovars inherited sin. Yanessa’s wish twisted faith into an empire, Godard’s blood carries celestial power as a burden, and Wick now bears that legacy whether he wants it – or in this case, definitely not. And that’s the power of it.

Tyranny’s existence also mirrors that cycle — a demon born into a contract she never chose.

If you want emotional weight, make power in your world come with ancestry, or family, attached. Maybe a magic sword remembers every life it’s taken, or a player’s bloodline is blessed by something they don’t believe in.

Legacy as corruption creates tension between destiny and free will — one of the best engines for storytelling in D&D.

3. Mix horror with heart.
The Couturier scene in this episode works because of what’s being taken. Teor’s shadow — his literal sense of self — is being cut apart. It’s a nightmare. And it is the kind of horror that lingers.

When using horror at your table, think beyond monsters. Ask, ‘What does this threaten about who the character is, at their core?’ A curse that erases memories, a haunting that whispers a player’s thoughts back to them — those are the scares that deepen character growth.

And that’s it for Episode 3. Celestial secrets, infernal contracts, and one unforgettable assassination. What do you think — is Wick destined for redemption or ruin?

Drop your theories below, and join me next time as we follow the Soldier’s Table north.

Until then — let your dice fly, and may your stories be legendary.

2025 D&D Gifts and Game Inspiration for the Holidays

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 02:43:23 GMT

Know someone who’s a D&D fan? Not sure what to get them for Christmas? Or are you a dedicated D&D player who would like to treat yourself for the holidays?

This blog has you covered! Eternity TTRPG searched for unique D&D gifts and game inspiration for the holidays. Whether you’re getting a gift for a beginner D&D player, or for an experienced Dungeon Master, you’re sure to find the right gift from the list below.

Heroes of the Borderlands Ultimate Bundle

Calling all new D&D players: The Heroes of the Borderlands Ultimate Bundle is your introduction to the world of Dungeons & Dragons. This bundle includes:

Board game: provides 40-60 hours of playtime (featuring Combat, Roleplaying, and Exploration adventures), includes over a dozen maps, a set of 11 dice, a quick start guide, and much more!
Heroes of the Borderlands Digital Adventure Pack and Keep on the Borderlands Digital Dice Set.

An incredible starter set for D&D, Heroes of the Borderlands Ultimate Bundle will kick off plenty of campaigns, storytelling, and adventures.

Underworld Movie Series

The Underworld movie series presents the perfect inspiration for your loved one’s next D&D campaign.

Pitching vampires against lycans (werewolves), this dark fantasy series centers on protagonist Selene, hell bent on achieving vengeance for her family. Entwined with complex mythology and political intrigue, the Underworld film series is certain to spark unique plot twists and characters for any D&D campaign.

D&D Ice Cube Molds

All D&D players, regardless of skill level, agree that D&D dice are uniquely special. So, for that special D&D individual in your life, delight them with D&D Ice Cube Molds. Available in several molds, such as D20 and D10, these ice cube molds create accurate, polyhedral shaped ice cubes ideal for all drinks, especially whisky.

So, for your upcoming holiday get together and/ or latest D&D campaigns, raise a toast featuring D&D ice cube dice.

Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn, Cooperative Board Game

Battle against the malicious Dragon Army in this stand-alone D&D board game . Featuring 12 connected campaign scenarios, this cooperative board game allows both newbie D&D players and experienced Dungeon Masters to build their skills.

Best for 3 to 5 players, Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn will take you on epic quests for treasures while gaining allies.

Metal D&D Dice Sets

Do you collect D&D dice, or know someone who does? Consider metal D&D dice sets the ideal gift. Beautifully engraved and colorful, D&D metal dice sets enhance TTRPG games.

With plenty of sets available, you’re sure to find the right dice set, such as hollow dice, spinner dice, serpent dice, etc.

Begin, or enhance, your D&D dice collection with metal dice sets that will become the envy of all players at your next campaign. You can even display D&D dice around your home during the holidays, for a magical touch.

LEGOS Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale

LEGOS Red Dragon’s Tale set is wonderful for both creative play and boastful display. Full of rich, accurate details, this stunning LEGOS set features a tower, dungeon, and a buildable tavern. The crown jewel of the set: a striking Cinderhowl the Red Dragon figurine.

But that’s not all: the set also features an innkeeper, 4 adventurers, a dragonborn, several monsters, as well as a custom campaign, written by the D&D Team.

If you know a veteran Dungeon Master, consider LEGOS Red Dragon’s Tale set the ultimate D&D gift. They can spend the entire Christmas afternoon assembling the LEGOS to create a magical world.

D&D Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Celebrate the holiday season while showcasing your love for the game with a D&D ugly Christmas sweater. Available in a wide variety of colors, characters, and designs, you’re likely to find the right ugly sweater just for you or your loved one.

For example, does your D&D enthusiast love D20 dice? Yep, there’s an ugly sweater for that one!

Here’s a holiday tip: host a D&D party where everyone wears an ugly Christmas sweater—bonus points if folks wear a D&D or fantasy themed ugly sweater. Make it a contest for whoever wears the ugliest or eye-catching sweater.

Dungeoneer: Realm of the Ice Witch Card Series

Need more inspiration for a D&D campaign? Consider Dungeoneer: Realm of the Ice Witch , an expandable card series suited for 2 to 4 players.

Compatible with other Dungeoneer sets, Realm of the Ice Witch presents an arctic theme—perfect for the holidays.

In this card series, players battle against Chohzar the Ice Witch and her demons who have invaded the warm southern lands. Featuring 110 new Dungeoneer cards and several new characters, Realm of the Ice Witch will provide plenty of creative, winter-themed inspiration for D&D campaigns.

Play these cards with fellow D&D friends in front of a roaring fire while it snows outside.

Is Dark Sun Coming Back in D&D 5.5e?

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 20:13:59 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BYfKn3_nXc

Transcription

What if I told you that Dark Sun , the brutal, sun-scorched D&D campaign setting, might be making a serious comeback … not with a full book yet, but through new Unearthed Arcana subclasses? That’s exactly what’s happening — and today, we’re breaking down those four apocalyptic subclasses and what they might mean for the future of Athas.

First, some context. Dark Sun is one of D&D’s grimmest, most apocalyptic settings — magic is destructive, the world is a harsh desert wasteland, and mighty Sorcerer-Kings rule with an iron fist. That desolation comes from the fact that in Dark Sun, magic doesn’t just draw power — it devours life . That’s why many mages, called defilers, siphon life from the land or even from living beings to fuel their spells.

Historically, Dark Sun has also leaned heavily into psionics , making it very distinct among D&D worlds.

Now, Wizards of the Coast has dropped a new Unearthed Arcana (UA) called “Apocalyptic Subclasses” , and all four subclasses in it feel very Dark Sun-inspired. Fans are interpreting that as a possible signal that a full on 5.5E Dark Sun sourcebook could be coming.

To understand these Apocalyptic Subclasses, picture yourself stepping onto the cracked earth of a dying world. The sun hangs low and cruel, magic scorches the life around you, and survival is never guaranteed. That’s the energy these four subclasses channel. So let’s break them down — not just what they do, but how each one captures a different piece of Dark Sun’s brutal legacy.

1.Circle of Preservation Druid

These druids focus on restoring life. In an apocalyptic wasteland, they represent the fragile hope — trying to heal and revitalize what’s left.
Their mechanics emphasize “purifying” conditions or restoring vitality, meaning that they actively reverse the environmental damage caused by defiling magic — turning dead ground fertile again, cleansing blighted areas, and preserving what little life remains.
Roleplay-wise: these could be preservers in the classic Dark Sun sense, using magic to bring back life instead of destroying it.

2. Gladiator Fighter

A charismatic, show-man-warrior. Gladiators are huge in Dark Sun lore — arenas, duels, brutal spectacles.
Mechanically, this subclass leans into “performance + combat.” According to community feedback, it uses weapon mastery and charisma in interesting ways, intimidating foes, rousing allies, and performing daring maneuvers that blend martial prowess with theatrical flair.
In a Dark Sun campaign, gladiators could be slaves, champions of sorcerer-kings, or rebels.

3. Defiled Sorcery (Sorcerer)

Now this is very Dark Sun. These sorcerers draw life energy — either from the environment or even from other creatures (hit dice) — to fuel their magic.
The risk/reward is huge: you get powerful magic, but at a terrible cost. Perfect for a wasteland where magic is taboo and destructive.

4. Sorcerer-King Patron (Warlock)

Warlocks who’ve made a pact with a Sorcerer-King — those tyrannical, magically powerful rulers of Athas.
The patron imbues them with fear, command, and the oppressive power of their masters.
This is a really flavorful pick: warlocks aligned with Sorcerer-Kings could be enforcers, gladiator-lords, or even secret agents of tyranny.

To be clear with all of this Dark Sun speculation though, nothing is confirmed by Wizards of the Coast, yet. Unearthed Arcana is playtest material. Just because these subclasses are Dark Sun–flavored doesn’t guarantee a full sourcebook.

Still, for longtime Dark Sun fans, this could be the biggest hint yet that Athas is returning in 5.5E.

Understanding these subclasses is one thing — but using them in your campaign is where they really come alive. These options have strong thematic identities tied to survival, corruption, and power. So, here’s how DMs and players can integrate them into their campaigns in meaningful, story-rich ways.

As a DM:
Consider running a campaign set in a Dark Sun–inspired wasteland , even if you don’t go full canonical Athas. These subclasses give you hooks: gladiator arenas, life-draining magic, tyrant warlocks, and more.
Think about NPCs: Defilers (sorcerers) and Sorcerer-King warlocks make for excellent villains. The preservation druids can even be the rebels.

As a Player:
If you want flavor: pick one of these subclasses to lean into the “wasteland survivor” vibe.
Think about backstory: why does your defiler steal life? which Sorcerer-King did you make a pact with? That will drive roleplay.

Just remember with all of this though because it's not final : some features might change or be removed. Also, balance could be off, currently: some players in the community already think certain features are strong or need tweaking.

So yeah — these four apocalyptic subclasses are awesome, and they are giving major Dark Sun vibes . While they don’t guarantee a full Dark Sun 5.5E book, they’re definitely a strong signal. Whether you’re a fan of Athas already or just love grim, high-stakes fantasy, these subclasses open up some very cool possibilities .

Let me know in the comments: which subclass do you want to try first? And do you think Wizards of the Coast is actually building toward a Dark Sun comeback?

Heroes of Faerun: special regional equipment and innovative magic

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 13:50:13 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpPgFjr-hhg

Transcription

Want to take your character from just another face in the crowd to a legend whose name echoes through the halls of the Forgotten Realms? Today we’re diving into the brand-new sourcebook that gives players power, story, and world in one package: Heroes of Faerûn.

It’s just out as of a couple days ago, and we’re here to show you why this one could change the way you play characters in the Realms.

First up: what exactly is Heroes of Faerûn? The book is a 192-page hardcover sourcebook by Wizards of the Coast set in the Forgotten Realms for 5.5 edition D&D rules.

What’s included? Eight new subclasses, a new Circle Magic system (for group spellcasting!), dozens of feats and backgrounds, regional equipment, a breakdown of the Realms’ regions, factions, deities — everything a player needs to plug their character into Faerûn.

In short: this is a player-centric book — not just for DMs. Many Realms books lean DM-heavy, but this one is about you the player stepping into the legend.

Why is this book a big deal? Here are three reasons:

1. Expanded Player Options — Eight new subclasses means fresh ways to play: you’re not just rehashing what everyone else plays. And when you pair that with new backgrounds, feats, and special “regional” equipment — that gives some serious customization.

2. Setting Integration — The Forgotten Realms has been around for decades, but sometimes the player options feel generic. This book leans into lore: it gives eight factions, a primer on 42 gods, and overviews on ten Realms’ regions. That depth gives your character a place and a story.

3. Innovation: Circle Magic & Group Play — One of the standout mechanics is what’s called “Circle Magic.” This isn’t just another spell list: it’s a system where casters can combine efforts for enhanced effects. It opens up group tactics, teamwork for roleplaying magic casting, and can shake up how your table views magic on the whole.

So, if you’re a player who wants more than “I show up and roll dice” — this book gives you tools for story, mechanics and flavor.

Let’s dig into the contents (and I’ll highlight the ones I’m most excited about):

The 8 new subclasses are: College of the Moon (Bard), Knowledge Domain (Cleric), Banneret (Fighter), Oath of the Noble Genies (Paladin), Winter Walker (Ranger), Scion of the Three (Rogue), Spellfire (Sorcerer), and Bladesinger (Wizard)
There are also 18 backgrounds, over 30 new feats, 19 new spells, 3 magic items, 12 mundane items, 2 monsters, 13 maps, and overviews for 10 regions of Faerûn.
There’s also Faction membership for eight classic and emerging factions (like the Harpers, Zhentarim, and Purple Dragon Knights) that offer character hooks, renown, and special rewards.
Now for Highlights that I’m particularly keen on trying, myself:
The oath of the noble genies (Paladin). These paladins draw power from the Elemental Planes through pacts with powerful genies, wielding elemental abilities like Elemental Smite which enhances a Divine Smite with effects such as grappling enemies, dealing fire damage, or knocking foes away.
The region overviews: these let you pick lesser-used Realms locales as your homeland, giving characters unique flavor rather than defaulting to the Sword Coast.
Circle magic: I am very excited to see exactly how this pans out with my gaming group, but I think the potential here for spell casters to enhance each others’ effects, and create group casts, is amazing.

If you pick up Heroes of Faerûn, here are some tips for how to get the most from it:

Talk to your DM early. Especially regarding Circle Magic and faction mechanics — decide how renown works, and how group casting will work specifically for your group.
Pick a region + faction combo. Let your background tie you to a place (say, Tethyr or Calimshan) and a faction (Harpers, Zhentarim) so your character has immediate hooks.
Use the new subclasses to complement the setting. If you’re from the north-wastes of Faerûn, maybe the Winter Walker Ranger is a better fit than a typical forest-walking ranger.
Be proactive with story. Since the book emphasizes lore, lean into it: pick a god early, pick your renown path, choose an equipment piece from your region. These add role-play texture.
Don’t let the feast of options overwhelm. With 18 backgrounds, 34 feats, and many spells — pick a few you like, then build from there. No need to try everything at once.

So: if you’re a player who wants more (mechanics, flavor, story) and you’re set in the Forgotten Realms, Heroes of Faerûn might be your next go-to book. If you give it a try or if you liked this breakdown, hit like, subscribe and ring the bell for future D&D news and breakdowns.

In the comments: tell me which subclass from the book you’re most excited about, or which faction you’d join in Faerûn. Thanks for watching — and may your name echo through the Realms.

The Tenebrous Stone - New Free D&D Beyond Adventure

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:16:10 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_0s9az8hmo

Transcription

Free adventures on D&D Beyond? You love to see it. This week, Wizards of the Coast dropped The Tenebrous Stone — a brand-new, totally free Forgotten Realms adventure that pits your party against cultists, undead, and a mysterious demonic artifact. But here’s the kicker: it might also hint at new DM tools for 5.5E’s upcoming Adventures in Faerûn. Let’s dive in.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG , your go-to source for everything happening across the planes of Dungeons & Dragons — from new books and adventures to the coolest things happening in Faerûn and beyond.

Last week, Wizards quietly released The Tenebrous Stone — a free adventure available right now on D&D Beyond.

It’s set in classic Forgotten Realms territory: the chilly reaches of Damara , where a cult of Orcus has hidden a demonic stone in a basalt quarry near the town of Helmsdale. The artifact radiates despair, turns workers into undead, and — as always — it’s up to your level 3 party to fix everything before the entire region becomes a necrotic wasteland.

The adventure clocks in at about three encounters — perfect for a single evening session or if you can work your DM magic to stretch it out a bit, a spooky two-shot. It’s also fully preloaded into D&D Beyond’s new Maps VTT , and you don’t even need a subscription to run it. That’s a pretty smart way for Wizards to get more DMs testing the platform.

But here’s what really caught people’s attention: The Tenebrous Stone is labeled as a ‘Deity Adventure’ — language we haven’t seen before.

That phrasing suggests Wizards might be introducing a new adventure tagging system in the upcoming Adventures in Faerûn , a book we still know surprisingly little about.”

Imagine a system where adventures are organized by which gods or faiths they involve — Ilmater, Lolth, Tyr — making it easier for DMs to build campaigns around divine themes. It’s a small detail, but it could mean a huge leap forward for campaign-building tools.

Right now, though, that ‘Deity’ tag doesn’t do much mechanically. But it gives us a glimpse into what Wizards might be cooking — especially for Dungeon Masters who’ve been asking for better adventure-creation tools.

Bell of Lost Souls’ blog coverage on this topic also ends with a great point: DMs carry the game. They create the world, the encounters, the tension — and while that’s rewarding, it’s also a lot of work.

If Wizards can use tools like these ‘Deity Adventure’ tags to streamline prep or inspire new story hooks, that could be a win for the entire community. Perhaps – a way to streamline DM prep and inspire great adventures.

So whether you’re looking for a one-shot full of undead cultists or just curious what 5.5E’s adventure system might look like, The Tenebrous Stone is worth checking out. It’s free, fun, and a peek behind the screen at what’s coming next for Faerûn.

So — what do you think? Are you – like me – downloading The Tenebrous Stone for your next game night?

Would you want to see more deity-themed adventures in D&D 2025? Drop your thoughts in the comments — and while you’re there, hit like , subscribe , and ring that bell so you don’t miss our next dive into the world of tabletop chaos.

Under 10min Summary of Critical Role Season 4 - Episode 2

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 15:58:43 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXPtTnjy5wU

Transcription

“Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. Today we’re unpacking Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 2: ‘Broken Wing’ — an episode that moves with quick flashbacks, a slow-burning mystery, and unveils one genuinely unsettling artifact. If you missed the premiere, don’t worry — I’ll give you the lay of the land so you can follow every twist.

My goal here with these recaps is to keep them at about 10minutes, so you can follow the main beats of Critical Role without the huge time investment. On that note, be sure to check out the summary for Episode 1 just earlier this week if you want to get caught up!

The episode opens not in the present, but in the middle of a past war — the Falconer’s Rebellion — where we meet younger versions of characters who’ll matter later. There’s Teor, a hulking soldier who feels every weight he carries; Kattigan, the quick-witted fighter; and a 15-year-old Azune, whose future as an Arcane Marshal is only hinted at here. They’re pinned down, wyverns tear at the sky, and the scene is chaotic and desperate — a sobering hook that tells you: this world has history, and it’s messy. In the middle of that chaos we get a small but important moment: Thjazi Fang, a figure whose past actions ripple through the episode, is injured — and Casimir, a thornier face in the city’s underworld, scoops him to safety. That moment matters later.

Now, cut to present-day Dol-Makjar: Hal and Thaisha — two careworn, sympathetic figures who run a refuge of sorts — find a shattered black ceramic mask in their home. The shards exhale a cold, silver mist, and Thaisha collapses, hearing a nightingale’s song in her head. The mask isn’t just creepy set dressing: Bolaire and Murray, two more scholarly voices in this corner of the city, quickly identify the object’s box as a coffin — etched with the name ‘Obsidia’ in Kessian, an ancient halfling script, and plated with celestial symbols. That combination — halfling religious iconography wrapped around something new and grotesque — immediately reads as blasphemy and trouble.

The cast reconverges at Hal’s: Teor, Kattigan, Occtis, Azune, and Thimble are there around Thjazi’s body. Thimble — who’s small in stature but enormous in feeling — collapses onto Thjazi and blames Vaelus, demanding the Stone of Nightsong, a keepsake with emotional resonance for her. This is where the episode tightens: the friends learn Thjazi’s safehouse was ransacked, and Azune, ever the investigator, finds a magical forgery hidden in Thjazi’s coat. It looks like someone set a frame — betrayal stinks in the air.

To complicate matters, Casimir and Cyd (Teor’s brother) are unaccounted for, and black feathers were found at the scene — a small clue that points to the Crow Keepers, a thieves’ guild Casimir is tied to. Thimble vows to go find answers. It’s a nice sequence of grief turning into action: the personal drives the plot.

Meanwhile, the episode spends time in the halls of power. At Villa Aurora — home of House Halovar and the Candescent Creed — we meet new faces and old tensions. Wick, an eager acolyte, witnesses Teor rescue and heal a worker, and Teor’s act of mercy wins him attention. But not everyone is thrilled. Photarch Yanessa Halovar, a high-ranking cleric, quietly urges her house to distance itself from the Torn Banner and cozy up to House Tachonis — a rival power with suspicious influence. Yanessa even suggests Thjazi’s death was orchestrated by Tachonis. Translation for what we’re learning about this world? Every helpful act in Aramán has strings attached, and alliances are fragile.

Quick context: The Halovars are powerful religious aristocrats; the Tachonis are another noble house with their own, shadowy agenda. Political intrigue is the bedrock here.

Back in the quieter rooms, Bolaire and Murray dissect the coffin. The wood comes from the Wastes, the silver plates are ancient Kessian — the name Olbalad appears, which translates to a kind of halfling angel of death. A coffin referencing a celestial figure, newly crafted and oozing mist. It’s old magic — but it’s also a deliberate mockery or corruption of something sacred. When they drop a tool into the coffin, it falls forever — no sound, no impact. That silence is bone-chilling and tells us whatever this thing is, it doesn’t obey normal physics.

The episode doesn’t stop on small horrors — it ends on something huge and awful. At the Villa Aurora’s Prismatic Retort — a massive machine that channels the ‘light’ powers of the Candescent Creed — Photarch Yanessa and Wick’s grandfather reveal what looks like an enormous iron maiden: inside, a chained, thirty-foot angel with siphoning taps in its body. It reads like religious science fiction and lands with a visceral, ‘did I just see that?’ finality. For an audience member, that visual hits differently from a dagger in the dark — it’s the campaign saying plainly: celestial things are broken here, and larger forces are being manipulated.

At the end of each of these episodes I want to do a quick unpacking of what makes these Critical Role sessions so awesome, and what you can take away to your own next gaming session.

Alright — so what can Broken Wing teach your table?

1. Try using flashbacks like living memories.
Flashbacks like the Falconer’s Rebellion are emotional scaffolding. Instead of dumping lore about who fought who, we see Teor, Kattigan, and young Azune under fire. We feel their fear and loyalty, which gives context to their choices later.

If you want to bring that to your table, drop players into short scenes from their characters’ pasts — five minutes tops. Let them play out the betrayal, the lost battle, the friendship they’ll mourn later. That way, when those memories resurface in the present, the emotion feels earned, and hit hard.

2. Make artifacts carry more than stats.
The shattered mask and the Obsidia coffin are perfect examples of magic items that do something narratively. They carry history, faith, and fear.

As a DM, whenever you hand your players a relic, ask yourself: Who made this, and why? What happens if it’s misused or broken?

Maybe the item reacts to emotions, or maybe its power has cultural consequences — like this coffin blaspheming against celestial law.

And finally, three: Keep your politics gray.
One of the strengths of this episode is how every side believes it’s right. The Halovars see loyalty as survival; Tachonis treat manipulation as necessity.

In your campaign, that’s gold. Let your factions and rulers have good reasons for bad choices. Make the players ask, “Are we helping the right people, or just the ones who smile at us?”

When you blur those moral lines, every decision becomes roleplay fuel — and every revelation feels earned.

So, remember — flashbacks plant emotion, artifacts anchor lore, and gray politics keep tension alive. Use those tools, and you’ll craft sessions that your players will talk about for months.

So that’s Broken Wing — we got war-scarred flashbacks, an unnerving coffin that might be blasphemous, betrayal in the shadows, and an iron-maiden angel that raises more questions than it answers.

Drop your wildest theory in the comments: who forged that coffin? What is the Stone of Nightsong actually holding?

Subscribe for more recaps, DM tips, and quick takes. Next time we’ll dig into Episode 3 and follow the threads this one has left hanging.

Under 10min Summary of Critical Role Season 4 - Episode 1

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 16:08:38 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-EVzgJ_nSs

Transcription

It’s been a while, but welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. I’ve had a bit of a hiatus, but back to bringing you awesome news in the D&D space – this time, with quick summaries of the Critical Role 4 campaign thus far.

Whether you’re a fan of Critical Role, or you’ve heard about it and you’re curious on what it’s all about, these summaries will be in the range of 5-10min, so you can hear what’s happening without the full time commitment of watching an episode.

Additionally, stick around to the end, because I’m also pulling out a few tips from the Critical Role campaign — storytelling tricks, DM inspiration, and roleplaying ideas you can borrow for your upcoming game night to get the most magic from your adventures.

So with that, today we jump into Episode 1 — The Fall of Thjazi Fang.

The campaign opens in Dol-Makjar ( doll mak-JAR), in the land of Kahad [ KAH-had] (in the world of Aramán [AH-rah-man]).
Thjazi Fang , a war hero of the Falconer’s Rebellion and former mercenary with the Torn Banner, is scheduled for execution by the Chamber of the Lords-Advisory.
Arcane Marshal Azune Nayar (Ah-ZOO-nay NAY-ar) — once a comrade — inspects him for magical glyphs. He uncovers one on Thjazi’s back and secretly passes a message of hope.
As Thjazi is led to the gallows, he speaks telepathically with his brother Halandil ( ha-LAN-dil) Fang “Hal” Fang , who is in the crowd.
Thjazi sees something ominous in the sky, urgently tells Hal to “help Murray at the Penteveral, paint is waiting for Bolaire, tell Thimble not to be afraid,” and defiantly proclaims the coming fall of false authority — then is hanged.
The crowd reacts with grief, shock, and political tension.
After the execution, Hal readies a farramh (FAH-rahm) — an orcish custom for viewing the body — at his home, with his daughter Shadia ( SHAH-dee-uh), members of his theater troupe, and guests.
Thaisha Lloy ( THAY-sha Loy), an orc druid, and Occtis Tachonis ( OK-tis ta-KO-nis), a human necromancer student, arrive early. Both had ties to the rescue attempt of Thjazi.
Thaisha is ex-partner to Hal; they share a daughter Shadia and a son Alogar. Occtis is investigating his role in the failed plan to save Thjazi.
Azune brings Thjazi’s body to the wake.
Teor Pridesire (TEE-or pry-de-SEER) and Commander Loza Blade (former Torn Banner) honor Thjazi’s memory. Loza reminisces about Thjazi’s rise from common birth to rebellion.
Wicander ( wi-KAN-dur HAL-o-var ) “Wick” Halovar and Aspirant Tyranny (uh-SPY-rant TYR-uh-nee) arrive as emissaries of House Halovar. Wick, a cleric devoted to the Candescent Creed ( kan-DES-sent kreed), brings Thjazi’s scimitar and laments that he couldn’t prevent the execution.
Wick reveals he pleaded with his grandmother, Photarch Yanessa Halovar , to spare Thjazi — but was rebuffed.
Tyranny, a demon in service to House Halovar, drinks at the funeral, teasing Wick, testing boundaries.
Thaisha drunkenly explains that she and Hal fell in love in their youth, but she felt a pull toward the wider world beyond their small circle.
Azune and Occtis piece together how the rescue chain broke. They head out to find Thimble , a fairy rogue and Thjazi’s close friend.
In Thjazi’s apartment, ransacked, they find Thimble near death. Her memories flash back to Faerie, and she recalls the glyph she was supposed to deliver was interrupted.
Kattigan Vale , a drunken ranger who recognizes Teor and Azune, joins them. He uses Clues to determine that 7 masked assailants entered, 3 were killed, crow feathers left behind, and the Stone of Nightsong was stolen from Thjazi’s safehouse.
Thimble confirms: thieves attacked her as she tried to deliver the glyph. The wrong glyph was detected by Azune. The Stone of Nightsong is missing — someone betrayed Thjazi.
Back at the wake / gathering place (the Rookery):
Bolaire Lathalia , a warlock / curator, arrives to support Hal.
Aranessa Royce ( uh-RAH-nes-sa ROYS), Thjazi’s grieving widow, enters with Sir Julien Davinos ( sir joo-LYEN duh-VEE-nos), the man who brought Thjazi to justice and perhaps bore much resentment.
Julien taunts Thjazi’s memory, spits on his corpse, and clashes with Thaisha.
Murray Mag’Nesson (dwarven wizard of the Penteveral) arrives, triggering a moment of distraction.
Thaisha senses a shadow following Julien — the superstition of protection is broken; something dark has latched onto him.
Wick chastises Tyranny for her drunken antics, but also gives Hal Thjazi’s scimitar.

As night falls, Vaelus , an elven paladin (800 years old) and devotee of the dead goddess Sylandri, arrives. She demands the return of her property — the Stone of Nightsong, stating that Thjazi stole it.
It’s revealed that the Stone was made by Sylandri to guide elven spirits through the underworld. Without it, the journey may be blocked.
In an eerie moment, the silver box containing broken ceramic tiles flies open, forming a mask bearing uncanny resemblance to Bolaire’s face.
Vaelus demands Thimble’s whereabouts. The implication: Julien or someone close to him is connected.
The first episode ends with tension in the air: multiple factions now want the Stone, the betrayal is active, and the cast is drawn together by grief, mystery, and political intrigue.
We’re left with a firm reminder of the world’s lore: the Shapers (gods) were killed 70 years ago, magic is unstable, and the Sundered Houses (Royce, Halovar, Tachonis [ta-KO-nis], Einfasen [INE-fa-sen], Cormoray) wield enormous power.
The stakes are clear: retrieve the Stone. Unravel the betrayal. Discover who killed Thjazi — and why.

“So what can we learn from The Fall of Thjazi Fang?

First — start big. That opening execution isn’t just drama; it’s a crisis that instantly ties every character together. You don’t need a warm-up quest — drop your players into the fallout and let them claw their way through.

Second — make it personal. Every hero at the table had a history with Thjazi. That’s why it hits so hard. When your next campaign begins, link each PC to the same event — a death, a secret, a shared failure.

And finally — let failure stand. The rescue didn’t work, and that makes the story matter. When you let plans fall apart, the next victory your players earn will feel legendary. D&D heroes don’t always have to succeed. In fact, in many cases, the best stories come from failure or setbacks that shape the events to come.

If you adopt just one thing for your next session, I’d say: start with a crisis tied to your players, and let every character have skin in the game from the first moment. If you’re feeling up to it though, combine that with selective reveals, emotional stakes, and the room to fail, and you’re halfway to a compelling campaign.

And there you have it — a full dive into Episode 1 of Campaign 4: the execution, the betrayal, the stolen artifact, and the gathering storm.

If you like this kind of breakdown, drop a comment with your favorite moment from Episode 1, or your take on how the Crow Keepers or Julien might be involved. Next time, we’ll recap Episode 2 — Broken Wing — and pull more DM and roleplaying lessons from it.

Until then — let your dice fly, and may your stories be legendary.

D&D Heads to Magic: The Gathering's Lorwyn-Shadowmoor

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 22:40:43 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE2fUonKzl8

Transcription

Dungeons & Dragons is officially crossing over with Magic: The Gathering’s Lorwyn-Shadowmoor! This fairytale world of eternal sunlight and creeping twilight is joining the Forgotten Realms through a brand-new digital-exclusive expansion.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to source for all things Dungeons & Dragons!

So, what’s this mysterious realm and why is it part of the new 5.5 Edition rollout? And—should you actually spend fifteen bucks on it? Let’s dive in.

Wizards of the Coast is making a bold move with Lorwyn: First Light—a brand-new digital-only supplement coming to D&D Beyond on November 18th .

According to both Bell of Lost Souls and D&D Beyond’s official announcement, it’s part of the new Forgotten Realms bundle—which includes The Player’s Guide, Adventures in Faerûn, and three exclusive add-ons:

Astarion’s Book of Hungers
Netheril’s Fall
and today’s star—Lorwyn: First Light.

So, what is Lorwyn-Shadowmoor?

If you’ve played Magic: The Gathering back in the late 2000s, you might remember these twin worlds—one a radiant fairytale land of endless summer, the other a dark, dreamlike reflection of it.

In D&D terms, it’s being reimagined as a Domain of Delight in the Feywild—those whimsical, dangerous realms ruled by Archfey.

But here’s the twist: Lorwyn and Shadowmoor used to shift every few centuries—light giving way to night. Now, both have begun bleeding together in unpredictable ways. Imagine meadows of sunlight interrupted by patches of midnight, separated by shimmering auroras.

It’s a stunning concept—and one that promises both beauty and peril in equal measure.

The big question is what do you actually get with Lorwyn: First Light?

According to Wizards’ release info, you’ll get:

2 new feats
2 new backgrounds (likely tied to those feats)
2 new magic items
8 monsters drawn from the Feywild’s weirdest corners
2 playable species , plus advice for adapting 8 more to the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor setting
Two mini-adventures —each with maps ready to drop into your campaign

And yes, all of this can be used in the Forgotten Realms or as standalone Feywild content.

Characters might cross over via fey crossings, or your adventurers might stumble through a glowing portal in the Moonshae Isles straight into a land where “dreams have claws.”

The price tag is $14.99 for the standalone version—or as part of the Forgotten Realms Ultimate Bundle, which includes digital dice, and both digital and physical book copies.

That’s stirred some debate online. Some fans love the idea of expanding the Feywild with official crossover content, while others worry it’s another micro-expansion cash grab.

But the excitement is real—this marks the first time a Magic: The Gathering setting has officially joined D&D 5.5E. If this goes well, you should probably expect Wizards to do more of this kind of thing.

In any case whether you’re a Lorwyn nostalgia fan or just want more Feywild flavor in your campaigns, this expansion could scratch both your card game and tabletop itches.

Do you think that Lorwyn: First Light will be a delightful addition to your Feywild campaigns—or is this just another shiny portal to your wallet?

Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring that bell for more weekly D&D news and updates.

Gygax Memorial Fund Kickstarter to Commemorate Gary and D&D

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 23:50:31 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfmCpJPQM7o

Transcription

The Gygax Memorial Fund is working to build a D&D memorial for the late Gary Gygax. The memorial will (hopefully) be placed in Library Park , in downtown Lake Geneva, Wisconsin —the birthplace of Dungeons & Dragons.

This is the park that Gary himself loved and even chose as the spot for a memorial before he passed. In 2024, during D&D’s 50th anniversary, the city officially granted land for the project.

This memorial will be a life-sized stone gaming table, with a dungeon map designed by Gary Gygax himself.

But the question is, will this Kickstarter finally succeed where past efforts failed?

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your weekly quest hub for all things Dungeons & Dragons. Today, we’re talking about a very feel-good story for your Friday – a legendary project years in the making: the Gary Gygax Memorial Game Table.

Gary, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away in 2008. Since then, his widow Gail Gygax has championed the idea of a permanent memorial in their hometown of Lake Geneva.

Now, the Gygax Memorial Fund has revealed their project: a stone game table in Library Park, complete with benches and, eventually, a bronze statue of Gary himself. The table will feature a bronze map of Gygax’s very first dungeon.

The Kickstarter launched October 1st, 2025, marking the anniversary of TSR, the company Gary founded to publish D&D.

Backers for this project get everything from digital scrolls to engraved pavers around the monument.

Of course, fans are excited—but also cautious. The Gygax Memorial Fund has been planning memorials since at least 2012, and past efforts fizzled after raising over $100K. This has left some fans asking wondering about this attempt.

On EN World, one user wrote: ‘The fund has talked about this for a decade—none of it has come to fruition. What makes this attempt special?’

But others point out that since Paul Stormberg took over as chair in 2020, the fund has started producing real results—like memorial benches and library exhibits. And with Lake Geneva officially granting land for the project, this campaign has a stronger foundation than ever.

For some D&D fans, this may not just be a statue, but a chance to gather in the very town where roleplaying was – more or less – born.

It is pretty amazing to think that you could sit at Gary’s table and roll dice on his original dungeon.

This is both a tribute to the past and a playable monument for future generations of adventurers.

If you’re interested in helping fund the project, I’ll leave a link the video description, and comments.

And lastly, what do you think? Will the Gary Gygax Memorial Game Table finally become a reality—or is this another critical fumble?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring that bell so you don’t miss next week’s D&D news.

Critical Role's Campaign 4 Trailer Looks to be Heralding a Great Story

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:17:14 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv9HBlNaSMY

Transcription

Critical Role just dropped the story trailer for Campaign 4. It is looking like a bold campaign. We’re talking a brand-new world, an incredible 13 player characters, and a plot that kicks off with the execution of a revolutionary firebrand named Thiatzi Fang (we’ll see if I got that pronunciation right). Oh—and if you didn’t see my last video on the topic or you haven’t heard, Brennan Lee Mulligan is DMing this campaign while Matt Mercer will be a player.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your portal of divination into all things Dungeons & Dragons.

First up with campaign 4—the setting. Unlike every previous Critical Role story, Campaign 4 leaves Exandria behind entirely. Instead, we’re venturing into Araman, a godless realm still haunted by the echoes of dead deities and a rebellion that shook the land 80 years ago. This isn’t just new lore, but a blank canvas, making it perfect if you’ve never watched Critical Role. There’s no prior knowledge required, which is perfect for new fans, but also a fresh start for longtime Critters.

The trailer centers on Thiatzi Fang, a revolutionary who led something called the Falcon’s Rebellion twelve years back. Now, he’s been captured, condemned, and set to be executed by the mysterious Sundered Houses. Fang himself calls the Revolutionary Council a shadow of its former glory, while hinting at the unfinished war against the gods of Araman. So already, we’re looking at political intrigue, rebellion, and a potential spark for civil war.

This time, Critical Role also isn’t just one party. That is to say, because there’s 13-players, they’re actually split into three connected, but altogether different parties. Each of these parties also has a name, describing their main focus in the campaign: The Seekers, the Soldiers, and the Schemers.

This setup is packed with themes that Critical Role’s new DM, Brennan Lee Mulligan thrives on—iconoclasm, unity, and tension between hope and despair. The godless world of Araman asks: Without the Gods, who will seize the crown? Fans are buzzing that this campaign might explore things akin to segments from Game of Thrones, but with more dice rolls and way more crying.

If you want to check it out, Campaign 4 launches October 2nd at 7 PM PT , streaming on Twitch, YouTube, and Critical Role’s Beacon service.

Like I mentioned in my last video on Critical Role, they’ll be using the 2024 D&D 5e rules , with some special homebrew added by none other than Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins.

And yes, you can jump in totally fresh if you want to see what Critical Role’s all about—no prior Exandria knowledge required.

So—what do you think? Is Thiatzi Fang a hero, a villain, or something much more complicated? And which of the three parties are you most hyped to see—the Seekers, Soldiers, or Schemers? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and let’s get the speculation for this season’s campaign rolling.

And lastly, if you liked this quick update, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring that bell so you don’t miss our usually bi-weekly dives into the biggest stories in the D&D universe.

Until next time—may your rolls be high, and your executions be… postponed.

D&D Collection May Set Record-Breaking Price at Auction

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:25:23 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3QG8CaiGxg

Transcription

Would you pay twenty thousand dollars for an old box of dice and pamphlets? Well… someone just might. A massive treasure hoard of vintage Dungeons & Dragons books just hit the auction block—and it is in fact already breaking records.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your go-to space for the latest in D&D news, lore, and community updates. Today we’re doing a quick video, diving into a legendary auction that could rewrite the value of tabletop history.

Heritage Auctions, one of the world’s top collectible auction houses, is currently running a massive sale of rare Dungeons & Dragons books. The collection features 149 individual items, most from 1st and 2nd edition, and many are even slabbed and graded by CGC—yes, the same people who grade comics.

What’s in the dragon’s hoard, you ask? Some pretty awesome finds, including:

The original Wood Grain Box Set from 1975. Only about 1,000 were ever made, and past sales have reached $22,000.
A sealed 1983 Red Box—the one with Larry Elmore’s iconic artwork. Finding one unopened is like rolling a natural 20 on every attack you make.
Danger at Dunwater, a 1982 adventure module graded 9.8 by CGC, making it actually museum quality.
And even the Blackmoor Supplement by D&D co-creator Dave Arneson.

Heritage expects this treasure chest to fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. We won’t know the final tally until the hammer falls on October 16th—but collectors are already buzzing.

One Redditor joked, ‘Guess I’ll just sell my kidney for a Wood Grain box.’ Meanwhile, others see this as proof that tabletop gaming history is getting some of the respect it’s always deserved.

It’s wild to think that what started as a niche game in the ’70s is now commanding museum-level prices. Personally, I love that we’re at a point where these old rulebooks are being preserved like artifacts—because let’s face it, they are artifacts to some people.

What do you think? Would you ever drop thousands on a piece of D&D history—or would you rather just buy more dice for your current campaign?

If you enjoyed this, hit like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you don’t miss any future D&D news. And hey—share this video with your party before they try to sell their stuff for auction money. Thanks for watching!

D&D Group Cancelled Again..? Try Solo D&D

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 20:30:31 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDJB9yPAVOo

Transcription

Picture this: you’re ready for D&D night, dice in hand, character sheet polished—and then the group cancels. Again. But what if I told you that you don’t need a group to dive into epic quests, unravel mysteries, and face terrifying monsters? That’s right—you can play D&D solo. And today, I’m going to show you a simple framework I came up with years ago that actually makes it fun, dramatic, and incredibly rewarding.

This isn’t by any means the most comprehensive system in the world, but I have personally run two full solo campaigns with it, and had a blast. Solo campaigns, in fact, have been some of my favorite RPG experiences.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your campfire companion for all things D&D, whether you’ve got a full party or you’re playing solo.

D&D is usually about gathering with friends around the table—or online—and diving into a shared adventure. But sometimes? Life gets in the way. Or, maybe you’re just itching to try something between sessions, or you’ve been wanting to tell a story that’s entirely yours.

That’s where single-player D&D comes in. The problem is that solo play options can sometimes feel a little complicated. But with the right framework, solo D&D can feel just as rich and engaging as a regular campaign, and be very easy.

You should also know that there are great solo D&D resources available all over the web, many times for free. And you can take what I have for you today as a basic framework, and add in all kinds of support material as well, where it fits for you.

The first step is simple: create your character. And here’s my advice—don’t overthink it. This is your chance to play the character you’ve always wanted.

If you’re a power gamer and you’re worried about missing certain abilities within your party, you’ve got a couple options: you can multiclass to give your character more versatility, or you can create a couple of simple backup party members.

But honestly? I find it’s more fun to keep things focused on a single character and let your creativity solve the problems your hero can’t achieve through specific abilities, or brute-force. It keeps the game light, fun, and way easier to manage.

Here’s the real magic: instead of trying to run an entire sprawling campaign in one go, building a huge backstory, world, and plotline, just break your adventure down into scenes.

In this model, each scene has five parts:
Part One is called the scene’s “main focus.” Basically, you just decide – at a broad level – what this scene is about. What is your character trying to “do,” or what’s important to them in this moment?

Two—the setting. Picture where your character is, and bring it to life with as many details as you can imagine for sights, smells, what you touch, taste, and hear.

Three—NPCs. Who’s here? Are they allies, rivals, strangers, or heroes?

Four—the conflict. What obstacle is standing in your way? Specifically, what’s making the scene’s main focus for your character more difficult? Stories – especially fantasy adventure stories – are built upon adversity.

And five—theater of the mind roleplay. Imagine how your hero reacts to the setting, the NPCs, and the conflict, and then let the story unfold.

These simple five steps keep your game manageable and dynamic. The best part is that you don’t need hours of prep—just enough to give the scene a clear focus, and let the rest flow naturally.

Once you’re through a scene, here’s how you take that starting point and build out a full story arc. Think of every five scenes as a mini-episode in your campaign, and use the classic dramatic structure that you may have learned back in school.

Your first scene is your adventure’s exposition. This is where you introduced your character, set the first part of your adventure, and generally had something interesting happen.

From there, you do another scene with the same “main focus,” but now you’re into its “rising action,” where the stakes raise and the conflict becomes more meaningful.

Third, this mini story arc reaches a climax.

From there, you then have a fourth scene for falling action, where the drama resolves a little bit, and then a fifth scene where you either get a full resolution, or something happens which prepares your next set arc of five scenes.

To summarize it, scene one introduces your story element. Scene two cranks up the tension. Scene three is the big payoff. Scene four lets things settle. And scene five sets up what comes next.

Then—you start the cycle again. Each new arc raises the stakes, builds on what came before, and keeps your campaign growing organically. This way, even a quick 15-minute session can slowly blossom into a sprawling, epic story, over time.

Connecting your scenes like this also helps give your campaign a sense of continuity.

Of course, part of what makes D&D fun is unpredictability. That’s where oracles—or random tables—come in. Think of them as your personal DM stand-in.

Need to know if the door is trapped? Roll on a yes-or-no oracle. Want inspiration for your next encounter? Flip to a random monster table.

There are tons of free generators online—everything from towns, to NPCs, to treasure hoards. Just be careful not to let them take over. Oracles are best when they spark ideas, not when they completely drive the story. Remember, you’re still the storyteller.

One of the biggest questions in solo play is: how do I level up? My rule of thumb is simple. After every scene, give yourself rewards—experience, treasure, or even a cool item.

Even if you didn’t slay a dragon, you still advanced the story, and that deserves progress. A good benchmark is to give yourself the same XP you’d get for defeating a monster of your level. That way, your hero grows at a steady, satisfying pace without feeling like you’re cheating.

For some additional quickfire tips for you:

Try published solo modules if you want less prep. These remove the vast ability for theater of the mind storytelling you get, just using this model of scenes and story arcs, but they provide you a great deal more structure.
Use music or maps to set the mood, and even minis if you want to roleplay a battle scene.
And most importantly, keep a notebook to track your scenes—it helps your story feel alive. Notes can also help you remember where your Character’s been, who they’ve talked to, and what’s happened. That way, you can bring back any of those story elements into your future scenes, for more sense of familiarity and progression in your campaign.

So, there you have it—the framework for extraordinary single-player D&D. Start small, use oracles for inspiration, and let your imagination do the heavy lifting.

Now I want to know—would you ever run a full D&D campaign solo, or is the game only fun with a group? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

And if you liked this guide, give it a thumbs up, subscribe for more, and until next time—may your dice roll high, and your stories be unforgettable.

A Bestiary of Boss Monsters from D&D Beyond's Crooked Moon

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 00:03:53 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-qBdvV9S5k

Transcription

From a flaming, headless horseman riding vengeance across cursed roads… to a ghost train that ferries souls between life and death—today we’re diving into the legendary monsters of the Crooked Moon, from D&D Beyond. These aren’t your average dungeon crawlers. These are actually campaign-defining nightmares, more akin to a bestiary of “boss monsters” that you can throw at your gaming group in this Halloween-style setting.

So, let’s talk about my favorite four that will haunt your players forever.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your lantern in the dark woods of Dungeons & Dragons adventures. Today, we’re peering into the shadows for another awesome dive into one of my favorite D&D settings of all time – Crooked Moon.

Let’s dive right in.

We’re starting strong with the Galloping Headsman —a headless executioner based, of course, on the “headless horseman” from “the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The twist here is that the horseman is a centaur. Still missing his head, which is now filled with gouts of fire. But in my opinion, no Halloween, or Halloween-inspired campaign, is complete without a visit from the headless horseman.

In one hand, this legendary monster wields a massive two-headed axe that can literally decapitate a player if it crits. And in the other it holds a burning pumpkin skull, shifting with agonized faces.

This monster is cinematic. Imagine a chase sequence where the Headsman’s lair warps roads themselves—stretching paths, halving travel speeds, and giving the sense to players that they can never quite escape.

His weakness? The original skull he lost. If your players find and wield it, he suddenly becomes vulnerable. Until then… run.

I love boss fights where there’s a secret that players need to uncover, to make the battle well – winnable. Until that secret is uncovered, the “boss” feels truly like something of legends and nightmares.

Number two is another top pick that I think Crooked Moon absolutely nailed: the Ghostlight Locomotive . This one is just so different from anything you typically see in D&D, or almost any roleplay game. It’s a phantom train barreling between life and death, burning souls as fuel.

Most of the time, the Ghostlight Locomotive runs its eternal route, burning souls like coal, but carrying them off to the afterlife. But that balance is fragile. When its soul-fuel becomes corrupted—whether by dark magic, a curse, or too many wicked spirits—something inside the engine snaps. Suddenly it’s no longer mindless. Instead, the train becomes aware of the countless souls it has consumed, and with that awareness comes rage. That’s when the Locomotive transforms into a nightmare on rails, lashing out at the living and dragging anything in its path down into the mist.

And speaking of, the ghostly, mile-wide shroud of mist that surrounds the train prevents players from fully healing with rest, and even magic feels weaker—potions and cure spells only work at half strength.

Consider the power of the mist itself, this legendary monster is actually part dungeon, part boss, and even part existential crisis.

At number three, we move from machines to nature gone wrong—meet the Beast of Blight. Once, this beast was Farryn of the Greenwood, a druid who turned to forbidden magic to bring back her dead lover. And that, as you might expect is where things went wrong. Instead of restoring life, her magic twisted inward. Nature didn’t heal her grief—it reflected it, warping her body with rot, fungus, and decay. In trying to preserve love, she became the embodiment of loss: a beast that spreads corruption with every step.

Now, the Beast’s lair is a cavern at the heart of a rotting forest, where decay seeps even from stones. In that place, the natural world turns against you—forests wither, food spoils, and even spells that create water only produce half their normal amount.

In this cavern, the Beast can teleport through rot, spew necrotic spores, and even she can even impale grappled creatures on her exposed ribs, holding them restrained while dealing piercing damage.

But buried inside her, a flicker of Farryn’s memory or emotion that survived the corruption, remains. Show the Beast the likeness of her lost love, and for a moment, the rot burns away and Farryn comes back through. When this happens, she takes immediate psychic damage , and she also has Disadvantage on all d20 tests until the start of her next turn – making this fight much, much easier.

Lastly, we move to the Dusk Mother. Her keening wails carry through settlements, where she searches endlessly for her lost children. Some say they died from her wrath, others say it was from her negligence.

But in truth, it doesn’t matter how [her children died]—because in her own mind, she carries all the guilt. That shame, that unbearable grief, twisted her into something more than a ghost. It made her into the Dusk Mother.

Directly from Crooked Moon: “Now she cries in shame for that loss as she searches for her children, or for souls to claim and fashion into dolls in a futile attempt to fill the void in her doomed soul.”

The Dusk Mother carries giant shears and a great tolling bell, as she wanders across the countryside. Her presence warps reality—villagers absentmindedly start humming funeral songs, while adventurers become unable to rest.

Once again, the players may have some advantage though if they ever have to face her, for if she ever sees her children’s trinkets or spirits, she collapses, overcome with guilt.

This is the kind of boss fight that is emotionally heavy. In this case, your players aren’t just fighting a legendary monster. Instead, they’re facing an avatar of grief, itself.

So that’s four of the most terrifying legendary monsters from The Crooked Moon. The Galloping Headsman, the Ghostlight Locomotive, the Beast of Blight, and the Dusk Mother. Each one is packed with lore that can fuel more than a few game sessions, and interesting mechanical twists for climactic encounters.

But now I want to hear from you—if you had to unleash just one of these horrors in your campaign, which would it be? Would you make your players ride the Ghostlight Express, or see if anyone dares face the Beast of Blight head-on?”

Drop your pick in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more D&D news and monster spotlights. Until next time—keep your head on straight… unlike the Headsman.

10 Amazing D&D Quest Ideas for Your Next Game Session

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 22:31:14 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bMjDsFmYAc&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

Need some quick D&D quest ideas to throw at your players? Whether they’ve derailed your main storyline or you just need some fast inspiration, I’ve got 20 quests ready from my own 25+ years of D&D campaigns and one-shots that you can drop for your party at your next gaming night. From cursed artifacts to insane boss fights, these ideas will keep your party rolling dice all night long.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to source for all things Dungeons & Dragons. Today we’re counting down 20 quest and side quest ideas you can use instantly in your next game. Let’s dive in.”

10. Lava Core

On the surface, this is a simple delivery quest—escort a wagon of supplies to a nearby town. But once the party leaves, the entire town erupts in flames. The merchant they worked for tricked them into delivering a magical explosive called the Lava Core to wipe out a secret organization. Now the players are left with guilt, betrayal, and a tough decision—do they hunt down the merchant, or try to redeem themselves?

9. The Jester’s Court

Deep in the frozen tundra, a half-insane demi-god known as the Jester builds a kingdom of monsters. Think undead, beasts, demons—all following his twisted command. His influence spreads like wildfire, and the only way to stop him is to march into his icy castle and confront him directly. Of course, everyone knows that’s basically suicide. Which makes it the perfect quest for high-level heroes.

8. Three Sisters

Here’s a boss fight with a puzzle built in: three enemies, known as the Sisters, must be killed in the correct order. If not, the survivors resurrect the fallen one on their next turn. The party needs to uncover hints about the order—maybe from a prophecy, maybe from symbols on their armor—before the fight turns into an endless nightmare. It’s a perfect way to mix combat and problem-solving.

7. Ruins of the Tree of Life

This dungeon takes place inside the mile-high corpse of the Tree of Life. Its rotting branches are filled with undead and pestilence, and at the top lies a black crystal prison holding Ranroth the Betrayer. Only, that prison is cracked and about to shatter. Do the players attempt to repair the seal, or prepare for the return of one of the realm’s greatest enemies?

6. Fang of Lanias

This is the tooth of a fallen golden dragon. Whoever holds it can summon the ghost of Lanias—but instead of a wise guardian, the spirit attacks anyone who enters his ruined spire. If the party doesn’t banish him properly, Lanias resurrects at midnight every night, forcing an endless cycle of battles. Do your players destroy the fang, or find a way to put this restless dragon to peace?

5. Ultimate Vampire

Vampires are scary enough, but this one is pure nightmare fuel. At the start of combat, he drains one character level from each party member, and he rips away their strongest magic item, adding its powers to himself. Imagine watching your sword of legend floating in his hands as he uses it against you. It’s a brutal reminder that sometimes, the deadliest monsters aren’t just strong—they’re thieves of everything you hold dear.

4. Crypt of the Plaguebringers

Plagues are spreading across the realm, and clerics can’t heal them. Why? Because it’s no ordinary sickness—it’s fueled by a cult using trapped spirits from a hidden crypt. If the party doesn’t stop them within thirty days, the plague will cover the land. To make it worse, the spirits themselves whisper to the heroes in their dreams, offering dark bargains in exchange for helping, rather than hindering them.

3. Future Disaster

Not every quest the heroes undertake has a happy ending. A humble family asks the party to mentor their gifted child in magic. Over time, the child becomes a prodigy—but also grows up watching the adventurers use their power to shape the world. Eventually, that child returns as the party’s greatest enemy, convinced they can rule better than their mentors. It’s a heartbreaking story of legacy and unintended consequences.

2. Reverse

This boss breaks one of D&D’s core rules: damage heals them, and healing hurts them. Imagine the party unleashing fireballs, only to see the monster’s wounds close tighter each time. The only way to kill it is through healing spells or potions, which means your party’s cleric suddenly becomes the MVP damage dealer. It’s one of those fights that makes your players go, ‘Wait… what?!’ Or, imagine if they have no dedicated healer in the party and now must win using an entire town’s literal stockpile of healing potions.

1. Unicorn Meat

A vendor in the town square loudly declares he’s selling—yes, you heard it right—fresh unicorn meat. It shimmers rainbow hues, smells like summer fields, and nobles are lining up to buy it by the pound.

The butcher swears it’s ethical—‘No problem if you *find* them dead!’ he says. But his business is booming so fast he needs help finding more. That’s where the party comes in: track down dead unicorns, bring back the meat, and he’ll cut them in on the profits.

Of course, unicorns don’t usually drop dead on their own. But if something is out there killing them, the heroes will have to decide—do they protect these sacred creatures, or cash in on the newest, most lucrative and controversial trade in the realm?

And that’s ten amazing D&D quest ideas—from tragic mentor-protégé betrayals to bizarre unicorn steaks. Which one would your players love—or absolutely hate—the most? Drop your pick in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more D&D content every week. Until next time, may your dice roll high, and your weekly adventures always turn into legendary stories.

Journey Adventure Quest - DnD Board Game to Inspire Campaigns

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 20:53:49 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N4UZQypmuo&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

What if you combined the card drafting of a deckbuilder, the equipment-sets of a loot quest, and the hidden personal goals of a role-playing adventure—wrapped up in a compact competitive board game? That’s “Journey Adventure Quest” – or JAQ, for short.

This is a game my wife and I picked up at GenCon, and I’ve really enjoyed. In our first playthrough at the convention, it felt like there was a lot to wrap my head around. But we just played the game again for the first time since GenCon, and it made perfect sense – after a thorough read through the rulebook.

In today’s video, I’ll break down what I like about Journey Adventure Quest, whether you as a D&D fan may like it, and some basic info on how the game is played in case you want to pick it up.

JAQ is a competitive (or semi-cooperative / even solo) tabletop/ card game about fantasy heroes growing in power, fighting monsters, building gear and spell combinations, and completing quests.

I’ll get into the game in more detail shortly, but for the bulk of this video I actually want to just share what I like best about the game – which are some very specific things.

Whenever you get a new piece of equipment for your hero, you can “stack” it on gear of the same type. The way that you do this is to actually leave the card top and left side uncovered, which actually empowers your equipment.

This style of gameplay reminds me a lot of early gaming experiences I had with D&D and other RPGs where you finally get your first +1 Longsword. Sort of, before the days of World of Warcraft style play, where you’re just getting the newer, badder glowing sword that adds 1,000 more DPS than you had before.

I like that in Journey Adventure Quest, every upgrade adds to the stats of the equipment you had before, and also gives you a unique name.

This style of equipment upgrade works for all the gear you’d normally have in a D&D campaign, or other RPG – chest armor, helmet, gloves, belt, weapon, and even your spells!

And there’s no limit to how much you can “stack” on one equipment piece. We’ve had some games where one of us had like 8 weapons on top of each other, and was just the most insane gear you could imagine.

This stacking and naming effect makes the equipment begin to feel legendary, and incredibly powerful, even though you’ve had the basis for it from the very beginning of the game.

This “feel” of equipment upgrading actually isn’t all that important to the gameplay at all, to be honest haha. You’d probably think from me going on about it that it is, but to me the feel is valuable enough for why I like it so much, and it’s a great idea for even your next D&D campaign – emulating something like this.

Similar to stacking equipment, you actually do the same thing with monsters. Basically, to defeat it you need both strength, and knowledge for how to bring it down. Your goal (in my cases) is to gather enough strength and knowledge through your gear to overcome the monster.

But, when the monster levels up, you do the same thing with stacking the cards so they still show the top and left-hand side.

The final thing I want to point out that I really like about the game is that your character actually can’t “die.” Instead of taking “damage” that get removed from your total HP – like you’d see in most games or RPGs – you instead take 1 “blood” marker for each damage you’ve taken. At the end of the game, all of your “blood” markers reduce your overall score, so you can still basically “lose” the game (kind of) from taking too much damage.

But it’s really fun – and pretty funny also – that the game has these awesome equipment and monster mechanics, but you actually have no risk of character death. For a low-key, fantasy-adventure, fun/ party kind of game, I really like the low stakes nature of the game.

In one game, I think my wife had like 18-blood on her character – which is a ton, by the way. She basically had 0 armor all game, didn’t even try to reduce the damage she was taking – and ended up still winning because she completed all of her character’s quests, in other ways. Super fun.

So, here’s roughly how the game is played, overall.

Heroes get an initial hand of 7 cards to draft equipment, spells, or other items. Equipment has a cost to it (either in coins, or blood), and you basically just choose what you want for your character.

After every two rounds of drafting cards for your hero to power them up, you face monsters. Everyone who can defeat the monster – by overcoming their knowledge and HP – gets rewards, like you can see here.

And then, each monster also comes with specific loot drops, which only one player may acquire, based on specific requirements for each loot card.

After a monster is defeated, players returning to drafting more equipment and cards to boost their heroes. There are three total “rounds” of fighting monsters.

While all of this is happening, there are personal secret adventures : each hero has some hidden goals that often require high-level spells, powerful equipment of a certain type, or certain “colors” that go into their equipment – these are known as guilds. I think of them basically just as being elemental types.

Finally, there are quests , which are basically adventures that everyone’s on, to either compete for end-game prizing, or to at least hit certain thresholds where bonuses are given.

At game end, the hero with the most points – which you get from a combination of equipment / monster fights / secret adventure completions/ quest/comparisons and) – actually wins the game.

To summarize it, the game utilizes a very fun drafting mechanic for gear where you’re building combos, guild-sets, spells and equipment that synergize.

You have progressive escalation of your very cool equipment, and monsters you battle.

Players have hidden goals that add a roleplay-like flavor, and gives each player a sort of personal story they’re pursuing.

And then you have multiple paths to victory: through direct confrontation/quests, through your hero’s power, through completing your secret adventures, and more.

All of this a adds replayability, strategic variation, and a sense that you’re sort of roleplaying a character through this board, card game.

M any D&D fans enjoy storytelling, character growth, equipment/spells, quests, sometimes hidden motivations, and fighting monster.

I would say that journey adventure quest delivers on all of these.

What JAQ might not deliver (for D&D fans) would be: Narrative depth, Roleplay flexibility, and stuff like Dungeon exploration and world building.

So, it isn’t a replacement, obviously, but if you like D&D and want a light version of a D&D-feeling game, I think you’d have a lot of fun playing JAQ for an hour or two on some afternoon you have free.

So there you have Journey Adventure Quest — a game that blends drafting, hero building, secret goals, and monster combat into something strategic, replayable – and most importantly, fun.

For many D&D fans, especially those who love loot, spells, and character growth, this is worth a look. If you’ve played the game (or get a chance to), let me know your impressions. Thanks for watching—don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit that bell so you see when we cover more hybrid adventure/ strategy games amidst our journey into D&D!

Crooked Moon Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards - Gothic Subclasses

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:01:29 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FWHvMzf_nI&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

We’ve reached the grand finale of our journey through Crooked Moon. If you thought alchemical barbarians and plague monks were wild—wait until you see sorcerers turning into pools of blood, warlocks who serve a cosmic jester, and wizards who poke holes in reality itself. This is where things get truly unhinged.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to source for all things D&D. This is Part 3 of our dive into the Crooked Moon subclasses, and the final five might just be the most dramatic of them all. We’ve got blood magic, chaotic laughter, witchcraft bargains, and two wizard paths that pull on the strings of reality.

1. Sorcerer: Crimson Sorcery

Crimson Sorcerers channel raw lifeblood as their source of magic. Their powers revolve around something called the Blood Well—a reserve of vital energy they can spend to boost damage, enhance healing, or fuel their abilities. They can even dissolve into a literal pool of blood, slipping through cracks and resisting damage like some vampiric horror.

As they grow stronger, they siphon life from their own body to supercharge spells, and eventually unleash Sanguine Feast—tendrils of blood draining everyone around them while restoring their own vitality. It’s absolute blood magic—a perfect subclass for anyone who wants their sorcerer to feel dangerous and unsettling.

2. Warlock: Great Fool Patron

Not all horror is blood and gloom—sometimes it’s laughter. The Great Fool is a cosmic jester patron, and its warlocks wield humor as a weapon. They lash out with Vicious Mockery as a reaction, slap curses on enemies that leave them blinded by flowers, clumsy with clown shoes, or honking uncontrollably every time they move.

At higher levels, their banter deals psychic damage, and eventually they can Send in the Clowns—summoning ghostly jesters that strike fear and knock enemies prone. It’s creepy circus energy meets eldritch pact, perfect for players who like their dark fantasy with a side of twisted comedy.

Real quick to interrupt, we now have free downloadable D&D cards at the Eternity TTRPG website that you can use at your table.

Everything from combat actions to status effects – no more flipping through your book to see exactly what being “Petrified” does to your character. You can just take our graphics, print them out at home, and slap them on your table for fun and easy reference. Grab yours today using the link, below!

Now, back to the video.

3. Warlock: Horned King Patron

The Horned King reminds me, of course, of the Black Cauldron! ...So I already have nostalgia for it. This class is the darker side of warlock pacts—witchcraft, maledictions, and the like. These warlocks curse enemies with agony, rot, or madness, and later channel the Horned King’s majesty by sprouting antlers and radiating an aura that charms, terrifies, or weakens foes.

At their peak, they can even form a coven—bonding allies to share curses, teleport across the battlefield to each other’s sides, and spread extra necrotic damage. Thematically, this one screams ‘folk horror witchcraft’—rituals in the woods, blood pacts, and the slow transformation into something more than human.

4. Wizard: Occultist

Occultists are the wizards who say, ‘knowledge at any cost.’ They reach beyond the stars, tearing open the veil of reality for forbidden secrets. Their unique mechanic is the Intrusion Die—every time they push their magic, reality might fight back, causing strange intrusions from alien realms. In exchange, they get immense power: removing concentration requirements, teleporting through scrying spells, and even flying or resisting madness. It’s the perfect subclass for players who want their wizard to feel like they’re constantly balancing brilliance with cosmic horror.

5. Wizard: Philosopher

Where the Occultist seeks forbidden knowledge, the Philosopher seeks ultimate truth. These wizards distill existence into Quintessence—a crystalline powder created from dissolving creatures or objects with their magic. That quintessence can then be spent to boost spell levels, craft magic items, or even alter the damage type of spells.

Eventually, they craft a philosopher’s stone, granting them immortality, the ability to supercharge spells, and even cheat death itself. It’s the alchemical dream realized—equal parts academic and arcane.

And that’s it—the full lineup of Crooked Moon’s subclasses. Fifteen in total, ranging from blood-soaked sorcerers to those we covered in previous videos, like the plague monk, and alchemical barbarian. This supplement doesn’t just remix the classic D&D classes—it drenches them in gothic horror, folk myth, and cosmic strangeness.

If you’ve stuck with us through all three parts, thank you. Now I want to know—which of the fifteen subclasses across this series is your absolute favorite? Drop it in the comments, and let’s see which one takes the crown.

And if you enjoyed this series, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with your table—because who knows, maybe your next campaign could use a paladin bent on the inquisition, or a spectral ranger.

Battlefield 6 - Complete Guide to Career Rank, Weapons, Tactics and Tips for Correct Gameplay

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 14:16:26 GMT

Summer 2025 gave players the opportunity to play the new part of the cult shooter Battlefield 6 and despite the fact that this is a beta test, players were absolutely delighted due to the classic action and unique destruction system. Now players can play and increase BF6 career rank in a fully cinematic format, where everything burns, explodes, is destroyed to a brick and battles are constantly taking place around.

Despite the fact that the full release is planned for the fall, many players are already trying new maps and progressing in their rank, honing their shooting and team play skills.

In this article, we will analyze:

● How BF6 Career Rank works and why it is an important indicator.

● How to develop it most quickly.

● Which weapon is more profitable to use.

● Players' opinions on the state of Battlefield 6.

What's New in the Battlefield 6 Beta

Almost immediately, the developers added the Custom Search function - a tool that allows you to filter game maps and modes to suit your preferences. This is an important innovation, especially for those who are already engaged in cheap BF6 career rank, testing all types of weapons, or practicing tactics for large squads.

For example, if you want to quickly improve an assault rifle, then you should choose game maps with long corridors and open spaces where you can realize its best sides. Or, on the contrary, you only want close combat, then set the Domination or King of the Hill modes.

Modes Available in the Beta

● Conquest - large-scale battles for control over key points on the game map.

● Rush - a fast mode with an attack or defense of stations, where you can quickly and dynamically improve Battlefield 6 Career Rank for sale.

● Breakthrough - a full-fledged advancement through sectors where well-coordinated and thoughtful teamwork is needed.

● Domination - more compact maps, fast pace and complete lack of vehicles.

● King of the Hill - a battle for one game zone, where victory depends on whether you can hold it for a long time.

● Squad Deathmatch - team battles in small squads.

● All-Out Warfare - a large-scale battle with vehicles and infantry.

Battlefield 6 Career Rank, Progression System and Its Meaning

Your BF6 career rank is not just a number in your game profile, but a full-fledged indicator of your overall experience and skill. Everything is taken into account - victories, defeats, helping other players, completing tasks and personal effectiveness in matches.

Why Do You Need a Career Rank

● Unlocking new content - weapons, gadgets, cosmetic items are tied to a certain level that you need to conquer.

● Community status - a high level indicates your skill level, a high level selects similarly experienced gamers against you.

● Motivation - the rank system itself motivates you to improve your gaming skills and rewards you for it.

How the System Works in Beta

● Levels 1–50 - progress is linear. Victories and useful actions are guaranteed to bring you Battlefield 6 career boost for sale.

● Level 50 - new rank, Colonel 1, which means reaching the current level.

● 50+ levels - the Promotions and Prestige system will be added at release, which will allow you to reset your progress for unique rewards.

Career Rank in Battlefield 6 Beta

How to Quickly Develop BF6 Career Rank

Choosing the best modes - the best sources of experience will be Conquest and Breakthrough. They provide many variations for completing tasks and allow you to interact with equipment.
Actively completing tasks - all tasks available per day can give 10-15% of the total cheap Battlefield 6 career rank in one match. Weekly missions are also a large source of XP bonuses.
The role of classes - everyone will be effective. Assault - close combat and quick capture of points. Engineer - destroys equipment and shelters. Support - supports with ammunition and medicine. Recon - scout and the main weapon against important enemies.
Team play - for all team actions you will receive an additional reward, so put markers, help, heal, repair.
Using top weapons - do not be afraid to use S-Tier, this will speed up your progress.

The Best Weapons of Battlefield 6 Beta

Why S-Tier is strong:

M87A1 - dominates in closed spaces and close combat.
NVO-228E - versatile, suitable for most game situations.
PW7A2 - the best option for aggressive play.
M2010 ESR - the choice for snipers and players who focus on accuracy.

Players Opinions on the Beta

Players on Reddit and EA forums actively share their impressions of the game and the BF6 career rank system.

Pros:

● Innovative destructibility.

● Dynamics and pace of combat.

● New movement system.

Cons:

● Autospotting - many enemies are visible even without direct contact with them.

● Weak suppression - there is no dense fire system like in realistic shooters that allow you to hold back enemies.

● Fast HP regeneration - Support classes are valuable, but not mandatory.

Conclusion

Battlefield 6 is clearly becoming a good foundation for success and the return of the spirit of the 3rd and 4th parts, which were very popular not only due to the companies, but also a full-fledged multiplayer. The developers have made a serious step forward in terms of destruction and attention to detail.

The new career rank system is already captivating players and motivating them to open new skins and gameplay opportunities. You can progress solo, play in a squad, or buy BF6 career rank. You will find the best deals on the Skycoach.gg, where players can get a boost, training, or various game currencies that professionals farm and help other gamers.

So you will be ready for the release and start the new season prepared and trained.

FAQ

What Does Career Rank Give?

Opens up new weapons, gadgets, cosmetic items and displays the level of experience.

What Is the Maximum in the Beta?

Level 50 - Colonel 1.

Is There Prestige?

No, but it will be in the release.

Best Weapon?

M87A1, NVO-228E, PW7A2, M2010 ESR. It all depends on your playstyle.

What's New in Beta Weekend 2?

Custom Search and expanded playlists.

Crooked Moon Subclasses – Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, and Rogue

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 21:13:09 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PBi0mbbG04&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

In our last video, we met alchemical berserkers, ghost-whistling bards, and druids who turn into walking forests. But we’ve only scratched the surface of what Crooked Moon has to offer with its monstrous classes. Today, Crooked Moon takes us deeper into grave-bound fighters, plague monks, fire-and-brimstone paladins, and rogues who gamble with fate itself. Let’s dig in.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to source for all things D&D. This is Part 2 of our look at Crooked Moon’s subclasses. If you missed Part 1, definitely check it out—we covered everything from the barbarian and bard, to the cleric and druid subclasses. Today, things get darker and even cooler.

1. Fighter: Barrow Guard

Barrow Guards are warriors bound to the grave. They carry within them fragments of lingering souls, represented by something called Draugr Dice. Think of them like necrotic fuel cells you can spend to summon a ghostly steed, reduce incoming damage, or literally choke enemies with spectral hands from the beyond.

As you level up, your deathly powers expand—your phantom charger can teleport through walls, enemies take psychic damage just for hurting you, and eventually, you become an eternal crypt lord – something like a lich – who doesn’t age, doesn’t need to eat or sleep, and commands the dead like it’s second nature. It’s a knightly subclass with a strong touch of gothic horror.

2. Monk: Warrior of the Pestilent Haze

If you’ve ever wanted to play the personification of a plague (I think of the D&D 3.5e Blackguard Prestige Class), this is it. Pestilent Haze monks cultivate disease inside themselves, unleashing it through claws, cursed strikes, and clouds of choking miasma. You can infect enemies with your plague, communicate with vermin like rats and insects, and later your contagion grows so virulent it even bypasses resistances.

At the peak, your plague ignores immunity and spreads like wildfire—turning you into a walking epidemic. It’s part folklore pestilence demon, part grim reaper’s shadow, and absolutely terrifying to imagine at the table.

3. Paladin: Oath of Castigation

These paladins are divine inquisitors – like witch hunters – sworn to root out evil and burn it away. Their oath spells and Channel Divinity let them clap enemies in fiery chains, sniff out lies, and strike fear into the corrupt. As their power grows, they radiate an aura that lets their allies burn through fire and radiant resistances, and eventually, they literally embody cleansing flame.

The paladin’s capstone, Fire and Brimstone, makes them immune to fire, extends their reach with lashes of divine flame, and punishes any enemy foolish enough to step into range. Think Judge Dredd by way of holy fire—relentless, terrifying, and impossible to escape.

4 . Ranger: Grim Harbinger

This ranger comes with a chilling companion: the Grim, a spectral omen of death—often a ghostly black dog—that fights alongside you. You seal a creature’s fate with your Omen of Doom, causing it to take extra necrotic damage, and your grim manifests to harry them with bites and baleful howls.

As you level, your doom powers get stronger: necrotic damage cuts through resistances, your grim becomes tougher, and you can even curse enemies with vulnerability to yours and your grim’s attacks. It’s part folkloric death omen, part monster-hunting ranger, and it oozes grimdark style.

5. Rogue: Sinner

Sinners are rogues steeped in vice—gamblers, cheats, and scoundrels who cut deals with malefic powers. Their signature ability, Hex Slinger, lets them twist their Sneak Attack dice into curses, hexes, and bursts of bad luck for enemies. They carry a magical jinx weapon—maybe a pistol, maybe enchanted playing cards or dice—that channels their luck-bending power.

As they grow stronger, they can steal inspiration, double down on curses, and even call on their infernal ‘friends in low places’ to reroll attacks or turn hits against them into misses. If you’ve ever wanted your rogue to feel like a cursed gambler or a devil’s dealmaker, the Sinner has that flavor.

And that’s Part 2 of our dive into Crooked Moon. Grave-bound knights, plague monks, fire-fueled paladins, spectral rangers, and sinful rogues—you can really feel the book leaning into the Halloween, darkness vibe here.

Next time, we’ll wrap things up with the final five subclasses, so stick around for Part 3. But I want to hear from you—if you had to pick between these five, which would you bring to your table? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe so you don’t miss the finale. to this series.

Crooked Moon Subclasses: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, and Druid

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 23:31:28 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6i50hO1-bI&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

Today we’re diving into Crooked Moon, a D&D supplement that takes classic classes and twists them into something darker, stranger, and sometimes—downright horrifying. We’ve got barbarians pumped full of alchemical serums, bards who summon up ghosts, and clerics who wield the cycles of life and death like a farmer’s scythe. Let’s get into it.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to source for all things D&D. This week, we’re kicking off a three-part look at the subclasses from Crooked Moon. There are 15 of them in total, so I’m splitting things up to give each one the spotlight it deserves. If this video gets a good response, I’ll keep rolling with parts two and three. So, let’s check out the first five subclasses.

1. Barbarian: Path of the Experiment

Take your standard barbarian rage—and add mad science. The Path of the Experiment plugs copper tubes, glass syringes, and volatile chemicals into your veins. When you rage, you inject yourself with serums that can either make you monstrously huge, give you berserk cleaving attacks, or even force your wounds to stitch themselves back together mid-battle. Later on, you can ooze corrosive acid, shrug off conditions like blindness or poison, and eventually combine multiple serums at once for absolutely brutal effects.

This subclass reminds me of the “alchemist” class in Warcraft 3, and fits perfectly for a barbarian.

2. Bard: College of Whistles

You’ve heard the superstition about whistling at night calling spirits? These bards crank that concept up to eleven. The College of Whistles lets you summon spectral companions called haints whenever you use Bardic Inspiration—spirits that can intimidate enemies, shield allies, or boost movement speed. And it doesn’t stop there. You can whistle a ghost train that literally teleports you and your party across the battlefield—or even across the map with a phantom locomotive.

At high levels, your whistle becomes a death knell that curses enemies with psychic fear. It’s part folk horror, part hobo folklore, and honestly one of the coolest spins on bard magic I’ve seen in quite a while.

If you know me, you know that I’m not the biggest fan of bard classes, to be honest. But this one feels unique, and helps pull you into Crooked Moon’s grim mystique.

3. Cleric: Harvest Domain

Harvest Domain clerics embody the endless cycle of sowing, growing, and reaping. You choose which phase of the harvest you’re channeling: planting brings protection, growth offers guidance and boosts, and reaping is straight-up necrotic damage. You can conjure magical cornucopias that heal allies during rests, spread divine inspiration like grain, and eventually grant full-on regeneration or resistances depending on your chosen aspect.

Flavor-wise, it feels like a rural priest who can bless the crops one day and swing the scythe of death the next. It’s a brilliant mix of pastoral peace and grim inevitability.

4. Druid: Circle of the Old Ways

This druid taps into the ancient, primeval spirits of the forest. These are the kind of druids who don’t hug trees – they actually become them.

Casting shillelagh makes a living shield grow right out of your arm, and you can enter a state called the Wood Wose, where bark covers your body and sap makes enemies hesitate to attack anyone else. As you grow in power, you strike harder, shrug off blows, and eventually transform into a towering ancient protector—Large-sized, thorn-covered, and punishing anyone who dares cut into your sacred grove.

It’s like playing a walking forest guardian ripped straight from folklore. Perhaps, this is even the precursor to what later became Ents, in the Lord of the Rings.

5. Druid: Circle of Wicker

Crooked Moon offers two subclasses for certain classes, and the druid is one of them. So,we leave off on Druid for today.

Where the Circle of the Old Ways druids draw power from nature itself, the Circle of Wicker druids work through effigies—that is, twig dolls, charms, and crude figures that carry powerful magic. You are like a witch in old fairy tales, or a mysterious wizard of the dark woods.

You can plant an effigy that radiates an aura—healing allies, warding them, or punishing attackers with bursts of fire. Later, your wicker creations can shield allies from conditions, curse enemies with necrotic damage, and at the peak, become flexible enough to swap auras mid-battle. If you like the vibe of creepy folk rituals, protective charms, and just a dash of voodoo doll flavor, this subclass is dripping with atmosphere for you.

And that’s the first batch of subclasses from Crooked Moon: the experimental barbarian, the ghost-whistling bard, the cycle-of-life cleric, and two very different but equally eerie druid circles. Next time, we’ll be covering the Barrow Guard Fighter and beyond, so make sure to subscribe if you don’t want to miss it.

But before we wrap it up, now it’s your turn—tell me in the comments: which of these subclasses would you roll up first? Or, if you haven’t heard yet from the subclass you’re most interested, tell me which one you can’t wait to hear more about!

Daggerheart Classes Deep Dive

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:50:54 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrFz0Vj0nWs&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

Heroes, villains, and… frogs. Today we’re cracking open Daggerheart to look at every single class you can play. We’ll see which ones feel familiar, which ones bring something fresh to the table, and which ones made me go—‘Wait, I can do THAT in combat?’ If you know your D&D, Pathfinder, or other fantasy RPGs, you’ll recognize some archetypes—but Daggerheart’s twist is how it mashes them together with its Domain system. So, grab your character sheet and let’s roll in.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your go-to tavern table for all things TTRPG. Today, we’re diving into Daggerheart’s classes (and sub classes) to give you the highlights, flavor, and ‘cool factor’ of each. Oh, and keep an eye out—some of these mechanics are begging for epic roleplay moments.

I want to note really quick that there are quite a few “new” terms to tabletop RPGs in Daggerheart, such as using Hope to power interesting spell effects, or “shaking off stress.” This video won’t have time to cover all of these things though, so be sure to check back in with us on future videos that’ll go into all of these mechanics.

In Daggerheart, classes aren’t just lists of abilities—they’re built from Domains. Think of a Domain as a themed deck of cards: Arcana for spellcraft, Blade for martial prowess, Midnight for shadowy trickery, and so on. Every class is a combo of two Domains. The Druid mixes Arcana with Sage. The Warrior? Blade and Bone. Each domain adds abilities, spells, and flavorful moves, so your class is both your archetype and your toolkit.

During play, you’ll gain and upgrade Domain Cards—some give you special moves, others are passive perks, and some are big one-shot powers.

It’s like mixing your favorite flavors of ice cream, except your sundae can also turn into a bear and punch a dragon.

The Bard is here to do what bards do best—steal the show and keep everyone else alive long enough to applaud.

Class feature? Rally. Once per session, you can literally hand everyone a ‘Rally Die’ they can spend to boost rolls, do more damage, or shake off stress.

Go Troubadour if you want to play music magic—your songs can heal, make enemies vulnerable, or give the whole party a dose of Hope. Go Wordsmith if you want the power of speeches, poems, and persuasion—think inspiring monologues and rallying your friends like a fantasy hype man.

Druids in Daggerheart bring two big things to the table: Beastform and Wildtouch. Beastform lets you turn into animals for combat, scouting, or just to see how fast you can freak out the city guards.

As a Warden of the Elements, you channel fire, earth, water, or air for combat buffs—like setting attackers on fire just for hitting you. As a Warden of Renewal, you’re the ultimate party healer, mixing nature magic with restorative transformations.

The Guardian is your frontline tank with a vengeance—literally. Their Unstoppable feature lets you shrug off status effects and ramp up damage the longer you fight.

Stalwarts are immovable walls, stacking massive damage threshold bonuses and body-blocking hits for allies. Vengeance Guardians fight like avenging angels—take a hit, and you get to smack the attacker back.

Rangers get Ranger’s Focus—marking a target so you always know where they are and forcing them to take extra stress when you hit them.

Beastbound gives you a full-on animal companion with its own level-up tree.

Wayfinder turns you into a relentless hunter, complete with pathfinding magic and Apex Predator attacks that scare enemies into submission.

Rogues trade in Cloak instead of just ‘Hidden’—meaning if you’re standing still in shadow, you’re basically untouchable until you move or attack. Sneak Attack damage also ramps up fast.

Nightwalker gives you literal shadow teleportation.

Syndicate makes you the ultimate connected operator, with shady contacts ready to drop in loot, intel, or a well-timed crossbow bolt.

The Seraph is all divine fury and celestial flair, fueled by Prayer Dice that can heal, protect, or power up attacks. Seraph is basically the Daggerheart Paladin, but named differently for some reason.

Divine Wielder summons a spirit weapon that flies around like a holy boomerang, smashing multiple enemies.

Winged Sentinel just… grows radiant wings and takes the fight to the skies.

Sorcerers feel raw and unpredictable—your Channel Raw Power can turn spells into Hope or crank damage up to ridiculous levels.

Elemental Origin lets you specialize in one element and eventually become its walking embodiment.

Primal Origin tweaks magic in wild ways—extending its range, doubling damage dice, or hitting multiple targets.

The Warrior is pure martial might—ignoring weapon burdens, hitting harder every level, and punishing enemies for moving away.

Call of the Brave thrives under pressure, turning near-defeat into bursts of Hope.

Call of the Slayer stockpiles bonus dice for devastating finishing moves.

Wizards have Prestidigitation for endless magical flavor, plus Strange Patterns—roll a chosen lucky number, and you get Hope or shake off stress.

School of Knowledge is the academic—hoarding extra domain cards and leveraging perfect recall.

School of War is your battle-mage—mixing heavy magic damage with defensive wards.

That’s every Daggerheart class—each familiar enough to pick up fast, but with domain combos that let you mix magic, martial, and flavor in ways other TTRPGs just don’t.

Which class would you play first? Drop your pick in the comments, and tell me what you’re into.

And hey—this is just the start of our time with Daggerheart. Next time, we’ll look at some more deep-dives and trust me… you’re not ready for the Ribbet ancestry.

I want to Fight the DemoDragon

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 14:15:00 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://youtu.be/hDap5k8fn7Q

Transcription

What do you get when you mix Hawkins, Indiana with hit points and spell slots?

Stranger Things, of course, just in time for the final season coming out! And D&D just dropped a new collab—and this time, you’re joining the Hellfire Club for real.

Four new adventures, a demodragon, and more 80s vibes than a Metallica tour bus. Let’s crack this thing open.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your weekly (or sometimes multi-weekly) save point for all things Dungeons & Dragons.

If you're new here, hit that subscribe button like it's a crit. Let's dive into the biggest D&D/ Netflix crossover since Vecna crashed game night.

Here's the scoop.

Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club is a brand-new D&D board game releasing on October 7 . Developed by Wizards of the Coast and Netflix , it brings Eddie Munson’s final campaign to your tabletop—with a twist.

It’s not a hardcore module—it’s a board game/ D&D hybrid using a streamlined 5E ruleset that’s super beginner-friendly. Think Heroes of the Borderlands meets The Upside Down.

With this set, you get four mini-adventures , all inspired by moments from Stranger Things Seasons 1 through 4:

The Vanishing Gnome
Scream of the Crop
Devil, Metal, Die!
And the epic Ballad of the Rat King

Each adventure is designed for 3–5 players , level 1–3 characters, and takes place in a version of Hawkins merged with classic Greyhawk—called “Greyhawkins.”

And yeah—they went hard on the monster mash.

You’ll face off against Stranger Things favorites like demodogs , demobats , and a brand-new boss: the demodragon .

Because why stop at one terrifying monster when you can homebrew your own?

Real quick to interrupt, we now have free downloadable D&D cards at the Eternity TTRPG website that you can use at your table. Everything from combat actions to status effects – no more flipping through your book to see exactly what being “Petrified” does to your character. You can just take our graphics, print them out at home, and slap them on your table for fun and easy reference. Grab yours today using the link, below!

Now, back to the video.

This set leans all the way into nostalgia:

You get a double-sided Hellfire Club poster.
“In-world” handouts, like maps and letters.
Retro-styled spell cards and tokens.
And yes, that chunky, satisfying dice set you need for a good game night.

The physical box will run you $50 and includes: cards, tokens, poster maps, stat sheets, dice, a DM screen, Four adventure books, and a combat-tracker notepad.

The digital version is $20 through D&D Beyond, perfect if you're running online.

Or go full demodragon mode, and grab the Ultimate Bundle for $60 , combining both formats.

But what do you think—Is this a clever crossover, or just nostalgia bait?

Wrapping up, let me know in the comments: Would you join the Hellfire Club in real life? I think I... might..

Don’t forget to like, sub, and share this with Stranger Things fans in your party. And if you aren’t hyped for it yet, I hope you enjoy the final season coming up.

Here at Eternity TTRPG, we’ve got more spell-slinging stories dropping every week, so stay tuned.

And hey—next time you roll a Nat 1, just blame the Upside Down.

Crooked Moon: The Crimson Monastery

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:08:33 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QklD9CbOoV0&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

“In the flames, there is purity and salvation. From the flames, she speaks…”

Those aren’t the words of a prophet. They’re the twisted scripture of a zealot. Deep in the mountains of Druskenvald, a crimson light spills from stained glass windows. It’s not salvation. It’s a warning.

Today, we’re venturing into one of the darkest D&D adventures I’ve ever read—The Crimson Monastery, from my new personal favorite, Crooked Moon.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your faithful companion through the wildest realms of Dungeons & Dragons. If you love your fantasy served with horror, vampires, and morally gray decisions, buckle in—we’re about to descend into a bloodstained cathedral of corruption.

Let me tell you a story.

Once, there was a noble knight named Marius Renathyr. A beacon of honor, clad in gold armor, championing justice in a cursed land. He loved a priestess of the Nightmother, and though they burned with passion, he kept his vows.

But as his crusade wore on, so did his soul. Wrath replaced compassion. And that’s when she found him.

Viraxys, a devil who fed on twisted souls, disguised her voice as that of a goddess—the Crimson Rose. On the verge of death, Marius accepted her offer of life eternal. But what she gave him was a curse.

Now immortal, now a vampire, now a puppet to her whims, Marius returned to the world not as a hero… but as Father Renathyr, the Crimson Abbot.

Now, back to the video. Father Renathyr took over a mountain monastery, corrupted its clergy, and built a religion around his devil’s false divinity. In the village below—Dawn’s Gate—the people tremble under his sermons. Refuse his faith, and you’ll be burned alive. Embrace it, and you may become something far worse.

This isn’t just a dungeon crawl. It’s a full-blown crusade to take down a vampire cult… from the inside.

The Crimon Monastery is awesome – there’s just so much to it. But let’s start out by saying that Father Renathyr’s not alone. His cult is sustained by three terrifying Priors, each with their own tragic backstory and twisted gifts:

There’s Houndmaster Jaeger , Friar Olaf , and perhaps the most terrifying , Inquisitor Cromwell .

Each of them appears human at first. But when defeated, their monstrous Night Creature forms are revealed for a brutal second phase.

They’re more than lieutenants—they’re potential successors. If you don’t take out all three, the cult might survive… without Renathyr.

And then there’s the monastery itself.

It’s not just a setting. It’s a trap. The whole thing.

The monastery’s walls are made of bloodstone—a cursed material that prevents blood from drying. If you’re wounded, you leave a visible trail, and stealth becomes nearly impossible.

All around are red stained-glass windows arranged in rose-petal patterns. They bathe everything in an eerie light. Inside, the rituals are disturbing: bodies bled at the altar, corpses hanging in the Dead Larder, prayers whispered under a false god.

Oh—and there’s no sunlight. A blessing from the Crimson Rose means that even magical sunlight won’t harm vampires within these walls.

This is their stronghold. You’re not just breaking in to your usual dungeon crawl. With the Crimon Monastery, you’re invading a fortress of the damned.

Finally, this story doesn’t end with one death.

Kill Father Renathyr without wiping out his Priors? You start a civil war. The survivors fight for control, leading to bloodshed across the region.

But what if you expose the truth—that the Crimson Rose is a devil—and show proof to the faithful? You could cause the entire cult to collapse in one dramatic showdown. The townsfolk revolt. The Bloodless turn on each other. The Crimson Monastery falls into ruin.

You get to choose the ending. But be warned: leave even one thread intact, and the nightmare may rise again.

So, adventurer... if you haven’t picked up the Crooked Moon yet, it might just be time.

If you’ve liked what you’ve heard, the Crimson Monastery is only one of many adventures within this beautiful new book.

So, let me know what path you’d take in the comments below.

Like this video if you love dark, story-rich adventures. Subscribe for more deep dives into the shadowy corners of D&D, and let us know you want us to cover next.

Until next time—stay safe, roll high, and never trust a rose without thorns.

Baldur's Gate, Moonshae Isles, and Icewind Dale - Adventures in Faerun

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 19:29:48 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKV7iRcC31c&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

Wizards just dropped a bombshell—and no, it’s not another owlbear plushie.

We’re finally heading back to the Forgotten Realms with a brand-new DM sourcebook—and it’s got survival horror, urban intrigue, and a ton of iconic locations.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your go-to for all things Dungeons & Dragons—rules, reveals, and Realm-shaking updates.

Let’s start with the basics. Adventures in Faerûn is the brand-new Dungeon Master expansion dropping this November, and it's built specifically for the new rules update. That means it plays nice with the shiny new Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide.

But unlike previous setting books, this one’s taking a genre-first approach.

Instead of just a map and a lore dump, each of the five featured regions is tailored to a unique style of play. Think ‘Baldur’s Gate’ as gritty urban fantasy. ‘Icewind Dale’? Full-on survival horror. Yes please.

Here’s the lineup of iconic locales we’re getting tools for:

Baldur’s Gate – which you probably know from all our favorite, Baldur’s Gate 3. There’s urban crime, political tension, and maybe a little devilry.
Calimshan – from older renditions of the Forgotten Realms Lore. You’ll fine scheming nobles and arcane secrets in an Arabian-Nights-esque setting.
The Dalelands – from both 2e and 3e Forgotten Realms lore. This is classic high fantasy with lots of room for heroic sagas.
Moonshae Isles – from The Moonshae Isles Regional Guide. It comes with Celtic vibes and druidic magic—great for mystery and folklore campaigns.
Icewind Dale – which you can read about in the Legend of Drizzt Novels, by R.A. Salvatore. Here, you can expect Frostbitten survival, isolation, and ancient horrors.

Each region comes with new adventure hooks, genre tone guides, and NPC inspiration tailored to the vibe.

You can just take our graphics, print them out at home, and slap them on your table for fun and easy reference. Grab yours today using the link, below!

Now, back to the video. Here’s the cool part—some of this material with the Forgotten Realms hasn’t been touched in Fifth Edition. Like, ever.

They’re digging into the deeper lore of Faerûn and even pulling some artistic cues from Baldur’s Gate 3. You might recognize a few faces—or infernal contracts—from the game.

And while it’s not confirmed, early previews suggest the book might come with poster maps—yes, actual tearaway maps. Which awesome. My table is ready.

Adventures in Faerûn officially releases on November 11th, 2025. But—if you pre-order through D&D Beyond or an early-access local game store, you’ll get the digital version weeks in advance.

Price isn’t locked yet, but it’ll probably sit around the usual $50 USD mark—same ballpark as Phandelver & Below and Vecna: Eve of Ruin.

Now, you know how Wizards rolls: we’ll likely get tie-in minis from WizKids, and there’s a good chance Beadle & Grimm's will cook up one of their deluxe kits—metal coins, props, the works.

To wrap it all up, here’s why this book matters: 5e hasn’t had a full Realms guide since 2015’s Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. That’s nearly a decade without a dedicated Realms setting book.

With the new rules and player guide dropping alongside it, this feels like Wizards’ attempt to make the Forgotten Realms fresh again—for new players and you experience, veteran gamer-grognards, alike.

So, what do you think? Which of the five locations would you run a campaign in first? Is this genre-based format the future of setting books?

Drop your take in the comments, smash that like button like it’s a mimic, and subscribe for more D&D news, lore, and spicy takes.

Until next time—may your dice roll high and your plot hooks land.

New Kickstarter - Starset the Great Dimming - GrimDark SciFi

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:48:54 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJt6sfuolo8&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

Civilization cut off. The solar system dimming. You’re not a hero—you’re just a soul, caught in the aftermath.

Hey everyone! Today we’re unpacking Starset: The Great Dimming—the new 2nd‑edition tabletop RPG by Josiah Mork. It's a gritty, hope‑tinged sci‑fi RPG where ordinary lives shape the story.

If you haven’t ever tried out TTRPGs besides D&D, this video is for you. I personally love finding the gems out there, especially from people who have fresh ideas in the RPG space.

So, let’s dive into what makes this game truly unique.

1. Life‑Path Character Creation – “Your Story Shapes Your Stats”

In most tabletop RPGs, you start by picking numbers—your strength, intelligence, gear, etc. Starset flips that completely.

Here, you start with a life path : five origin stories to choose from— Combat , Common , Exploration , Mercenary , or Slave . These aren’t classes. They’re your character’s past. Were they a soldier in a forgotten war? A wanderer searching for hope? A prisoner stripped of identity?

Once you’ve chosen, you roll dice to simulate major events in that character’s life. Each result gives you a moral choice , like “Did you steal the food to survive… or go hungry and keep your honor?” Your decision directly affects what skills, alliances, and scars your character carries—and even how old they are by the time the game begins.

And yes, it’s possible to die before session one. That's how real and brutal the world of Starset is.

You also collect keywords —these are mechanical tags that represent things like trauma, friendships, or defining traits. Some make you stronger. Others are burdens that shape how you grow. Either way, they evolve with you, like emotional milestones that actually change your abilities over time.

In short: You don’t make a character—you live them.

As creator Josiah Mork put it, this is “ backstory on mega-steroids. ”

2. Simultaneous Action Resolution – “It’s Not Your Turn—It’s Everyone’s Turn”

In most tabletop RPGs, combat goes in turns: “You go, then I go, then the monster goes.”

Starset changes the entire flow. Here’s how it works:

Whenever someone targets you—say, with an attack or a persuasion attempt—that action is delayed until the end of your next turn . That delay is called a Floating Action . It gives you and your allies time to do something about it.

Maybe you dodge out of the way. Maybe you talk them down . Maybe your teammate steps in with an assist , giving you a boost. These responses turn every round into a mini strategy session.

So instead of sitting there waiting for your next turn, the idea is that you’re constantly engaged. Helping allies. Blocking threats. Choosing whether to defend, or risk it all.

Your dice pool —which you use for actions—is also your health . Take a hit, and you lose dice. That means fewer options and more vulnerability next turn.

The result? Combat is less “hit and wait” and more like chess with story beats— tactical, interactive, and team-driven. Even the quiet players at the table get a reason to act and shine.

3. Rich, Thought‑Provoking Worldbuilding – “Loneliness Is the Real Enemy”

Starset isn’t just dark because it looks cool—it’s dark because it wants to say something.

The game is set after a cosmic event collapses the Oort Cloud... did I pronounce that right?

The Oort Cloud collapses, cutting off Earth from the rest of humanity. Civilization falls into chaos. Survivors are left scattered, alone, and desperate for connection.

Every faction in the game is built around a different solution to loneliness :

One turns to faith .
Another to techno-utopia .
One seeks control through power.
Others build tight-knit communities .

Each choice has promise… and danger. No side is “right”—they just reflect real human struggles.

To support this, the game includes the 8 Edicts of Man , a set of philosophical rules that shape society post-collapse. The setting spans 1,000 years of history , giving Game Masters tons of material—from colony ships in deep space to dying cities on Earth.

At the end of every game session, players earn experience not for killing monsters, but by sharing how their character helped others or fought against isolation .

It’s a system that rewards empathy, as much as power.

So yes, Starset is bleak—but it’s also hopeful. It’s a game about surviving the dark… by reaching for the light.

Who Should Play Starset… and Why?

So who is this game really for?

Starset is for story lovers :

If you're the kind of player who enjoys deep, emotional character arcs—where your decisions carry weight and shape your story—Starset was made for you. Every character is a layered person with a past, not just a collection of stats.

Starset is for strategic thinkers :

Starset rewards thoughtful play. Combat and problem-solving aren't just about rolling high—they're about making smart, team-based decisions. And because you’re always involved—even during someone else’s turn—there’s no dead time at the table.

Starset is for sci-fi fans with a philosophical streak :

Starset tackles big questions: How do we find connection in a broken world? What do we believe in when everything falls apart? If you love sci-fi that makes you think, you’ll feel right at home.

And finally, Starset is for game masters who crave worldbuilding fuel :

The game’s setting is rich with lore—factions, history, philosophy, politics. It's all there to spark story hooks, conversations, and custom adventures. Whether you’re building a gritty survival tale or a cosmic morality play, Starset gives you tools to explore both.

To summarize, here’s Why Starset Stands Out

You don’t just create a character—you live their backstory through interactive choices before the game even begins.
The simultaneous action system keeps players engaged and reactive, almost all the time. Which is a fresh change to many D&D battles, if we’re being honest.
The world of Starset is dark, yes—but it’s also filled with glimmers of hope , and it challenges you to explore themes like empathy, survival, and belief.
And finally, every rule and system is designed to reward meaningful interaction —with the world and each other.

The Bottom line?

Starset doesn’t ask, “How do you win?” Instead, it asks, “What kind of person will you be when everything falls apart?”

Intrigued? You can back it now on Kickstarter or check out the rulebook when it’s available.

And lastly, let me know what you think of new game coverage like this, in the comments below. Eternity TTRPG is still feeling out who we are as a channel, so your insight helps me connect you with the content you want most. Until next time!

2025 Arcane Archer from Unearthed Arcana: Bullseye or Misfire?

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 19:48:07 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvX8XJ7leKc&t=1s&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

Meet the 2025 Arcane Archer—no longer just elves with bows. Now they can wield any ammo‑based weapon, deal scaling magic damage, and manipulate the battlefield like dedicated spellcasters. But does this overhaul truly hit the mark? Let’s find out.

Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. Today we’re shooting straight at the new Arcane Archer from Unearthed Arcana. Since 2017’s Xanathar’s Guide, this Fighter subclass has been overshadowed by melee‑centric options—but Wizards just buffed it hard in their latest UA Arcane Subclasses playtest.

Time to ask: is this the ranged spotlight the subclass always deserved?

Arcane Archer Lore now grants proficiency in both Arcana and Nature , plus either Prestidigitation or Druidcraft—strengthening its elven‑archer ancestry, but broadening its identity.

Previously , Arcane Shot was limited to bows, and could only be used twice per rest.

Now , you can channel effects through any Ammunition‑property weapon (blowguns, slings!), with uses tied to your Intelligence modifier , and feature a scaling “Arcane Shot Die.”

This isn’t just incremental—it's a quantum leap in design. The subclass now scales with you, not sealed off after two shots.

Here’s some other new, critical features to the class:

Ever‑Ready Shot is now at Level 7 (instead of 15), giving Arcane Archers a much earlier safety net to stay magically effective in more fights. With this ability, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Arcane Shot left, you regain one use automatically.

Improved/ Powerful/ and Masterful Shots: these are tiered upgrades to Arcane Shot that progressively increase your Arcane Shot Die from a d6 (base) to a d8 at level 10, a d10 at level 15, and a d12 at level 18—boosting the damage and effectiveness of every magical shot.

These features didn’t exist in the 2017 version at all—this is a brand-new scaling mechanic to make the subclass’s magical damage grow meaningfully with your level.

These two updates together ensure that each arcane archer level feels meaningful. The earlier and more frequent upgrades basically round out the subclass.”

Just as a quick interjection, it’s worth noting as well that “Arcane Shot” is far more advanced than it was, say back in 3.5edition. Now, you have a variety of arcane shots, including “banishing shot” (which ads psychic damage and forces a Charisma save. On a fail, the target is banished until the end of their next turn). There’s also “seeking shot” (where you choose a creature you've seen in the past minute; the ammo seeks them out , flying around corners and ignoring cover) and a host of others that make your “arcane shots” do a huge number of interesting things both in and out of combat.

When it comes to the upgrades to ever ready shot and masterful shots, Dungeon Mister has praised these changes, saying they’re: "quality of life improvements...[that] take what was a poor subclass, up to being a more decent one on par with the Battle Master.”

Reddit users are also generally optimistic. The overall vibe is that the “New Arcane Archer looks good. Been waiting for that.”

Okay, so the new Arcane Archer is packed with magical power—but like any subclass, it comes with a few strings attached.

Issue #1: Intelligence Matters - Most Fighter builds focus on Strength or Dexterity to hit hard and take hits—but the Arcane Archer needs Intelligence too, because all your magical shots rely on it for saving throw DCs.

If you don’t invest in Intelligence, enemies will resist your effects more often. And in campaigns nowadays where min-maxing is “so important,” where you have to spread out your stats too thin, your stat investments might feel wasted.

Ok, on to Issue #2: Weapon Weirdness - One of the coolest changes is that you can now use any weapon with the Ammunition property—not just bows. That means blowguns, crossbows… even firearms, if your DM allows them.

But here’s the catch: guns and ammo rules aren’t standard in every campaign. Your DM has to give the green light, and not every table runs with optional gear or rules.

So while the subclass is a powerhouse on paper, it takes a thoughtful build and a cooperative DM to really make it shine. Without those, your arrows might fall a little short.

Final verdict? Overall, the 2025 Arcane Archer nails the bullseye. It’s versatile, scales smoothly, has earlier impact, and remains flavorful—definitely the best version yet.

It definitely has more combative oomph, and less tabletop baggage.

If you want to test it, grab the Unearthed Arcana PDF and share your build ideas below. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more tabletop RPG coverage.

10-Dragon Themed Adventures: Black Dragons to Gold Candy Dragons

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 17:43:05 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR5wS-kJOzQ&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

Your paladin steps forward… and WHAM! A giant rolling pin smashes down from above. They stand up—dazed, frosting-covered—while a gold dragon named Briochebane cackles in the distance. Yep, that’s a real scene from the new Dragon Delves anthology… and we’re just getting started.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your tavern table for all things D&D. Today, we’re diving into Dragon Delves, the first adventure book using the new D&D rules, and spoiler: it’s got more dragons per square foot than any book in 5e history.

Dragon Delves is a new anthology featuring 10 short adventures for characters Level 1 to 12—each centered on a chromatic or metallic dragon.

It just officially became available for print, but early birds who preordered got digital access back on June 24 via D&D Beyond.

Heads up, these adventures don’t lean too hard into the new mechanics. No Bastions, no major spell reworks, just clean integration.

Let’s talk dragons—and the 10 tales where they shine—with a quickfire adventure rundown:

Death at Sunset (Lvl 1): Green dragon in a cursed forest. The party investigates vanishing villagers and a creeping forest blight tied to a green dragon’s lingering influence.
Baker’s Doesn’t (Lvl 3): Gold dragon + evil male hag in a gingerbread house. It’s as wild as it sounds. A halfling bakery is set ablaze by a gold dragon, leading to a confectionery showdown.
Will of Orcus (Lvl 4): Cultists, silver dragons, and a haunted temple. Cultists worshipping the demon prince Orcus draw the attention of a silver dragon—and your group is caught in the crossfire.
For Whom the Void Calls (Lvl 5): A telepathic Bag of Holding stolen by a dragon begs for rescue from inside a surreal, brass-dragon-infused dungeon.
The Dragon of Najkir (Lvl 7): The players sail to a remote monastery to find shipwreck survivors—and discover a deeper mystery involving a brass dragon.
The Forbidden Vale (Lvl 9): summed up as the “red dragon arsonist.” A wildfire-wielding red dragon threatens the region, and the party must stop the blaze before a town burns to ash.
Before the Storm (Lvl 10): Pirates, a magical talisman, and a deadly black dragon all collide as the party fights to save a coastal village.
Shivering Death (Lvl 11): A mysterious heatwave in the frozen north hides the white dragon, “Shivering Death”—and a chilling magical conspiracy.
A Copper for a Song (Lvl 12): Music-based soil revival. Seriously. To save a dying land, the party must recover lost verses of a magical song blessed by a whimsical copper dragon.
Dragons of the Sandstone City (Lvl 12): Deep beneath the earth, the party must thwart a ritual powered by a blue dragon in a crumbling desert ruin.

Here’s something cool: Three adventures—Baker’s Doesn’t, Najkir, and Copper for a Song—are fully playable with just one player and a DM . Not solo in the “no DM” sense, but designed for low-prep, high-impact duos.

They use a new buff called “Blessing of the Lone Champion” that gives you temporary hit points and Heroic Inspiration during key moments—essentially letting one player survive boss fights without backup.

This might be the most aesthetically daring D&D book ever. Each adventure features original art by different artists—ranging from '70s-style psychedelia to clean manga-like minimalism.

The standout? That weirdly awesome cartoon gold dragon in a land made of candy. According to GamesRadar, it’s both hilarious and memorable.

Bonus points, from my perspective: the layout is streamlined and easy to DM. Read-aloud text, maps, and stat blocks are all neatly embedded with minimal page-flipping.

Can you run all 10 together as a single campaign? Kinda. The adventures are pretty disconnected—so if you’re going full arc with the book, expect to DIY your narrative glue. The book offers light suggestions, but it’s not a full storyline in the way Curse of Strahd or Out of the Abyss.

Still, if you want dragon-centric episodes that drop into any campaign? This is perfect.

So, is Dragon Delves worth it?

Yes if:

You want quick, dragon-themed one-shots.
You like wild variety in tone and art.
You DM for casual or solo players.

But, maybe not if:

You’re after one huge epic campaign, and don’t want to put in any of your own work to connect adventures.
Or if, you want deep rules content, or fresh mechanics with the new D&D system.

My verdict?

Dragon Delves doesn’t reinvent D&D or anything crazy like that—but it does remind us why dragons are in the name. It’s silly, scary, creative, and at times downright heartwarming. Plus, no one can *really* be angry about a bunch of adventues centered around dragons.

So, let me know—what’s your favorite dragon color to face? And have you ever been flattened by a rolling pin in a dungeon?

If you liked this video, roll a natural 20 on that Like button, Subscribe for more D&D news, and let me know what you want to see next. Catch you the next time we roll for initiative!

Playable Monster Races from D&D Beyond's New Setting - Crooked Moon

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:44:40 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR5wS-kJOzQ&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

In the sun-starved realm of Druskenvald, the moon crooks just enough to twist folk tales into nightmares...

Hey adventurers! Today on Eternity TTRPG, we’re diving back into The Crooked Moon, a brand-new folk-horror campaign for D&D 5e that drenches your sessions in superstition, creepy rituals, and six terrifying new playable monsters.

Today, I wanted to share with you some of the cool and exclusive playable monster races that you can expect to see in the campaign world, and even experience for your own character:

Curseborn – Human‑wolf hybrids with thick fur, claws, and a lupine posture. They’re your werewolves, basically. Their unarmed attacks allow you to curse your targets, giving them disadvantage on rolls, and causing them to emit wisps of fog.

Graveborn – Corpse‑like humanoids with snouts and bone‑devouring jaws. Your classic ghoul-like undead. With their “Infused Drakkonite” ability, they can ignore resistances when attacking, and deal necrotic damage.

Relicborn – Skeleton‑like beings with glowing pattern‑filled bones and rocking hairstyles. These are more like your lich-undead, kind of. But really, more like rock-n-roll lich, or something. They actually get bonuses to performance skills, and can take “long rests” by enjoying revelry – so partying.

Silkborn – Arachnid humanoids with carapace skin, extra limbs and 250–800-year lifespans. Of all the races, this one is probably my least favorite. Though I know a few people who will love these. They can basically do spider stuff like climb walls, and create webs. Nice.

There’s also a couple other playable monster races I’ve already covered in my previous video (which you should check out), like the:

Harvestborn – which are scarecrow-like constructs embodying agricultural cycles with healing and “culling” powers.

Plagueborn – Rat-folk immune to poison, who spread disease magically.

If you aren’t familiar yet, the Crooked Moon campaign book also includes: 15 horror‑themed subclasses (like Wicker Druids and Pestilent Haze Monks), 13 lineages for your character’s roleplaying background, new spells, 85 monsters (in total), 11 boss fights, 156 curses, and the Fateweaving system which I covered in a recent video.

I like Crooked Moon because it brings a fresh, horror‑focused twist to 5e—bigger than Curse of Strahd even, or Drakkenheim. Any time of the year I can experience Halloween, I’m basically in.

Even if you haven’t seen my previous videos on it, the Crooked Moon is a 632-page, two‑part campaign launched just a couple weeks ago, digitally on D&D Beyond. Print copies are coming this fall.

As I’ve explored this topic more myself, I’ve also learned more about how it began. Crooken Moon was adapted from Edge of Midnight.

Edge of Midnight is the actual-play series by Legends of Avantris that laid the foundation for The Crooked Moon. It’s a dark, folk‑horror D&D campaign that aired on Twitch and YouTube starting in September 2021, set in the same eerie realm of Druskenvald.

The team behind Avantris used this homebrewed saga as the prototype for The Crooked Moon. Their player characters and NPC allies from Edge of Midnight—many of whom take on twisted, villainous forms—were woven into the book’s lore and boss encounters.

By bridging the actual‑play world with a full 600‑page customizable campaign, The Crooked Moon lets players experience that same haunting atmosphere—while also giving DMs the tools to craft new tales or replay the story arc live audiences already love.

If you’re craving eerie tension, unforgettable characters, and creeping dread in your next campaign—The Crooked Moon delivers. It’s available now on D&D Beyond, with physical books coming this Fall.

That’s it for today! Hit like if folk-horror is your jam, drop a comment with which monster races you'd play, and subscribe for more D&D scoop!

$4 million Kickstarter That's Finally Creeping into D&D Beyond

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:37:28 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUmp6ok7ZSk&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

A $4 million Kickstarter smash hit is finally creeping into d and d beyond complete with scarecrows, curses, and a whole city stuck in eternal twilight. Yep. It's time to talk about the Crooked Moon with this third party content is continuing to make waves with d and d Beyond and Dark Fantasy is creeping into mainstream d and d now more than ever.

Welcome back to eternity, T-T-R-P-G. Your go-to source for everything. Dungeons and Dragons from fresh releases to community chaos. I am Jacob, and today we're diving into one of the most ambitious third party campaigns to hit d and d beyond. If you've been following the Legends of Varant actual play series, or just browsing d and D, Reddit's D and d, next section, you've probably heard Whispers of the Crooked Moon.

After smashing Kickstarter goals in 2023 with over $4 million raised, this dark folk horror setting is officially re arriving on d and d Beyond. This June 17th, 2025. Also, it's not just a street. Port d and d beyond has split Crooked Moon into three digital products. Part one is for players, part two is for dms, and then similar to what they do with other products, there's a whole bundle that has both of them together.

I have to say that I like what I'm seeing about Crooked Moon so far. Part one includes the haunted world of Duskin Vault, which is its own unique setting that you may find very interesting. We'll talk about that more later. What kind of people would be into this dark horror kind of setting they've created.

But Book one also comes with 15 subclasses, 13 unique species, 40 spooky new spells, and 26 magic items. There's also a whole host of Familiars Feats, potions, the works Imagine Raven Loft with a splash of Halloween and a Pinch of Pagan ritual. This reminds me a lot of, one of my favorite movies, actually, the Nightmare before Christmas, except maybe without the Christmas part, just more of the Halloween, but that's really the aesthetics here.

I love any kind of d and d supplement that has a host of its own subclasses feces spells. It takes you out of just the normal d and d vibe and it uses that rule set that we all know love are familiar with, but it gives something that's extremely unique and fun and flavorful to play with. Part two of the Crooked Moon comes with a campaign that takes you from level one to 13, which is a huge amount of time.

There's also bonus events and material that can take you all the way up to level 20 if you want. Additionally, the book comes with 85 monsters that are unique and 11 bosses. What I like about that too is it's not just the standard stat blocks for monsters, but the fact that there's actually a category of bosses makes it very interesting for you to create your own scenarios around those particular monsters.

This book also comes with 158 unique curses that are unique to the world, and a custom fate weaving mechanic that makes you, again, feel like you're really part of this setting and not just in a standard d and d game. So what about the art? I have to say, as someone who enjoys d and d art, I've been very impressed with this.

It's absolutely gorgeous. Think gothic nightmares with a cinematic flare. There's even a skeleton barred in the city of the dead. I mean, come on. This is fun. This is really fun. Okay, so what's it gonna cost you to get creeped out under the crooked moon? Book one, like we were just talking about, cost 39 99.

Book two is the same. And if you want the full bundle on d and d beyond, it is 69 99. If you pre-order, you also unlock some bonus content frames, backdrops for your d and d beyond character sheets, things you can use online. Honestly, compared to other third party supplements, this is a pretty beefy offering for the price, especially with that fate weaving system, which we'll talk about more in a future deep dive.

Over on Reddit. Some folks are loving the horror vibes. One user reported that this feels like Curse of Straw if it was directed by Guillermo del Toro. Another said that they're prepping a whole Halloween one shot for their gaming group with the crooked moon. And I think it's a little bit early. You still got three months, but hey, I mean, you could spend three months prepping an amazing one shot adventure for your group this Halloween.

There are some people though who aren't thrilled. One fan was hesitant about d and d beyond's monetization strategy. One comment that stood out with this was third party prices keep creeping up while Core Books stay locked in. Personally, I think that d and d beyond is fine. I'm not in love with how they're trying to turn d and d into a World of Warcraft style online subscription.

But for the purposes of getting great content like Crooked Moon here, I think d and d making a bit of money is okay. So how about for you? Are you picking up your own digital copy of the Crooked Moon on d and d beyond, or are you sticking with physical books or your own home brew campaigns for now? Drop your spookiest subclass idea in the comments.

Hit like if you've ever played through a curse of STR campaign. And don't forget to subscribe for more d and d news and updates every week.

D&D SRD 5.2 (Systems Reference Document) - Good for D&D Creators?

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 16 May 2025 21:59:56 GMT

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://youtu.be/WN1eLH2y2R0

Transcription

SRD 5.2 is here, and it's more than just a rules update. Wizards just handed creators a brand new playbook, but not everyone's cheering.

Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your go-to source for all things D&D. Today we're diving into what's new in the SRD 5.2, why It's a big deal for third party creators and the spicy debates it's already sparked.

The SRD 5.2 officially dropped on April 22nd, and it's packed with content aligned with the 2025 core rule books. Think more feats, spells, monsters, and gear all ready for creators to use remix and sell under the Creative Commons. There's a couple things to touch on.

First, what does the SRD mean? The SRD is the systems reference document, and it is basically the base rules that creators can use from the D&D core rule books that align with all of the stats, monsters, things that exist in the game. And it's what allows creators to build content that's compatible with the D&D universe. So, whenever you hear the term SRD, it's the systems reference document - very important document that basically enables third party creators to even put together anything at all that fits within the D&D space.

The great news of the 5.2 SRD is that it continues the Creative Commons approach meaning that any creators - they own what they make. Wizards doesn't control the content. Creators just have to give credit and they're good to go.

But what about the stuff from the SRD 5.1 version that didn't survive the transition?

According to Wizards, anything missing got replaced by a functional equivalent.

But fans on the official D&D Beyond thread noticed some odd emissions. One user pointed out missing monsters like the Banshee and Flame skull, even though the equivalents exist in the prior rules. Another flagged the absence of dueling and protection fighting styles, calling it odd since those basics were already open in the SRD 5.1.

Wizard says the SRD will get updates when future errata drops. So, we might, for example, see a 5.2 0.1 version or a 5.2 0.2 and beyond. But as of now, these elements that have been missing from the previous version are just - they're just mysteriously absent.

We also have some spotlights from the community on some of their reactions. One user praised the move to Creative Commons for being far less restrictive and much easy to use. I agree with this. I think that anyone who is creating content within the D&D space, especially books, which is a lot of what's sold online - you want to own your property. It makes it far easier. All you have to do is mention and you don't have to give away everything that you've created.

Others have lamented that the SRD 5.2 doesn't support OGL content, which is the open gaming license content. They called the split from the D&D 2014 OGL a tragedy.

Some legal savvy users were also debating how will the Creative Commons license protects Wizards from bad actors. And apparently, the sort of collective response is it doesn't very much. But, it does let them say that, "Hey, it's not our fault," if something goes awry.

My take is that the SRD 5.2 opens major doors but it also locks a few behind the open gaming license. If you're a creator, it's probably time to start transitioning your content. But, keep an eye on what's missing and how future errata fills in the blanks.

So what about you? Are you jumping into the SRD 5.2 as a creator, or are you sticking with the old school OGL? And if you spotted anything weird or missing in the new SRD, drop it in the comments. If you're somebody who's creating in the space, we would really love to hear your take on it.

As we're starting to wrap up for today, we're gonna do some quick fire bonus round updates. There is currently no word yet on a non-English version of the SRD 5.2, but they're planned for a later date and the long requested return of sage advice is happening, but Q&A submissions aren't open yet.

Alright, everyone. That's your weekly scroll of D&D updates with Eternity TTRPG. We are going to be putting out short news content every week, maybe a couple times a week, where we're just summarizing for you what's happening in the D&D space so that you can jump on while you're going to work, grabbing a coffee, doing whatever it is you're doing. Maybe you know, you're just taking a break.

We're happy that you're jumping in here and joining us for a little bit of time. If you are loving or hating the SRD 5.2 sound off in the comments. We'd love to hear from all of you creators on your personal takes for things.

The last thing for today is what monsters spell or rule do you think must make it into the SRD update? Let us know. We can't wait to hear from you otherwise, we'll see you again very soon.

Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 31

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 04:00:06 GMT

For months, heroes from across the land have gone missing, slave ships have ransacked coastal villages, and even members of the fabled dragon knights have been slain. Now, you find, that all is related.

It took weeks to subdue a single "plague cultist," and he didn't give up without a fight. Though he wouldn't talk, you found clues in his traveling bag that led you here, to depths beneath a forgotten city of Eboncrest.

Unfortunately, it seems the Crypt of the Plaguebringers is already nearing its goal, however, and the cultists' powerful spell is about to be unleashed upon the lands of Altius, if no one can stop them.

Day 31 - Plague Cultist Reserves

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

You find another crate, but this one has a lock upon it, leading you to believe that it may contain something of greater value.

Room Treasures

Plague Fire Ointment: a successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) allows characters to pick the lock on this chest, revealing one bottle of "Plague Fire Ointment." A single bottle of this, when drank, removes 1-stack of "Plague Fire." There are also other supplies in this chest, such as more food, bedding (presumably the likes of which players found in dungeon room 22), and even a short "welcome" letter, that reads, "You have taken the next step in your journey to oblivion. Welcome ye here, to your service in the Crypt..."

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 30

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 30 - Slaver's Provisions, Continued

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

As with the last crevice, a large crate lies tucked away into this room, with no locks or any interesting marks upon it.

Room Treasures

Slaver's Provisions: as with the last room, this crate contains additional provisions for those who bring in boats to this cove - jugs of water, food such as apples, stale bread, and cheese, and even a few articles of warm clothing. The chest is large, yet it is stuffed with supplies. Apparently, many prisoners have been sacrificed to the Crypt, and many Plague Cultists too, may be joining the "cause."

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 29

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 29 - Slaver's Provisions

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A large crate lies tucked away into a rock crevice, with no locks or any interesting marks upon it.

Room Treasures

Slaver's Provisions: this crate contains additional provisions for those who bring in boats to this cove - jugs of water, food such as apples, stale bread, and cheese, and even a few articles of warm clothing. The chest is large, yet it is stuffed with supplies. Apparently, many prisoners have been sacrificed to the Crypt, and many Plague Cultists too, may be joining the "cause."

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers Overview Page to see all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 28

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 28 - Slaver's Payment

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The boat which is used to carry slaves and new Plague Cultist recruits in, to the dungeon. Looking upon the waters, you see a light just offshore that leads to a flooded cave system. Beyond, you're certain the rivers lead to the ocean, for waves lap at the rocky beach here, even as you watch.

Room Treasures

Slaver's Payment: four chests in this room containing various items such as gems, silks, some rare art, and more, along with the pile of coins are worth the equivalent of 12Fortune (matches Avg. Party Level). A successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -2) reveals that this stash of wealth may be what the Plague Cultists use to pay the slavers who bring prisoners here for the Crypt's dark rituals. A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that taking all of this wealth will most certainly cause problems between the Plague Cultists and the slavers, for with no payment, their agreement is sure to become problematic - allowing the players to cause yet more damage to the Cultists, even if one or more should survive.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers Overview Page to see all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 27

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 27 - River Styx

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Room Challenges

A Small Note: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -4) reveals that etched into one of the boards of the boat, are the words, "Please help me." A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals the additional note below it, much smaller: "Mommy, please help."

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 26

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 26 - Wrathful Cleaver

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(Just behind the fire on the right from dungeon room 25 is a break in the wall. Players may think to check back here, where they find...)

A massive sword lying on the floor, largely obscured from the hallway by a pile of rubble. Who knows who left this weapon here, but the quality of the blade is considerable.

Room Challenges

Wrathful Cleaver: the massive sword has the same stats as a "Mythril War Hammer" (+7Strike Bonus, -2Initiative, 1Range - you may also adjust the weapon's stats to fit your campaign). A successful Strike Bonus roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +2) reveals that the weapon also gives its wielder access to the berserker "Wrath" ability. A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that this sword is of the style known to dragon knights. It appears that one might've been captured as a prisoner, or slain, within the Crypt.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 25

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 25 - 2nd Entrance to the Prison

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Two fires bar the way to the far side of the prison (players may have already seen the prison by going through dungeon room 20, or this may be their first time seeing it. If it's their first time, refer to dungeon room 20 for specifics on how the prisoners react, etc.).

Room Challenges

Break in the Wall: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1) reveals a break in the wall behind the fire to the right. A Double-Success Fate Roll also allows characters to pass by the fire without scathing their skin. Otherwise, a successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1) allows them to do the same. If they fail, they take 1damage from the fires burning their skin as they try to squeeze past, to the room beyond (dungeon room 26).
Plague Fires: characters who come within 1-space of the fires in this room, roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1). If they fail, they gain 1-stack of "Plague Fire." Each stack of "Plague Fire" gives the target -1Dodge, -1Resilience, and -1Will. If a character gains 3-stacks of "Plague Fire," they are instantly transported/ teleported to dungeon room 7. "Plague Fire" may not be dispelled.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers Overview Page to see all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 24

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 04:00:01 GMT

Day 24 - Green Dragon Statue

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(If players overturned the cauldron in dungeon room 18, this statue "Activates" - see below. Otherwise, the statue is simply a statue).

The hallway from dungeon room 23 takes you to an enormous statue that features a green dragon, coiled upon a rock. This dragon is snake-like in appearance, with no arms, legs, or wings, yet the spines along its length, and the creature's head are unmistakably dragon in nature.

Room Challenges

Activated Dragon "Statue": this Dragon "Statue" is alive... it is not a stone statue, but an actual creature, just lying dormant, currently. When players overturn the cauldron from dungeon room 18, the poisons contained therein awaken this creature. However, the concoction was not complete, so the dragon only awakens at part of its possible strength. When players enter this room, it attacks them with an ambush round, as the "statue" suddenly springs to life.
Break in the Wall: the Crypt's walls are so ruined at the bottom right of this dungeon room that players may see through the collapsed wall to the overhang above. Being below, players can't see what's in there (if they haven't been, already), but it is dungeon room 22. Players may scale the 10ft hang to dungeon room 22 should they wish. Furthermore, if players either "Activate" the dragon statue and battle it (above), or if they cut off its head (below), then the four Plague Cultists from dungeon room 22, if they're alive, will immediately run from the barracks to this room/ jump from the overhang and attack the party.
Green Dragon Statue: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1) reveals that this dragon statue may indicate where new recruits to the Plague Cultist ranks are to go, once they arrive to the Crypt (given that the "barracks" is located nearby). The strong ocean smell in the air suggests that this area could well be how new recruits get here. A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that this Dragon Statue is also alive... that it is not a stone statue, but an actual creature, just lying dormant, currently (see "Activated Dragon Statue," above). Should characters cut off the head of this dragon, they will slay the beast before it may rouse from its death-like slumber. Slaying this dragon is another one of the keys to stopping the plot of the Plague Cultists.

Enemy Stats

Dragon "Statue": "Demi-Boss" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Assassin AI." Beginning with the first round of combat, and every 3rounds after, the dragon breathes poisonous gas as the pyromancer "Pyro Storm" spell, but that deals poison damage and also applies poison if it hits, as the assassin "Assassin's Poisons" ability. Once the dragon takes 3damage, it flies into the ceiling of this dungeon room, shattering the rock, and escaping to dungeon room 60. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

(Plague Cultists): if present - "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 23

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 04:00:01 GMT

Day 23 - The Brine Ladder

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The (top) door from dungeon room 19 opens to a hallways that smells strongly of the open ocean, and humidity fills the air. The ladder leading down to the rough stone floor is slightly slick, as if covered in a fine coating of brine.

Room Challenges

Slick Ladder: characters using the ladder this room roll Dodge (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level). If they fail, they fall off the ladder and bruise their tailbone/ parts of their legs, and have -1Speed for their next combat encounter - just a little light flavor for the room.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 22

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 22 - The Underlings' Barracks

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The (middle) door from dungeon room 19 opens to a room filled with makeshift beds, a broken wall that leads further into the dungeon, dropping from a small cliff/ overhang, and random crates perhaps filled with the Cultists' belongings. Four cultists lie in this room, softly asleep.

Room Challenges and Treasures

Break in the Wall: the Crypt's walls are so ruined at this spot that players may see through the collapsed wall from the overhang to the area below. From here, players can see the green dragon statue in dungeon room 24, so you may show them that room. This overhang is also a 10ft drop to dungeon room 24 should players wish to go there, from here.
Crates: hidden within one of the crates is a map of the Crypt (see the main Crypt of the Plaguebringers page). Show players the map at the top of the page (that has no numbers on it), and show all sections except for the golden-walled rooms, on the right side of the map (those rooms are not included on this map). Players may use this map to help navigate and plan their expedition into the Crypt.
Plague Cultists: four cultists are located in this room, sleeping randomly in the makeshift cots. A successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -3) allows characters to enter and explore the room without waking any of the cultists - all characters must succeed on this roll for this to work. A Double-Success Fate Roll allows a character to cover for one other character in the party who fails this roll, automatically turning their failure into a success. Any Cultist attacked while sleeping dies from the attack, automatically.

Enemy Stats

Plague Cultists: "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 21

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 04:00:01 GMT

Day 21 - Prisoners of the Crypt

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

This cramped prison holds dozens of prisoners, all shivering and cowering. You can't believe the inhumanity of just how many people have been shoved into such a cramped, damp, and filthy space.

Room Challenges

Prison Gate: the "Plague Disciple" from dungeon room 18 held a "Gate Key" to open the gate in this room, too, on the left. Alternatively, a successful Initiative or Strike Bonus roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +3) allows characters to either pick the lock on this gate, or break it down.
Prisoners: similar to the "Escaped Prisoner" from dungeon room 18, these people have been captured on one of the slave ships that have been raiding coastal towns. They've heard screams from dungeon room 18, and assume that prisoners have been sacrificed there in dark rituals. If asked, they can show players to the boat that brought them here (dungeon room 36). They plead for the characters to help them escape.
Secret Cultist Hidden Among the Prisoners: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +5) reveals that there is a Plague Cultist among the prisoners, apparently left here to guard against prison escapes. A Double-Success Fate Roll allows characters to recognize and subdue the Cultist before he becomes aware of the players' suspicion. Otherwise, this Cultist goes along with the "prison break," ready to spring traps when the time is right...

Enemy Stats

Plague Disciple: Plague Disciples wear the same clothing as their "neophyte" counterparts, but possess greater power, and status here within the dungeon. "Leader" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Vampire Mage AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 20

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 20 - The Prison Gate

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The hall from dungeon room 18 opens to a small pathway, leading to a prison gate. The gate is rusted iron, with a light smell of salt water and open ocean coming from the distance. Behind the gate, you can just make out the huddled and shivering forms of dozens of prisoners. Upon seeing you, they cower against the walls, begging for help.

Room Challenges

Prison Gate: the "Plague Disciple" from dungeon room 18 held a "Gate Key" to open this gate. Alternatively, a successful Initiative or Strike Bonus roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +3) allows characters to either pick the lock on this gate, or break it down. A Double-Success Fate Roll also allow characters to automatically pick the lock or break down the gate in dungeon room 21.
Prisoners: similar to the "Escaped Prisoner" from dungeon room 18, these people have been captured on one of the slave ships that have been raiding coastal towns. They've heard screams from dungeon room 18, and assume that prisoners have been sacrificed there in dark rituals. If asked, they can show players to the boat that brought them here (dungeon room 36). They plead for the characters to help them escape.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 19

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 19 - The Ominous Hallway

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Numerous doors open from this extended hallway, and after the battle from the previous room, its space is eerily silent. Behind the first door (at the top), no sounds may be heard. The second contains light snoring behind it. And the third (at the bottom) has sounds of grating - stone against stone.

Room Challenges

Eerie Silence: sometimes, having dungeon rooms with "nothing in them" can be a challenge enough for players, as they begin to suspect danger at every turn . In this case, this room's "challenge" is the silence itself, and the players' own imagination for what might be coming next.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 18

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 04:00:01 GMT

Day 18 - The Cauldron

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(This is the room that the Plague Cultist from dungeon room 6 attempted to escape to. If they did, then they successfully alerted the other Plague Cultist in this room, and the two are now barricaded behind the dark altar, waiting for the party to enter. Meanwhile the prisoner they were about to sacrifice flails on the floor beneath the cauldron, trying to break free of their bonds).

The room opens to a black altar, blood stains across the room, and a massive cauldron which bubbles forth copious amounts of sinister-blue gas. Hallways open to the left and below.

Room Challenges and Treasures

Escaped Prisoner: this man was captured on one of the slave ships that raided the coastal town, Bloodmore. He has no idea how long he's been here, but guesses it's been about 2-weeks. For that entire time, every several hours, he's heard screams from this room, and assumes that prisoners have been fed to the cauldron. If asked, he can show players to where the other prisoners are kept in dungeon room 21, and the boat that brought them here (dungeon room 36). He pleads the characters to help him escape.
Massive Cauldron: a prisoner lies in binds beneath the cauldron, trying to escape, while the cultists ready for battle. If he is released, see "Escaped Prisoner," above, for more details. A successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level) reveals that this cauldron is another critical component to the Plague Cultists' plan to unleash their spell upon the realm, and that dumping its contents could prove disastrous for them (though probably not stop the plan, entirely). A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that dumping the cauldron's contents, however, will cause 2damage to every character in this room (including each of the party members), all of the prisoners in dungeon room 21 (which will kill them all), and every character all the way out to dungeon room 24 on the left, and dungeon room 38, beneath. Furthermore, the gases from the cauldron, if its contents are spilled, will damage characters even if they're standing upon the altar, the ladder in this room, or otherwise. Only the sword, Pale Sky, can protect characters from the cauldron's contents, or being far enough away when the contents are spilled, as described above.
Plague Cultists: one (or two) cultist(s) are located in this room, based on whether or not the one cultist escaped here from dungeon room 6. They attack anyone entering the room. If the cultist from dungeon room 6 did manage to alert the other cultist here, then both cultists get 1-ambush round against the party when they enter. The Plague Cultist from this room also holds the "Gate Key," which opens dungeon room 20 and dungeon room 21.

Enemy Stats

Plague Cultist: the Plague Cultist from dungeon room 6. "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Plague Disciple: the Plague Cultist from here, in dungeon room 18. Plague Disciples wear the same clothing as their "neophyte" counterparts, but possess greater power, and status here within the dungeon. "Leader" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Vampire Mage AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 17

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 04:00:01 GMT

Day 17 - Alchemical Room, Continued

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The alchemical tables continue, but this time, with numerous fires, a pit in the center of the room, and what is clearly more noxious gas in the room beyond.

(See dungeon room 40 - shown in November - should players continue downwards at this time, despite all of the obvious dangers).

Room Challenges and Treasures

Alchemical Instruments: various alchemical instruments lie strewn across both tables. These instruments are non-useful for the dungeon and are merely here for flavor. However, players may take them and attempt their own alchemical processes, if you so wish.
Noxious Gas: the noxious gas shown in this room is actually from the room below (dungeon room 40), and so is not in dangerous enough concentration here to cause damage.
Pit: the flames in this room are not bright enough to pierce the darkness of the pit, below. A successful Strike Bonus or Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -3) allows characters to scale down into the pit without being harmed. A Double-Success Fate Roll also allows characters to see the small army of skeletons at the bottom of the pit, before descending directly into their midst - see dungeon room 9 for details).
Plague Fires: characters who come within 1-space of the fires in this room, roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1). If they fail, they gain 1-stack of "Plague Fire." Each stack of "Plague Fire" gives the target -1Dodge, -1Resilience, and -1Will. If a character gains 3-stacks of "Plague Fire," they are instantly transported/ teleported to to dungeon room 7. "Plague Fire" may not be dispelled.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 16

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 16 - Alchemical Room

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Another 10ft ladder leads back down to the main dungeon floor, where alchemical tables with numerous unique items reside. Fires line the entryway to the room. Beyond, the room opens up further...

Room Challenges and Treasures

Blacked Containers: on the left side of the room, there are 7-black containers, of varying sizes. Each container holds a type of alchemical reagent - sulfur, saltpeter, quicksilver, ash, spider venom sacks, and the like. These reagents are non-useful for the dungeon, and are merely here for flavor. However, players may take them and attempt their own alchemical processes, if you so wish.
Green Potion Bottles: on the right side of the room, there are 3-green bottles. A successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) reveals these bottles contain "The Plague" - a small, contained version of what the Plague Cultists intend to unleash upon Altius. If thrown, these bottles deal 4-poison damage to any living/ organic target that they hit. Wielders of the sword, "Pale Sky" are immune to this damage. A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that dumping 1/2 of one of these bottles onto a "Plague Fire" extinguishes that fire, making it safe for characters to pass without the risk of gaining stacks of "Plague Fire."
Plague Fires: characters who come within 1-space of the fires in this room, roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1). If they fail, they gain 1-stack of "Plague Fire." Each stack of "Plague Fire" gives the target -1Dodge, -1Resilience, and -1Will. If a character gains 3-stacks of "Plague Fire," they are instantly transported/ teleported to to dungeon room 7. "Plague Fire" may not be dispelled.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 15

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 15 - Dark Oaken Chests

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(The dungeon rooms now continue back in the main Crypt - the full extent of the "Plague Dream" was needed prior to this, in case players reached 3-stacks of "Plague Fire").

The door opens to a small room containing two fine, oaken chests. Stained black, the chests are iron-bound, and placed in the corner. Another doorway leads further into the dungeon.

Room Treasures

Plague Cultist Robes: a successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) allows characters to pick the lock on this chest, revealing a single robe completely identical to what the Plague Cultists wear. A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that this robe makes its wearer immune to "Plague Fire" stacks - although this effect happens automatically, and players should come to the same conclusion themselves soon by wearing it, anyways. Finally, players get a +3 bonus to Inspiration rolls to convince Plague Cultists that they are one of them, while wearing this robe (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level).
Plague Fire Ointment: a successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) allows characters to pick the lock on this chest, revealing two bottles of "Plague Fire Ointment." A single bottle of this, when drank, removes 1-stack of "Plague Fire." A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals two additional bottles of "Plague Fire Ointment," hidden beneath a false bottom in the chest.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 14

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 04:00:12 GMT

Day 14 - Remnant's Remorse

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(The "Plague Dream" is a more fluid space than the dungeon proper. In this zone, players are - most likely, and effectively - trying to figure out how to return to the main dungeon. Each "zone" of the Plague Dream is characterized by one or more unique elements. Wherever players go in the Plague Dream, refer to these specific elements to tell them what happens).

A purple coffin lies beneath a tree, with the words, "Beloved Itoch" intricately etched into its side. The coffin is the size of a small child's, and the top is partially opened.

Room Challenges

The Coffin: the coffin is empty. A successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +3) reveals the story of Itoch (shown below), which characters "learn about" from memory of stories they'd heard before. This coffin is for lore purposes only, for broader campaigns, and has no immediate bearing upon this dungeon.

"There was once a boy of ten, blonde and human, named Itoch. His parents were devout followers of Vyros and were personally converted by the Pyromancer Thangoruin Vy Ainamarth.

Because Thangoruin was chosen of Vyros to complete his purposes on Altius, Thangoruin had the power to delegate other leaders to spread the beloved word of death. To Itoch’s parents was given the task of traveling from Calciphern to Leonic, preaching the ideals of Vyros, given to bless all mortals of Altius.

The news of the Eternal was not well-received in Leonic. After a year, witch hunters burned the temple to Vyros and killed the family of three."

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 13

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 13 - Noxious Chasm

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Next to the massive, central tree, is another pit which spews forth poisonous gas - much like the entryway to the Crypt, itself.

(With the sword, Pale Sky in hand, players may safely attempt to scale down into these pits. Should they do so, they find a small army of skeletons roughly 50ft below - see dungeon room 9 for details).

Room Challenges

Noxious Gas: characters entering this area roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level). If they fail, they immediately take 1damage from the room's poisonous gas.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 12

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Unfortunately, it seems the Crypt of the Plaguebringers is already nearing its goal, however, and the cultists' powerful spell is about to be unleashed upon the lands of Altius if no one can stop them.

Day 12 - Dark Magic Orbs

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A massive, 10ft diameter orb floats over the darkened ground, the green fire of area dancing off its smooth exterior. Yet, you sense that the orb has some kind of "pulling" effect to it, and you can even see fire from the nearby wall flicking towards the orb, as if being sucked in.

Room Challenges

Dark Magic Orbs: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +2) reveals that these orbs are a key component of the Plague Cultists capturing the magical powers they need to create the cursed plague that they plan to unleash upon the realm. Somehow, these orbs are siphoning magic and poison from the wall of fire. A Double-Success Fate Roll also gives characters a +5 to a Faith roll against the orb, should they attempt to dispel it, as they gain insight into the magical workings of the orb.
Dispelling the Dark Magic Orbs: a successful Faith roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +5) allows characters to dispel a "Dark Magic Orb." A Double-Success Fate Roll also gives characters access to casting the "Drain Life" Vampire Mage spell for the duration of their time in the Crypt of the Plaguebringers.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 11

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 11 - Wall of Fire

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A 20ft high wall of fire spews poisonous gas into the air, and radiating immense heat 20ft in front of it. The wall seems to burn from nothing, as if merely erupting out of the ground.

(If players are high enough level to have extremely high Speed, or spells that enable them to fly, etc. you may want to change this wall to be more like a "dome" of fire - with the intent that players really cannot escape this space. Unless, that is, you want to come up with more to this section of the dungeon than will be presented).

Room Challenges

Wall of Fire: characters who touch this wall of fire take 1-fire damage and 1-poison damage (or 2damage per space moved in it, should they try to run through etc. The wall of fire is also 20ft deep, which is 4-spaces).

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 10

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 10 - Pale Sky

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

An armored knight kneels before a pure white sword with a pure blue hilt, stuck into the ground. The armor is rusted in spots, yet gleams in others. A royal red cape rustles gently in the wind, though its ends are frayed. A wall of green fire blazes just beyond the figure.

Room Challenge and Treasure

Armored Skeleton : the skeleton in this armor seems not to stir, even when players close in around it. Perhaps it's unlike the others.
Pale Sky - The Sword: the pure white sword with a hilt of pure blue has runes etched on the flat of the blade that read "Pale Sky," indicating the sword's name. This weapon is a "Mythril Longsword" (+5Strike Bonus, 1Range - you may also adjust the weapon's stats to fit your campaign). A successful Faith roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +2) reveals that the weapon also automatically dispels all poisons within 2Range (10ft) at all times. Wielding this weapon makes the character who holds it (and nearby) allies immune to "Noxious Gas" and other airborne poisons (and plague effects) within this dungeon. However, they do not become immune to "Plague Fires." A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that taking this sword will also animate the skeleton in the armor, as its presence is what's currently protecting the skeleton from being animated by the plague.

Enemy Stats

Armored Skeleton: "Leader" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Legionnaire AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 9

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 9 - Victims of the Plague Dream

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A skeleton lies in these dark, grassy fields. No surprise, given how unbreathable the air around you is, and the dangers of the Crypt. Who knows how long this figure has been here.

Room Challenges

Skeleton : unholy, green light seeps into these barren bones, animating it, and causing it to attack characters who come within 5Range.

Enemy Stats

Skeletons: "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 8

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 8 - Plaguing Trees

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

This perfectly healthy tree seems to be suffocating amidst all the noxious gases of this area. How can something so pure be surviving here?

Room Challenges

Noxious Gas: characters who "Plague the Tree" (below) roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -3). If they fail, they immediately take 1damage from tree's poisonous gas.
Plague the Tree: when characters touch a tree located in the "Plague Dream" (except for the main, central tree, where the portal is located) it removes one stack of "Plague Fire." When characters touch one of these trees, however, it catches the tree on fire with a green flame, which burns a hole into the tree trunk. Afterwards, the tree withers and turns sickly green, twisting inward upon itself until it too begins emitting noxious gases. When characters have all three stacks of "Plague Fire" removed (from touching 3-trees, they are instantly returned to dungeon room 1. Characters may also roll Intelligence (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +2) to learn all of this information (aside from what happens when they remove all 3-stacks... they can work that part out for themselves). Once a tree has become plagued, it can no longer absorb "Plague Fires" for any character - meaning that characters only have as many "ways back" to the main dungeon as there are trees, divided by 3 - so they need to be careful with how often they come here!

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 7

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 7 - Portal to the Plague Dream

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(Players are transported to this location when they receive 3-stacks of "Plague Fire").

Your vision goes suddenly blindingly white, as if you're passing through the center of an inferno, and then- ...it goes blindingly dark. Some time later, your senses return to you, and you're beneath a green, noxious sky. You can just make out the stars twinkling through gaps in enormous tree branches overhead. In fact, a massive tree is immediately behind you, and... some kind of purplish portal. Where are you?

Room Challenges

Noxious Gas: characters entering this room roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -2). If they fail, they immediately take 1damage from the room's poisonous gas.
Portal: the purple portal through which characters seem to have emerged here is solid to the touch. As they watch, it's almost as if the portal disintegrates into the bark of the tree.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 6

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 6 - Lookout

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(If players were not able to sneak in, then read the following: A Plague Cultist sees you enter the room, and immediately begins shouting for help as he runs to the door on the left of this room).

The room is filled with a stone chair, two fires, a stone door on the left, and a stone door at the bottom of the room.

Room Challenges

Plague Cultist: one cultist is located in this room, sitting upon the stone chair. They try yelling for help and escaping to the left door, upon seeing the party enter.
Plague Fires: characters who come within 1-space of the fires in this room, roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1). If they fail, they gain 1-stack of "Plague Fire." Each stack of "Plague Fire" gives the target -1Dodge, -1Resilience, and -1Will (can stack without limit). If a character gains 3-stacks of "Plague Fire," they are instantly transported/ teleported to to dungeon room 7. "Plague Fire" may not be dispelled.
Stone Doors: should characters check the doors in this room, the one at the bottom has no noise beyond it, whereas characters automatically succeed at hearing muffled screams coming from the door to the left (which also explains why even though the Plague Cultist from this room yells for help, no one hears them).

Enemy Stats

Plague Cultist: "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 5

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 00:23:17 GMT

Day 5 - Entryway to the Crypt

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Climbing the ladder, the stone door swings inwards to reveal a small hallway, elevated roughly 10ft above the room you were just in. Here, the floor is also much smoother and more polished than what you'd seen of the Crypt so far. The hallway turns a corner just ahead to another door of blackened stone.

Room Challenges

Especially Creaky Door: a successful Agility roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level) allows characters to open the door without alerting other Plague Cultists located further in the dungeon that someone is entering the space. A Double-Success Fate Roll also allows characters to quickly peak through a crack in the door (without being noticed), discovering that the next room actually does contain a Plague Cultist, and more Plague Fires.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 4

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Day 4 - Dead End

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The hallway ends in a semi-circle section of eroded wall. The wall looks as if perhaps there was a door here previously, but so much erosion of the wall over time has left nothing but a massive pile of rubble. Through the room's severe darkness you can just make out the whisper of wind passing through the rubble to whatever lays beyond.

Room Challenges

Secret Door: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +2) reveals the ever-so-slight outline of a door in one of the few sections of the wall that are still standing. Characters may take this door to a secret passage. A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals through cracks in the rubble that the dark room beyond is inhabited by numerous gargoyles.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 3

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 02:30:00 GMT

Day 3 - Plague Fires

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Coming around the corner, a fire in the corner illuminates rusted rungs of a ladder that goes upward roughly 10ft to a stone door, above, just barely ajar. Beyond, the darkness stretches still into the hallways beyond.

Room Challenges

Plague Fires: characters who come within 1-space of the fires in this room (including anyone who touches the ladder), roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1). If they fail, they gain 1-stack of "Plague Fire." Each stack of "Plague Fire" gives the target -1Dodge, -1Resilience, and -1Will. If a character gains 3-stacks of "Plague Fire," they are instantly transported/ teleported to to dungeon room 7. "Plague Fire" may not be dispelled.
Stone Door: the door made of stone at the top of the ladder pushes open easily, though with slightly creaky hinges.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 2

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 20:29:50 GMT

Day 2 - Noxious Gas

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

With the "welcoming party" of the dungeon behind you, the dark room opens further to more dark pits that feature noxious gas, and a hallway beyond...

Room Challenges

Noxious Gas: characters who specifically did not take damage from the "Noxious Gas" in dungeon room 1, roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1). If they fail, they immediately take 1damage from the room's poisonous gas. A successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +2) reveals that this is most likely a precursor to what the necromancer's are creating here - what could be a kind of plague that they may unleash upon the realm.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Crypt of the Plaguebringers - Day 1

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 00:50:04 GMT

Day 1 - Dangers Abound

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Noxious gas immediately assaults you, upon entering this room. Bright fires light the entryway, and darkness covers the corners of the room, though you can just make out two chairs with robed figures upon them, alert to what's happening in the room. Several jack-o'-lanterns and magical-looking orbs are strewn about the entryway, as well.

Room Challenges

Noxious Gas: characters entering this room roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level). If they fail, they immediately take 1damage from the room's poisonous gas. A successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) reveals that this is most likely a precursor to what the necromancer's are creating here - what could be a kind of plague that they may unleash upon the realm.
Plague Cultists: two cultists are located in this room, one sitting upon each of the stone chairs. They attack anyone entering the room.
Plague Fires: characters who come within 1-space of the fires in this room, roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1). If they fail, they gain 1-stack of "Plague Fire." Each stack of "Plague Fire" gives the target -1Dodge, -1Resilience, and -1Will. If a character gains 3-stacks of "Plague Fire," they are instantly transported/ teleported to to dungeon room 7. "Plague Fire" may not be dispelled.
Pumpkins and "Magic-Looking" Orbs: these are here purely as a little Halloween flair, and aim only to confuse the party/ make them think that they are in fact, important. If players take the "magic orbs" with them, in particular, give hints that the NPCs may also think the orbs are important - all of the cultists in this dungeon (besides this room) prior to dungeon room 54, after all, don't really "know" what's happening in this crypt. So, if the players think these magic orbs are important, the cultists may also think they're important, thereby leading to the magic orbs more or less becoming important/ something to battle over.

Enemy Stats

Plague Cultists: "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Play Easily Now (PEN) Roleplaying Game Review - Score: 77 / 100

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:05:00 GMT

This review is part of my new TTRPGs page, where you can find awesome Games Like DnD that you may never have heard of before. If you're interested in finding a new game to play, check out that article!

Play Easily Now (PEN): Roleplaying Game is a new TTRPG by Josiah Mork, from Hoodwink Games. As of the time of this article, the Kickstarter is just about to launch (on October 3rd, 2024), so if you like the sound of this review, be sure to support the game.

PEN is effectively BaG (the Basic and Generic Roleplaying Game) , but 2nd edition. The name's changed but the game’s core mechanics are very similar, with nice quality of life improvements and cool new features.

As with BaG, PEN focuses on providing players with the option for gaming in multiple genres (fantasy, scifi, modern, etc.), with rules that are easy-to-learn, well laid-out, and that perhaps above all, allows players to create and roleplay any character they can imagine. The game’s mechanics are also flexible and streamlined, creating very quick gameplay that's easy to learn.

My overall impression of the game is very favorable. I would purchase this game and play campaigns with it, which is really the key takeaway, and probably the most important question to answer for any review.

Review Intricacies

Because PEN is really BaG 2nd edition in many ways, and I’m writing this review not only for players new to Hoodwink Games, but also for those who have already played BaG 1st edition and want to know how the sequel plays, many of the sections that I've reviewed (below) compares and contrasts PEN to BaG.

Some scores for PEN are also even influenced by BaG (such as the “uniqueness” score), though I have tried to be as fair as possible in scoring, especially given the unique circumstances of reviewing this 2nd edition game.

For anyone reading this review, PEN actually has a slightly lower score in my book than BaG, but I would actually prefer playing PEN. I try to review games as if they were an art form, which takes into account many factors, for a wide audience of people. In this case, PEN has a slightly lower score than BaG particularly in the "Uniqueness" and "Art" categories. So, even though I've given PEN a better score in many other categories, the overall score is lower than BaG received.

Personally, I don't think an RPG's uniqueness or art are the be-all-end-alls for a game, which is why I'd still prefer playing this game over BaG - in a playability sense, PEN is better. So, just keep in mind that if it weren't for those two rather unimportant sections (so far as gameplay is concerned), PEN would have a much higher score.

How Unique is PEN: (6/10)

Starting off, PEN is just as unique of a game as BaG, which received an 8/10 in the “uniqueness” category. However, because PEN is the 2nd edition, and there aren’t a ton of new, unique materials or concepts that particularly distinguish it from BaG, I am actually scoring PEN lower in this category.

Maybe that reasoning doesn’t seem quite fair, but BaG was simply more unique when it came out than PEN is from its predecessor.

What I can definitely say is that PEN has provided some nice improvements over the unique features that were from BaG. But, as valuable as incremental growth is for games, it isn’t the same thing as providing a truly “unique” experience.

All of that being said, there still are some very interesting new rules and options for players in PEN.

Item and Magic Crafting

Two of the things I still think are most unique about PEN are its item and magic crafting sections. Hoodwink Games has really put some thought into how to build item and magic crafting system with flexibility into its multi-genre rulebooks.

I’ve always been a fan in games like World of Warcraft, crafting weapons and armor for my characters. Maybe not everyone is into that kind of thing, but for me – and I know there are more people like me out there – it’s fun to run around the game world, collecting rare and unique materials for use in my new gear.

Item Crafting

In a TTRPG , building item crafting like you see in WoW into a rulebook is (most likely) far too tedious for it to be practical. In PEN, however, the problem is solved with a very flexible suggested list of crafting materials, which may be combined together as the GM/ player see fit, and using a simple “Mechanics” roll for crafting success.

Magic Crafting

The magic crafting section is probably the only segment in the PEN rulebook that can be slightly intimidating, but it is possible to create basically any spell you could possibly imagine. You may create spells using a number of elements (earth, wind, fire, death, etc.), effects, school of casting, targets, range, duration, and more. Combined, these options allow players to craft spells that may do virtually anything.

In PEN, magic feels... well, like magic. It feels like magic from a book, the first time you read about it, back when you were a kid – when magic wasn’t just something like, “I click my hotkey to cast fireball, which does 127-spell damage.”

Instead, magic in PEN is unpredictable, exciting, open to infinite possibilities, and is truly a unique system that you won’t find in any other TTRPG out there, anywhere. It might feel a little complex at first, but nothing that any "true wizard" would ever let hold them back.

How Easy is it to Learn to Play BaG RPG: (10/10)

PEN is so easy to learn that I even factor this score as an added bonus into the “uniqueness” section above, as it’s one of the things that I love most about the game. You could almost say, in fact, that I give this section an 11/10.

Including the index, PEN is 93-pages long, so like BaG, you can read through the entire game manual in about an hour – that is, if you glance over the more technical pieces, and just read for general comprehension. This should be welcome news to any game master.

Furthermore, like BaG, the book is laid out in a series of “Modules,” that teach you how to play the game, in stages. More advanced concepts and options (like item crafting, magic, and even character creation) come after basic gameplay rules are provided.

Character Creation

What I like most about character creation in PEN is that players may actually select premade characters, based on 7-different archetypes. The reason I like these premade characters is that they're still generic enough for players to fit their own style into the game, and having characters that are 100% ready to go means that people who know nothing about PEN can pick up the rulebook and start adventuring in literally minutes.

One of the biggest hurdles (in my opinion) for roleplaying games is that it's usually a lot of work for (usually) the game master to learn the game, walk players through character creation, and then teach everyone how to play. With PEN, a large shortcut may be taken through that stage of character-building, saving great deals of time.

Later on, once players are familiar enough with the game to build their own characters, then custom character creation becomes available.

It's also worth noting that PEN is a classless RPG , and so features an incredible number of options for players once they do get to the point of creating their own custom character.

Gameplay

Nearly all of the game takes place through resolving 14-different kinds of skill checks. One thing I really like about PEN is that even combat scores are considered “skill checks,” so there’s really only one system for the game (with yes, a little variety when it comes to combat). This is opposed to games like DnD , where you have an attack roll bonus, then skill bonuses, then resist check bonuses, which all function pretty differently.

Basically, there are “Degrees of Success” in PEN, ranging from Critical Failure all the way up to Heroic Success. Players make skill checks using 3d6, and then consult the all-important table on Pg.7 of the rulebook to see what category their roll falls into. For combat, there’s also an opposing roll from your target before results become clear and damage is dealt, etc.

Characters start with 65-skill points into their 14-skills, meaning each probably averages around 4-5 at the start of the game. With a 3d6 + 4 (or 5), characters should succeed (in some manner) on virtually every roll.

The system has depth to it, with Degrees of Success, but the game is ultimately easy to learn. Whenever a player tries to "do" something, the answer from the game master is usually just to, “roll 3d6, add your skill, and consult the table on Pg.7.”

Chaining Skill Checks

Speaking of Degree of Success, each skill check often affects the next, depending on the "Degree of Success" reached: players have a kind of detriment to their next roll (on the low end of success, called a “Strive”), or bonus to their next roll (with Critical and Heroic Successes).

The game is less often about “whether or not your character succeeds at doing what you want them to,” and more often becomes about, “how does your choice of actions from before effect what’s to come?”

For example, if you Dodge an enemy’s attack, but you merely do so with a “Strive” (by narrowly “striving” to get out of the way), you position yourself badly, so that your next attack now has a lowered roll.

Or conversely, your character has a Heroic Success on their Notice roll, allowing them to not only see bandits sneaking up on the party, but giving them a (substantial) bonus to their next Magic roll, allowing them to blast the rogues from afar.

Presentation: (8/10)

Everything in PEN looks just as good as BaG, or better. The color choice is great, font is clear, tables look good, and I really appreciate the use of highlighted sections in the book that expand upon tough concepts with the use of quick examples.

There’s even a giant “Important” text over the game’s key table (for Degrees of Success) on Pg.7.

Overall, the rulebook looks great, reads easily, and leaves absolutely no complaints. The only reason I didn’t give PEN a higher score in this section is because I’m picky and feel that there’s a little “something” missing. Though the format’s really good, I feel that game books should be first and foremost, entertaining for its readers. And by "entertaining," I mean that they should even be entertaining beyond what's written inside: they need to "pull readers in," and make it "fun for them to learn the game," not just "easy to learn the game."

I think that maybe if the clean/ efficient use of space and technically perfect style of PEN met Josiah’s other game, Starset RPG: The Great Dimming somewhere in the middle, with its immaculate sense of style and grandeur, PEN would be a solid 10/10 in this category.

Lore: (3/10)

In my review of BaG, I mentioned how I was originally going to give the game a 3/10 for its lore, because like Savage Worlds , the game relies almost entirely upon the game master to create a fun world and storyline.

This is effectively the problem with multi-genre games. Because you must create rules that can fit any genre (fantasy, scifi, grimdark, modern, cyberpunk, etc.), you can’t really provide lore for game masters and players to use in each and every category, without supplemental books and materials.

It’s my understanding that PEN will have specific setting books available in the future, for various genres. However, as of the time of this writing – so far as I know – no such book exists. Thus, I have to leave my score where it stands. I’m happy to adjust it upwards though as such books do become available.

Combat in BaG RPG: (7/10)

PEN sought to fix some of the issues with combat from BaG RPG, and I’m very grateful for that.

I love that combat in PEN is fast-paced, simple, and allows players agency even when they’re attacked (you can choose to Block an attack, or Dodge). I also enjoy that combat simply uses skill checks, like everything else in the game. So, there isn’t this feeling that combat is it’s own mini-game, which is separate from the rest of the game.

Since skill checks are a 3d6 system, the “target” numbers are also easier to understand than they were in BaG RPG. Finally, I particularly enjoy how Degrees of Success work while in combat, and find the interactions they create very interesting, especially when it comes to counterattacking.

With all of that being said, and though I do think the game has improved combat from BaG (quite a bit), I still have a few issues with PEN’s combat system.

Counterattacking

When I first read that every time your character is attacked in combat, you get to counterattack, I really liked the idea. It sort of makes sense, after all: somebody tries to whack you, so you whack them back.

The idea also flows really well with Degrees of Success, as a very successful Block or Dodge translates into an instantly more powerful counterattack.

As a power gamer though, here’s the issue: the more times I get attacked, the higher my “DPS” will be. If I'm the “tank” for my group (not that PEN has archetypes like a "tank," specifically – but if I'm the guy who runs into a group of enemies, trying to protect my allies), I get as many attacks per turn as enemies who surround (and attack) me.

This means that even if I have a low hit chance – and, as a “tank,” a very high Block score, of course – because I'm getting attacked, and thus counterattacking, more often than anyone in my group... by default, I do the most damage.

So, when reading through the PEN combat system, my first thought was, “ok, I max out my skill in Resistance (my Block value), get the best armor possible, and put the rest of my stats into having the highest HP possible.” Basically, no other build even comes close to being as powerful as what I'm describing here, so far as combat is concerned.

I do think that most people would look at PEN and focus on all of the great customizable options for items, magic, and “Maneuvers” (below), but for those with power gamer tendencies like me, this just is what it is.

Maneuvers

In PEN, you can do more than attack and defend. You also have access to “Maneuvers,” which like many games, are the solution for physical-based characters to have their own kind of “magic-like” system.

To be honest, I don’t 100% understand Maneuvers, just from reading the rulebook. I think you can use as many Maneuvers as you want during your turn, and they each lower your hit chance – if you use multiple, or combine them with your attack, that is. Otherwise, they each have a unique effect such as distracting your target or lowering their hit chance, instead of simply dealing damage when you attack.

From playing around with Maneuvers, however, it didn’t feel like they were “powerful” enough, as compared to dealing damage. So, they quickly became a bit of an afterthought in our group.

It’s nice that Maneuvers are available, and in some clutch situations they did prove to be very useful, such as when we shoved a group of enemies off a ledge. But overall though, they felt underwhelming.

Mass Combat

I always enjoy when games provide options for mass combat. PEN does an admirable job of taking the vast amounts of info that could go into any war game and distilling it to its most basic elements. My gaming group didn’t get to try out mass combat in any great detail, but what we did play through was fun, satisfying, and added to the overall gaming session in a positive way.

BaG RPG Game “Flow”: (10/10)

PEN has everything going for it when it comes to game “Flow” that BaG did, plus more. Skill checks are easy and fast, perks and quirks make roleplaying more meaningful, while also contributing to skill checks, items and magic are interesting without being cumbersome, premade character archetypes allow gaming groups to immediately jump into play, and there are even premade adventure modules in the main rulebook.

PEN is still the best TTRPG for player creativity that I've seen, as you can do literally anything with your character that you’d ever want. And this is where the multi-genre style really pays off, because you can be a heroic knight, a space pirate, a mechanic in a steampunk universe, or really anything that you can imagine.

I also honestly cannot say enough how much I love opening a rulebook that’s under 100-pages in length. It’s just so easy to find any reference table that’s needed, and then immediately get back into your RPG campaign .

It felt like PEN gave my gaming group enough framework to play our gaming sessions, but then was otherwise “out of the way,” so that we could focus on having fun and immersing into our adventure. Literally perfect.

Artwork: (3/10)

As with nearly all up-and-coming/ independent TTRPGs, I feel that allowances must be made when it comes to having high-quality artwork. Artists are expensive, and art takes a tremendous amount of time to create.

That being said, Josiah’s done a very good job including some simple art in the PEN rulebook. The art that is present both looks good and helps convey the message that each section covers.

At the end of the day, this isn’t the most artistically beautiful TTRPG rulebook out there, and that lack of art does affect the overall aesthetic to some degree.

Ease of Purchase: (10/10)

PEN is extremely easy to purchase. You can find it on the Hoodwink website, and of course, the Kickstarter page.

Price & How Many Books Do You Need to Play: (10/10)

As of the time of this writing, PEN hasn’t yet “officially” launched on the Hoodwink website or Kickstarter page, so I’m not 100% sure on the price. However, if it’s anything like Hoodwink Games’ other products, it’ll be in the $15 range for PDF, and $25 for print.

Compare this to D&D, which is like, what, $60 per book nowadays (and you need three of them to play), and you can see why I love the price of this game.

Ease of Starting a Group & Availability of Supplemental Material: (10/10)

Another advantage to multi-genre games is that finding a group to play is extremely easy. You can connect with any tabletop gamer and ask if they want to get together for some kind of adventure – be it in an elven forest, on an asteroid (for your scifi gamer friends), or whatever else people are into.

PEN is not a famous game yet, but Hoodwink Games has now successfully launched and funded numerous Kickstarter projects, so it may well become so. Furthermore, you can help make it so.

Even if your friends haven’t yet heard of PEN, it's a game that people truly enjoy. I’m also pretty certain that more supplemental books are coming out soon, which should expand character-building options in a wide variety of ways, custom to each genre setting. Perfect for providing you with content to game with your friends, no matter what kind of game they're into.

Give PEN a try! You’ll be happy that you did.

Play Easily Now (PEN) Roleplaying Game is Produced By:

Josiah Mork / Hoodwink Games

Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 30

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 04:00:15 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 30 - Alecto

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

(To enter this room, players must either use dungeon room 8 - the real entrance - or attempt dungeon room 16 - the false entrance. Only read this text if they come in through dungeon room 8. Otherwise, refer to "The False Entrance," below).

(To enter through the proper doorway in dungeon room 8, the players must insert all five "Noble Keys": The Fairy Skeleton's Key, The Key of Undeath, The Sorcerer's Key, The Key of Lanterns, and The Coven's Blood Key. When they do, a glowing hand symbol appears in the center of the door. The best way to complete the opening of the door is to have a "Noble" of the castle press their palm upon the glowing hand. Refer to "Opening the Gateway," below).

Upon Entry to the Courtyard: a stirring garden, cast in silver and blue moonlit rays steals your breath. But only for a moment... For the beauty and serenity are marred, deeply, by the heart-wrenching sobs of several dozen children, encircled by the thorned and barbed body of a great black dragon.

Room Challenges

The False Entrance : players may unlock this door by using any of the "5-Noble Keys" of Furiaes Castle (Fairy Skeleton's Key, Key of Undeath, Sorcerer's Key, Key of Lanterns, or Coven's Blood Key). The gate may also be unlocked with a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level) reveals a pool of dark magic that absorbs light, and harms anyone who enters into its space. A Double-Success Fate Roll also reveals that this entrance is a false entrance, and leads nowhere. Characters entering this room roll Will (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +3). If they fail, they take 1damage (Double-Hit, 2damage).
Opening the Gateway: after the five "Noble Keys" are inserted, the gateway requires that one of the following NPCs places their palm upon the door - Lady Omega (from dungeon room 6), Lady Alpha (from dungeon room 13), Dullahan (from dungeon room 18), or Birane (from dungeon room 25). Players may use the "servants of the castle" (from dungeon room 20) to send messages to any of those NPCs. If players have ruined all of those possible ally relationships by attacking or threatening them, a successful Faith roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +5) opens the gateway without any NPC help. If this too is impossible, again, the "servants of the castle" (from dungeon room 20) may be used to ask for help from the village, or dungeon room 7 may be used to allow the party to escape the castle for a time, so they can find another means of entry.
The Black Dragon - Alecto : the players have a choice here, for the dragon assures them that it will free the children, once the oath breaker, Celidor, has gone fully insane. If they should but wait for that to happen, then the children will be freed. This could lead to a larger arc in your campaign, if you wish. Otherwise, the dragon will threaten to harm the children, drastically heightening the difficulty of a battle with Alecto.
Third Furiaes: if the party slays the dragon, it roars defiantly, then lies still. Just before closing it eyes, it says "I have lived for 3,000-years, and I shall live for 3,000-more..." The dragon then turns into the form of a human woman, covered in rich robes, eyes closed and lying in her own blood.
Suits of Armor: should the party attack Alecto, the suits of armor (from dungeon room 21) which have not been destroyed, are animated. Up to the 20-suits of armor will run into the courtyard in 7-turns.
Megaera and Tisiphone: if either of the other Furiaes Sisters have not been slain when the players enter into a battle with Alecto, they both appear. Megaera appears in 4-turns, and Tisiphone appears in 14-turns. If this should happen, the battle almost certainly becomes impossible to win, so you should consider helping your players avoid this fate.
Freeing the Children: should battle begin, the children are no longer wrapped around by the dragon, and may flee. The party may help them escape to the front of the castle. Should the dragon be destroyed, the castle will begin to crumble, but the children can easily be rescued before the castle collapses, completely.
Castle Furiaes: once the children are freed and all three sisters defeated, the castle will dissipate over the following day, as if it never existed. Should any Furiaes survive, they will return for the children.
Ladies Furiaes: Dungeon A Day will return to Castle Furiaes in the future, and your campaign may, as well... for the Ladies Furiaes may be slain, but only a very special power may ever truly defeat them. As such, neither the Furiaes Sisters nor their floating castle have been truly bested - at least as of yet...

Enemy Stats

Black Dragon - Alecto: "Demi Boss" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, +4). Option to use the "Pyromancer AI." There are 48-children from the village present. Every other turn that the party continues their attack, Alecto will take a turn to slay one instead of fighting the party, hoping to cause them to relent. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

(Suits of Armor): if present - "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, -3). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

(Cat Sith, Tisiphone): if present - "Demi Boss" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, -4). Option to use the "Assassin AI." Each turn, Cat Sith summons a ghost to serve and defend it, as an Instant Action, which appears within 4Range. Each ghost is a "Weak" enemy difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, -4). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

(Megaera): if present - "Demi Boss" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Royal Guard AI." Whenever this beast (Megaera) deals damage, it heals +1HP from the bite it takes out of its victim. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 29

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 29 - Throne of the Ladies Furiaes

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Piano music, grim and echoing, reaches your ears from some distant and hidden place in the castle. Upon the ornate, crimson throne of the Furiaes rests and purs a black cat, peering at you with glowing, orange eyes.

Shadows coalesce around each of your feet, shifting into uncomfortable and frightening shapes.

(If players chased away Lady Omega from dungeon room 6/7, and Lady Alpha from dungeon room 13/14, they are now present here, as guardians of the throne).

(If the party has yet to permanently dispatch of the porcelain doll first - in dungeon room 23, then the following also occurs).

Additionally, a shadow-black creature emerges from the ground beneath the porcelain doll, raising it into the air. There, it hangs, as if by marionette wires, cackling maniacally. 4-additional arms ending in razor sharp claws emerge from the creature's back as it advances towards you.

Room Challenges

Black Cat - The Furiaes, Tisiphone : characters entering this room roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level). If they fail, they become afraid of the shadows coalescing around them, and no amount of coaxing or willpower of their own can cause them to leave the room, or even act at all. "Fear" may be removed with any dispel effect, or once the black cat is defeated. If all players are Feared, this adventure will end as all characters are killed, so you should probably fudge rolls if they're all getting caught in this effect. Otherwise, once these rolls are over, the black cat, Tisiphone, grows into a shadows "cat sith" and immediately attacks.
Second Furiaes: if the party slays the cat sith, it meows pathetically, then lies still. The cat sith then turns into the form of a human woman, covered in rich robes, eyes closed and lying in her own blood.
Porcelain Doll/ Monstrous Shadow: when the doll is defeated, the shadow disperses with a roar, and the doll is dropped to the ground. It lets out a deep sigh, and says, "...thank you..." then shatters into pieces, and this time, for good. After this dungeon room, the porcelain doll no longer follows the party.

Enemy Stats

Cat Sith, Tisiphone: "Demi Boss" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, -4). Option to use the "Assassin AI." Each turn, Cat Sith summons a ghost to serve and defend it, as an Instant Action, which appears within 4Range. Each ghost is a "Weak" enemy difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, -4). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

(Lady Alpha): if present - "Common" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

(Lady Omega): if present - "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Baseline AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

(Porcelain Doll/ Monstrous Shadow): "Hero" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, +2). Option to use the "Berserker AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 28

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 28 - Approaching the Throne

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The throne room of Furiaes Castle is outlined in candles lit with black flames. A rich purple rug extends to a crimson throne.

(Because of the darkness, players can't quite make out the throne itself, or who sits upon it - which is revealed in dungeon room 29. Also, if players chased away Lady Omega from dungeon room 6/7, and Lady Alpha from dungeon room 13/14, they are now present here, as guardians of the throne).

Room Challenges

(Lady Alpha and Lady Omega) : these two ladies are not fans of the Ladies Furiaes, though if the party attacked them earlier, they have already decided to defend their masters. Should they be present here, they announce the arrival of the heroes to the Furiaes upon the throne, and back up to join her, in dungeon room 29. At this point, there is no chance for diplomacy, and their "Noble Keys" can only be obtained through their deaths.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 27

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 27 - Crimson Pool of Water

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Before you is a small pool of water about 5ft across, with a crimson hue.

Room Challenges and Treasures

Crimson Pool of Water : a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) reveals that this water is imbued with dangerous magical properties that reduces anyone who drinks it to 1HP remaining. A Double-Success Intelligence Roll also reveals that targets who drink this crimson water become temporarily invisible - until the end of the next battle that the party partakes in. While invisible, they may not be targeted by enemies, except for with area of effect attacks (attacks that either affect multiple targets, or hit an "area" as opposed to specific target(s). Furthermore, while invisible, whoever drinks this water has +10Strike Bonus, +10Faith, and/ or roll 10 lower to hit (for pure d20 rolls) for all attacks they make.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 26

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 04:00:02 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 26 - The Guest Room

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

This rather unfurnished room contains several uncomfortable-looking beds. A disheveled man with black hair weeps openly, sitting upon one of the beds, his face held in his hands.

Room Challenges

Celidor Tarelin: Celidor's basic story is found in dungeon room 24, in the "Tome of Souls." He has, in some way that fits your campaign, betrayed the town of [Bloodmore - or wherever your campaign takes place] and its people. He does not know this (and neither may the players), but his guilt over his betrayal - which he does not want to rectify - summoned the Furiaes, and the curse they bestowed upon him is now driving him insane. He is vengeful, and dangerous. He is terrified to leave this room, even though there is no door to lock him in. Players may interact with him as they wish, and as fits for your storytelling. For the purposes of the dungeon, he is essentially worthless, though his insanity may cause him to attack the party at any time - and usually the worst time.

Enemy Stats

Celidor: "Leader" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, -1). Option to use the "Baseline AI." If he attacks, Celidor is crazed, and mad with grief. As such, he attacks with no regard for his own safety at all, doing anything possible to cause the most harm to others. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 25

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 25 - Gothic Cathedral

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Before you is presented a gothic masterpiece – a chapel dedicated to dark spirits and doom-ridden gods.

Dark green, stained glass casts gloomy light upon statues of 4-crimson horsemen of the apocalypse. Their look down upon you from their frightful mounts, all with faces filled with agony and fear. Ghosts flit in and out of sight, calling out to the chapel in religious fervor.

Among the many dark implements, books, and black-burning candles, you see a single jack-o’-lantern. Its bright flame burns joyously, and calls out to you in a subtle manner.

Before you can think too much about it, however, a large figure wrapped in a blackened robe moves towards you, as if floating.

“I hear that you require the ‘Noble Keys,'” the creature says, though you can see no face under its dark hood. It pulls out an ornate, crimson colored chain, and dangles it before you. "I require blood... what say you to a trade, weary heroes?"

Room Treasures

Birane: this vampire is the head cultist of the chapel, and is willing to trade the "The Coven's Blood Key," for a drink of blood. He cares not for the children or the wishes of the Furiaes, and knows the heroes must be powerful, to have made it this far into the castle. He's willing to defend himself, but prefers diplomacy. If players accept, he'll drink blood from each of them (dealing 1damage to all characters) and then willingly hand over the key. Creating this trade with Birane will also give him a favorable disposition to the party, and he essentially becomes an ally that may be called upon later in the adventure, as well (such as by using the "castle's servants" from dungeon room 20).
Dullahan's Head: if players inspect the jack-o'-lantern, a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -2) reveals that this may, in fact, be the missing head for the suit of armor in dungeon room 18. If players take this lantern of a head to "Dullahan," the armor will place it upon his head and introduce himself as the first ever victim of the Furiaes. His curse, for breaking an oath, was to forever serve the Ladies. However, he detests that they've kidnapped children (a new low for them, he claims), and is willing to help the party by telling them how to acquire each key.

The Fairy Skeleton's Key is usually kept by servants of Megaera, who eats in the dining room (dungeon room 4) as a way to bypass the guardian gargoyles. He suspects that key is located either there, or in the kitchen (dungeon room 13).

The Key of Undeath is held by Lady Omega. She enjoys the ballroom (in dungeon room 6). The Lady will be delighted to hear that the porcelain doll has been permanently shattered - who the Lady feared - and Dullahan suggests that the party request the key from her, as a reward. He's certain she'll agree. If she fled the party, through the fireplace in dungeon room 7, Dullahan suggests that she can be found in dungeon room 28, probably waiting on the Furiaes, Tisiphone.

The Sorcerer's Key is held by Lady Alpha. She enjoys brewing in her cauldron (in dungeon room 13). Dullahan says that she is a coward, and suggests that if the party can capture her, she's likely to give up the key in return for her freedom. If she escaped the party, through the fireplace in dungeon room 14, Dullahan says that she can most likely be found in dungeon room 28, probably waiting on the Furiaes, Tisiphone.

The Key of Lanterns is held by Dullahan, who (if he hasn't already) now gladly hands over the key in return for his head.

The Coven's Blood Key has probably already been acquired by the party, but if not, Dullahan tells them that Birane holds the key (in dungeon room 25) - in the gothic cathedral. He says that Birane is usually willing to make trades for a drink of blood, as he too has no great love for the Ladies Furiaes.

Enemy Stats

Birane: "Hero" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Vampire Mage AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

Visit the Dungeon A Day main Page to see all of the Eternity TTRPG dungeons!

Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 24

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 24 - Tome of Souls

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A roaring fireplace keeps this room toasty, which is a nice change from the rest of the Castle, for though there are fireplaces in many rooms, this one is by far the most comfortable.

Two large and ornate beds are placed near the fireplace, while a large coffin resides at the opposite end of the room. Finally, an oaken desk sits beneath two candle lamps, with a scroll resting upon its surface.

Room Treasures

Tome of Souls: the scroll shows a mere segment of its total length, having large rolls on either end. Written in both the fairest and tiniest of cursive font, it is difficult to read. After some time adjusting, the text becomes legible. If players choose to peruse the book, have them read aloud the following passage from the scroll:

"Oaths can take many forms, and are broken for many reasons. Less important in this case is the actual oath broken, while more important is how the oath breaker feels.

Celidor Tarelin, of the village [Bloodmore - or insert the name of the village for your campaign where this is all transpiring, here] has renounced his vows to the Eternal Rhoako, and forsaken his brethren of Murgana. Abandoning his people, he has turned towards dark arts, yet feels guilt over his betrayal.

Furthermore, his betrayal endangers the village. We therefore curse now, Celidor, and take as payment for our presence the children of [Bloodmore], whom we also protect from his darkness. May this curse last, and Furiaes Castle remain, until Celidor is driven mad from the curse - for his punishment is insanity."

Looking further into the scroll, it seems to chronicle every soul who has ever summoned the Ladies Furiaes, back to the time of the "Eternal Wars," and a man named Dullahan.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 23

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 23 - The Porcelain Doll's True Form

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

This hallway is wider than all others that you've seen in Furiaes Castle, but is still poorly lit by only a few lanterns on each side. A grand doorway lies at the end of the hall to the left, and louder chanting can be heard at the end, and to the right.

(This event only takes place if the Porcelain Doll is still alive - if the party travels here first, before they've made their way to dungeon room 29).

The porcelain doll quietly says as you're walking: "You don't think what I said about you being welcome guests here earlier was true, do you?"

Slight music begins playing in the darkness, as if by piano. Shadows coalesce around the party’s feet.

Suddenly, a shadow-black creature emerges from the ground beneath the porcelain doll, raising it into the air. There, it hangs, as if by marionette wires, cackling maniacally. 4-additional arms ending in razor sharp claws emerge from the creature's back as it advances towards you.

A black cat meows somewhere in the background, and you just make out its tail as it bounds off into the darkness, back towards the stairways.

Room Challenges

Porcelain Doll/ Monstrous Shadow: when the doll is defeated, the shadow disperses with a roar, and the doll is dropped to the ground. It lets out a deep sigh, and says, "...thank you..." then shatters into pieces, and this time, for good. After this dungeon room, the porcelain doll no longer follows the party.

Enemy Stats

Porcelain Doll/ Monstrous Shadow: "Hero" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, +2). Option to use the "Berserker AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

Visit the Dungeon A Day main Page to see all of the Eternity TTRPG dungeons!

Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 22

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 22 - A Brief Rest

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Emerging from the first floor of Furiaes Castle, you are surprised to see... nothing - nothing out of the usual. Small lanterns provide pools of gloomy light, and pathways open in multiple directions. You hear chanting from the larger hallway, though the others are silent.

Room Challenges

Chanting: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1) reveals that the chanting is coming from a room to the right of the large hallway (the one that leads to the top of this dungeon room). It's almost as if it's some kind of religious - or cultist - ceremony. Otherwise, the room is eerily... safe, and uneventful. For now...

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 21

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 21 - The Armory

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

You find rows upon rows of weapon racks, and even tables containing weapons, one of which gleams with a magical aura and is stuck firmly into the room's stone floor. Suits of armor line the walls on all sides, and the windows' stained glass mosaics are intermittently interrupted from the outside by shifting shadows.

Room Challenges and Treasures

Weapon Upgrades: this room contains an orichalcum longbow, orichalcum spear, and an agemight arcane staff, which players may take to upgrade their equipment (if your group already has such equipment, upgrade these weapons to mythril/ meteor iron, or even imperial gold/ celestial bronze).
Gleaming Sword: stuck in the stone floor, a successful Strike Bonus roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +2) allows characters to acquire the weapon. A successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level) reveals that this is a Necroblade I - as a longsword (if your group already has such equipment, upgrade to Necroblade II or even III, and as above, upgrade its rare metal to correspond), disguised as a holy weapon.
Porcelain Doll: if players succeed in acquiring the Necroblade, the doll gasps and covers its eyes with its hands and repeatedly shakes its head "no," until the party leaves the room.
Suits of Armor: at this time, these suits of armor are not animate. Players have no way of knowing at this time, but by dungeon room 30, these suits will become animated by ghosts of the castle. If players opt to destroy any of these suits of armor at this time, then that suit will not appear later on in the dungeon. There are 20-suits of armor, in total.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

Visit the Dungeon A Day main Page to see all of the Eternity TTRPG dungeons!

Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 20

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 20 - The "Servants'" Quarters

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Large open windows allow vast pools of moonlight to pour upon a host of bats, ravens, owls, and spiders. Large webs crisscross the room, and the many winged creatures fly into and out of the windows, and even out into the hallway from whence you came.

Room Challenges and Treasures

Messenger Bats, Ravens, and Owls: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -2) reveals that there are small parchments of paper lying on the nearby table, with elegant silver strings next to them. If players don't get the hint, their successful check also allows them the idea that may write upon the parchment, attach them to bats, ravens, or owls, and send them to the villagers outside the castle (or other characters of their choice, of course), or NPCs within the castle (such as Lady Omega if that interaction went well, or Dullahan, etc.). These messages may simply be for fun at this time, but later on, may prove quite useful...
Porcelain Doll: annoyingly, the doll chimes in should players start to write notes, saying, "Don't keep the servants too busy. The Ladies Furiaes have many important tasks for them at the moment."
Message to the Furiaes: any message to the Furiaes will have a return note written in elegant cursive formed from crimson blood saying, "We hope you're enjoying your time in the castle... You may be here for a while."

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 19

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 19 - Burnt Book of the Furiaes

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

This well-lit and cozy room is filled with books along its edges, and piled across two chairs and a table. In the room’s third plush chair is a black armored suit, with no head. Disturbingly, the armor moves ever so slightly, when you enter.

Room Challenges and Treasures

Book of the Furiaes: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) reveals to players a book that was tossed into the fire, but hasn't completely burned up. It features pure black leather binding (now mostly destroyed), with the title in ornate gold that can just be made out as, "Book of the Furiaes." If players choose to peruse the book, have them read aloud the following passage from the book, which they find on an earmarked page, and is the only section still readable from the entire work:

"The Furiaes are the physical manifestation of broken oaths. Embodied as three dark sisters, they take vengeance upon oath breakers.

The Furiaes are not righteous, acting on the behalf of those that were harmed. Instead, when someone who has broken an oath curses themselves for their oath-breaking, that self- curse manifests as the Furiaes, who then torment the oath breaker.

Normally, an oath breaker is met with spells and negative energies cast by the Furiaes, from afar. Only on very rare and important occasions do the three sisters visit an oath breaker in person, capturing them (and perhaps their kin) into their floating, ghastly castle."

Dullahan: players have no way of knowing at this time, but this book was thrown into the fire by Dullahan, following his disgust at the kidnapped children. He's since had a change of heart about serving the Furiaes Sisters.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 18

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 18 - Black Suit of Armor

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Room Challenges and Treasures

Dullahan, the Headless Knight : players have no way of knowing at this time, but this suit of armor's name is Dullahan, and he is a servant of the Ladies Furiaes. He was against kidnapping the villagers' children, and had his head removed for his opposition. Of course, however, he is a being of magic, and the suit of armor is hollow, so he yet lives, just unable to see, hear, or talk. At best, he can sense when someone enters the room, via slight vibrations from the noise, etc.
The Key of Lanterns: a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -2) reveals to players that this black suit of armor has a chain wrapped around his right wrist, which ends in a lantern-shaped key. This is, in fact, the "Noble Key of Lanterns," and is needed to free the children.
Acquiring the Key: the key can be stolen (automatic success, as Dullahan cannot see or hear), taken from his slain "body" (stats below - again he is practically defenseless), or he will give it to the party willingly, along with other treasures, if they find and return his head to him (from dungeon room 25). More information on the interactions should characters find and return Dullahan's head are also found in the notes for dungeon room 25.

Enemy Stats

Dullahan: "Hero" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Fallen Paladin AI." If attacked while he has no head, Dullahan counts as being "Blind" and "Silenced," and will not attempt to defend himself, as he assumes it is more mere tormenting from the Furiaes Sisters. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 17

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 17 - The Forever Staircase

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

The stairway is dark and foreboding, with a slight draft descending that feels cold on your skin. The stairs are covered in a rich and elegant crimson carpet, though with each step its colors become dulled, as light from the first level grows fainter.

Room Challenges

Black Cat : characters entering this room roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level). If they fail, they become affected by "Bewitching Darkness," lost in a mounting sense of dullness that beguiles their minds, making it seem as if the stairway literally stretches on forever, with no end, and the first level likewise stretches away from them. Characters affected by "Bewitching Darkness" become permanently Dazed. This effect ends if they are dragged to either the bottom or top of the staircase. "Bewitching Darkness" may also be removed with any dispel effect. These stairs lead to dungeon room 22.
Porcelain Doll: should any character become affected by "Bewitching Darkness," the doll starts petting them, saying: "Don't worry, being trapped here forever isn't so bad. You'll see."

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 16

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 16 - Courtyard Gateway: Back

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A duplicate set of the massive, orange-hued gateways from the main hallway into the castle stand before you. These gates are outlined in the same kind of rare and precious metal, which glimmers in the castle light.

Whereas the front gates had five ornate locks with symbols above them, this set has but one simple keyhole.

Room Challenges

False Courtyard Gateway : players may unlock this door by using any of the "5-Noble Keys" of Furiaes Castle (Fairy Skeleton's Key, Key of Undeath, Sorcerer's Key, Key of Lanterns, or Coven's Blood Key). The gate may also be unlocked with a successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1). No light pierces through the open gates, and players may be suspicious of threats. Unlocking this door leads to a trap set in the back section of dungeon room 30, where a description is given for how players may avoid complications.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 15

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 15 - Black Cat

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Slight music begins playing in the darkness of the castle, as if by piano. As you approach the stairway, a single black cat peers at you through the semi-darkness, roughly halfway up the staircase.

Shadows coalesce around each of your feet, shifting into uncomfortable and frightening shapes.

Room Challenges

Black Cat : characters entering this room roll Resilience (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level). If they fail, they become afraid of the shadows coalescing around them, and no amount of coaxing or willpower of their own can cause them to ascend the staircase. "Fear" may be removed with any dispel effect. Should any character move up the stairs toward the cat, it flees up to the second level, automatically removing the fear effect from affected targets. These stairs lead to dungeon room 22.
Porcelain Doll: should any character become afraid, it begins laughing and pointing at them until the characters leave that spot or their fear is removed.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 14

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 14 - Magic Broom

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A roaring fireplace serves to keep a pot of water boiling, along with several other pots, containing various colors of liquids and grease.

(If the witch hasn't already grabbed it, a magic broomstick rests against the wall, beside the fireplace).

Room Treasures

Magic Broom : a successful Faith roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1) allows a single character to ride this broomstick, and it may be used to fly. While flying the broomstick, characters have +1Speed, but -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 13

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 13 - Witch's Kitchen

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A young woman with a pointed hat is stirring an enormous cauldron, which is boiling loudly, with a large wooden spoon. She's facing away from you as smoke of various colors drifts from the cauldron.

Various ingredients for any good meal lie scattered on nearby counters, along with a dead bat. A broomstick also rests in the corner of the room, by a large fireplace.

Room Challenges

Child-Napper : a successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1) allows characters to remain unnoticed by the witch, while she cooks her steaming cauldron, and while she sings: "Come little children, I'll take thee away - into a land of enchantment... That's what I told them as we flew o'er the town, into the Ladies' castle." A Double-Success Initiative Roll also allows characters to sneak up right next to the witch, providing an opportunity to ambush her, grapple her, etc. If characters can subdue her, she'll admit to capturing the children, and tell the party that they're being held in the courtyard (behind dungeon room 8). She is not one of the Furiaes. In return for sparing her life, she'll give the party the "The Sorcerer's Key," to help them free the children (or of course the party can steal it from her).

Enemy Stats

Lady Alpha: "Common" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). If she is attacked, the Lady will run towards the fireplace (dungeon room 14), grab her broom, and fly up the chimney, cackling all the way. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 12

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 12 - Second Guardian Gargoyle

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A 10ft-tall, 10-ft wide gargoyle made of dark stone blocks the entirety of the castle's hallway. Though not obviously animate, you have a sense that it could become so, given your encounters with the castle so far.

Room Challenges

Guardian Gargoyle : a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) reveals a keyhole just underneath one of the gargoyle's rigid wings. This "lock" cannot be picked, but if players use "The Fairy Skeleton's Key," the gargoyle will move aside for the players and cause them no harm. Otherwise, if players attempt to sneak past, climb, or attack the gargoyle, it will attack them until it's destroyed.
Porcelain Doll: if this is the first gargoyle the party has seen, annoyingly, the doll taunts them, saying: "The Furiaes of the castle haven't given you permission to go any further. Too bad! Guess you won't find the children, after all. Haha!"

Enemy Stats

Guardian Gargoyle: "Hero" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Legionnaire AI." This Guardian Gargoyle also has +5Strike Bonus and +5Faith, but -5Resilience, -5Dodge, and -5Will. When in combat, the Gargoyle will shriek loudly for the first Guardian Gargoyle from dungeon room 10 (who hears the cry) to wrap around and flank the party. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 11

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 11 - Pumpkin Patch

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A pumpkin patch grows here, through the castle's stone floor. It appears as if many have been recently picked (if players have already been to dungeon room 4, they know that the pumpkins were probably used in the beast's stew).

Room Challenges

Chipped Wall : a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level) reveals a small and hidden hole in the wall, behind the pumpkin patch. Peering through, players can just make out a library, with a figure in blackened armor sitting on a plush chair, facing away from them. Warmth from a large fireplace in the library wafts through the peep hole, and dozens of candles provide additional pockets of lighting.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 10

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 10 - Guardian Gargoyle

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Room Challenges

Guardian Gargoyle : a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +1) reveals a keyhole just underneath one of the gargoyle's rigid wings. This "lock" cannot be picked, but if players use "The Fairy Skeleton's Key," the gargoyle will move aside for the players and cause them no harm. Otherwise, if players attempt to sneak past, climb, or attack the gargoyle, it will attack them until it's destroyed.
Porcelain Doll: annoyingly, the doll taunts the party, saying: "The Furiaes of the castle haven't given you permission to go any further. Too bad! Guess you won't find the children, after all. Haha!"

Enemy Stats

Guardian Gargoyle: "Hero" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Legionnaire AI." The Guardian Gargoyle also has +5Resilience, +5Dodge, +5Will, but -5Strike Bonus and -5Faith. When in combat, the Gargoyle will shriek loudly for the second Guardian Gargoyle from dungeon room 12 (who hears the cry) to wrap around and flank the party. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 9

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 9 - Pool of Water

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Before you is a small pool of water about 5ft across, with a crystalline hue.

Room Challenges and Treasures

Pool of Water : a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -1) reveals that this water is imbued with magical properties that puts anyone who touches it to sleep (not affecting non-living targets), but will sustain them through the sleep, as if they had both eaten and drank water, perhaps indefinitely. A Double-Success Intelligence Roll also reveals that targets affected by this magical sleep gain a +3 bonus to any italicized stat of their choice for 1-day duration, and may be woken up with any dispel effect (which does not remove the +3 bonus).

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 8

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 8 - Courtyard Gateway: Front

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

At the end of the initial hallway are massive, orange-hued gateways, outlined in some kind of rare and precious metal that glimmers in the castle light.

Set into the door are five locks. Just above each lock is inscribed a symbol, which are: a skeleton, a magical rune, a pumpkin, a basin of water, and a sword.

Room Challenges

Courtyard Gateway : players may unlock this door by using each of the "5-Noble Keys" of Furiaes Castle, or with a successful Initiative roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, +5) on each of the 5-locks. This gateway leads to dungeon room 30.

The "5-Noble Keys" of Furiaes Castle, needed to unlock the Gateway are:

The Fairy Skeleton's Key
The Key of Undeath
The Sorcerer's Key
The Key of Lanterns
The Coven's Blood Key

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 7

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 7 - A Way Out

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

A large fireplace radiates heat from its corner, to the entire ballroom, bathing it in a pleasantly-warm ambience. Rather little light is given off by the fire, however, as if the flames themselves were obscured by shadows.

Room Treasures

A Way Out : if the players were kind to Lady Omega in dungeon room 6, she'll approach them as they're inspecting the fireplace, and say: "I... can't help you much. But, I do feel for you." After saying this, she glances at the porcelain doll. Then, in a rush: "But if you touch this fire, it'll soak up the Wisps that cover your bodies, and-" at which time, she is shoved by the porcelain doll - and its surprising strength - into the fire, where the Lady simply vanishes. The doll then looks at you with a curious expression, but says nothing.
The Fireplace: any character who touches the fire has their "Fiery Wisps" from dungeon room 1 removed, and "Lantern's Fire" from dungeon room 3, as the Wisps become consumed by the fireplace.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 6

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 6 - The Ghostly Ball

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Even from the hallway, you could hear the sounds of this room. Now inside it, you see its beauty, as well.

Darkened in the middle, with shining lights around the edges, the castle's ballroom is a grand space for dancing and interacting in pleasant company.

Only, there is but a single figure in an elegant white dress in view, slowly spinning to echoing music. You see no musicians, however, and though you hear some talking and laughter, there is no one else around.

Room Challenges

The Undead Lady : as players near the Lady, she stops dancing, and smiles – with as much grace as she’s able, being undead. She says, “Looks like you aren't dressed for my party. I take it you aren't here to dance?" She laughs, as she begins spinning about again.
Information: a successful Inspiration roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level) gets the Lady talking again. She introduces herself as "Lady Omega," insinuating that she is not one of the Furiaes, and is the least of the "Ladies of the Castle."

Should the players be interested enough to ask, she may also reveal during the conversation:

The Furiaes allow her to gather the ghosts of the castle for a ball every full moon.
She does not know where the village's children are, but that "keys" will be needed to... visit them. As she says this, she gives a sidelong look of some worry towards the porcelain doll.
The villagers have summoned the Furiaes, and they can blame themselves for their misfortune.

Enemy Stats

Lady Omega: "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). If she is attacked, the Lady will run towards the fireplace (dungeon room 7) while laughing, and attempt to dive into the fire, where she simply vanishes. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 5

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 5 - The Fairy Skeleton's Key

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

In the corner of the dining room is a rather large fireplace. Extra food for the beast (which by now, players may know is Megaera, first of the Furiaes) simmers in a large pot, hanging over a roaring fire.

The air around the fireplace is warm and comforting, filled with the smells of meat and spices.

Room Treasures

The Fairy Skeleton's Key : a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -3) reveals a bone-white key that has some kind of fairy wings on it, dangling from a small hook on the wall, to the right of the simmering pot. There doesn't appear to be anything magical about the key, but players may take it from where it hangs on the wall. Players also have no way of knowing at this time, but this key is one way to get past either of the gargoyles guarding the hallways, in dungeon rooms 10 and 12, and it is one of the "Noble Keys" required to unlock the gateway in dungeon room 8.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 4

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 4 - The First Furiaes Sister

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

This elaborate, expansive room contains a massive table made of the finest wood and decorations you’ve ever seen.

The table is piled high with a vast array of delectables. Sitting at the middle of the table, gorging itself on everything in sight is a monstrous beast with multiple mouths. The beast ignores you, however, seemingly too occupied with eating.

Room Challenges

Over-Eater : if the party leaves this beast alone, it will continue eating until it runs out of food (which will occur when the party reaches dungeon room 13) - at which point it will hunt the party down, to eat them. If the party interrupts the beast's meal in any way, however, it will immediately attack them, to add to its dinner.
First Furiaes: if the party slays the beast, it looks at you pleadingly, as if seeing you for the first time, and says: “But, I’m still so hungry...” The doll then shrieks, and then follows in a very small voice with: "That was the first Furiaes... how did you... kill her?" The beast then turns into the form of a human woman, covered in rich robes, eyes closed and lying in her own blood.

Enemy Stats

Megaera: "Demi Boss" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Royal Guard AI." Whenever this beast (Megaera) deals damage, it heals +1HP from the bite it takes out of its victim. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 3

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 3 - Lanterns

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

As you continue into the hallway, the doll speaks: “You know, the children are perfectly safe. It's really the townspeople you need to fear for. If you'd like, I can use these lanterns-" she motions at the glowing lights upon the wall- "to remove those wisps from you so that you can leave."

Room Challenges

Lanterns on the Wall : should the party trust the doll, it will tell the party to place their hands on the lantern (not in the fire). Doing so, however, doesn't remove the wisp-ish fires from the character, but instead, affected characters roll Will (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level). If they fail, the numbers of wisps double, and the character becomes affected by "Lantern's Fire." While affected, characters roll d20 every turn. If they roll 1, they take 1damage. Regardless of what happens to characters in this room, the porcelain doll begins laughing maniacally.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 2

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 04:00:01 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 2 - The Great Room

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

You see a grand hallway that branches into three possible paths. Before you, perhaps 2ft tall, stands a porcelain doll. Though clearly an inanimate object, the doll begins moving and speaking to you.

“Welcome visitors, to Furiaes Castle. The Ladies of the Castle have been waiting for you. They do hope that you’ll enjoy the accommodations they’ve prepared for you."

The hall to the left smells of delicious foods, and you hear faint chomping sounds. To the right, you hear the echoes of orchestral music, as if from a quartet, and the sounds of talking, dancing, and laughter.

Room Challenges

Porcelain Doll : this doll will defend itself, but will never otherwise initiate an attack on the castle's "guests." The doll cannot answer questions, or even speak anything aside from its greetings. For the remainder of their time in the castle, the doll will follow the party.

Enemy Stats

Porcelain Doll: "Weak" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level, -5). Option to use the "Baseline AI." When destroyed, the doll shatters into hundreds of pieces, but is recreated in 3turns by the powers of the Furiaes. So long as the Furiaes are alive, the porcelain doll cannot be permanently defeated. As soon as the party stops attacking the doll, however, it stops defending itself. See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

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Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 1

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 1 - The Blue Flame Doorway

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

After entering the wisp-ish "doorway" far below, you find yourself in a grand hallway - presumably the entryway to Furiaes Castle, floating in the sky.

The wisps, which had formed the fiery "door" through which you traveled to this place, seem to cling to your skin and clothing now, as if many small fires that do not burn, yet refuse to be put out.

Room Challenges

Fiery Wisps : characters entering this room are affected by "Fiery Wisps." These ghost-like entities illuminate affected characters in the castle's dark halls, making them as a beacon to denizens within. Furthermore, so long as they are affected by "Fiery Wisps," characters may not leave Furiaes Castle, as the "doorway" through which they entered the keep becomes closed to them.

Dungeon A Day

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Sacred Flame 5e - Dominate Demons and Undead

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 15:30:00 GMT

Sacred Flame 5e is one of those old-but-gold spells in D&D. If you have the experience of being the cleric or warlock of your party, you’ll probably agree with me.

Sacred Flame 5e is a spell that turns up the divine heat on your adversaries. Cast it within 60 feet of your target, and you’ll scorch and singe your way to victory with this vengeful power of light.

Sacred Flame 5e Spell Details

Cantrip Evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Target: A creature that you can see within range

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

Primary Classes: Cleric

Flame-like radiance descends on a creature that you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d8 radiant damage. The target gains no benefit from cover for this saving throw.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Sacred Flame is an effective spell to have when you’re economical about the spells you cast. Since it’s a Cantrip spell, you won’t spend spell slots. You can keep casting even when your other spells run dry, allowing you to deal damage from a range, and without needing to run towards your enemies.

In short, the effects of this classic spell are simple enough — it burns your enemies to oblivion. However, is there more to it than that? You bet.

What Is Sacred Flame 5e?

Sacred Flame is in the 5th edition and earlier iterations of D&D, so you’ll find it in the D&D Player’s Handbook, given its mainstay status.

As in the earlier editions, Sacred Flame in the 5th edition of D&D is a Cantrip spell . As a Cantrip, it’s a low-level spell that clerics and other magic-wielding characters can cast an indefinite number of times.

Sacred Flame 5e has a radiant effect — not fire. Why does this distinction matter? The spell’s radiant damage and effect make it particularly effective for campaigns that feature many undead opponents, and its damage is not reduced by a target’s fire resistance.

Though Sacred Flame's damage isn't incredible, trust me - you won't need passive perception to notice the overall value this spell can bring to your character.

Level Up Your Game at the Eternity TTRPG Shop

What Classes Can Cast Sacred Flame?

Here's a good way to start your next DnD character ideas or concepts - pick a party where at least someone has access to either Sacred Flame, or at least access to dealing some form of radiant damage. You'll be happy that your party rounds out in this important way, when the time comes.

By default, clerics have full reign over Sacred Flame 5e. However, keep in mind that the amount of damage a cleric can dish out with Sacred Flame 5e depends greatly on the character’s level. The higher the level, the higher the radiant damage the spell will have on any unfortunate opponent.

Does your party lack a cleric? Don’t worry. Other classes are capable of learning the spell, mastering it, and using it to full devastating effect. Here are the other classes that can cast Sacred Flame 5e.

Paladins

A Cantrip spell like Sacred Flame 5e is effective for undead enemies and demons — just what a warrior of light like a paladin needs.

Paladins are among several magic-wielding classes that are capable of learning and using Sacred Flame 5e. If our party has a paladin that has learned the spell, you’ve got someone with close-quarter abilities coupled with the ability to deal radiant damage from a distance. Great combo.

I particularly like the idea of a warforged 5e paladin using Sacred Flame, as they gain added durability from their race which can help out a lot for the general in-your-face style of battle I'm talking about here.

Warlocks

Warlocks can also acquire Sacred Flame 5e. Because warlocks are masters of magic and spell-casting, they’re more versatile in their use of Cantrip spells than other mix-type classes, like paladins. Warlocks may become one of, or the most versatile spell-casting class in your party if they add Sacred Flame 5e to their arsenal, as it allows them access to more spell damage types.

While we're talking about optimization, as well, I'd recommend some combination like an Eladrin 5e warlock. That way, you'll gain the "Fey Step" racial trait, which lets you move in and out of combat more easily. Combine that with the varying spell damage type that Sacred Flame offers, and you'll be in a good place as far as versatility is concerned.

Sorcerers

Lastly, we’ve got sorcerers. Sorcerers boast innate magical abilities due to their connection to the magical forces of the universe. Despite their innate abilities, they lack certain spells. One of these spells – normally – is Sacred Flame 5e.

Basically, not every sorcerer can acquire the spell. However, when a sorcerer gets this spell down, the party to which the sorcerer belongs will be formidable, to say the least.

Sorcerers can cast Sacred Flame without a verbal component. This means that Silence 5e does not affect the sorcerer’s ability to scorch their foes with radiant fire.

Best Uses for Sacred Flame

As a single-target spell, Sacred Flame 5e works on creatures within 60 feet of the caster. Spell-casters technically can’t use the spell on objects or obstacles.

The spell may inflict significant radiant damage on creatures, depending on caster level. In particular, Sacred Flame 5e works best against enemies that have a low tolerance against radiant damage, like undead enemies such as zombies, skeletons, and even vampires.

Sacred Flame 5e also works against devils and demons, so have this spell handy when your DM comes up with the quest idea for your party to ventures into the Abyss.

Is Sacred Flame 5e a Good Spell?

Always remember that in games like DnD , cantrips are basically a spell-casting class’ main method of dealing ongoing damage, much in the way that a barbarian swings a sword. So, in terms of raw damage, no, sacred flame is not a “good” spell, when compared to spells that actually take up a spell level slot.

However, Sacred Flame 5e is an effective spell if you run out of spell slots, or against demons and undead enemies, in general. It can be an especially useful spell to have if you encounter these kinds of opponents regularly.

Undead Foes

Sacred Flame works for two reasons — and both concern undead enemies. Think of Sacred Flame as your TPK avoidance strategy, so far as fighting undead is concerned.

First, undead enemies like zombies are vulnerable to radiant spells like Sacred Flame. Second, these types enemies have low dexterity scores. Why does this matter?

Whenever a spell-caster casts Sacred Flame 5e, the only way for a target to prevent taking damage is by performing a Dexterity Saving Throw. Regularly succeeding on Dexterity Saving Throws is only possible for creatures with high dexterity scores — something undead enemies often lack.

Whenever a cleric or paladin casts Sacred Flame, the spell will almost always inflict damage on undead opponents, and will usually benefit from increased damage, once the spell hits.

So, is Sacred Flame “good”? I think it mostly depends on the situation. It’s always “good” to have the ability to deal radiant damage at your disposal. Against an enemy (such as the undead) who isn’t weak to radiant damage though, Sacred Flame is probably mediocre at best.

Behold, the undead horde - this version includes undead wolf things, with their Lich Queen. Unpainted, but that just leaves more fun to come.

Sacred Flame 5e Strategies

With Sacred Flame in your spell toolkit, you can gain the upper hand in your next D&D game. Here are some of my favorite tactics for using the spell.

Set the “Clumsy” Ablaze (Everyone’s Go-To Tactic)

One of the most common yet effective ways to use Sacred Flame is to cast it on low-dexterity enemies. For the most part, enemies that fit the bill include zombies and skeletons. Once you cast Sacred Flame 5e, your low-dexterity opponents won’t be able to succeed at their Dexterity Saving Throws, to protect themselves. As a result, you set them ablaze and leave a trail of scorched zombies and skeletons in your wake.

If you've ever wondered about how to write a D&D campaign , by the way, I recommend starting with some fun concept such as having the party mow down hordes of undead - which of course, fits in perfectly with Sacred Flame. Win, win.

The Old Sun-and-Done Approach

Many opponents are particularly vulnerable to radiant damage. Besides undead enemies, vulnerable opponents also include demons and demonic beasts .

When you cast Sacred Flame on these demonic baddies, you’ll give them their dose of holy sunshine — burning them to a crisp.

Keep in mind though that not all opponents are vulnerable to Sacred Flame’s rad radiance, but the spell should do well against the following enemies:

Shadows
Flying Horrors
Puppeteer Parasites
Shadow Demons
Gideon Lightward
Auril’s First Form

And by the way, if you're ever trying to think up some DnD One Shot ideas , why not start with the concept of Sacred Flame and undead/ demons? Maybe that can act as a starting point for some fun inspiration.

Plan B: When Other Spells Fail

Did your paladin or cleric just dish out fire and cold spells only for the enemy to still come at you smiling? When all else fails, Sacred Flame 5e is an excellent fallback option.

Sacred Flame 5e still inflicts damage on enemies who are immune to fire damage (or other common damage types that are non-radiant, for that matter). Just remember that Sacred Flame deals radiant damage (not fire damage). And when it comes to D&D, having access to multiple damage types can be a life-saver.

When you’re in a demonic realm battling undead foes who don’t mind the heat or cold, singe them with Sacred Flame 5e’s holy light!

For Close-Range, Damage-Dealing Action

Sacred Flame 5e is effective up to 60 feet in range. This means that any undead or demonic opponent that gets within 60 feet of your party can fall victim to the spell.

60 feet isn’t a long distance, exactly, but it isn’t terribly short, either. An effective way to use the spell is to maximize its range at the start of a fight, and then switch to using it during close-quarter situations, when needed.

This is where a paladin comes in.

A paladin is one of the most effective classes for close-quarter combat in D&D 5e. With Sacred Flame 5e, your paladin will dish out physical attacks and deal damage targets who are just out of reach for a Maul or Greatsword.

If I really had to say how to play this strategy, too, I'd recommend buffing the paladin with Haste 5e . That way, they have additional speed, AC, and bonuses to saving throws for when they get right in the action.

Scorch the Undead and Demonic Enemies

Sacred Flame 5e is one of the best Cantrip spells your cleric or magic-wielding character can learn, master, and cast. It quickly dispatches undead and demon ic opponents as they fall prey to the spell’s instant radiant damage effect.

Sacred Flame can come in handy for your next D&D game, especially if you’re heading into demonic terrain. Have this spell ready for your DnD campaign , and you’ll keep the undead and demonic hordes at bay.

Dungeons like this one are often the perfect opportunity to flex your Sacred Flame 5e skills against waves of undead and demons.

Sacred Flame in D&D 5e vs. Eternity TTRPG

In D&D 5e, Sacred Flame is a pretty basic spell. It is a cantrip, of course, so the spell’s simple effect makes sense.

Basically, Sacred Flame gives you a 60-foot range to deal minor radiant damage (low enough damage that a single cure wounds 5e spell is probably enough to more than heal its effect). Radiant damage is most effective against undead and demons, and Sacred Flame is most effective against low-Dexterity foes.

At the end of the day, that’s all there really is to it.

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System , the equivalent of radiant damage is “light” damage, which is effective not only against undead and demons, but all “Shadow Aura Units,” which could be actually just about anything.

Light and Shadow Aura Units

Eternity TTRPG does not have a purely “set” bestiary, like D&D 5e. As you probably know, D&D takes the kind of approach where DMs choose monsters that match the party’s level, and those monsters have set stats, skills, and spells, etc.

For Eternity TTRPG, Game Designers (the equivalent of the DM) creates foes for the party by mixing together their level, general type, and then if desired, giving them a “class” (just like players get) that comes with its own preset turn-by-turn spell/ ability instructions.

Game Designers can thereby give any monster/ enemy a “Shadow Aura” – by making them a Fallen Paladin, Revenant/ Witch, or Vampire Mage. Then, whenever the party’s heroes deal light damage to those enemies, that damage is increased.

Fun Monster Examples

Eternity TTRPG offers a great deal of customization for players, especially when it comes to world creation, storytelling, and of course, combat design.

Image the heroes coming across a chimaera – a unique monster battle that you’ve been building up to for a long time.

Instead of just using a generic “Chimaera” stat block, however, you custom-design its stats and “class,” using the simple monster-creation process that Eternity TTRPG provides.

Engaging in battle with the chimaera, your party is shocked to discover that the beast deals shadow damage with its sharp talons, and is weak to the sage’s holy spells.

Why not turn your adventure's dragon or other iconic monster into something your party wouldn't ever expect?

What Classes can use Sacred Flame Effects?

With Sacred Flame 5e’s equivalent in Eternity TTRPG being “Light Damage,” there are three primary classes that can always use this type of effect:

Paladin
Sage
Witch Hunter

Additionally, two other classes may be able to deal light damage, under the right circumstances/ player choices:

Dragon Knight – temporarily, by also making themselves vulnerable to shadow damage.
Monk – incapable of dealing light damage, but they can protect themselves against either light or shadow damage.

Paladin – Core Class Ability

Holy Blaze: Weapon Range, +5Strike Bonus vs. Dodge or 4Range, +5Faith vs. Will. If this attack hits, and the target attacks any target but you during their next 2turns, they take 1light damage (deals 2damage to Shadow Aura Units). “Holy Blaze” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Even if this Ability misses, you also gain one (1) stack of “Divine Defender,” which increases your hit chance with certain

paladin Abilities. Stacks are not consumed when used, and you can gain up to two (2) stacks. When using “Holy Blaze,” you gain +2Strike Bonus (SB) and +2Faith (Fa) for each stack of “Divine Defender."

1 stack, +2SB/Fa (for a total of +7SB/ Fa); 2 stacks, +4SB/Fa (for a total of +9SB/ Fa).

(Divine Sword): If this Ability hits, it also deals 1damage right away.
(Healing Light): Even if this Ability misses, heal yourself or an ally in 4Range +1HP. This Critical allows the affected target to heal 1HP above their normal max HP. Healing from this effect also Fatigues the target, giving lowered Resilience, Dodge, and Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). Roll d20 to determine the amount of Fatigue.
(Self-Sacrificing): Weapon Range +4, +5Strike Bonus vs. Dodge, or 8Range, +5Faith vs. Will. You also have these same Range bonuses when using this Ability, for Battle Duration.

Sage – Core Class Spell (1st Option)

Blessed Light (Magic): 4Range, the target heals +1HP. This Spell allows the target to heal 1HP above their normal max HP. This effect also Fatigues the target, giving lowered Resilience, Dodge, and Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). Roll d20 to determine the amount of Fatigue.

(Darkness and Light): Also, up to 3 enemies in 4Range of your target, -7Faith vs. Will, deals 1light damage (deals 2damage to Shadow Aura units). This critical cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.
(Secrets of the Ancient Tomes): You can still cast this Spell while Dazed, Locked, or Silenced. Also, roll d20. If you roll 15-20, you also remove that effect from yourself.
(Powers of the Eternals): +2HP. This Critical allows the target to heal 2HP above their normal max HP. This effect also Fatigues the target, giving -3Resilience, -3Dodge, and -3Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit).

Witch Hunter – Core Class Ability

Inquisition: after you use this ability on yourself, gain +1Initiative, plus an additional +1Initiative every turn (can stack to +7Initiative). Your weapon attacks also deal light damage (dealing 2damage to “Shadow Aura” units) while “Inquisition” is active. You can instead choose to continually maintain this ability for 3Inspiration.

(Dazed): gaining additional Initiative each turn from “Inquisition” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Curse-Ender): You also heal +1HP. This critical allows you to heal 1HP above your normal max HP. Healing from this effect also Fatigues you, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit).
(Zeal): You are also immune to the next three (3) Speed-, Initiative-, or Range-reducing effects used on you (this effect still applies if you intentionally Immobilize yourself using “Divine Frenzy”), or alternatively, you can automatically remove one (1) Speed-, Initiative-, or Range-reducing effect from yourself.
(Blade and Heresy): You may also take an additional non-critical Instant Action the next time you attack a target. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom), until this effect takes place.

Dragon Knight – Light Damage Option

Chromatic Breath: this ability can only be used by the “Dragon,” as a breath weapon.

4Range, Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage. When you use this ability, you must give it one of the following elements:

Fire: deals +1damage to cryomancers.
Ice: deals +1damage to pyromancers.
Light: deals +1damage to shadow aura units.
Shadow: deals +1damage to light aura units.

This ability also causes both “Dragon” and dragon knight to become immune to your chosen element for 1turn. However, you also count as being the following type of unit for 1turn when it comes to weaknesses.

(Double-Hit): deals 2damage.

(Wings of Death): Up to 3 enemies in 4Range.
(Knight of the Blood Oath): Even if this ability misses, any target in 4Range, +7Faith vs. Resilience, Taunts the target for 2turns.
(Memories of Tarscisia): Move up to your Speed value before or after using this ability. You can also move up to 4Speed before or after using this ability, for Battle Duration.

Games are better when you have a host of monsters/ villains with light damage weaknesses, or other unique ways for players to defeat them.

Monk – Specialization/ Critical Option (Divine Body)

If you do not use a weapon , shield, or armor, choose one of the following permanent bonuses. You can also apply rare metals and gems directly to your body (armor) and fists (weapon). “Divine Body” selections cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Void Body

Permanently gain +8Strike Bonus. When you finish a Move Action adjacent to an enemy, roll d20. If you roll 12-20, roll +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Lock for 1turn. You can only Lock with this ability once per turn. “Void Body” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Chaos Body

P ermanently gain +8Initiative. When you finish a Move Action adjacent to an enemy, roll d20. If you roll 16-20, roll +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Daze for 1turn. You can only Daze with this ability once per turn. “Chaos Body” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Eternal Body

Permanently gain +1HP, +3Resilience, +3Dodge, and +3Will. When you finish a Move Action adjacent to an enemy, roll d20. If you roll 12-20, roll +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Taunt for 1turn. You can only Taunt with this ability once per turn. “Eternal Body” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Eternal Specialization Upgrade

You are now permanently immune to light damage. Every turn, roll d20. If you roll 19-20, you automatically heal +1HP to yourself or an ally in 4Range. This critical allows targets to heal 1HP above their normal max HP. Healing from this effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). Once chosen, this critical becomes a passive effect, always active, and cannot be dispelled.

Whatever you do, always do your best to make your game special. You always want to bring your best to the game so you leave your group always wanting more.

Strategies for using Light Damage

As powerful as light damage can be against shadow aura enemies (since damage is doubled), players need to take precautions against taking that same level of damage in return.

The best way to use light damage is to pair it with specific enchantments, as shown immediately below.

Durandal Enchant

4Range, the target’s Weapon gains the light element. Once Enchanted, they have +7Strike Bonus or +7Faith when attacking with their Weapon against targets with a Shadow Aura, for 1Hour Duration. This item has 10-uses.

This effect allows non-light aura units to also deal light damage, without the downside of also being vulnerable to shadow damage.

Of course, the Durandal Enchant does not provide as much offensive benefit as natural light aura units have against shadow aura units, but it’s a wonderful option to maximize the party’s damage against certain foes.

Unholy Armor Enchant

4Range, the target’s Armor gains the shadow element. Once Enchanted, they have +7Resilience, +7Dodge, and +7Will when attacked by the shadow element, for 1Hour Duration. This item has 10-uses.

The unholy armor enchant allows even light aura units to instead take on the equivalent of a “shadow aura,” becoming immune to shadow damage. With this enchantment, players can deal the insane levels of light damage innate to their class without fear from shadow aura classes.

This enchant has the added benefit of not actually providing the user with a shadow aura. This means that though the user is immune to shadow damage, they are then not vulnerable to light damage, as a normal shadow aura would provide.

This important distinction (shadow damage immune vs. having an actual shadow aura) makes the Unholy Armor Enchant one of the best items in the game for light aura units. Though the cost of this item is quite high, it’s benefit is certainly worth the cost.

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Lingering Shadows Part 5 - Campaign Stories

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 15:00:01 GMT

Read for fun, or for ideas in your own campaign!

This story comes from the community-created Share Your Campaign series, where the Eternity TTRPG community shares their games' stories. To see more from this series and others, visit the Share Your Campaign page.

Ekern

Ekern and Vatra had shared rumors about the Black Mist Forest. Having no concrete evidence or knowledge, they planned on the “what ifs” of a situation. They were about to discuss how to funnel opponents to slow their advances until Vatra noticed DroGi in the other room opening the drawers. Ekern grew concerned when he noticed a blemish on the floor that didn’t shine light like the rest of the surface did. If he could see it from a distance, DroGi would surely see it soon enough.

They watched as DroGi continued his detective work. Ekern reached for the handle of his short blade in anticipation. This house was no longer supposed to be a final resting place for anyone, but secrets must be kept in the meantime. Looking to Vatra for orders, Vatra signaled to wait. “What are you doing, friend?” Vatra asked. DroGi had traced his fingers along the floor, tried to pry the cabinet away from the wall, then rested his head against the wall looking for something. Ekern exposed the slightest amount of blade from his scabbard and rolled his shoulder to loosen the joint.

Frustrated, DroGi pushed away from the wall, turned and told Vatra to meet him at the estate. Ekern turned slightly, allowing the weight of his short sword to drop softly into its sheath. He opened the door to allow for a quicker exit for DroGi just in case he changed his mind and decided to reinspect the bedroom. DroGi left without a word of thanks, leaving only behind the sound of clanking metal as he dropped off the step and rolled over a compact dirt walkway. Ekern watched as he leaned forward with every propulsion and thought how sad it would be to be such a strong soldier bound to a chair with what others would consider false hope. “That one is impulsive,” he said.

“Yes,” said Vatra, “and there is no changing it.” Ekern closed the door and turned to see Vatra now standing facing the bedroom. He was thumbing a black ring around his forefinger, similar in design to the one DroGi had been wearing, but his was a faded charcoal gray. “We need to be more careful.” He walked to the room’s entryway. Ekern followed and looked over his shoulder. He couldn’t tell what DroGi had seen on the floor that made him so fascinated with the cabinet, but he knew his intrigue was dangerous. Vatra turned to Ekern. “This will be the last time I come here. I have too many people looking into my whereabouts now.”

Ekern agreed and added, “We should have someone come and blemish this house. Its cleanliness makes finding imperfections more noticeable and raises too many questions.” Vatra agreed to this. “You can have the servants hold a party here.”

“The servants?” asked Vatra. “Why not the other house guards?”

“Too strong. If they get drunk enough, or rowdy enough, they may decide to throw one another or the furniture. If they notice that the cabinet is not moving, they’ll make it move.” Vatra nodded. “The servants, for the most part, are weak and timid. They’ll see the house as a rental and do their best not to damage anything beyond disrepair.”

“What would the party be for?”

Ekern thought for a moment. “One of the housemaids is with child and should be delivering within the next few weeks. One day, they’ll celebrate and give gifts. On another day, you can offer the space for the delivery. The blood, sweat, tears, and other liquids will stain the air and the floors.”

Vatra seemed disgusted by the idea, but also acknowledged the sense it made. “And, on a third day, they will have the celebration of the child’s life.” Ekern nodded once. “This is why you need to stay and take the lead in my absence.”

Ekern dropped his gaze away and thought about the conflict. He had a strong desire to protect his friend, but he also knew that he was the only one who knew of Vatra’s plan and the tasks that needed to be done. If anyone were to hear word of what the two were planning, the entire plan would unravel and everything they had done so far would be for naught. He also began to wonder if he had grown dependent on Vatra, then considered that they were partners, not a child to a parent. He asked, “Should we go?”

Vatra nodded and grabbed his robe hanging from a rack. Ekern opened the door, stepped out to investigate the safety, then stepped to the side to allow Vatra to exit. He looked into the small darkening house once more before shutting and locking the door. Still uncertain whether or not his father had spent his last day here, he felt a hollowness when observing the eerie space. If he could have it his way, he would’ve burned the house down months ago with at least one body in it.

Making their way through the streets, the locals greeted both Ekern and Vatra. “Have they already forgotten?” Ekern asked himself. People were tending to their personal gardens, sweeping the dust out of the entryway, and feeding the chickens or goats they kept. Average people doing average things, absolutely clueless to the happenings behind closed doors. Ekern supposed everyone had their own secrets, varying in degree of darkness. He knew he couldn’t stop all the violence in the world, the lying, the cheating, or the wrath. Still, though, he wanted to find a way for people to not have to resort to such actions. He believed the majority of bad things that people do to one another is out of desperation. No one wants to steal, but sometimes they have to if they’re going to feed their family. No one wants to have to lie, but to get a need they must. It’s usually the ones who have too much that indulge in the darkness of man. Rich men were taking advantage of poor people’s desperation to put food on the table or to protect their own. If a man were to refuse, it wouldn’t be a big deal to the rich man. They could easily find someone the next street over.

Ekern was well aware of Vatra’s snakes. He helped come up with the idea. The children were well taken care of without bringing suspicion to anyone. Each child was paid for their truthful service regularly. They’d all report to Ekern and no one else. Ekern and Vatra had come up with a communication style that involved a sequence of blinks and eye positions. The eye version involved looking to the corners, sides, up and down. Using the directions and up to three blinks signaled a letter or sound. Words being relayed were signaled to be sounded out rather than be taken as literal translations. Using this method, vowels were seldom used unless it was of dire importance. A forward gaze meant “I’m done”. A long inhale meant “I understand. Anything else?” A long audible exhale meant, “That’s all, no further need to stay.” Only the older children were allowed to communicate with the adults. When they were in their last year before being taken in, they’d find someone to replace them. The older kids would be taken as squires for Vatra’s personal guard or had their way paid to become a squire of a town guard. A newer system, but Vatra had already established a good number of snakes within the town guard. Some were employed by Vatra, then brokered a few out to the more affluent families. These snakes of the street were now snakes within a den. Vatra had a quiet loyalty within multiple households and was able to manage deals that fit his plan. As of yet, there have been no defectors. That was the benefit of treating a snake like family, you’re less likely to get bit.

Vatra was kneeling to be at eye level with a little girl no older than eight. Out loud, she was telling Vatra she had to buy a new tray and how she sold out of her shellfish and mollusks. She must be one of the newer relayers based on how young she was. A prospect would normally train with an older kid for roughly two years before they were taken off the street. Secretly, her eyes darted around looking like a nervous child trying to tell a story that went nowhere. Ekern was only able to catch a few words from his heightened perspective. He was able to catch “B.O.T.” for “boat”, “L.F.” for “elf”, and “K.P.N.” for “captain”. There was no letter “C” in this version of the alphabet. It would be replaced with an “S” or “K” depending on its sound. “Q” was left in to create the “ch” sound. Vatra pretended to give the girl a high five, covertly giving her a griever hidden away by his thumb and palm. She giggled as Vatra stood and tussled her hair. She ran off with a “Bye, Mister!” Ekern wondered if he would have been smart enough to be a relayer at her age. He doubted it, but liked to think he was smarter than he thought he was. The thought of a child that young being in the streets almost brought a tear to his eye, but he understood that life wasn’t always going to be fair and from this situation she would learn how the real world worked. In a few years time, she’d be off the street and working indoors. The moment had Ekern thinking about his sister, and reminded him how because of greed he could never see her grow into an adult and have children of her own. Her life and youth were stolen from her, and no one offered her a chance. This is why the snakes were created. It gave purpose to those society had turned their backs to. Regardless of what the parents did, the child should not have to be punished for their wrong doing. One day, he was certain, the snakes would be running this town.

The Journey

Before leaving Murgana, the trio took enough esper from Vatra’s state to resupply and obtain new gear. They rummaged through Vatra’s family’s underground vault to find anything of use. DroGi got stuck in a Soul Mirror for a moment, and the other two took advantage of its force to have the inhabitant tell the truth. It was more of a way to poke fun at the situation rather than obtain any pertinent information, but it brought a much needed humor before the three traveled the wilderness.

Using their obsidian rings, the three teleported to the Shield’s location and hired him to modify their gear for the travels and potential dangers ahead. Shield Rayl was a burly man they had encountered in a dungeon near the Ward of Bastielle. Indebted for saving him from being stranded beyond a deep crevice he became their official armorer with, what he considered, a “discounted rate.” The armorer's own armor was evidence of his skill. Intricate filigree work embellished his plates, depicting horses, mythical creatures, and symbols of protection. Embedded gemstones, each with its unique magical property, were strategically placed across the armor, providing both aesthetic appeal and magical reinforcement.

Heading south, they stopped in a small town of Seorim known for its healing waters. Testimonials and vague promises enticed Drogi to attempt these waters to the point where he spent a full week submerged from the chest down, hoping his legs would heal. At an esper a day, the results were surely a gamble. Iceliat would join him for the comfort and the second hand result of having his newly acquired blisters and old scars form new skin. Vatra, on the other hand, traversed the streets recruiting new snakes and attempting to build business dealings with the locals. Borrowing Iceliat’s ring, he traveled back to Murgana to orchestrate the means to bring two of the older snakes and leave them as hired help for two of the affluent members of Seorim. It would be their duty to further train the “baby snakes” and establish a network of communication.

After a week of soaking, DroGi’s results did not meet his expectations. Both Vatra and Iceliat suspected that his inability to walk was from the atrophy and deconditioning. DroGi wouldn’t accept this. He was able to walk short distances with the use of an assistive device, but it did not provide him with the warrior’s body he had grown accustomed to. DroGi’s anger erupted to the point where Iceliat and Vatra had to restrain him and pay for property damage already done. DroGi was able to obtain his sensation which needed some getting reacquainted with. It started as a dull, numbing sensation not being able to discern sharp from dull. Eventually he was able to feel temperature and precise pressure. Though his normal function did not return, the ability to finally feel his pants on his legs, his boots shift against his heels, and the weight of the food he’d lay on his legs were a sign of progress to him. His legs could help him propel by pulling with his heels giving his arms and shoulders a break from pushing. If he needed to, he could also kick off to perform a tactical retreat. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was thankful the other two stayed with him during that week.

Iceliat was able to conduct his business dealings with the local riverfront dock workers and his constant shipment of humans. The captain he met with was one he had grown to know well over the years, which made the exchange of information much easier and less time consuming. The less time he used to speak with a ship captain he, presumably, didn’t know, then the less suspicious it would seem. The lands around his home were still unaffected by the Phoenix and business continued to prosper. He informed the captain to relay the fact that he was heading to the Black Mist Forest as a precaution. He doubted anyone would come looking for him if they hadn’t heard back anyways.

Vatra

The three stood at what could be considered the entrance of the forest. It consisted of the clearest path of lightly compacted dirt to allow a smoother ride for DroGi and highest head clearing to prevent the need to duck as much as possible. As they pressed forward, the tracks left by a wheelchair and feet lasted only a moment before the dirt and moss leveled itself off again. The air was damp and humid making cooling off by perspiration impossible. Everyone’s clothes were holding water and sweat breaking down the integrity of their skin. A thickening fog grew in intensity the deeper they trekked. What was once a clear, noon day, had now been enveloped by a milky white vapor as clear as a dead fish’s eye. The trees, when they could see them, were too wide and unstable to attempt to climb. The canopy didn’t allow for light to shine through, not even enough to taunt them with illumination.

Making their way through, observing the ominous trees that seemed to stare, Vatra thought of the Treant, BloodRoot. “He knew,” he thought to himself. Vatra and DroGi had sought out BloodRoot during their first meeting and subsequent departure. Beyond the wizards at the university up north, he heard a rumor that BloodRoot would be the closest to know something about all artifacts and relics with magical properties. While DroGi questioned the treant, he couldn’t take his eyes off of him. Calm and precise with his wording, he pointed to Vatra and almost outed him. “How could he possibly know,” he thought. BloodRoot told him the trees spoke and shared secrets beyond any human’s, or human descendent, reach. This made Vatra realize he’d have to be more cautious than he thought was enough. Darkness and disguise would be his friend from now on. But first, he’d need to learn the most efficient way to practice these methods. Vatra considered taking care of BloodRoot as a loose end, but he also knew that treants tend to keep to themselves. His pointing Vatra out was more of a matter-of-fact rather than an accusation or judgment. Knowing this, however, if someone were to still question Vatra’s innocence, they would only have to pay him and visit and give him something he found precious or rare. DroGi attempted to offer BloodRoot water to get the information about the mirror they sought, but this only made him give his equivalent of a guffaw. Eventually, a mixture of threats and griever was enough to get the information DroGi needed to move on. Vatra didn’t want to be the cause of such a respected being’s death, but he also knew he couldn’t take any chances having gone this far in his plan.

The party reached the remnants of what they assumed was an old stronghold. Scattered wood planks used for scaffolding and a perimeter of shaped stone littered the area. Nothing man-made higher than chest height remained. Everyone picked a spot as theirs and proceeded to drop their gear. “Any idea what we’re looking for, DroGi?” asked Iceliat.

DroGi was removing his boots and stripped his wet socks off. He looked at his toes as if he were trying to willfully wiggle his toes, but nothing visible to the others was noticed. “Nelvis told me there was a lake, and in the middle of it should be what we’re looking for.” He wrung his socks creating a little pool to the side of his wheel.

Vatra didn’t expect much more than that to come from DroGi. Nelvis was pretty vague and distracted the last time they asked him for help, and Vatra had a weak moment of throwing a few books and papers into a fire trying to strongarm information from him. Vatra was certain if he were to be present in asking Nelvis for details they’d most likely be led astray. He leaned forward stretching his lower back, came back up and leaned side to side with his arms held high. Opening his eyes after the muscular release he saw in the distance what he thought was a clearing. It was obscured by the fog, but what he could make out was a tall, narrow darkness. Pointing, he asked, “You guys see that? Might be a clearing.”

“I don’t see shit,” responded DroGi eyes squinting and strained.

Iceliat, with his honed elven eyes, similar to Vatra’s, was able to see the darkness in the distance. His eyes were more attuned than Vatra’s, so he was able to make out a little more detail. “It seems to be swaying,” he said. “Not just swaying. I believe it’s moving toward us.” Vatra, now standing next to Iceliat, attempted to observe what Iceliat saw. As the figure grew closer and larger, they noticed that it was levitating. DroGi pulled forward, now also able to see the figure. They continued to watch as what looked like a long, dark robed essence approached. A skeletal frame was outlined and a skull could be seen when its body swayed softly into the little amount of light available. “Wraith,” Iceliat finally said in a silent surprise. Backing up and already calling upon his summon, everyone followed suit and prepared for an expected fight.

“Sword. Right hand,” DroGi reported. The wraith was holding a standard length sword with a bright, crimson blade. It was made of a metal unfamiliar to the crew and its characteristics seemed to shout that it was no ordinary sword.

Vatra and Iceliat positioned themselves equidistant from DroGi, to be within attack range and have a clear view of the creature. DroGi began his charge and performed a double swing. The wraith swiftly moved out of each blade's arc uncharacteristically for how slowly it approached them. With a low, guttural roar it raised its crimson blade and struck down onto DroGi. A blast from Iceliat was able to deflect the blade. Without looking, the wraith raised his sword once more and slashed downward. DroGi was able to perform an x-block with his blades, in time to prevent a devastating wound but still able to cut into his right trap. The exposure and contact with the blood made the blade glow brighter. DroGi’s eyes widened as his energy left his body.

Obviously not a mortal wound, the other two knew he must have fainted from whatever power the sword possessed. The wraith turned its attention to Iceliat and his summon. Vatra ran to DroGi’s side. He lay slumped in his chair, eyes closed. Vatra checked the cut to see that it had left what looked like an ordinary cut. It was deep enough to require stitching, but didn’t hit anything life threatening. He thought the sword itself must have drained his energy directly from his blood. His pulse was beating at a normal rhythm and his breathing was steady as if he was sound asleep. Vatra turned to Iceliat, still distanced from the wraith being held back by his summon. They made eye contact and Vatra signaled to retreat with a head jerk to the side. Vatra began to run pulling DroGi by the back of the chair, castor wheels raised, and DroGi reclined to prevent falling forward during the departure. Iceliat understood and released a blast at the ground near the wraith resulting in a large plume of dirt, debris, and smoke engulfing the creature’s sight. Iceliat tactfully retreated and circumnavigated the woods until he intercepted the others.

Iceliat took a rear guard position as everyone left the scene. “He’s waking up,” Iceliat said aloud.

Vatra scanned the area and noticed a more intact, small fort, “There.” They entered what was once a room, now only having three of its walls remaining and sky exposed. As the two runners caught their breath, DroGi regained full consciousness. “Any idea what happened,” Vatra asked.

DroGi, blinking hard and shaking his head, said “No. I felt the blade cut me, then a jolt went through my body. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I must’ve passed out immediately.” He looked at the cut on his shoulder, “Well, shit,” he said. He looked the others over and said, almost upset, “Not even a scratch on you fuckers, huh?” They shook their heads and looked around. “Still alive?” he asked.

Iceliat mentioned how he was able to strike the wraith a few times with his blasts, but they seemed to dissipate upon contact. The wraith seemed to hardly notice the impacts from both Vatra and Iceliat. “Maybe we teleport out of here, to Nelvis, and regroup. Try to figure out what we’re up against.”

Vatra, uncertain about the location, hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement. All three clenched their fists tight and thought of Nelvis. Marcelle Rasler, the advisor to the King of Kel-Nagrand and the one who gifted them rings, instructed them in the use of these rings and explained how they could only teleport to others wearing the sister rings. Marcelle, Nelvis, Shield, Old Briar, and the trio each had a ring. The group were offered six in total, but after news of Vatra’s warrant, he requested to have one back. Marcelle and Nelvis already had their own, so the two remaining rings were given to Shield and Old Briar. Before opening his eyes, Vatra heard DroGi say frantically, “The fuck?” He opened his eyes to see that they had not moved. He looked at the ring and noticed it had grayed as if it were depleted of charge. “What’s going on?” DroGi asked, confused and angry.

“The forest,” Iceliat said, biting his bottom lip quizzically. “Something dark is keeping us here.”

Vatra, peering around the wall, noticed the wraith slowly approaching as it had before. “It’s coming back.” Iceliat came to his side to confirm. “Any ideas?” Iceliat shook his head, pointed to his side and readied another summon with a flick of his wrist.Vatra saw this and wondered if he could learn this. He already had ideas for how something like this skill could be useful. Vatra shook his head back into the present, stepped back and said, “We don’t die today.” Closing his eyes, the color from Vatra’s skin began to disappear. His hair went translucent reflecting a blueish-white glow. The skin around his mouth began to wrinkle like old leather. His cheeks sunk in and his frame became more slim as if his body had been degrading for weeks in that single moment. Vatra’s eyes reopened exposing grayed irises and a deadpan stare. Taking his Lich form, Vatra now had a limited amount of time to aid in this situation. In a new, hollowed tone, he said, “Go.”

Vatra led the way pointing his staff at the wraith and unleashing a volley of fiery blasts. The few that did make contact dissipated as it had a few moments ago. Iceliat did the same and sent his summon to attack and halt its progression. The wraith’s sword was no longer as bright as it had once been and presented like an imperfect ruby. As the wraith forced the summon away, it gave its low roar and raised its arm to swing at Vatra. DroGi came from the side, one weapon blocking the blade, the other hooked between the grip and the wraith’s boney palm. Iceliat’s summon approached from behind and grabbed the wraith around its hooded head and pulled backward. A simultaneous blast from Iceliat and Vatra jerked the wraith backward resulting in DroGi being able to pry the sword from its hand. The wraith fought as it was dragged backward from the party. The crimson sword clanked as it hit the ground and rippled in a lightning of bright red.

“Ooh. Dibs!” DroGi declared. Vatra and Iceliat being distanced fighters paid no mind and watched as the summon continued to drag the wraith away. “Ho ho ho ho!” DroGi laughed as he picked up the sword. “This thing is swe-,” DroGi stopped speaking. Like before, his eyes went wide before he slumped into his chair unconscious. Contact with the sword, itself, drained him, not the cut. Without thinking, Vatra grabbed the sword, knelt, and shook DroGi. DroGi gingerly reopened his eyes looking at Vatra, “Oh come on. Again?” He shook and straightened himself up. “Well? The fuck?” He up-and-downed Vatra. “Why aren’t you passing out? You’re a little bitch.”

Vatra, still a Lich, stood and finally noticed he had been holding the sword for longer than DroGi could. In his hand the blade began to glow to a brightness similar to the moment DroGi had been cut. Vatra raised the blade, pointing it to the sky. “Well,” he began, then enunciated the next few words, “this is interesting.”

The sound of Iceliat’s summon and the wraith struggling had intensified then ceased. Looking over, the wraith had wrenched itself free and destroyed the summon. At its normal slow pace, the creature, again, approached the trio.

Author Credit

Sean Kuttner

Lingering Shadows Part 4 - Campaign Stories

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Read for fun, or for ideas in your own campaign!

Drogi

Drogi’s eyes flickered open, going from blinding darkness to blinding light. As his vision cleared, he could tell he was in the room he once flew out of. Everything was cleaned and back in order. His arms felt heavy and his neck stiff. He heard a woman gasp just out of sight by his side. She skirted the bed into view, leaned in to make sure he was not only awake but aware as well. “H-how long has it been?” Drogi asked. The woman left the room as fast as she could. Muffled, Drogi could hear that she was trying to get someone’s attention.

He went through all his moving parts to see if they were, in fact, still movable. He went through his body parts like a mental grocery list. Leg: Still no. Hips: no. Lumbar lateral flexion and rotation: still good. Shoulders: shruggable. Elbows: heavy under covers. Hands: fist good. Neck: tight. Jaw: aching. Speech: “Fuck. Shit. Damn. Ass.” He chuckled to himself and sighed in relief, “Still got it.” His hearing started to improve, demonstrated by the ability to hear the footsteps approaching in a hurried cadence. He shrugged his shoulders and brought his arms out from beneath the covers. He rubbed the sand out of his eyes noting how big they felt as they rolled down his temple and cheek. He used his thenar eminence to push his eyelids up and around, massaging his eyes underneath. Reaching overhead, his shoulders popped and clicked releasing trapped gas and encouraging a short endorphin release. He followed that up by laterally flexing his neck in each direction feeling his range of motion return.

He heard from the doorway, “Drogi?” Vatra and Iceliat both entered looking like they have known months of peace. “Drogi, can you hear me?” asked Vatra.

“I can’t feel my legs,” he said, deadpan. No one laughed. “Ah. Just like the old days.” Vatra gave an order to someone at the door, to bring something to eat. Iceliat poured a glass of water as Vatra helped Drogi sit upright. Receiving the water, he thanked Iceliat. He drank, lightly choking on the first gulp. The muscles in his throat needed some retraining. He was sure it would be the same for his arms and core. Wiping the dribble from his chin, he asked, “Is she dead?”

Vatra shook his head and pulled a lip back. Iceliat answered, “She flew off after she dropped you.” He sat on the night stand and leaned his forearms onto his thighs, “Drogi? Do you know what that was?”

Drogi shared what he remembered and revisited in his dream. “Her name was Beatrix. She was an Empyrean soldier with the Supreme Guard. I told you about a mission we had in the Whispering Wood, right?” They nodded. “She thought I had led my men into a bear den, or something like that. She thought I was being negligent and questioned my right to lead. The Supreme Guard has a tradition which allows subordinates to challenge a higher ranking leader. For her to challenge me, she needed to go through a chain of command. She killed two people to get to me. No charge against her because it followed our ways and technically didn’t do anything wrong.” Drogi stopped to readjust against the potential bed sore that may have formed under his sit bones. He completed the story, sharing the fight, the stab, and the end result.

Vatra, clearly upset, responded, “Okay. There is a lot to unpack here. First of all, you were stabbed in the spine and not cursed. What the hell were we looking for?”

“It’s not my fault you interpreted what I said as a curse!”

“You said you were looking for a cure! An artifact! That’s not how spinal cord injuries work!”

Iceliat remained leaning forward, this time elbows to knees, and face in hands. Empyreans and Ateri were proud of their intelligence and forgot that not everyone was on the same level as them. Drogi was a great soldier, not a scholar. Iceliat shared, “I suppose we all do things in desperation.” Drogi looked at him, mouth open, but with nothing to say. He closed it and turned his head away.

Vatra turned his back on the two and dropped his head, heavy with frustration. He ran both hands through his hair and inhaled deep, then exhaled longer and in control. “I’m sorry. I get it. I’m sure you were acting out of hope.” He turned back. “So, do you have any idea how she’s alive? It sounds like you almost cut her head off. Even if anyone tried to save her, she wouldn’t have been able to make it out of those caves alive.”

Drogi collected his nerves and asked for his chair. He tried to transfer on his own, but his elbow joints weren’t used to stabilizing him during a pivot yet. Iceliat helped him complete the transfer. From what he remembered, the chair should have been dented and bent more than it was. The two must have commissioned someone for repairs and replacements. The drive wheels spin on ball bearings now making for a smoother glide. The tires were wider allowing for maneuvering through dirt and mud, it increased stability but decreased speed. The backrest sat a little lower allowing for improved scapular range of motion. The companion handles placed by the previous builders had to be removed. This would improve his swing and seated rotations.

“I literally just woke up,” Drogi pushed away, “can I just have a minute and something to eat?”

Drogi stopped at the stairs and looked down. They seemed like more than one story worth of steps. He turned back and propelled to the den. Iceliat and Vatra sat in what would become “their spot”. Vatra had a servant bring a folding table large enough for a family style meal and another servant bring a honey roasted duck, smoked fish, steamed vegetables, and an apple spiced mead. Drogi attacked the feast like a wild animal and ate more than he should have. Every bite seemed like his first. He bit his lip multiple times but he was undeterred. The crispy skin of the duck was like candy. The smoked fish was salty and paired with a sauteed mushroom gravy. He was burping bits of chewed food back up his throat and painfully hiccuping for the rest of the day. He didn’t touch the mead and opted for water with lemon. His stomach was distended, but he was content with the discomfort.

Pretending the discomfort is what prevented him from descending the steps on his own, he asked two guards to help him down. One grabbed him from the back and under his pits, while the other managed his legs. He was seated on the reclining chair as someone else brought his chair. Drogi was close enough to the exit to hear a wind chime sing in a tubular melody. He stared out a window that overlooked a part of town he hadn’t visited. “We could just stop,” he thought to himself. “We can call it here. The Phoenix is too much for us, I’m sure. I couldn’t even handle someone I had already killed. What chance do we have of challenging what could be seen as a micro-god? I could just spend the rest of my days here. Maybe find a nice woman who could tolerate me. She wouldn’t have to for very long if the Phoenix is doing what I think it is. No. I’m just feeling weak and pitiful. One last adventure. Finish what I started, save the Isles, sleep with a woman.”

Drogi’s train of thought was interrupted by Iceliat and Vatra descending the steps. “We need to talk,” Vatra said. “I’ve had a thought, vision, memory, or what have you.” Iceliat leaned against a wall, arms crossed, and one heel propped up. Drogi sat opening and closing his fists, trying to reawaken his grip strength. Vatra continued, “What do you two know about the Hallowed Ones?”

The Hallowed Ones

Beatrix’s body fell for what, to her, felt like a lifetime. Though unmoving, she was still alive and conscious. She felt her brothers maneuver her body onto the tarp and wrap her up like a swaddled infant. Her anger kept her awake and alert. The air felt increasingly cold as the shroud became unwrapped around her head. She was falling facing upward, still able to see the moonlight from the opening. “Drogi,” she thought to herself. She tried to speak, but the tendons that held her mandible to her maxilla had been severed. She choked on a piece of clotted blood and coughed a mist of crimson. She felt herself fading and knew that very soon she was going to hit something solid. She hoped that was the case, so it would be a fairly quick death. If she were to hit water and survive long enough to drown, she quivered at the thought.

Eyes blinking independently, Beatrix started to feel a hollowness in her thought process. Words came to her like memories or auditory hallucinations. During missions, she often thought about what the experience of death was like. She dreamt of dying multiple times. It was always the same. She would close her eyes, feel her breath slow, and on her final exhale, there would be silence and darkness. Then her mind would linger thinking that it was still alive. “You’re not dead,” it would say. “Just open your eyes.” She’d tell herself if she got up her death might not be as peaceful. She was in a moment of complete content. If the reaper didn’t come to claim her now, she’d be too afraid to die again. When she would finally give in, she would awaken wherever she laid to rest. She believed her dreams of death readied her for this moment. Once she hits the ground, she’ll wake up and complete the next mission. “It’s just a dream,” she told herself.

Her breathing slowed. Her mind started to talk itself down in an internal whisper. “Beatrix,” it said, sounding like a whisper in an echo chamber. “Beatrix,” it said again. Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Open your eyes, Beatrix. Open them. See us.” The voice prolonged the word “see” and enunciated the “s” in “us”. She never called herself by her name, only “soldier”. She opened her eyes to the complete darkness. The shroud had completely unraveled, but remained pinned to her top, freeing her arms and legs. “Beatrix,” it said again. “We can save you.” Every word was prolonged and echoed. Beatrix had no need for saving, she knew there was no going back after this. “Heal you. Accept us. Let us in. Accept us.” Every word was stretched and never grew louder than a distant whisper.

“Do whatever you want,” she thought, giving up. “I’m done.”

Excitedly, the whispers said to themselves, “She said yes. She’s allowing us. She accepts. Go now.” Beatrix heard the words, but thought nothing of it. She believed these sounds were the brain trying its best to reconcile the impending death. “Mine. No mine. Ours. Yes, ours.” It was like listening to children argue over ownership of a toy.

Beatrix’s descent began to slow, like falling through water without the splash or being caught by guiding, loving arms. Her body was lying flat, arms and legs splayed out, head and neck supported. “Is this what a soul leaving its vessel feels like?” she thought to herself.

“No,” she heard a hundred hushed voices say in turns. “No soul. Body. Ours. Free.” She felt the supporting mass begin to envelop her. Small arms reaching and hands grasping for whatever piece of cloth or skin they could. “Ours,” they continued. “Mine. Ours. Ours.”

Beatrix lay in a pool filled with thousands of black wisp-like amorphous figures. Arms the length of a rat or raccoon pulled her deeper into the crowd. Some of the figures, about the size of a common squirrel climbed on top of her front, scurried and bounced. She continued to lay, accepting the sensation, still believing that it was her mind playing tricks. Only once the pulls and tugs began to cause additional pain did she open her eyes. She believed death wasn’t supposed to hurt once you’ve accepted it. Hands and claws tugged at her loose mouth skin, her lips, ears, each finger being splayed and tractioned. Something moved beneath her clothes. She attempted to use her arms to pry off the very real critters, but she was immobilized without any give. Fear began to creep back and confusion overwhelmed her.

A hand, then three, grabbed at the already torn skin of her right cheek and began to tug and pull. Her neck tensed and eyes widened as she felt the flesh give and tear. Her loose jaw made what a scream should have been sound like a drowning roar. More hands went for her face, some holding her by the mandible, some holding her by the maxilla, and they pulled in unison in opposite directions. Whatever tendon that was still in place lost to the tension resulting in her jaw being a loose piece of skin that happened to have a bone in it. More force was applied downward ripping into her neck and platysma. Something crawled into her mouth and tried to force its way down her throat. Another one of these things wanted the opportunity and yanked that one away. These things would take turns trying to be the first one to crawl through this opening.

She felt her orbitals being exposed by her eyelids being pulled back, and feeling pressure on her eyes like a dog trying to make a comfortable lying surface. Something tried to reach into her lacrimal gland but found nothing and retreated. Clumps of hair were being torn out leaving small bleeding patches. She couldn’t feel as every muscle in her limbs were being bored into and detached from its insertion point. Her fingers had been broken in opposing and random directions exposing bone and sinew. Both elbows and knees were bent backward. Each long bone was broken no less than three times. The whispers continued expressing their greed to one another as Beatrix’s nervous system shut down. She could no longer feel what was happening and could only see the moonlight above her shrink away and be eclipsed by these monstrosities. After the first creature successfully made its way through her mouth opening, others followed, distending her stomach and entrails. In a moment, they would find an exit. Beatrix, fortunately faded away before she could experience this.

Unwitnessed, the imp-like demons continued to pull, tear, and bend her body every which way. Her body was completely exposed, the clothing having been removed and discarded. Her body was at the whim of these destroyers to be molded however they saw fit. “Fix you,” they would say thousands of times out of sync. Every strand of hair was pulled from her body: head, brows, body, pits, and privates. Her blood was drained and replaced with something black and viscous. Her teeth had been sharpened, gum receded, and her jaw placed back into place. She was being reassembled and realigned. Some of the creatures moving around her skin sat and sank into an ink that would swirl and stain. Her bones were realigned and increased in density. Her muscles were reattached with increased muscle fibers. Her arms and legs were elongated for reach. All her fingers were lengthened and ended with a pointed, curved bone. Her cheeks had been joined together and smoothly connected. Every muscle fiber could be seen pushing outward through her skin. She was becoming the perfect vessel of anger and wrath. She didn’t know it yet, but her second chance was coming.

As Beatrix’s eyes began to open, the little voices hurriedly said to one another, “Hurry. Hurry. Awake. Wake. End.” Beatrix was still being supported by the amorphous black wave, this time she was free to move. She began to sit up and the wave followed to support her. She tried assessing the damage, but it was still too dark to see anything in detail. She thought everything had been a dream, but was reminded once she looked up and saw a flicker of daylight coming from a distant opening. She was sure that she was in the cave’s pupil. She stood and reached in a “Y” position. She could tell she was nude, but rather than feel exposed, she felt powerful. Her arms moved effortlessly and felt as light as down. The voices whispered to her one at a time, “Fixed you. In you. Strong. Together. With you now.”

She tried to look around to see the source of the voices, but still nothing. She looked up again. “Get me out of here.”

The voices, now excited, whispered, “Wings. Fly. Flight. We can. Let me. Me. Let us.” Out of sight, hundreds of these sprites formed into a whirling mass that attached themselves to each of Beatrix’s scapulae. They dug through the skin painlessly and fused to the bone. As the frame of the wings began to take shape, Beatrix began to lightly beat her wings. This would continue until each wing was about twice the length of her height. When she finally reached lift, the swirls stopped. The voices , proud of their work, said “Fly. She can. We can. Fly.”

Beatrix took a hand and felt where her cut had been. Dissatisfied, she took the clawed thumb and traced in a new cut on each side mirroring a scarred version of her previous injury. “Why? Why? Fixed you. Why.” the voices asked.

Beatrix, feeling blood trickling down her jaw, continued looking upward as she elevated. “A reminder. I want him to remember.”

Vatra

Vatra stood in the center of his father’s secret room holding a lantern exposing the rusted instruments used on who knows how many victims. Everything was as his father had left it, except for the vacant space between a set of blades. This is a room of embarrassment and shame. He had no intention of allowing any word of this to reach the townspeople. Intermittently, one day at a time, one bucket or bag at a time, someone would visit this place dressed as an out-of-towner and fill this dungeon of sorts. Maybe in a few years, when the earth has been compacted and leveled, he would repair the hole that hid the spiral stairwell and place a proper cabinet in its place. In time, the small house will be converted into a small shop to sell something mundane. He thought about a toy maker or a cobbler. Something innocent to paint over the blood soaked earth.

Vatra ascended the steps and squeezed past the shifted cabinet. Ekern was standing guard at the doorway facing out. He put everything back in its place and engaged the locking mechanism. “Should be good,” he said.

Ekern relaxed his posture and walked into the living area. He placed his weapon and helmet on a small table, then sat in one of the rocking chairs. Everything was dusted in Vatra’s absence. He wanted the building to look as occupied as possible to prevent squatters from breaking in and potentially finding the stairwell. Ekern was taller and much more physically fit than Vatra was. The starving little boy he had once been, grew to become an elite member of the house guard. Informally, he was Vatra’s personal guard. He stood six inches taller, shoulders were about a foot wider, and kept his hair short to never be in the way of his eyesight. His choice of weapon was a longsword, but was well adept at anything put into his hands. To become the man he is now, he focused on nothing but training and controlling his willpower. If he wanted someone dead, they would be. “Now that he’s awake, how long do you think you’ll stay in town?” Ekern asked, hoping the answer would be “forever.”

“We will probably stay in town for a few more nights, less than a week, to train Drogi’s muscles somewhere close to where he was before.”

“He was stabbed in the spine, right? Besides some serious magic, there isn’t anything to be done for that, right?” Ekern wasn’t wrong. Once a nerve is completely severed, both sensation and mobility are nonexistent. “Even if he did get feeling or mobility back, his legs are so atrophied that they wouldn’t be able to functionally maintain his weight. He’d need years of training just to balance without a cane.”

“You’re right, absolutely, but I gave him my word that I’d help him find an artifact. Whether it works or not, once we find this mirror thing, I’ll come back home.”

“And the Phoenix?”

Vatra took a moment, dropped into the other rocking chair, crossed his legs into a figure four, his back pressed the back rest, and clasped his hands behind his head. Vatra considered it, but remembered how it carried the three men effortlessly and dropped them into the ocean, and that was in the bird’s infancy. It has been close to a month since, and he couldn’t imagine the size and strength the beast has reached. “Well,” he started, “it has been a while now and we haven’t heard anything about the Isles getting attacked or anything dangerous happening in the surrounding area.” He craned his gaze upward, and continued, “While I’m away, I’d like to make connections with the towns we pass. With this new common enemy, everyone will have a reason to come together.”

Ekern nodded understanding what he was saying about putting the Phoenix concern on hold. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Vatra,” he started to say with an uncertainty in his voice, “I’d like to join. I can help.”

Vatra would have loved nothing more than to have his friend by his side. Everything they had been through together and everything they shared made them more than brothers. In another life, they could have been soulmates. Vatra reluctantly responded, “I wish you and I were the only ones going, honestly. But I need you here. You’ll be the one taking the lead of the house guard.” This was a surprise to Ekern. “Don’t be surprised. People will assume that since you were willing to shift blame to me, that you were more loyal to my parents. It’ll make me look merciful and without a grudge. It only makes sense to promote you to this position.” Ekern leaned back unsure of what to say. “We’re going to change the way things are in this town. We’ll expand when the time is right. This can’t be rushed.”

“I trust you, Vatra.” Ekern was looking ahead, unsure of what to do next. “Of everyone I know, you’re the only one who can hurt me now.”

Vatra didn’t know how to respond. They sat in silence for several moments before a pounding at the door jostled the two upward and rotated. Vatra hummed to himself and stood. Ekern stood as well and grabbed his gear. Placing his polished metal helmet with the cheekbone guards and red tassel snuggly onto his head. He held his sword with arm low and extended. “Let me,” Ekern said. “Look like you’re reading.” Ekern approached the door. The thumping continued in raps of three. Everything sounded low level to Ekern, but this sounded especially low. He thought to himself someone was crouching, ready to attack. Then he calmed himself. It’s daylight and nothing like what he was thinking ever happened in this town. He relaxed his shoulders. The thumps came again, same height, same intensity. The two already knew who it was.

DroGi

“If I have to knock one more time, I swear I’m going to,” he thought to himself. The door opened as if the person behind was expecting guests. A large man, broad at the shoulders and padded with fine clothes looked down at him. He could see his eyes in the crack of his barbute, intense but suspecting. He could tell the man pitied DroGi’s situation and thought of him as an invalid. “About time, you shithead.” He tried to push himself past, but bumped into the guard and rolled back slightly. DroGi looked up angrily ready to spew profanities, then he saw the man coyly smile and step to the side. DroGi was jealous for a moment, remembering his own feats. He wondered if he’d ever be the warrior he once was. He prayed that his hope wouldn’t break his heart.

He propelled into the small house and saw Vatra sitting in a rocking chair, legs in a figure-four, reading a velvet lined book. DroGi thought less of the intellectual types. He believed they weren’t real men, as they stayed behind in the comforts of their homes while men like DroGi died in the fields. “Of course you’d be reading.” DroGi looked around this unremarkable house and pictured himself living in something like this after he retired. Unfortunately, he knew, there was no retirement for an injured soldier who left his company without a word. He was technically a deserter and deserters were not well respected. Living on the streets for someone going absent would be a privilege. This ignited a new anger inside of himself. “You know there are soldiers out there who have family that don’t know if they’ll ever see their loved one again? That those families are sitting in a house smaller than this, with dirt floors. And what do you rich people do? Sit and read and eat figs while they eat sticks and leather. Why is it that the ones with less fight for the ones with too much? If you’re all so smart, why don’t you all come up with a solution? Why don’t you fight your own wars, huh?”

Vatra uncrossed his legs, placed his book on the small table and stretched his upper body with rotations and reaches. He moaned in relief and smiled. “You’re right.” This caught DroGi off guard. He was expecting an argument. “We are smart, Vatra continued. “We’re so smart that the solution we found was to have people like you fight our wars.” DroGi rushed forward. Vatra, expecting this, moved the second chair in his way, creating a barrier. “Calm down, DroGi. It’s a joke.” He laughed. “I didn’t send anyone anywhere. That’s above my level.” DroGi halted his aggression, lifted the chair, and threw it against a wall, just as a way to demonstrate his power. Vatra ended with, “Politics is just a bunch of old men arguing about the best way to control dogs.”

“Dogs,” DroGi said to himself silently. He thought back on his training in a flash. “We obey commands, speak when given permission, and live within quarters on a short leash,” he thought. Then, he pushed the idea out of his head. “No, no. That was just during training. We had the choice of what to do next. And,” he paused internally, “punished if it was the wrong choice.” DroGi shook his head to stop these thoughts and said out loud, “Listen, fucker, it’s time to go. We’re heading south.”

“Oh?” Vatra, satisfied with his jest, leaned back and inquired, “Why south?”

DroGi took a minute before answering. He was taking time to absorb the environment around him. A few of the shadows that normally followed him were present, so were others unfamiliar to him. Staying in place he checked all the corners and the ceiling. Nothing obvious to be seen. Some of his shadows were grouped in the one extra room of the house looking at something out of sight to him. “First off, this house reeks of death.” Vatra and the guard looked at one another, then back to DroGi. He shook his head and returned his attention to Vatra. Thumbing his now grayed obsidian ring, DroGi said “I went and saw Nelvis. Without you around he’s a little more talkative.”

Vatra looked at DroGi’s ring then his own. He had put together that he used Vatra’s location as his return point to town. As if coming back from a train of thought, he began to say, “Yea, I don’t know what I was thi-”

“Shut up,” DroGi cut off. “He told me he’d heard stories about another mirror in the Black Mist Forest.”

“And?”

“‘And?’ And we’re going! Fuck, let’s go, already!”

Vatra looked to his guard, “What do we know of the Black Mist Forest?”

DroGi tuned the conversation between the two out as he went back to scanning the area. His hearing became honed in the room. The shadows were gone, but he still felt a presence. The room was too perfect. No dust, no scratches, nicks, or blemishes. The window sill wasn’t sun damaged, the floors looked as if no one with shoes had ever stepped foot inside, and the walls behind doors were smooth like the doors must have been slowly opened enough to allow a person through and nothing more. He pushed off as the other two continued their planning.

At the entrance of the bedroom, he could smell citrus cleaner. The living room smelled of old books and potpourri, so he wondered why would this room be the only one to smell as if it were cleaned. He rolled toward the bed and pressed on the layer of skins and furs. It was cold on his callouses, but inviting all the same. He imagined what it would feel like for the furs to brush against his skin and what it must’ve felt like to kick his legs underneath. He shook that last thought from his mind and continued to inspect. He checked under the bed for dust, but found nothing. He thought this house was too perfect, and the idea of something being perfect is usually a mask for something else. He liked to think you could tell a lot about a person’s mindset by the house they kept. A cluttered house usually meant a busy mind. A clean house usually meant the person either had a housekeeper or thought methodically. This house, on the other hand, did not match up to the other men in the room. The guard was too large, robust, and heavy in stature. The bed would be too small for him, the rocking chairs and small tables were not his style as they would barely be able to maintain his weight or the amount of food he’d need to eat to sustain his physique. Vatra, although rich and can afford a housekeeper, didn’t maintain this type of cleanliness within the mansion. He also had a much larger staff there. So, unless he sent the entire service to this particular place to maintain it, there was no explanation. This house was wrong. He looked back into the main room to see the men clarify questions and tactics. DroGi scoffed at the idea of making a plan with a house guard. He wondered what they could possibly know about the world outside of these pampered walls.

His attention turned to the single cabinet placed against a wall. Nothing fancy, but it was nicely smoothed and waxed. Like all the other objects in the house, it was unscathed. He was feeling nosey and decided to look inside. The drawers slid open without a sound of friction, as if moving effortlessly through air. Whoever built this was a master of their craft. Upon opening one of the other drawers, he could tell it didn’t slide as smoothly. It was like an annoying splinter had found its way loose and jammed itself into the track. There was nothing in any of the openings, so he closed everything. He reversed enough to allow his legs to swing past the piece he found to be a work of art. As he turned, he felt his drive wheels and hands dip slightly. It was almost unnoticeable, but with the perfection of the rest of the house it might as well have been a hole to the nether world. He wheeled past, then rotated the half circle to assess the imperfection. There were pressure marks that followed a symmetrical, curving path. They led to three of the legs of the cabinet, meaning one must have been the pivot point. He reached down to feel the indention to make sure it wasn’t a trick of light. It wasn’t. His fingertips followed the tracks back to the cabinet and held it by the bottom rim. He tugged lightly and felt a slight give. He tugged even harder resulting in the doors jostling, but still, the cabinet did not budge from its spot. He sat upright and inspected the narrow gap in the back between itself and the wall.

“DroGi?” He heard from the other room. “What are you doing, friend?”

He scoffed at the word “friend”, then responded with a hollow echo cheek smashed against the wall, “This place smells of death and citrus.”

“Maybe the cleaners had to clear out rats,” someone said.

He thought to himself that no living creature beyond a human has entered this house. He knew the signs of rats. They would chew on corners and edges. The idea of the cleaners coming in here, sanding everything down, then ridding the space of dander and splinter was beyond belief. “There has only been one family of rats in this house,” he said, squinting into the space looking for any sign of abnormality. He sat back and turned around, “I don’t have time for this shit. Come on, let’s go. I’ll see you at the mansion. Grab your shit. We need to see Shield.”

Author Credit

Sean Kuttner

Lingering Shadows Part 3 - Campaign Stories

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 15:00:05 GMT

Read for fun, or for ideas in your own campaign!

Drogi

Drogi leaned into the glass to observe the bird more closely. It came in so fast he didn’t have time to react and dive away as this winged creature broke through the window and tipped both him and his chair back and to the side. Lying on his side, he looked up at the flying ram that toppled him effortlessly. Broken glass covered the floor like a child going overboard with glitter for their art project. His weapons were too far away. His best chance would be to push himself upright and wheel out of the room seeking back-up. This winged woman’s wings flapped intensely, sending short bursts of gust knocking over small objects and sending papers fluttering.

He pushed upward as quickly and as powerful as he could muster. His chair landed with a tip to the opposite side almost dropping him again. He was able to turn and get one push in before he felt a jerk backward sending him down again. Two guards entered the room, swords drawn. They surrounded her and swung in unison. One was able to strike a wing, the other had their sword knocked back still in hand. The one who came closest to Drogi reoriented him with one arm. Immediately after, the woman grabbed him from the bottom of his chest plate and lurched him out the bedroom door. The guard on the other side of the room continued to swing, but the wings acted as shields, barely moving with each impact.

Drogi was lifted still in the chair. He felt completely vulnerable and defenseless. All he could do was curse and hammer fist at her hands. “Useless,” he thought to himself. He saw Iceliat enter the room baffled. His summon was already attempting to subdue the creature but to no avail. Before his next curse he was tossed out the broken window facing inward. An exposed glass shard sliced his leg and he flew by. The cut went unnoticed by him, but an average man would have felt like being sliced by a glowing, red-hot knife without the soldering that would, at least, close the wound as it melted flesh. Time slowed down and everything was quiet except for the rushing wind. During this moment of weightlessness, he was able to get a look at the woman’s face. “I know you,” he thought to himself. Time caught up and gravity had him facing upward seeing the constellations. He would have been able to name a few, but the impact of the ground left him seeing stars and breathless.

His chair bounced away from him as he rolled at an angle to it. The smell of dirt and grass was stained onto him. The wet grass and grit entered his wound, still going unfelt. He started to crawl to his chair. He knew he needed to get back indoors. One arm wasn’t working properly. He could tell it wasn’t broken, but maybe some kind of nerve involvement gave him temporary paralysis. Making it to his chair, he set it upright, sat up with his back to the seat. He readied himself to bump up, but saw the woman from his past diving at him. He reached overhead for the wheels and pulled the entire chair over himself with an exerted grunt. He created a temporary shell and felt the quick strike. Immediately, he felt the chair be lifted from him exposing him to the cool air again. He tried inching backward, but was grabbed by the shoulders, feeling claws dig deep into his pecs and rear traps. He wanted to yell, but he could barely take a breath in for himself. “This can’t be it,” he thought to himself, “not like this.”

Fifteen feet in the air now, almost inline with the window he was tossed from, he almost gave in to defeat. He was almost ready to stop fighting back. Every flap of her wings brought them inches higher and her claws deeper. His vision began to fade. Sound was disappearing again. Before fainting, he felt a sudden heat, a jolt, and a sudden whoosh of air.

Upon hitting the ground and losing consciousness, Drogi entered a dream or a memory. He wasn’t sure what, but he knew his brain was trying to process and conserve. Inside an open ceiling cave, five members of the Supreme Guard stood distanced away from Drogi and a woman. The cave was unscalable from where they were, and the only way out was the way they came in, a narrow squeeze about an hour away beyond a series of false entries and switch backs. Where they stood was the deepest, visible part of the cave. Moonlight illuminated what would be an arena. In the center was a hole wide enough to fit a small home. Within the hole was the deepest, unseeable part of the cave. Legends say it’s endless, but any one with basic knowledge in geography knew that was impossible. Water cascaded down from above them, creating a sparkling waterfall and misting the air, cooling the temperature by at least ten units. From above, the scene would look like a sky blue eyeball hence its name: the Cerulean Eye Caves.

At the lip of the endless hole, stood Drogi and Beatrix. She was a team leader of the Supreme Guard, under the squad leader Garreth, under Platoon Sergeant Eitie, under a slew of well-respected leaders. She was an Empyrean standing a head taller than Drogi, and much more slender and agile. “Under the supervision of my brothers and sisters, I, Beatrix, red team leader, challenge your right to lead by means of combat.” Of course, this isn’t how people talk, but there was tradition to be upheld. Speaking and challenging like this made it seem like both parties were acting under respect and sound of mind. This was how you knew someone was no longer joking with you as a friend, but challenging you as an accuser of poor leadership or morality.

“Beatrix, there was nothing to be done. The remains were too mangled to return home with.” Drogi was being challenged under the assumption that the men who died in the Whispering Wood passed because he was following bear tracks and not human. The only other survivor had hung himself, so no one was able to collaborate. The five witnesses were just that, witnesses. They were not there to judge or support. There was tradition that needed to be upheld for situations such as this. Beatrix shouted her challenge once more. “Beatrix, please believe me. Don’t make me do this.”

“You did this. You failed them all and will fail the rest of us.” Drogi, bewildered, knew there was no convincing her away from what she convinced herself, so he accepted the challenge. “As the one being challenged, you have the right to choose the weapons to be used.”

“I know how this works, Beatrix. You’re not the first to have fallen to me.” She furrowed her brow and spit on the ground. He sighed. “We’ll use short swords.” He felt broken. He felt like what she claimed, like he was failing the guard. Now, one more of his sisters was going to perish.

A guard approached them each one at a time presenting a ceremonial blade. It was as long as an average man’s arm from pommel to point. The hilt was wrapped in a leather cordage made from an Aluthean Bull, one of the most aggressive and respected animals. The cross-guard and pommel were made from gold mined in the Islands of Mara. The pommel was molded into a wolf’s head with its mouth open and tongue curled to hold a blood red tassel. The tassel was made of silk spun in the far east part of the continent separated from the west by the Bone and Thorn Desert. The red dye came from Imperian Cherries which could only be grown at high elevations under the care of the monks who know the care routine. The blade itself was made from the swords of every soldier who challenged or was challenged in this fashion. Drogi felt bad about the idea of Beatrix’s personal blade being melted down and having part of it combined with these relics. These swords would be useless in actual combat. The mixture of metals changed the integrity and durability for the worst.

Drogi took his sword and flourished a figure eight followed by a forward then backward wrist roll. This was how he would find the blade’s balance. Beatrix, having received her weapon, did a simple mid level side to side slash followed by a pierce. She had one of the most steady hands of any guard he’s ever met. It made for fancy sword work, but resulted in weak strikes. A recoil from Drogi would have her go numb from the reverberation. The guard returned to his spot with the other guards who were holding the other ceremonial weapons: spear, ax, broadsword, and dual daggers.

As per custom, the two approached each other with the weapon side arm extended to the rear. With the same free arm and hand, they shook arms by the wrist maintaining eye contact. “Are you sure you want to do this, Beatrix?” She snarled, stepped back three steps, took a side stance creating a smaller profile. Drogi’s eyes began to swell and he felt choked up. He thought to himself, “I don’t want to kill any more.” He took his three steps back, back rolled his sword, took a similar side stance, and pointed his blade at her as if aiming to throw it.

A guard of the five slammed his sword against his shield. A second guard joined in for the second in unison. Then a third. At the fifth slam, the fight would commence. The sound of the waterfall vanished. The slams echoed throughout the cave. His breathing, though calm, sounded like being inside of an inhaling whale. Beatrix was shaking with anger. Her dark gray skin was scarred from previous battles and falls. Her hair was shaved on the sides to the skin and the rest pulled back into a braided ponytail. A piece of her left ear was missing from an incident with a particularly violent pet tiger. Had this been a different life, Drogi would have found her beautiful when others would see her as a wrecked masterpiece. The fifth slam echoed.

Beatrix charged with battle shout and Drogi waited as if he hadn’t heard the final slam. His eyes grew tired as if they’ve seen this moment play out multiple times before. It had. As she charged, he imagined all the number of soldiers who approached him in the same way. She’s going to do a downward diagonal slash from her right to left, followed by a mid-transverse swing, and an overhead pierce. He knew that because he taught her that when she was still and ensign. Like clockwork, it happened exactly as he had anticipated. Without needing to block, he side stepped to allow the downward slash to skirt past him parallel to his body. He hinged at the waist allowing the side swipe for miss. Then he spun past her and behind her as she performed an overhead pierce. Back exposed, he used the pommel to hit her in the back of the head. In challenges past, this would sometimes knock out a soldier. Beatrix’s consciousness was stubborn, he thought.

She performed a clumsy spinning, back hand slash. Drogi ducked. Then, unexpectedly, his chin met her knee. Usually, only the weapon was ever used. No one ever kicked or punched unless they were disarmed. Drogi felt his teeth clack, sending vibrations into his eye sockets. Stumbling back, Drogi readied his sword. Slashes and blocks were exchanged. Pieces of the weakened blade sparked and fell away or bent leaving little valleys. Beatrix was beginning to sweat as most of her effort was put into clean swipes. Drogi was more efficient and knew that these type of swipes led to his ability to telegraph the sword path. She was a good soldier, but she had much to learn about becoming a fighter. “Beatrix, stop this.” Drogi said with a side parry. “You’re tiring out.” Another deflection. “I won’t feel right killing you while you’re kneeling.”

She growled, “Then stop talking and fight me!” She attempted a double-handed downward sagittal slash. Drogi leapt back, having her meet the large, wobbling rock he was standing on. She grunted as her blade shattered leaving her with nothing but a handle and a blade in the shape of a pot with a single handle. She fell to her knees, all but defeated. Her eyes never left his. They were dark, almost black. Sweat dripped from her lips, forehead, and chin. Her hair had come undone with all the effort. She dropped what was left of her sword, sat on her heels, back of her hands resting in her lap, and looked up from a sunken ego. “Do it,” she said under her breath. Drogi stepped back to the same level and off to her side. “I said ‘Do it’!”

Drogi flourished his sword with another wrist roll and held the blade pointing down into the soft flesh between the clavicle and scapular spine. Her heavy breathing caused the tip of the blade to cut deep enough to bead blood. From here he could pierce down with little to no resistance directly into her lung. Drogi’s voice cracked, “I don’t want to kill you.” He pulled his sword away. “You’re a good fighter and have the potential to lead. The Guard would be amiss without you.” He tapped her on the shoulder with the flat of the blade, stepped back, and turned away. “She’s done,” he shouted to the five. “Take her and-”

“You’re weak,” Beatrix said while standing, weakly. “You’re weak and no use to the Guard. More of us would die under than beside you.” With one last attempt, she leapt to him. In one unprepared swing, Drogi slashed twice. The first swing cut through her cheeks, far back enough to cut the tendons holding her jaw in place. The second swing met her in the abdomen, piercing her diaphragm and compromising a lung. There was a quick hiss of escaping air and the sound of gurgling from blood entering the hole. Beatrix’s body fell into Drogi sending him backwards. Her head lay next to his. The sound of her open jaw swinging sounded like two pieces of raw meat being slapped against a board. She was choking on her blood both at the throat and what was entering her pleural cavity. A big inhale shot blood from around her chest and a large exhale resulted in a little sputtered fountain of blood projecting from her semi-exposed esophagus.

The two were laying on the floor now. Beatrix had rolled off of Drogi and held her abdomen and parts of her throat to no success. Drogi was on his back laughing. The five guards came down to help him up and complete the battle as tradition dictates. No one touched him. They watched as blood pooled underneath him. He saw and said, “What’s the matter? Have you never seen a man lying in someone else’s blood before? Look at-”. He stopped and sat up. His trunk worked fine, but his legs felt different. Almost like they were floating and falling through the floor all at the same time. A guard pointed to his back showing a broken shard of sword wedged into the base of his spine around belt line level. He reached behind and felt the protrusion. “No. No, this is a temporary thing. We’ll take it out, the swelling will go down, and everything will go back to normal.” He attempted to shift his legs, but failed. He watched his legs lay flaccid on the ground falling to whichever side he leaned. He looked back to Beatrix, still alive but sounding like she was laughing with a sword stuck in her throat. Drogi sat still trying to convince himself everything was going to be ok. “Go on. Finish this so we can all return home and get me to the infirmary.”

Leaving the blade in, two guards pulled Drogi to a rock steady enough to support his back. His feet were pulled in into a butterfly position so he would remain balanced. They brought a large shroud colored blue with gold trimmings. They cocooned Beatrix’s body in its entirety and used a brooch with the Supreme Guards emblem to pin it all together. The five knelt semi-circle around her, each placing a hand on her body. Drogi couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he followed along anyway. “Rest now, sister. Your time in hell is done.” This would be said for a total of twenty repetitions before two men lifted her body and dropped her into the dark void. Drogi didn’t stop it. He let tears fall from his eyes. No noise. Just beads of sorrow falling into his lap.

Iceliat

It’s been ten days since Drogi was injured and he remains unconscious. Iceliat’s feet have finally lost the remaining scabs on his feet and had multiple new cross shaped scars on his posterior side. Despite being unsightly, they reminded him of his mortality. He’s been living for hundreds of years and has never been in a situation where his life has been at threat this often. It hasn’t been until now that he truly felt alive. He’s lived long enough to watch others live a full life, having relationships, experience grief and joy, backstab and love one another. He’s witnessed children grow into contributing members of society or peddlers who lurk in the shadows. He’s witnessed how war and politics shape the country. He has witnessed city borders extend beyond quaint townships. Through it all, the only foreseeable thing was that everything was undetermined. People are a bag of variables and their interaction can be as random as a deck of cards shuffled.

Regardless of the town he is in, Iceliat would spend an hour or two at the docks. He knew that his shipments were in constant motion and he had a vessel in every known port. He used a countersign only he, his family, and ship captains would know about. He’d approach and the captain would simply state: “These flowers aren’t for sale.” To which he’d respond with: “The sparrow is resting.”

It was in times like these, he would get up-to-date news on his family affairs and business transactions. He and his family have been in the slave trading business for two hundred years and have found a working system to maintain the facade of being decent people in the eyes of others. The ships were built to have a trick wall. The walls in the cargo hold were lined with artificial and real flowers. A side business was to have people living on the street sell the flowers for a cut, while the real work was done in the vale of night. Picking certain artificial flowers disengaged the locking mechanism revealing about twenty people sitting on benches side-by-side. There was room for sixty, but his family thought the very least they could do was provide decent commodities before they were traded off.

The story Iceliat was told, every year by an elder, was that the Ateri weren’t always around. Their beginning was similar to every other race. Prehistorically, they were humans in tribes living on the opposite side of the continent from the orcs and adjacent to the natural elves. Over time, all the races would centralize toward the Fertile Ocean. The more each race prospered, the more room they took. The more space taken led to less resources being available. That’s when civil unrest began and wars started over food and space. The orcs were brutes and physically the strongest. It would be a mistake to be within arms reach of one. The elves, though easily taken down by force, were quick, nimble, and sneaky. Their relationship with nature allowed them to blend in with the surrounding environment and demonstrate adept animal control. The humans were a middle ground between the other two. They were strong, but only about one-fifth the strength of an orc and three times stronger than an elf. They were cunning and great planners, but could not manipulate or interact with the terrain like the other races. It was a battle that would never truly have a winner. Instead of claiming the Fertile Ocean for themselves, each race would mutually retreat away. In dire times, small groups were allowed to hunt in the surrounding wood, but no one dared making the shores a permanent residence.

Through the millenia, all three races created sects within themselves. A tribe of intellectual humans discovered and developed an artifact known as the “Gift of Kings”. Those who believed in a more aggressive approach became the Empyrean. They wanted to protect their own before allowing others to get close enough to harm them, so they always strike first when provoked.Their skin darkened into a grayish blue and became so enamored with control they eventually gained the ability to become a manifestation that is death and foreboding. On the other end of the spectrum, came the Ateri. Rather than seeking control, they strived to evolve with their surrounding environment and allowed nature to do what nature does. They used their wits to thrive with the civilizations surrounding them and remain financially stable so that they’d never be in a state of want again. They entered the slave and servant trade because they knew there was profit to be made in people being lazy and wanting to have power over others. In the beginning, they all had an issue with the morality of the idea of one person owning another. Now, after living hundreds of years and seeing how expendable people are and how little impact their existence had in the world, they became indifferent to ethics. To the Ateri, it was purely business, and this was the only source of income that would never run out. Humans were beneath them in their eyes. If the supply ever becomes too low, Ateri women give birth to human children, so there is always that as a back-up source, and children are worth more as they are much easier to train than a human with unfavorable habits.

This was all told to him by an elder. If all true, he wasn’t very proud of his tribe or family’s history. Being in control of someone’s life or fate is not for a mortal to decide. Iceliat thought of his life more as a gift of longevity, not as being invincible. Something Iceliat noticed within his own kind, is that even though they live for centuries, their memory isn’t as sharp as they’d like to think. It’s uncommon for people to recollect memories a week ago, he couldn’t imagine trying to remember two lifetimes ago. For Iceliat, it was best not to try, rather he would focus on the present and plan for the future. Despite knowing the wrongs of true slavery, he also understood the impact it would have on the economy and society if there were to suddenly be nothing but free men. This world is built by prisoners fighting a wealthy man’s war.

The ship Iceliat was inspecting was well kept and, for the most part, free of barnacles. Corners were reinforced with metal joinings. The deck, rails, doors, and steps were all coated in a wax to prevent water damage. Worst thing for a ship of this type was to have water enter the openings within the wood as it entered a freezing environment. The ice would expand and make the wood swell and splinter. This happening enough times would result in gaps between slats or nails being loosed away from the frame. Iceliat made sure the product, the people, were being treated well and fed to maintain their health. All buyers were vetted. They were required to provide references and proof that they had the means to care for the servant to continue a relatively humane decency. If it was discovered there was a history of abuse after the sale, the sellers would hire mercenaries to free the servant, kill the master, and provide the servant enough coin to make it two towns over. If a reference was involved, they would also be paid a visit. The mercenaries were normally orcs hired through a series of middlemen, never tracing back to any particular house of an Ateri. Despite the circumstances, these were still people, and all life is sacred.

Once everything was proven to be in order, Iceliat and the captain would exchange any news found pertinent to share. Iceliat’s family knew of his actions and dangers, but they accepted that this was his path for the moment. There were no clear motives yet, but he preferred it that way. No one needs to know his business until he decides it’s their business to know.

A young, human girl walked by with a large woven slat waterproofed with palm fronds. She was shouting and pricing her wares. She was selling shellfish, oysters, and clams. Iceliat called her over, inspected the delicacies, and paid her a griever for one oyster. She shucked it open for him, finding an asymmetrical pearl held in place by a transparent membrane. “It’s your lucky day, sir,” she said, handing over the shell. He plucked the pearl from its nest, smelled the soft innards, found it pleasing and gulped it down with a slurp. He felt the slimy pocket of salt trace down his throat leaving a cold trail. It made his mouth water. He paid for the entire tray, offering an Esper for the lot. She held the coin like it was a precious stone. Her eyes widened, “S-sir. This is too much,” she said softly, almost sounding as if she were guilty of something.

The captain interjected, “Don’t argue when you’re winning,” he said.

The girl took a step to turn, then turned back, “My tray, sir?”

“You’ll buy a new one,” the captain corrected. The girl nodded and took off before anyone could decide to change their mind. Iceliat shuck an oyster and handed it to the captain, then one for himself. They clinked the shell, indulged, then threw their shell into the water. He told the captain to share the tray with the crew and offer at least two per person hiding. Without questioning the command, the captain grabbed the tray from the barrel it was laid on, walked onto the ship and gave the order to one of his men.

Iceliat threw the captain a bag of his loose griever, “Drinks for the crew.” The captain caught the bag underhanded, nodded, and they parted ways. That would be the first and last time they’d meet.

Vatra

Vatra remained within the estate for the most part. He wanted to be present when Drogi finally woke up. The stitched wound on his leg was healing well and most of the thread had been pulled out. The room where the incident happened was cleaned and the window repaired. Drogi was resting on the bed he hadn’t had a chance to enjoy their first night in town. He was lying under a thin layer of skins and furs. Nightly, his dressings were changed and a new application of salve was given.

Vatra would regularly go into town for short periods of time. He carried a bag of griever and offered the children of the street job opportunities. They were his informants in a way. He nicknamed the group his “Silent Snakes”. All they had to do was live as they normally do and listen more intently. People always talked around them and paid them no attention. The ones that hit or insulted the children were the first to be ratted on if they had anything mischievous of note. The children knew better than to lie and create false accusations. The last child to do so went missing, as did the ones who asked about their whereabouts. The seriousness of their job was paramount. Vatra had this system in place for years, so when a child grew to be in their adolescence or adulthood, he would offer them jobs within the household. They were his guards and his servants.

The guard who shared that he saw Vatra escaping out the window after the murder of his parents was still on staff and all concerns were addressed without qualm. This guard, Ekern, had known Vatra since before the Silent Snakes were formed. They were close in age and, once, similar in class. When Ekern’s family lost their business from his father dealing in illegal activity. His father went missing not long after. Most likely taken by those he owed money too, but nothing of certainty. Ekern, his mother, and his sister were on the streets for years. His mother eventually passed from malnutrition and his sister from exposure. Ekern was close to death before a child Vatra walked through town with his parents. They were visiting shops his father had invested in and shared business dealings. Vatra, seeing a swaying boy who could have been a sibling, reached into his side bag and threw a half loaf of bread into his lap. Ekern was having trouble maintaining his balance and keeping his eyes open. He may not have noticed the bread. Vatra separated himself from his parents, despite their pleas, and knelt by him. He tore a piece of the bread, poured water over it, and placed it into Ekern’s mouth. He had to push past cracked lips to expose a dry and scaled tongue. The sugars of the bread spread and brought a glimmer of life back into his eyes. He looked up and noticed young Vatra being pulled away by an accompanying guard.

There would be days when Vatra would sneak out and visit Ekern. He provided a loaf or apple when he could. Ekern eventually would start to decline believing that he’d be in his family’s debt, but Vatra informed him that they didn’t know, nor would they approve. It was in Vatra’s nature to not care, that is the Empyrean way, but he saw himself in the starving Ekern and something in him clicked. When the boys grew more confident, they would sneak onto the estate and watch the house guards train. Vatra had little interest as he was more of an intellectual and thought distance was the way. Ekern wanted to be directly in the battle. He would say that if he were strong enough when he was younger, he could have saved his dad and his mom and sister wouldn’t have ever died. Ekern didn’t know whether or not he should hate his father. If he was dead, he’d forgive him. If he was alive, he’d probably kill him for never coming back for them. “One day, I’m going to be strong,” Ekern would say daily.

“I know,” said Vatra without looking at him. “You’re already one of the strongest people I know.” He didn’t see it, but he knew Ekern’s eyes would swell before he wiped them on his sleeve. Vatra could tell the confirmation and confidence filled him more than any loaf of bread could.

As adults, the two were almost inseparable. The Empyrean and the Human. When others saw an elite member of society and his guard, Vatra only saw a brother. In public, everything done, said, and seen was professional. In private, they were the immature kids they were a decade and a half ago. They shoved each other and would throw food at one another. His parents still believed humans to be beneath them, so they knew better than to seem too familiar within each other’s company. Ekern held no resentment. They both knew how real and innocent their relationship was. No amount of projected hate would falter their friendship.

The true test came when Vatra’s father, Ild-Nar shared his methods of dealing with his business associates who have been skimming money or forging improper accounts. He was informed that they had been overcharging for tincture and tainting it with Poison of the Drow. Their plan was to sell the mix to a sick person, who would become even more sick, return for a more expensive tonic, and repeat the process until the client is indebted to the shop. The problem became known when someone died at night from a common remedy that typically doesn’t have side effects. A client brought the item to one of Ild-Nar’s personal guards expressing their concern. Ild-Nar being an adept alchemist, could smell something was amiss. Pouring it into a clear container, his eyes were able to pick up a faint separation in the liquids, like oil to water. This was all the proof he needed.

Ild-Nar had an extra building on the edge of town. It is small on the outside and unsuspecting. A dried, thatched roofing with a solid wood, stone, and mortar shell. Not many people were interested in a one bed, one bathroom house as many families maintained the multigenerational household lifestyle. As far as anyone would have known, this house was meant to be rented out to travelers. Inside the house there was also nothing to gawk at. A simple living room with two rocking chairs facing a small fireplace with a chimney and a small, round table in between. The bedroom held a single twin bed made of a chipping oak. The mattress was covered with wool and burlap sheets, and held a single straw-filled pillow. A cabinet with three drawers and a single drawer end table took almost too much of the room. The bathroom was simple in nature. It held an elevated waste hole that led to a catch that could be pulled from the outside to be processed and burned.

The secret of this house was inside the bedroom and behind the cabinet. There, concealed a hidden door that would only open if the drawers were opened in a certain pattern and depth. A wooden pin would drop exposing a pressure point only reachable by removing a specific knob and using its modified nail to apply the appropriate pressure. The cabinet would then disengage and hinge away from the wall, exposing a spiral staircase to, what Ild-Nar would call, his collection. In here, multiple glass lanterns would need to be lit revealing a wooden, tilting table that was modified to clamp hands and feet down in place. The clamps were made purposely tight to promote numbing the hands and feet, for they were normally the first to be removed. Underneath the head of the table was an open grate that led to the town rudimentary sewer system. This is where the prisoner would be flipped upside down so their blood would drain and keep the rest of the room as clean as possible. On the wall, hung multiple instruments commonly used for farming, carpentry, tailoring, and meal prep. Also, there seemed to be modified versions of the same professional items that looked excessively altered and made to look more menacing for no other reason but to invoke fear.

Ild-Nar had his two main guards bring the poisoner down here, stripped him bare, and pinned his arms and legs into place. By the time Ild-Nar had arrived, the man’s hands and feet were swollen and blue. He undressed completely and donned a leather apron, a glass face covering, and leather gloves used for smithing. Before saying a word, he made sure the man was awake. Using a nine inch, rusted skewer, Ild-Nar pierced through the man’s bicep from the inside and out the side. He jolted up in a combination of fear and confusion. Mid-scream a guard would place a wooden dowel into his mouth with a strap to the back of the head. Ild-Nar would share his thoughts. How he felt betrayed and broken-hearted. The man was sweating, crying, and had already felt a warm stream down his leg as he shook. Grabbing a pair of shears, he placed them into the man’s right hand, barely being held with what must’ve felt like a sleeping limb. He told him if he dropped them, he’d cut off his fingers one joint at a time. He then grabbed another pair of sheers and placed them in his left hand, saying that if he closed his eyes he would cut his eyelids off. He then grabbed a blade the size of a hand and balanced it on the man’s head. “This one,” he’d say slowly, “this one's for your family if you decide to pass out on me.”

Three days later, there was a tincture shop for sale.

Vatra heard this story from his father after multiple pitchers of mead. At first, Vatra didn’t believe a single word, but knew of the shop he spoke of. Husband, wife, daughter, and son were all gone to “migrate east”. When he asked if his mother knew of this, Ild-Nar only got out “She’s the-” before passing out and dropping his final drink for the day.

Ekern was the door guard the day this story was told. Like a good soldier he stood at attention, but nothing could stop him from thinking the absolute worst. When his shift was over, he and Vatra met in a local tavern that no longer exists, as it had been sold and renovated to be what is now the Horsehead Inn. They had a permanently reserved table in the shadows beneath the loft. They sat for hours, both hands wrapped around a growler still full. Any time the server tried approaching, Vatra would silently shake his head to approach no further. He could tell Ekern was connecting imaginary dots. They were unsure of Ekern’s original last name, so it was hard to pin down the fact as to whether or not his father worked for Ild-Nar. None-the-less, his family or not, Ekern couldn’t handle the people of this town disappearing under mysterious circumstances and this may have been their fate. Ekern finally looked up to Vatra, eyes red and swollen. “Do you think he did it?” he asked.

Vatra’s breathing was constricted. “I can’t say whether or not he killed your father, but he did kill someone’s father, and there is a good chance he killed many others.” Ekern nodded with a kyphotic posture. “That was more than a drunken story.” Ekern continued to nod, sweat, and tear. “Let’s make it through the night. Try to clear our minds. We’ll ask around tomorrow to see if anyone can collaborate. I’ll ask my mother what she knows.” He took a deep breath. “There’s nothing I can do to comfort you, Ekern.” He moved to sit beside him, shoulder to shoulder. “But, I’ll sit here with you, and if you need anything, I’m here.” This broke Ekern sending him slumped over the table, head resting on his forearms. All Vatra could think to do was put an arm around his brother and look into a fire across the room.

Silently, Vatra watched flames flicker like knives being juggled.

Author Credit

Sean Kuttner

Lingering Shadows Part 2 - Campaign Stories

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 15:30:52 GMT

Read for fun, or for ideas in your own campaign!

Drogi

Drogi watched Iceliat take off for the inn as screaming people pushed and shoved their way past. He bit his lip as he saw the amount of agility and speed these no bodies had sprinted by. Sweat began to bead on the back of his neck and his shoulders tensed more than what was already there. He’d alternate which hand was on the drive wheel to push people out of his way and inch forward toward the clearing Iceliat once stood. His chest grew tight the more people they crowded, rushed, and yelled. In his head he tells himself, “It’s ok. It’s ok. It’s ok. This isn’t there.” Externally, he shouts profanities at any person that bumped into him. The crowd made him feel that the ever changing uncertainties meant that he would have to constantly change his game plan. As a soldier, if there was a change of plan, then that meant something had gone wrong. If something went wrong, someone usually died. From the way the people were panicking, he was positive someone had been killed or injured, and this just put him on high alert.

He could smell everyone who passed. They all smelled the same, but at different intensities. Dirt, sweat, garlic, and moldy bread. Everyone had these smells, just in different mixtures. He could smell if someone was coming from behind him that way. For the people who think of themselves as nobles, instead of dirt and sweat they smell of oil and musk, the garlic and old bread smell remains. To Drogi, there were always more people than there actually were. He’d see shadows in the corner of his eye intermittently. Some he recognised, some he didn’t. Some were clear as day, some were just large blurs with vague racial features. Without the smell, though, it was easier for the shadows to sneak up on him. The things that couldn’t harm him, though he wouldn’t admit it, scared him more than the things that physically could.

Once he made it to the clearing, he locked his breaks and leaned his elbows onto his knees. Staring at the space between his feet, he continued his mantra, “It’s ok. It’s ok. It’s ok.” His ribs were starting to hurt from the large inhales he was having to take to calm his nerves. He watched as drops of sweat fell from his forehead and hit the dirt making little clumps of asymmetrical spheres. The sweat collecting at his lips, he gave a strong exhale through pursed lips expelling a wide mist. His nerves had him hear the continuous impact of feet on dirt and stone. Different stride lengths and weight distribution of each step. A new set of steps were approaching him accompanied by the clanking of metal. Armor most likely. One hand unlocked a wheel’s brake which would allow him to make a sharp pivot, the other grabbing the hilt of a short sword stashed beneath his seat. He sat upright calmly and turned to see the source of the incoming rattle.

A guard in polished steel plate and crimson linen was quick stepping down towards Drogi. His hands were on his sword and side bag, but only to steady the bouncing from each step. When within speaking range he halted to attention and asked, “Master Drogi?”

“I’m no master.”

“Sir, I have been sent by Master Vatra to escort you and Master Iceliat to his estate. Is it safe to assume Master Iceliat is at the Horsehead Inn?”

“He’s no master, either. He’s a slaver and worst of all he’s a dickhead. And, yeah, he’s probably at the inn.” The guard began to go around Drogi and push his chair. With one brake still engaged, he was turned slightly and almost tipped out. “Ass! I’ve got it! Just go! I’ll see you both there.” He took off without a word. Drogi, more embarrassed than angry, unlocked the remaining brake, replaced his blade, and followed. His sweaty hands had no impact on his grip on the hand rim as he propelled himself forward. The calluses on his hands were as rough as improperly cured leather. Unappealing to the touch, it had the great function of allowing him to maintain grip on his weapons and chair. Every bump had a history, and that history was constantly replaying in his head.

By the time Drogi made it to the inn, the innkeeper was seated in a walking chair smoking a pipe. She was an Empyrean woman, older than Vatra, but with a younger energy. When they met she was able to give the same amount of sass back to Drogi. He’d pass her and greet her with “Drow” and, in turn, she’d shoot back with “Cripple”. Were this a different time, others might mistake this for flirting. She stood roughly the same height Drogi thought he still was. Her build was feminine and slender. Her voice was like a cascade of water over algae covered stone. Without a word, she made eye contact with Drogi and nodded a welcoming nod. Drogi was almost flustered, but was able to maintain his composure.

Just past the doorway, the guard was standing at attention talking to someone with their arms full of weapons, bags, and loose clothing. This was his chance to make things awkward for Iceliat. “Yeah! That’s him!” he said. “Take him in! He’s stealing all my things!” The guard turned questioningly. Drogi all but gave up and hazed the guard. After some clarifying remarks, Iceliat dropped items into Drogi’s lap and looped two bags on the rear of his chair. “You guys are garbage,” no one heard. They were already on their way to the estate. “Garbage,” he said, again, under a broken whisper.

Drogi recollected himself and turned. The innkeeper stood, pipe held by her lips, and dusted the rear of her brown pleated, full-length skirt. Drogi watched her without realizing how long he was gawking. She walked to him, bent to meet his eye level, inhaled from her pipe long and audible. She removed the pipe and exhaled a plume into Drogi’s face. Unperturbed, he inhaled through his nose. With smoke still leaving her mouth as she spoke, she said “Half man”, then walked away.

Drogi shuttered at that and struggled to find a retort. He wanted to say “barely a woman”, but he also knew that didn’t make any sense. Instead, he went with “Adam’s apple.” He wasn’t proud of that one. Though her voice was deeper than most, it was still feminine and endearing. From behind, he heard her chuckle like she knew he regretted going with that attempt of an insult. He loosened his grip from his drive wheel and let gravity take him down the slight incline. He wouldn’t feel his shoulders relax until he was at the final dip. “Damn Empyreans. Nothing but trouble.”

He fell behind the other two, losing them, and had to ask a few people for directions. Most just pointed, others pretended to not hear him. He asked a few others if they knew what happened at the court, but everyone had a different story. Harpy. Eagle. Demon angel. The only common description was black wings. The number of eyes, wings, and claws changed anytime he asked. He eventually accepted that asking questions about the event was useless. All anyone knew for certain was that it leapt into the sky, bursting from the old stone ceiling, and disappeared into the surrounding woods. He thought the same thing about every person, after every answer: “useless”.

When Drogi reached Vatra’s estate, he performed the type of wheelie he had to teach himself to ascend curbs. Wheelchairs weren’t a common tool people used. Usually, if you became paralyzed, you were taken in by your family and they would tend to your needs. Drogi, on the other hand, couldn’t allow himself to be cared for. He came up with a quick sketch, had a carpenter and blacksmith collaborate, and in two weeks he had his chair. It had a low profile backrest, canted wheels to allow for stability and shaper turning, a dumped seat to prevent anterior sliding when he sat upright, and hooks, loops, and bars placed strategically to hang his gear for easy access and allow for full range of motion when he would swing a weapon. The rear handles were added, not by design, but because the two builders were presumptuous. Instead of having them removed, Drogi just bit his lip. At the bottom-rear were anti-tip wheels that prevented him from being tipped posteriorly. The narrow and shortened foot plates, though allowed for small room negotiation, made tipping forward more possible than desired. The chair was fitted with a lap strap so if he were to fall, the chair wouldn’t be separated from him. This made him feel too restrained, so they usually hung loose behind the chair. He had to learn his maneuvers on his own and in private. He refused to let anyone see him struggle or fail. He changed his naturally fighting style to something more conservative. For now, gone were the times of graceful parries and impactful strikes. He now relies on wide arc swings and the force of a ram. Learning the wheelie to ascend steps was one of the last things he focused on. The weight shifted back threw him off balance and would at times throw him back. Fortunately, the unplanned rear handles prevented his head from direct contact with the ground. Once he became more proficient, he felt more comfortable maneuvering around people and within small rooms.

He was met at the main entrance by a different house guard than the one who was sent to retrieve him. This one, possibly not expecting a warrior in a chair, looked down in surprise then gave a smile in pity. Unappreciated, Drogi pushed past and ran over one of his feet. The guard yelped and bent down. Head now within range, Drogi headbutt him with a hollow thunk. “Oops,” he said, as he pushed through. “What’s a cripple gotta do to get a drink around here!” he shouted, making his presence certain and known. Vatra and Iceliat were standing over the second floor railing. “Oh Master Asshat! Master Dickhead! May this lowly veteran enter and have a pint of ale?” They both smirked lightly. Vatra ordered one servant to retrieve some ale, and had a guard help Drogi up the steps. Drogi, of course, declined. He moved toward the steps, transferred to the first step, folded his chair in half by a hinge sagittally placed. He would bump up two steps, then pull his chair up. He did this for the fifteen steps, reopened his chair at the top, transferred in, then said “I don’t need slaves to help me.”

A human servant returned with a glass pitcher of foaming ale and responded with her hands clasped just below her navel, “We’re not slaves, sir. We are paid and taken care of. Some are here voluntarily, and others have the chance to pay off their debts.”

“Who the fuck are you?” She was ruining his point. It’s hard to debate the wrongness of slavery when one is trying to convince everyone else that they’re fine with the situation. That made him even more sympathetic to these people. To him, there was nothing sadder than being a slave and not realizing they’re a slave. She was about to respond with her name, but he didn’t give her the chance. “It doesn’t matter. Whether you know it or not, we’re all subservient to someone.” He side-eyed down the steps, then back to the Empyrean and Ateri. “Now leave so I can set these dicks right.”

Vatra looked to Iceliat, “Have you ever noticed his fondness for using words that describe us as genitals or an anus?” Iceliat raised his eyebrows while turning to look at Drogi. “I once heard that one way to know what’s on a person’s mind is the vocabulary they use persistently. I’d argue that Drogi’s mind is full of dicks and butts.” Iceliat chuckled.

“Hey! Shut your mouth you, di-Drow! I don’t need this.” He rolled to the sitting area eyeballing his drink. He poured a glass full and held it up for a moment. “Brothers and sisters,” he thought to himself, then he drank. His eyes closed and watered. He could feel the lukewarm amber coat his mouth in an earthy sheet. The sensation as it ran down his throat and into his gut felt like what a dry flower must feel like during its first rain in weeks. His shoulders sank, relaxed. He brought the glass to his lap and held it with both hands. He inhaled deep, exhaled slowly, then opened his eyes. “What now?” he said softly.

Iceliat and Vatra brought him up-to-date on what has transpired and what they have learned. Vatra had been exonerated of the crime of his parents murder. His uncle, though uncertain of the circumstances, welcomed him home and offered to hand over the property. Vatra declined, however, thanked his uncle and asked that he continue his lead until his next return. His uncle accepted graciously. The story of what transpired at the courtroom was still unclear and full of inconsistent details. Vatra suggested they stay at the estate for a day or two to clean themselves, heal, and re-supply.

The three sat silently, staring into the fire. Drogi had transferred himself into a cushioned chair. He noticed that both the other men had removed their boots and saw that each of their feet were blistered at the heel and little toe, and a few nails had broken. “You two need bigger boots.” They looked at him quizzically. “Your feet swell. It makes a proper fitting boot feel too small. The moisture from your sweat softens the skin and allows for an agitating friction.” Drogi had young soldiers with similar wounds. He remembered how he was once a father figure. He was a leader, of course, but more than commanding, he truly cared about his men. His thought was if you treat them like soldiers, they’ll follow you to war, but if you treat them like brothers, they’ll follow you to hell. His command was stern and kind. Vatra and Iceliat looked at each other and nodded in agreement that the statements made sense.

Drogi, still staring into the flames, sipped on his ale again. He had been nursing the same glass for an hour now. He didn’t like becoming inebriated anymore, it messed with his senses and made him sloppy. Drinking to forget was a temporary fix. Action was the only way to heal. “I once led a small team charged with finding a thief who stole from a room full of coins and artifacts from a royal family near the Stonefort. It was an impossible amount to be done by one man. I believed there had to be a man on the inside, maybe a guard or servant, who let the thief in.

He was last seen entering the Whispering Woods, so we tracked him through the maze of foliage and thorns. It was supposed to be a simple mission. I can still feel the mist on my skin and smell the petrichor in the air. We searched all night. We made camp and began again at sunrise. Immediately, we noticed one of us missing. Not missing. Just, not there. He was still in his makeshift tent, but his neck was cut and filled with gold coins. The bastard came in the middle of the night, not a single one of us heard him, and he killed one of my men. For three days we searched, and every day we lost one man. We changed how we slept, how we pulled guard, and how large of fire we would maintain. We even tried a night without sleep.

One of my men was stabbed in each lung and buried up to his neck. The dirt was the only thing maintaining his breathing. If we pulled him out we would have killed him by suffocation. I still don’t know how a hole was dug, a man was stabbed in his lungs, then buried, and all the while not one of us heard this happen. In the morning he was just a head. We thought he had been decapitated. It may have been a better way to go. There’s nothing we could’ve done either way. He either died by the elements or we would be the ones who killed him by trying to save him. In the end, we gave him ale and wine to fall asleep drunk and unaware. I had the remaining men move forward and away so I could,” he paused, “take care of my soldier.

When I caught up to my men, they had stopped walking and were looking up into the canopy. They told me they all heard whispering. Voices were calling their names and they each heard personal details no one in this area should know. They stared upward for so long they hadn’t noticed that another one of us had gone missing. When the whispers no longer returned we continued following the tracks. It would have made more sense to quit and regroup, but we felt like the perpetrator was just around the corner.

We found the missing soldier a few hours later. He had been strung up by one foot and anchored by one arm. His clothes and armor had been removed, neatly folded, and placed on a flat rock about thirty yards away. He was eviscerated. His torso had been cleanly opened and his organs removed. I still don’t know where they may have been placed. Maybe a bear or cougar got to it before we did. His trunk should have been hollow, but it held an antique lamp. It was lit like he was some kind of artistic streetlamp. With only two of my soldiers remaining, I accepted defeat. We tried to back track and leave the forest, but the tracks were visibly disappearing. We weren’t sure if we were following real footsteps anymore.

We had to stay in those woods one more night, and we were sure one of us would be missing by daylight. The armor was missing, but the clothes were pinned to a tree with large spikes. They were stuffed with dead leaves to look like a body was still in them. We checked. The body wasn’t missing, really. It was just in pieces. From every joint, my soldier was disarticulated. Every knuckle, knee, tooth, carpal and tarsal separated from the body. Worse still, there wasn’t a drop of blood to be found. On any of the bodies, in fact. All three bodies were drained of their life and not a drop was spilled.”

“Vampire?” asked Iceliat.

“Nope,” Drogi shook his head. “We found the blood later. All of it. The separated limbs and viscera were laid about in a way that led us to an exit. Close by, still within the woods, was a hollowed out tree stump that held the blood of all three men. Flies were buzzing around it, some drowning in it. A deer was drinking from the bowl of crimson. It stopped long enough to assess us as a threat. I think it could tell how fatigued and worn we were because it went right back to lapping up its free drink. Our feet dragged. The heads of the three men were set onto broken pikes at the exit and facing the clearing. Their eyelids were removed as if to mock them by showing them the field they’d never get to walk through.

We returned to the household who hired us. It turns out that nothing was stolen after all. One of the younger children of the household had stashed things away as a prank. I told them about how three men died, without the details. He told me how it was good news for me and my remaining companion, because now we didn’t have to split the money five ways. That is, if we received it in full. They paid us our hiring fee, but withheld some because we weren’t the ones to have found the missing goods.” Drogi took another sip. “He took his own life a few days later, my remaining companion. He hung his armor, folded his clothes like the ones we found in the woods, and wrote a note that only said ‘Expendable and replaceable. I love you, Sera.’ He was found by his toddler daughter in the morning hanging from his second floor bedroom balcony. He wasn’t wrong. I didn’t know it at the time. I chalked it up to duty. I lost four men because of a prank. Not one of them is remembered by the townsfolk, only by their direct loved ones.”

“And you,” corrected Vatra.

“And me,” Drogi accepted.

“Did you ever find out what happened in the woods?” asked Iceliat.

Drogi shook his head. “Everytime I tell the story, everyone gives me their own theory. Vampires. Imps. Dire wolves. The thing is, those creatures and beasts don’t kill for the sake of it. For the spectacle or string up bodies and place objects within them. We’re food to what’s out there. Nothing was eaten. Just desecrated.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Iceliat wondered.

“Hmm. I don’t know.” Drogi believed he had been reflecting on the past few weeks with this party and started wondering if anything similar was going to happen to this party. He wondered if, not only is he cursed, but if people around him get cursed too. “All I know is that I’ll never step foot into the Whispering Wood again.” He began to finish his drink.

“Well, of course,” Iceliat shared empathetically.

“Yea,” added Vatra, “because, you know, your legs don’t work.”

Drogi spit his mouthful into the air in a fine mist of yellow ferment followed by a tearful laugh. “You toad sucking son of a!” Iceliat joined in softly and Vatra looked back into the fire.

Once the men finished their drinks, they were all escorted to their rooms for the night. Vatra decided to stay in the study a bit longer. Iceliat was roomed just across the way in a room by the stairs. Drogi was escorted to Vatra’s old room, where he sat and looked into his reflection from the darkened window. The visions of the story he told rushed through his head. The faces of the lost men seemed to be in the reflection with him. He knew they weren’t there, but it was good to see them. They looked better than the last time he saw them. Especially now that they had their eyelids back. He leaned forward to touch the glass. The mens’ faces disappeared and he noticed a glimmer like black wings reflecting light. He squinted to better focus on this large bird. Not a bird. Something bigger. Something flying directly towards him. “The fuck?”

Iceliat

Iceliat placed his gear to the side of the entrance of his accommodations and scanned the quarters. To him, it wasn’t the best guest room he’s stayed in, or provided, but it was clean and adorned with ostentatious decorations and filigree he had grown accustomed to. The room’s color scheme was gold leaf and crimson. Most of the furniture was made with a red oak frame that had been maintained with a polish and citrus cleaner. A bowl of potpourri consisting of dried lavender and chamomile sat on the dresser giving him an aroma that invited restfulness and relaxation.

His feet had dried and could feel the blisters sting to the exposed air. His skin cracked as he flexed and extended his toes, and his joints popped as he supinated and pronated his ankles. A servant had placed his boots by this room’s fireplace to dry. The fireplace was smaller than the den’s but it was sufficient enough to light and warm the room. Next to the flame was a large bucket of potable water, a rag, a towel, and a pouring cup. Not large enough to bathe in, but certainly a welcome sight. To be able to clean his skin of the dried sweat salts and dirt was a commodity he didn’t know he missed. A small container of salve was placed on the nightstand at the head of the bed. Once he washed up, he would apply the ointment to all his wounds, blisters, and blemishes. It smelled of eucalyptus and mint. He enjoyed the smell so much that he lightly coated the tip of a finger and dabbed the skin just underneath his nose. It seemed to open his airway and made his lungs feel like they hadn’t been inhaling fire pit smoke and other random particles over the past few weeks.

His body sank into the mattress and felt like he was being embraced by an old friend. The animal skins and furs that lined the bed offered warmth and a heavy pressure that eased his aches. He was ready to close his eyes and enter a world that couldn’t harm him. As he shut his eyes he was immediately startled by the sound of glass breaking and profanity coming from the direction of Drogi’s room. He jolted upward, threw on a robe, and grabbed his staff. He opened his door and saw Vatra, still in the den, looking into the hallway toward where the sound came from. Two guards rushed by and headed to the room.

Once they heard profanity coming from the room, Iceliat knew Drogi was in distress. There was a clear difference between Drogi being rude and being attacked. He could hear items breaking and heavy furniture being shifted around. Vatra stumbled to find his boots and grab his staff. Iceliat moved on ahead, running as fast as one could indoors, to check on the situation. Nearing the room, a guard was thrown out and slammed against the opposing wall. His body slumped into unconsciousness. He checked for his breathing, fingers at the carotid. He’d be fine save for the headache. He slammed the end of his staff into the ground and a faint red tornado began to form. The gaseous vortex grew into a semi-solid pillar, then began to take the form of a long armed, featureless summon.

Iceliat entered the room in time to notice a pale, hairless figure grab Drogi and his chair into the air with elongated fingers and claws. It was female based on the present and visible attributes: wide hips and breasts. She had wings that took a majority of the room. They were raven black and four in total. Her skin was spoiled milk white and covered in symmetrical purple tattoos that swirled at the muscle bodies and flowed past the joints. They seemed to be glowing and glittering with every wing flap and trunk turn. Drogi was bleeding at the point of contact with the claws. She threw him and the chair out the window with already exposed broken glass. Shards caught his leg and sliced his lateral thigh releasing a thin trail of blood. He was too far to be saved, but Iceliat tried his best to tame the flying beast.

The room was too small and cramped for anything to be done elegantly. His summon kept getting knocked back and blasts from his staff kept hitting surrounding furniture sending splinters, cotton, and glass throughout the room. A guard was in the room trying to swing a sword only to be flung away by the flapping wings. She had no interest in the men in the room and inched toward the window. Vatra had come in behind Iceliat, realized the issue with space and left. The guard had been knocked over by a desk thrown into him giving the flying woman space to exit through the window. Following, Iceliat watched as she landed near a crawling Drogi. He was alive, but hurt pretty badly. She attacked and he used his chair as a temporary shield before she could make contact. Iceliat sent the summon out the window to attack, but it was knocked away with every attempt. Iceliat tried to send a blast her way, but was interrupted by his summon being thrown back at him. He tumbled backward and the summon vanished like a drop of blood getting lost in a bucket of water. He returned to the window, ready to jump. Both she and Drogi were in the air, about five feet off the ground and climbing. He took the chance to send a blast, but she was too fast. At fifteen feet, Iceliat thought this was it. Drogi was going to be taken away. From his bottom right, came a flaming ball that made direct contact to this beast’s back, between the wings. It screeched in pain, arched back, and dropped Drogi. He hit the floor with a solid thud and laid motionless. Iceliat fired again making contact with the injured demon bird. It turned, fumbled, then recorrected its balance. Before leaving, it took a long look at the three men, taking in the details and remembering who would be the future target. She hissed and with large flaps that cut the air around her, she flew backwards into the darkness.

In the rush of things, Iceliat hadn’t noticed that he hadn’t been wearing his boots. There were new cuts to the bottom and sides of his feet. He used his staff to dislodge the large pieces and cleared a path to the guard in the room. He was still alive and breathing, but it was obvious he had a broken humerus and a cut on his cheek that was going to need attention. The guard in the hallway was awake and rubbing the back of his head. He stood, obviously still seeing stars, and entered the room that a storm had just ravaged. He took the place of Iceliat and cradled his partner trying to shake him awake.

Iceliat returned to the den, sat, and began to pry the small shards and splinters from his feet. He used a nearby pitcher of water to wash away the mix of dry and wet blood, and used an end table’s runner to dry his feet when he was done. He poured a glass of water for himself and sank into his cushioned throne. He’d wait here until the others returned.

Vatra

Vatra stared into the fire, hoping they would tell him what his next steps should be. Over and over again, he saw the same image: a bird. He understood the Phoenix was a threat, but he needed to know the next step closer to home. He could talk to the fire as much as he’d like, but it doesn’t show you what you want to know, just what you should know. What “should be” didn’t matter to him at the moment. He had a single goal in mind and keeping up the charade was difficult with so many turns thrown at him.

He was growing impatient and almost decided to give up on the flames. His leg shook in angered anticipation. He heard glass shatter to his right. He thought that he had vibrated the floor boards so vigorously that glass shifted off. That was until he heard a slur of profane words coming from Drogi’s room.

He stood and heard commotion continue in that direction. He leaned over the balcony and shouted to the door guard to send two guards to his uncle, two guards to the room, and have all the service staff lock themselves into their quarters. The guard gave orders to a number of guards out of sight from Vatra, and heard a unifying “Sir!” Like clockwork, four guards rushed up the stairs. Two to Drogi and two to Vatra’s uncle. The door guard left to, presumably, alert the staff.

Turning back, he noticed Iceliat standing in the open door frame of his quarters and assess Vatra’s reaction. It was clear something was not as it should be. Iceliat ran out of the room with staff in hand. Vatra began to don his boots, stumbled forward, and landed directly onto his knee cap. Too urgent to feel embarrassed, he rolled and slipped on his other boot. He side-rolled, grabbed his staff, and ran to Drogi’s room.

Iceliat was standing in the doorway, barely having room for himself. A guard was passed out on the floor behind him showing signs of life by a rising and falling chest. In the room, he saw Iceliat’s summon trying to get close to the winged beast on the inside. “Is that?” Vatra began to ask no one. He believed this thing resembled the cause of the havoc at the courtroom. The window was shattered inward and left obstacles all over the floor. Vatra turned to head downstairs and outside. The town guard was still here, so he shouted for him to come with. The guard, without question, followed. They ran out and jumped over the railing of the front porch toward the side of the estate. Vatra was more nimble than he seemed. Around the corner he saw Drogi, bloodied, pull his chair over himself as the winged figure tried to strike. It grabbed the chair and threw it. The summon was attempting to help, but being thwacked by a pair of right wings was flung back through the window thumping into something or someone unseen. Drogi was in the grasp of the beast now, being elevated upward.

The guard came from the back and said in a shock, “That’s the thing.” Immediately, Vatra knew what he meant. The guard stepped back, almost ready to flee.

Vatra grabbed the guard by both shoulders and locked eyes with him, “We need to help,” he said. The guards were as wide as saucers, pupils as large as a snake whole. His eyes darted side to side, then to Vatra’s. He nodded and fixed his posture and composure. They quickly moved to the flying couple. Vatra shot a concentrated blast but missed by yard. With every flap a feather would fall from the sky and gently land with a spin. Vatra steadied himself and fired a burning blast. The beast screeched and dropped Drogi roughly fifteen feet from the sky as the blast burst the center mass of its back. More obsidian feathers, this time singed, began to spread and layer on the ground. The guard rushed to Drogi and began to pull him up and over his shoulder. Vatra continued to fire and miss. It seemed all his luck was in that final shot, but at least he could lay suppressive fire. From the window flew a light blue energy with a white tail finding its target without fail. The monstrosity centered itself and sized Vatra and the person, most likely Iceliat, at the window. Maybe feeling injured, the beast took off into the darkness gaining and losing elevation as it did.

Vatra’s heart was racing. He could hear his heartbeat over the night’s wind. He could feel every thump down to the bone to the point where his teeth chattered. That was a powerful beast, and he was certain if it decided to approach him, not even his Lich form could save him. He loosened his grip on his staff and planted it, using it as a walking stick. He leaned against it with both arms and dropped his chest in fatigue. He was finally able to gather himself and replay everything that had transpired. “Why Drogi?” he thought to himself. He stood, stretched his neck side to side, then made his way to the estate’s entrance. Though he wasn’t injured, it felt like this was the first time using his legs and ached with every step.

Drogi was placed on a sofa facing the fire. His legs were elevated and draped over an armrest. His breathing was labored, but a breath none-the-less. “Tell the servants that it’s okay to come out. Have one of them bring salve and something to stitch his wounds. Have another one tell my uncle and his guards about the all clear.” The town guard clicked his heels and set off. He must have not known where the servants quarters were because he ascended the steps. Before he could stop him, Vatra was certain he’d find a guard up there and relay the message. A moment later, a house guard descended the steps two at a time and clumsily bumped his way through the doorway.

Vatra turned to look out the door before shutting it. Nothing but stars and the streetlights were visible now, no sense of danger, but he could feel something in the distance watching. A tingle rose up his spine. Stepping back, he shut the door, and slid the lock into place. He knew whatever that creature was earlier wouldn’t even notice the lock when and if it decided to break in. His heart had finally returned to a resting pace. He ascended the steps to check on Iceliat and the others who were in the room. Iceliat and a house guard were sitting in the den. The town guard was standing in the doorway of Drogi’s room assessing the destruction. The house guard noticed him and stood at attention, woozy from a potential concussion. Vatra told him to sit and rest. Hesitantly, but grateful, he obeyed.

Iceliat was sitting in the same chair from when it was just the two of them. His legs were in a figure four as he sipped a drink. His bloodied feet left trails that led directly to him. His feet were scabbed over now to the point where it looked like he was wearing a black, fitted sock that had little compartments for each toe. He seemed indifferent, but still asked, “Drogi?”

“He’s alive. Barely. I’ll have someone stitch him up and put some salve on his wounds, but I’m not sure of the outcome.”

“He’s too stubborn to die.” He repositioned. There were most likely wounds on his back and rear that prevented him from finding comfort. Vatra offered to have someone come and pluck the splinters from the hard to reach areas. Iceliat declined with “My body will push them out eventually. No need to expose anyone else to my mess.” Vatra shrugged in acceptance. “Was that your blast that hit her?” Vatra nodded as he poured himself a drink. “You may have saved him, you know?”

“Yeah. I didn’t really think it through.” They both laughed softly to themselves. The house guard had passed out missing out on the banter. “Your blasts from the window?” Iceliat nodded. “I’m sure that’s what actually had her retreat. You may have saved us all.”

Iceliat shrugged. “Yeah. I didn’t think it through, either.” He went to uncross his legs, stopped with a wince, then slowly extended both legs straight ahead of him. The fire revealed two swollen feet, red and pulsing. Vatra would have again offered a service, but decided against it. “Any idea?” Vatra shook his head and compared what he had seen at the courtroom. He wanted to be sure of the facts before sharing inaccurate details. Iceliat chimed in, “I believe it was the same thing from the courtroom.”

“That’s right, you were there,” Vatra said. He was more surprised about his presence rather than the statement. Iceliat had mentioned that he saw something at the church earlier, and he wasn’t sure how he should react. So, he pretended that he already knew.

Iceliat nodded. “We both were. I was the only one to see anything from the window. Drogi was my step stool and kept talking, so I couldn't understand what was being said.” That comforted Vatra a little. “I saw the jury’s room door burst open and saw the form of what I believe was just here. I’ve never seen anything like that before. You?” Vatra shook his head and shrugged. “I thought it was a harpy at first, but they aren’t that strong or durable. What we hit her with should’ve killed her. Or, at least, floored her.”

“It seemed to focus on Drogi, didn’t it?” Iceliat perked up while recollecting the events. “Everyone who was there attacked, but they were only pushed back. She could have attacked any one of us, killed some even, after he was tossed out the window, but she followed him. I believe he was targeted. I think Drogi knows something.”

Author Credit

Sean Kuttner

Lingering Shadows Part 1 - Campaign Stories

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 01:33:28 GMT

Read for fun, or for ideas in your own campaign!

Main Characters

Vatra: born of a wealthy family, Empyrean , secretly - killed his own parents

Drogi: ex-soldier, Human , cursed to not use legs (stabbed in the spine) and in a wheelchair

Iceliat: one of the few original Ateri , owns human slaves

Soudce: chancellor

Beatrix: ex-Supreme Company soldier, suspected to be dead

Ekern: Vatra’s house guard, witness to Vatra escaping

Shield: a master blacksmith in the party’s service

Vatra

“Do you have anything to say in your defense, Vatra?” Chancellor Soudce, an older Empyrean, sat elevated behind a podium with a look of stoic indifference. His robes were a gentle mix of dark blue and violet with transitions depending on how the light hit. His hair was long, white, and thinning, slicked back and tied to expose all the sharp angles of his face. His eyes were a storm cloud shade of gray now, with spider web-like wrinkles expanding from the corners. His frame was softer than it was decades before, though it hinted at a history of well defined muscles. Despite his age, he held himself with a commanding presence. When he spoke, it felt like a crime to interrupt.

The courtroom was an older house of worship repurposed to accommodate large gatherings such as this trial. The stained glass windows had been removed and reused for the new structure, so the space remained empty allowing the elements, birds, and noise to flow through uninterrupted. The weathering of the sill curved and cracked with white splotches left by perching birds. The light, at this moment, showed through to highlight where Vatra stood. A wooden box with a simple bench for him to sit and listen to the accusations placed upon him. It was warm and calming despite the predicament. Vatra made sure to look at everyone in the room before speaking. His face was calm and relaxed, but he could feel the muscles underneath try to tighten into an expression of concern. His crimson robes hid his small frame and his shaking muscles. The spectators couldn’t see it, but to him it felt like the world was quaking.

Vatra steadied himself the best he could. Inhaled deep and began to speak:

“You all know my family. They have been here for generations and grew to be an affluent, contributing part of this town. We have been charitable and generous. We have helped feed the hungry and clean the ones who call the streets and narrows “home”. I don’t say these things to brag, but to express the kind of stock that I have come from. My parents were well established and educated Empyreans. Many of you knew them. Ate with them. Laughed with them. Cried, even. They were wiser and more adept at spells than I. To me, they were like gods. Now look at me. One thing I've learned during my time away is that I'm a fragile being. I have had to go into my Lich form at least five times since being gone, and a few of those times were during a.friendly sparring match. I am physically weak and my magic has a tendency to miss.

I didn’t hear of my parents’ death until six days ago, and how I’m the prime suspect. I came here with my party as soon as I could. I'm told that my parents were killed by a blade. Now, imagine me trying to take on two powerful Empyreans, leaving without a drop of blood on my hands or clothes, then jumping out a second story window, as this so-called witness proclaims. And during this time, not once did I go into my Lich form? None of this fits what I'm capable of.

I'm told it was my family's guards who came after me, making a raucous outside.. I was under the protection of city guards, who told me only what they knew: there were bandits causing havoc. Why would my family guards just not tell the guards what happened? While in the cells, we were immediately attacked and our natural reaction was to defend. Had it not been for the guards who gave their life to protect me and my friend in the wheelchair, we were sure we would have perished. Once it was possible, we fled as far and as fast as we could to recollect and assess. Instead of going back and taking that risk so soon, I decided to help my new friend on his own personal quest to cure a curse that left him immobile.

This entire time I've been gone, I've done nothing but help try to cure a curse of someone I hardly know. Our lives have been in danger since the day I was chased away. I have gained nothing from the deaths of my parents. I have no riches. We got by doing odd jobs and catching what we ate. I have no power. No one knew who I was and wouldn’t believe me had I told them. I was wearing what I left with and looked disheveled. After running around this continent, we are no closer to finding the cure for my party member.

We live in a time where we can be cursed to not walk. When people can be cursed into becoming a lich and be cured a few days later. Ghosts inhabit armor and mock us while we fight. We were affected with hallucinations causing us to kill people who literally helped us ten minutes prior.

I can't tell you who did it. It could've been a house guard capable of using a knife properly and familiar with the house layout and passages. I’m told my Uncle is in control of my family’s assets. Could it not be a family member trying to use politics to trick the populace to love him with promises of goods only for his real purpose to come later. I do not accuse him of this. I only point out the possibility. I’m told a high wizard sensed my magical marker at the scene. Could it not be a wizard who was the only one to sense a presence similar to mine to gain access to the artifacts my parents may contain.

I want the same as my parents. I want the best for this town. This land. This world. And now, there is a reborn Phoenix reeking havoc in the skies above the Isles of Valerian. In its infancy, it has been able to create its own home the size of an island. We have seen the beast. It carried us out of the mountains without effort. We may be the only ones willing or able to battle it. But, here we are, wasting time on whether or not I killed my parents under impossible circumstances with no known motive.

Set me free and let me settle my familial affairs appropriately. Let me find cure to the curse of a soldier who helped fight for this land. Let us defeat this newborn beast. If you imprison me, kill me, because the world is at the whim of this beast. We were scratched and saw visions that resulted in us taking the lives of innocent, good men. Imagine what power would be unleashed once this Phoenix matures.

I've come back to town, peacefully. Using my family influence I'd like to prepare my party for the upcoming storm. If you stop me, then you've killed us all.”

Chancellor Soudce remained statuesque, but the audience silently murmured to one another in a fog of disbelief and skepticism. A few men and women could be heard whimpering in impending fear. The audience was divided by class and status. The nobler people were in the overhead bleachers, and the commoners were on the floor level and peeking through the windows. The commoners spoke of fear for their family’s safety. The nobles spoke of concerns over their assets. The commoners seemed to know more about the happenings over the Isles, but the nobles seemed more concerned over the worries closer to home.

Vatra took in the scene feeling more confident now. He felt if you can get people to talk, they’ve heard you. If you can get them to feel something, even fear, they remember you. His shoulders relaxed. The air felt different now: cooler. It almost felt like home again. Looking out the glass-free windows he finally had the chance to take in the world outside. He thought to himself, “How long has it been Fall?” The short, kempt ash trees still had all their leaves varying in differing shades of red and orange. Every tree was without a single green leaf. A gentle breeze made the trees lean slightly to the left with a soft, reciprocal bounce back to the right. Vatra could tune out the audience and listen to the rustling and a few birds singing.

No one was looking directly at him. He believed he could just walk out if he chose to, then remembered that the Chancellor was still watching over the room like an old fashioned, loyal kingsman. Chancellor Soudce closed his eyes and breathed in deep. Repositioning himself, he cleared his throat, and just like that, the room grew quiet. Everyone’s conversation halts in a domino-like fashion. Vatra thought it was awe inspiring to see. Once the room was silent, he gave the jury the order to enter the deliberation room to decide my fate. In reality, it was truly up to the Chancellor what would happen next. Allowing the jury to deliberate was more of a show of faith to the public that your peers were responsible for what would happen. Even if found not guilty of a crime, the Chancellor would give a punishment he seemed most fit. You could be found not at fault for domestic abuse by the jury, but the result would still be a type of community service or probation under the supervision of one of the more rough handling officers.

Chancellor Soudce’s gaze remained on Vatra as the jury left the stands and the room. Vatra returned the gaze in a mirrored stoicism. Two heavily robed guards followed the jury in the room and shut the door. A heavy locking mechanism could be heard engaging. “I don’t know what you’re up to,” Chancellor Soudce said in a lowered tone only Vatra could make out. There was no anger or accusation in his voice, just a factual statement. Vatra’s eyebrows twitched into a furrow for a moment, then immediately relaxed. The muscles around his mouth wanted to create a smirk, but he fought it off with aching success. Despite his confident appearance, he could feel his nerves begin to seize again. He thumbed and fiddled with the obsidian ring on his index finger.

Eyes still locked, Chancellor Soudce gave a quick neck cock over his left shoulder, signaling Vatra to come to the podium. Vatra stood and approached. The guards were told to allow him to pass, and they obediently side stepped enough to let him pass. The podium was made of a reddish wood, smoothed, polished, and waxed. It seemed to be the most well kept piece of furniture in the room. The Chancellor seemed even more stonelike up close. His skin was smooth and unblemished. His veins and tendons lay just under the skin as if he were still a young and dominant athlete. His face may carry his age, but the rest of him signaled that he could hold his own if he needed to. “Your parents were good people. They helped maintain this city. I agree that you don’t seem like one capable of taking them down, but I still have my uncertainties. Whatever the jury decides, I will honor for the sake of your family. I owe them. Know this, though, I do not trust you and if any new concrete evidence comes to light, you will not have the peace of being imprisoned.”

“Of course, Chancellor. My family spoke well of you and your kindness.” Vatra fought the urge to smile coyly. He maintained eye contact to continue the charade of confidence. The room began to murmur again, still about “what if” and “should we”. The noise drowned out the nervous breathing. Some people left knowing that these judgements can sometimes take hours, even days if the accused is unlucky enough. Vatra was certain he’d be freed. Not from his monologue he practiced so many times in his head, but by the concern he was able to create, about a bigger threat and the offer to take care of it. Even if he were to fail, he’d die in prison or die trying to save their world. This was something he never thought he would consider as a young adult: saving the world. Vatra is a nobody. A weak Empyrean, a less than beginner pyromancer, and average at best at all things business. What he was, though, at least to himself, was a defender of peace and balance. As a child he would put an end to fights amongst other children. He helped find the middle ground and got both parties a piece of what they were actually seeking. He got nothing from it, not even a “thank you”. He minded at first, but after a while he accepted that for things to be a good deed, you shouldn’t expect reward or praise. Otherwise, it becomes a job. Something for something. Growing up, though, he noticed that fights and arguments were harder and harder to find balance in. It was no longer who gets the bigger slice of a sweet or who gets to play with the ball next. Who owned the sheep roaming a certain property. Even older, who owned what property? Can you own a human: spouse or fellow man? Can you marry off your children as a means to barter? Everything got more complicated the older he got. Even harder when people whisper promises of goods and services if he sided with them, or if someone offers their view on “how things are supposed to be”.

“Go sit down.” Vatra nods and turns away.

Walking back to his temporary holding area, Vatra looks over the audience one more time to assess their feelings toward him. Nothing. Everyone is still held up in their own personal concerns. He wasn’t surprised by this. This is how people, regardless of race, are. Humans, Empyreans, and Ateri are all staying within their comfortable niche and mingling at a minimum. Vatra understood there is no changing this. People seek what is comfortable. Little do they know, though, comfort makes you complacent, and complacency makes you an easy target. Vatra began to think of his next steps, only to hear a thud at the jurors’ door. In the moment, he thought the door was being unlocked, but also noted that the sound wasn’t the normal metal pieces hitting. It may not have been metal, but a large object hitting the frame, muffling the true impact. Vatra would have thought that the jurors were having a good argument about the case, but was startled by the sound of a large shriek and another thud. A body being thrown?

The crowd gasped in unison at the sound. It was high in pitch and curdled, like a bird choking on its own blood. Everyone was standing now. Chancellor Soudce was immediately escorted by the two guards that separated him from everyone else. When Vatra went to look, the only thing he could see was the fluttering robes snaking through a now open hidden door. The lock disengaged. Two jurors ran out covered in blood. A single guard followed. His eyes were wide with fear and purpose. “Let’s go!,” he yelled to Vatra as he took him by the wrist. He noticed the main entrance clogged by the unorganized swarm of people trying to make their way out. Vatra pointed to the potential exit. The guard, without a thought, pulled and led. Vatra asked what was happening, but the guard could only huff and puff. “We need to get you to your estate!,” he was able to get out. Behind them, a few people must have seen them escape through this entrance and followed suit. He hoped that whatever was causing the fear and possible death did not join them.

The tunnel led everyone out in an alleyway. The exit was a shifted piece of wall made of cobblestone and mortar. It must’ve taken both guards to move it based on its size. The Chancellor and guards were nowhere to be seen. Despite the quiet anger and uncertainty of their relationship, Vatra hoped he was safe. The followers gushed out of the exit like a clogged pipe being freed. The guard took a long breath, reoriented himself, and led Vatra towards his estate.

At a normal, walking pace, it would normally take about fifteen minutes to get home, but they made it ten. They stopped at the entrance, both stooped over trying to catch their breath. The screams could no longer be heard. The estate was on top of a hill and looked over the town. They watched as the people, who now looked like panicked mice making their way through a maze, found their way to their homes or personal place of business. Still, there was no clear clue to what was happening. Vatra asked “What happened?”

The guard sat, still gasping, and leaned back against a pillar. His plate armor rose and fell in unison with his light wheezing like an off tune accordion. When he settled just enough, he said, “They were going to exonerate you.” He needed another moment to catch his breath and he signaled that by putting his hand up, palm facing Vatra. “When the other guard heard this, he,” the guard had to breathe again. “Oh god. I don’t know. He or she ripped off their robes. Pale skin. Purple tattoos? Blue? Can’t remember. So much blood. Ripped a juror's head off like it was an apple sitting on a table. Wings? Two, maybe four.” He stopped. “Gods! Please just let me into your home!” He was shaking now.

Vatra put a hand on his shoulder and met his eyes. “Thank you,” he said. “Come.” Vatra knocked on the door. It felt strange having to essentially ask permission to enter his own home, but he didn’t want to seem presumptuous. A house guard answered the door with eyes widened once he saw who knocked. “May we enter?” The guard nodded and chuckled as if the question were a joke. “Find someone to take care of this man. He is under our protection now. Send another to the Horsehead Inn and find my party, an Ateri and a Human in a wheelchair. Then, have someone have my uncle meet me in the study.” The house guard, Wyrm, nodded and guided the town guard away to a nearby reclining chair. A house servant was on the ready with a pitcher and glass of water. She began to head to Vatra, but he lightly smiled and waved with the back of his hand towards the struggling guard. The servant nodded, smiled and looked at Vatra up and down, almost tripping as she stepped away. “Still got it,” he said to himself silently.

Iceliat

Drogi and Iceliat were outside of the courtroom. Drogi, a human paralyzed from the waist down, sat in his chair, the backrest was up against the wall. Once a respected member of the Supreme Guard, he is now being used as a step stool. Looking back and up at Iceliat standing atop of the handles. “Well?” Drogi asked. “What’s happening now?”

Iceliat, a human-slave owning and selling Ateri, was peering through the window frame now bored. “I don’t know. Everyone is just standing around now. He gave a speech. People who were sitting are now moving to a different room.” He jumped down and to the side of Drogi and sat in the grass, back against the wall. “Do you think he did it,” Iceliat asked.

Drogi, angry and sarcastic, “Do I think he did it? Based on our travels, right, we had to save him multiple times. He hangs out in the back and blasts a fireball every now and then. He hits, maybe, fifty percent of the time. I don’t think he could kill a half dead beetle without legs even if it were in front of him and he had an iron pan.” He unlocked his brakes and turned to Iceliat, castor wheels almost hitting him in the shins.

Iceliat chuckled softly with his head turned away. “Yea, I don’t know. He knows something. He could have been playing us this entire time.” He raised both arms up, hands interlaced, and stretched side to side, spine popping with each lean. “Doesn’t matter. He’s helped you for nothing, so far. What’s he got to gain?”

Drogi, almost insulted, “Nothing! He wouldn’t have made it this far without us! Maybe check that asshole you call a mouth before you say something shitty again, huh?”

Iceliat wondered how someone so crass could have been such a respected member of the Supreme Guard. He thought that maybe a brain injury happened in conjunction with his inability to walk. “Hmm? How,” he paused, “human.”

Drogi tried to drive his leg rests into his shins only to be stopped by a foot pushing an arm rest and spinning him around. Backrest exposed, he kicked again, sending Drogi out of his chair and tumbling to the floor. He cursed, spat, and climbed back into his chair. Recentered, he turned to face him and said “You’ll get yours, slave owner.”

Iceliat side-eyed him and thought to himself how Drogi wouldn’t understand. There’s history, business, and cultural expectations that would just go over his head. He stood, picked up a stick and started plucking leaves and smaller sprouts. He was going to do something childish until a screech was heard. “Oh?” Iceliat turned, jumped to hang on the window sill, then pulled himself up to assess the situation.

Drogi cursed again, “You could’ve just jumped? Why’d you use my chair? What’s happening, asshat?”

Iceliat watched as the two guards protecting the Chancellor pressed a few stones on the wall behind the podium and the wall shifted and slid to the side. Bloodied people left the room the jurors entered, then a guard who bee-lined to Vatra. He was able to glimpse into the room where the torture was happening and saw what looked like a harpy leaping and ripping the jury apart. As much as he wanted to help, his body ready to fight, he knew this was beyond his ability alone. The monster was quick and vicious. The room would have prevented him from using his distanced abilities and Drogi was too hack happy. The swinging blades would most certainly get an innocent injured or worse. The guard and Vatra were heading through the wall opening, as were a few witnesses to the new exit. The juror room door burst into a shower of splinters exposing a figure unfamiliar to him.

Before he could get a good look, Drogi grabbed him by the leg and pulled down with a “What the hell is going on!”

Iceliat stumbled, feet crossed, fell to his rear, then readjusted. He stood and told Drogi it was time to return to the Inn. He took off before he could hear Drogi say something in protest or curse. Drogi, of course, did protest and curse. Iceliat jumped onto the main road that led to the inn and was shouldered by multiple panicking citizens. Shouldering back, he was able to make his way to a clearing. He turned back to see if he could see Drogi. He did. He was wheeling up the slight incline yelling and pushing a few of the people resulting in some eating dirt and rock. “Drogi can take care of himself”, he thought to himself.

The Horsehead Inn was simple in design. It was essentially a reinforced wooden box with square windows cut into place and open slatted window shutters. There was only one entry which acted as the only exit. It was a real fire hazard. The front door was colored in a chipping blue paint and had a door knob in the center. The inn’s wooden sign was hanging by a single eyelet, not because of age, but the wind unhooking the eye from its designated partner. Iceliat entered to be met by the innkeeper who had intended to step outside to smoke a pipe. They performed the awkward side-step dance before Iceliat sighed and motioned for her to pass. The interior was made of an unfamiliar wood plank. As with the outside, it was a simple design. There were only two rooms. One for the innkeeper to herself, and one large room with four bunk beds. Item security was not guaranteed and food was not included. For that, you’d have to go to the building next door to eat and drink. The bathroom was an outhouse behind the inn with a door that wouldn’t latch, so one hand was normally occupied holding it shut if the person required privacy. It was well kept otherwise, the waste catch was cleaned every other week and processed to be used as fertilizer. It was a process Iceliat’s servants were well aware of for the shared space.

Iceliat grabbed everyone’s items, potentially even some that didn’t belong to them. As he skillfully balanced everything out of the shared room, through the common area, and to the entryway, he was stopped by a man’s voice. “Iceliat?” he asked in a low, almost growling voice.

A second, more familiar voice, jumped in with, “Yea, that’s him! Take him in! He’s stealing all my things!”

Iceliat considered dropping everything and grabbing one of Drogi’s short swords. Before he could decide, the first voice asked, “Really?”

“Gods, you’re shit at this.” Drogi was slightly behind the stranger, but it was very obvious it was him at this point. “Iceliat, this is one of Vatra’s house guards. He’s been sent to bring us to him. Now be a good boy and carry my things. You know? Like a slave would.”

The guard grabbed a few of the items from Iceliat and placed them onto Drogi’s lap and around the handles on the back. Iceliat was able to shoulder and sling everything that belonged to him. He could now see Drogi eyeballing the guard like a bad joke. “Come,” the guard said. “I believe the master is in danger.”

“Whoa-ho! You hear that, Iceliat? ‘Master’ he says. All of a sudden murder suspect number one is a ‘master’.” Both the guard and Iceliat move past Drogi. “Oh-ho-ho! Let’s not keep the master waiting shall we?” By the time Drogi made the complete rotation the two were well ahead. “Hey, fuckers, come here! I’m being funny!”

Iceliat had to slow his pace from a glide to a light jaunt to allow the guard to lead the way at a more comfortable speed. He began to think to himself, “What have I gotten myself into? Alive hundreds of years, happily doing my trades, all the things I need. I was content. Why did I join these two? Now, I’m heading to the home of a potential killer. Potential, though? Sure, he’s not the best fighter, but he always has a look of plotting the next few steps and contingencies. What are we to him? Tools?” The guard tripped and rolled. Iceliat helped him up and they continued. “How much further, guard?” he asked.

The guard, between breaths, replies “It’s just up this last hill. You can see the archway. Go ahead. Thank you for helping me, but please don’t tell the others.”

“Humans,” Iceliat thought to himself, “so concerned about the opinions of others.” When he arrived at the front entrance, he was greeted by another guard. This guard led him through the house, up the stairs, and to Vatra sitting in a den of books, a fireplace, and refreshments laid on end tables.

Vatra placed a glass of water down and stood. He approached Iceliat and looked him over. “Are you hurt?” he asked. “Is Drogi with you?” He signaled one of the servants to bring Iceliat a drink.

“Drogi is on his way. You know why the delay.” Vatra nods and welcomes Iceliat to sit. A drink is ready for him in what looks like a silver chalice with engravings of filigree and embedded stones. He took a sip. Mead. A good, sweet ferment. He could tell the honey was made by bees that favored citrus plants as it gave a tangy sensation at the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes and savored the drink. Vatra asked if it were to his liking and similar to what he would have at home. He nodded and responded with, “Our bees don’t have access to the flowers these bees are drinking from. It’s flavored more like a quince. Not better or worse, just different and inviting.” Vatra was looking into the fire, nodding.

“We haven’t really had a chance to relax somewhere familiar in some time, have we?” Iceliat shook his head and took another sip. “We don’t know anything about each other except surface details. We fought together. Almost saw death together. Even saved each other a few times. I’m including Drogi in this, of course.” Vatra’s eyes never left the flames. “I would like to tell you everything, but not yet. Not today, at least.”

Iceliat shrugged, “What I don’t know now is the same as what I didn’t know for the past few months. We are alive and I don’t sense any urgency.” He was staring into the flame now as well. “You’re a pyromancer. Do the flames speak to you?”

“You know, sometimes I wonder. I wonder if what I see in the flames is real or something I’m making up to convince myself and others that my skills are growing. The thing is, what the flames show are never set points. They’re more like ‘what could be’. Wouldn’t knowing ‘what could be’ make me decide to live my life in a way to make it true or false depending on how I want the outcome? What’s the point in looking into the flames if I could just make up what I want as I go along anyways? Besides, don’t the flames only show me what the fuel allows it? Right now, there’s a bird.”

“A bird?”

“Yea. Just some wings and what looks like glass breaking. But, look at the logs. The way they’re positioned allows for air flow to change the way the flame builds.” Iceliat grabs a poker and adjusts the logs into a different configuration. “Now, the image changes. If the image were a true sign, why would it change? Now I see a person in a box. Maybe made of glass.” Vatra takes his drink and throws the liquid into the fire. The sudden hiss and cracks of scorched wood now releases a light plume of smoke. “With the fire out, I see a ghost. What sense does that make? I’m not a smoke reader.”

Iceliat rolls the logs a few times and creates a small cave underneath, then gently blows. The air brightens the embers and soon relights the fire. Vatra looks with a surprised awe. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter what you see or what you think you see. It doesn’t matter what you hear or who you listen to. The only thing that matters is what you do. Regardless of what others may think, it’s up to you to decide if it’s the right thing for you.”

“Because what’s right for me, may be wrong for others.”

“Someone is always losing, Vatra. Sometimes we do bad, even terrible, things because of the final result. Yes, I own and sell human slaves. They’re great for business. Someone is always looking for a way to make their own life easier. If no one else is going to sell them, why not me? Are your servants free to leave? Where is the line that separates servants and slaves? Is the word ‘servant’ just a useful word to use because there is a stigma against the word slave? The prisoners of this land. Do they not break stones to make way for roads? They benefit nothing from this service. No time is taken from their sentence, no special privileges are provided. If they die during the work, then that’s one less prisoner to feed. Where is the line between working prisoner and slave? I don’t want to sell people. I don’t want to be sold. I know they don’t want to be sold. Families are being separated with every purchase. I also know that I, myself, don’t want to be starving in the streets. Not again. I try my best to vet the buyers. I try my best to sell these people to others who may still treat them like people. With some common decency. I know how it’s all wrong.”

“But, it’s business.”

“It’s business. It’s a damn, profitable, terrible business.”

Vatra calls over the servant girl who brought the drinks earlier. “Maili? It is Maili, correct?” he asked, She nodded obediently. “If I let you go today, what would you do next?” She looked as if she felt pressured and answering incorrectly would result in her going missing. “Speak freely.”

“Well, I-I don’t know, master.”

“Vatra. For now, you may call me Vatra. We are equals now.”

Maili couldn’t tell if she was being tested. “I-in truth, ma- Vatra, I believe I would die.” Both Vatra and Iceliat leaned in now. “Y-you see. This is all I know. I was born into this. Y-yes, we are not free in the fullest sense, but we are housed, fed, and cleaned.”

“Like dogs?” Vatra asked.

Not once looking up, she continued, “N-no no, mas- Vatra. We are free to have relationships. We are not beaten into submission or told to stop being who we are. This is merely a job with perks. When we do well, we are given more griever than promised and we may enter the town at night. I have seen friends find love. I have seen friends bought from their owners to be freed and start a family of their own. Yes, some are bought and transplanted to who knows where, but no one is trying to change who we are. Yes, slavery is a terrible concept, but we here are not slaves. We’re just workers who don’t want to disappoint.” She paused, smiled to herself, looked up then back down to her clasped hands. “I-I’m sorry.”

Vatra responds with, “No need, Maili.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin purse, then threw it into her lap. “Take the servants into town tonight. Enjoy safely. There was a skirmish earlier, but everything seems to be calming down out there.”

Maili stood without hesitation. “Thank you, Vatra, thank you.”

As she began to leave, Vatra stopped her once more, “Oh, Maili. It’s ‘Master Vatra.” She dropped her head, nodded, and left. “I must keep up the appearance to not seem weak. Kindness can only be taken so far before others see it as weakness.”

Iceliat finally snapped back into himself and thought about what he saw in the old church. “There was a thing in the church”

“You saw it?”

“No, not quite. It was human-sized for sure, but off. It had wings and, maybe, tattoos.”

“A guard told me it was another guard. You may have seen him downstairs in the reclining chair. Apparently, this thing was disguising itself to enter these judgements. Maybe it heard something it didn’t want to and just snapped.”

“You think it was after you then?”

“No. It could easily be a coincidence. My uncle told me there have been stories lately about a woman luring men into the alleys at night and ripping their heads off with clean cuts. These instances were happening before we arrived. These are also stories told by drunkards in a town where it is common for bears to enter, rummage through trash, and encounter an unlucky drunk.”

Before Vatra could continue his thought, noise was coming from downstairs. “Let me in, shit-ass! I was invited by your master.” Drogi wheeled in and saw the refreshments, “What’s a cripple gotta do to get a damn drink in this place!”

Author Credit

Sean Kuttner

Everything About Passive Perception 5e

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 18:53:55 GMT

Passive perception is a pretty interesting and unique game mechanic in D&D 5e. It reminds me of playing Kingdoms of Amalur , and the skill system from that great game.

I always enjoy when TTRPGs utilize simple systems that maintain the story’s flow.

That being said, because D&D is a pretty complex game, and passive perception doesn’t exactly fit cohesively with the way other skill checks work, there’s often a bit of confusion around the topic.

At the end of the day, there’s always more to learn about D&D, for both pros and beginners, and passive perception 5e is one of the most valuable tools, making it worthy of a full article!

So, let’s dive into passive perception 5e and see how it can make your game more exciting.

As a dungeon master, I feel that good usage of Passive Perception begins with a cool atmosphere for players to passively perceive, during the game.

What Is Passive Perception 5e?

Passive perception 5e is a player character’s ability to observe their surroundings without making an active search. Passive perception is your character’s skill score “floor,” that represents keen senses – a passive check made through the perception skill modifier.

The higher your character’s passive perception score, the more likely you can notice the signs of an impending ambush, spot traps, and generally make it harder for your character to get surprise. Passive perception 5e is an excellent mechanic that decides how much your character notices, without rolling the dice or specifically looking for something.

And yes – that is correct – passive perception 5e does not require a dice roll. Instead, the dungeon master compares each player’s passive perception score to the DC (difficulty check) of hidden areas and objects.

Passive perception keeps the game moving, and only reveals hidden elements of the game world to keen characters. This mechanic also rewards players who have invested more into their character’s Wisdom ability score, and perception skill.

Passive Perception is often used by the DM to determine if the characters notice traps, secret doors, hidden enemies, or other subtle details in their surroundings. It allows for a more immersive and dynamic gameplay experience without requiring constant perception checks for every little detail.

You Passively Perceive the Eternity TTRPG Shop...

How Does Passive Perception Work in D&D 5e?

The Dungeon Master (DM) compares the Passive Perception score of characters involved in a passive perception check to the Difficulty Class (DC) of any hidden or obscured objects or creatures in the environment.

If the Passive Perception score is equal to or higher than the DC, the character automatically notices the hidden or obscured thing without needing to roll a perception check. If the Passive Perception score is lower than the DC, the character remains unaware of the hidden or obscured thing unless they actively search for it and roll a perception check.

What is My Passive Perception Score?

The passive perception is 10+ the character’s wisdom modifier + their proficiency bonus if they are proficient in perception. Perception uses wisdom ability score by default, so you should add that when figuring out your passive perception.

The easiest way to look at it, is that your character's Passive Perception score is calculated by adding 10 to their Wisdom (Perception) skill modifier. For example, if a character has a Wisdom modifier of +2, their Passive Perception would be 12 (10 + 2).

Generally, you can find the box for your passive perception on your character sheet. It’s below your base ability scores in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

Passive perception 5e gets a little complex when you factor in advantages or disadvantages. Characters rolling a skill check with an advantage can add +5 to their passive check or subtract -5 with a disadvantage. But in reality, passive perception is more of a dungeon master thing anyways, so it’s really nothing players need to worry about.

How Important Is Passive Perception?

I usually approach passive perception with a grain of salt... I would never say that passive perception 5e is so important, for example, that the party should have to worry about a TPK if they don't have high enough scores.

That being said, having a high Passive Perception score in D&D 5e is quite important for several reasons:

Detect hidden or obscured objects: A high Passive Perception score increases the likelihood of noticing hidden traps, secret doors, or other concealed objects in the environment. This can help prevent potentially dangerous or harmful situations.
Spot hidden enemies: A high Passive Perception score may allow characters to detect hidden or stealthy enemies before they have a chance to ambush or surprise the party. This can be crucial in combat encounters, as it gives characters a chance to prepare or strategize.
Gather information: A high Passive Perception score helps characters gather important information about their surroundings. They may notice subtle details such as strange markings, hidden symbols, or unusual sounds, which can provide clues or hints about the world or ongoing events.
Immersion and roleplaying: A high Passive Perception score can enhance the immersion and roleplaying aspects of the game. Characters with keen senses and high awareness are more likely to notice and interact with their environment, making the game world feel more alive and dynamic.

It's worth noting that while a high Passive Perception score is beneficial, it is not the only way to detect hidden or obscured creatures, items, or things.

Characters can still actively search for hidden objects or make perception checks when they suspect something is amiss, for example. Additionally, other abilities or spells, such as the spell " Detect Magic " or the Rogue class feature " Evasion ," can also aid in detecting hidden or magical objects or creatures.

It should also be obvious - but as a side note, passive perception is not something that works for single player DnD . That being said, you can always put traps, NPCs, adventure ideas into a jar, and roll for "passive perception" DC to see if your character notices something important.

Passive Perception 5e saves characters from the grim fate of Fireball traps...

20-Passive Perception Is Very Good

Generally, for an RPG campaign that’s well under way, a passive perception score of 20 is considered rock solid.

However, “good” passive perception really depends on what level your character’s currently at, and what you want your character to achieve. Getting to a passive perception score of 20 requires a high wisdom modifier, proficiency bonus, and taking the “Observant” feat.

15-Passive Perception is Usually Good Enough

Of course, I always want to have as high passive perception 5e as possible. But for me, a passive perception of 15 is “good enough,” for most campaigns.

I If you want to aim for 20 or even 32 passive perception, go for it! When it comes to D&D 5e though, you just really have to specialize to get to those kind of numbers.

For example, you can get to 32-passive perception if you have 20 wisdom (for +5), expertise for +12 at level 17, and the “Observant” feat for +5. Add these to your base 10, and you get 32-passive perception.

When you add up all these bonuses and really think about it, it’s not at all that easy to get a character to have 32-passive perception since you really have to give up a lot of otherwise valuable character perks to get there.

So, I recommend trying out 15-passive perception as a starting place, and see how that feels for your campaign.

How to Boost Your Passive Perception

There are several ways to increase your passive perception. I’ll start with these four primary options:

Have a high base wisdom modifier.
Take the “ Observant ” feat.
Gain proficiency in perception.
Increase your character’s wisdom modifier with magic items.

Note that you can (normally) boost your passive perception up to a maximum score of 32, which is absolutely crazy levels of perception.

Imagine what you can do with passive perception 5e of that magnitude. Basically, your character could notice every single detail about every single place, person, and environment they ever visit...

Let’s dive deeper into the three passive perception 5e boosters.

Wisdom Modifier

Your wisdom modifier is a critical factor in passive perception. The higher your wisdom modifier, the higher passive perception you can have.

To increase this, you can take a feat or assign ability score points every four levels. Classes like clerics and druids tend to have higher wisdom modifiers, meaning they’re more likely to get higher passive perception scores.

You can also select a race that provides a base Wisdom modifier bonus, such as a wood elf, halfling, or water genasi.

Observant Feat

The observant feat gives your character a +5 bonus to passive perception 5e and investigation rolls. It also gives slight boosts to intelligence and wisdom scores! Basically, there are three advantages to taking this feat:

Increase intelligence or wisdom by one, for each time you select this feat (to a maximum of 20).
Read lips and interpreting what a creature/ person is saying, even from a distance, and even if you can’t actually hear them.
Gain a +5 bonus to passive perception and investigation scores.

Skill Proficiency

Perhaps the best way to boost your passive perception in 5e is to ensure your proficiency in perception. Remember, you can always add your proficiency bonus to any check! Moreover, your proficiency bonus increases as you level up.

Proficiency bonus in 5e starts with a +2 and can go all the way up to +6. When it comes to passive perception, even a +2 is a big deal, while +6 is absolutely game-changing.

Magic Items

Finally, consider acquiring and equipping your character with items that can boost their wisdom score (and proficiency bonus, too). For example:

Ioun Stone of Mastery: sourced from the Dungeon Master’s Guide, this magic item adds a +1 proficiency bonus.
Deck of Many Things (Star): adds +1 to the ability score of your choice (up to a maximum of 24).
Tome of Clear Thought: adds +2 to wisdom.

Ondscioth had a Passive Perception of 16 - just barely high enough to notice the dimensional fangs located immediately below the "Dark Realm's" archway.

Classes That Benefit Most from Passive Perception 5e

Some classes benefit more from having a high passive perception score, than others. At the top of my list I’d include the Rogue and Bard, who both have the class feature, “Expertise,” which doubles the proficiency bonus awarded to their proficient skills.

Let’s play by the basic rules, and consider a max-level Bard or Rogue. Passive perception for a 20 ^th -level Bard could look like:

20 wisdom for +5.
The class feature, “Expertise,” for +12 at level 17.
The “Observant” feat for +5.
+5 from having advantage.
Add the base 10, totaling a passive perception of 37 (which actually goes far above the “normal” max passive perception of 32)!

Is Passive Perception the Most Important Passive Skill?

On basic DnD 5e character sheets, passive perception is actually the only passive skill. It’s the core mechanic for detecting environmental details, hidden creatures, secret doors, and more.

Having some degree of passive perception (again, a score of 15-20) is significantly important if you want your character to become a higher-level adventurer. It matters in many scenarios, and prevents a lot of encounters from becoming unduly dangerous.

However, depending on the D&D group you game with, the dungeon master may also have passive insight and/ or investigation checks. To me, these are basically the same as passive perception, which is probably “supposed” to be something like an umbrella mechanic.

If you have questions about passive skills for your campaign, it’s always just best to check in with your dungeon master on their preferred rules and methods.

Other Possible Passive Skill Checks

As the dungeon master, you can use passive perception 5e in other unique ways to make the game more interesting. Or alternatively, you may create other “passive” skill checks.

For example, you may allow players to use the following Skills, passively:

Feel magic nearby (Arcana).
Tell lies before a roll (Deception).
Gain knowledge on something examined (History and Religions).
Catch blatant lies (Insight).
Shut down minor confrontations (Intimidation).
Intuit complex machines (Investigation).
Recognize a monster (Nature).
Avoid getting lost (Survival).

As the Dungeon Master, I always note each player character's Passive Perception, as part of my pre-game prep.

Passive Perception vs Active Perception

Let’s differentiate more between a perception check and passive perception.

Perception is a skill that allows your character to see, hear, or detect. A perception check is something you inform the DM about and roll your d20 for. It’s not a magical spell; it’s something you just do.

On the other hand, passive perception 5e is passive, meaning you actually do it without rolling.

Passive perception 5e is always “enabled,” and your character always has it going regardless of your intent to check something.

Passive Perception Check Example

Let’s say I’m the DM, and the party has just entered a room without bad guys nearby. I can apply passive perception instead of having everyone roll to tell what they see in the room.

Depending on the player characters’ passive perception 5e scores, they may be able to detect the collapsing column traps I have planned for the room, and more.

Active Perception Check Example

Unlike with a passive perception check, a player might say something like, “I check the ornate chest for traps,” and roll a d20.

So, the rogue cautiously examines the ornate chest. They roll a perception check, hoping to spot any hidden mechanisms. With a result of 19, they notice a faint pressure plate beneath the chest, avoiding a potentially deadly trap.

Passive Perception vs Perception Check vs Investigation

There’s a lot of overlap between passive perception, active perception, and investigation. To make things easier, I always remember these two things:

Perception checks use a character’s active senses.
Investigation uses abstract abilities.

Perception checks also fall under wisdom, while investigation is intelligence-based.

With a perception check, players can – for example – see where something is out of place. With investigation, players can then put clues together to determine the location of that missing something.

When it comes to passive perception, it’s more about the character’s automatic ability of being always observant. It’s basically just a mechanic to emulate a person’s ability to see and notice details without actively searching for them.

Advantages of Using Passive Perception in Your Game

Passive perception 5e speeds up the game. For example, players don’t have to roll for passive perception, and dungeon masters don’t have to wait for those results.

Furthermore, passive perception allows DMs to keep secrets. Without this mechanic, your DM might ask everyone to make a perception check, tipping off the group that something big is about to happen. With a passive check, however, the group may get a big surprise.

Additionally, when individual players with high passive perception scores spot something like a group of goblins hiding in ambush, they can warn their allies and feel important that their character added something valuable to the group.

Basically, passive perception usage can protect players, and tip them off to upcoming quests , one-shot adventures , NPCs or characters , or even entire campaign story lines .

Passive Perception basically has unlimited use potential. In this dungeon, players were ambushed by a series of dragons who were all arctic, and had been hiding under the heavy snow fall...

When to Use Passive Perception

As a DM, I don’t often ask for a perception roll; in my experience, passive perception is enough. It’s often convenient to check passive perception stats, compare them to passive perception DC, and then narrate the game.

However, in some situations, characters are especially suited to perceive something they wouldn’t otherwise notice with a passive perception. So as the DM, I may give players a chance to roll for perception, actively.

Dungeon master discretion decides when to roll perception checks, but passive perception 5e is the norm. As a DM, I take note of every player’s passive perception to avoid revealing information.

Can “This” be Passively Noticed?

A good question to ask yourself when the need for player character perception arises is, “Why should I roll to detect something that players could already notice passively?”

I often use passive perception to skip excessive or unnecessary rolls, to speed up the game.

For example, if players are walking through a forest, and I have some hidden element planned for the encounter, I always ask myself if it’s possible for their character to notice it passively.

If the answer is “yes,” then there’s really no need for an active perception roll.

As the dungeon master for your group, you can use passive perception 5e in any scenario where passive searching and noticing are possible, and advantageous. As a DM, you must be aware of passive perception scores and use them wisely, as they improve the overall “flow” of your game.

Difficulty Classes for Passive Perception

If you’re the dungeon master for your group, understanding general DCs may help you decide what values to set for your gaming group in any given encounter.

Here’s a guide to setting DCs. More details on each difficulty level are provided, below:

Very Easy: DC5
Easy: DC10
Medium: DC15
Hard: DC20
Very Hard: DC25
Nearly Impossible: DC30

DCs guide Game Masters to determine how difficult checks should be. Just remember, if a player has a passive perception of 20, they can automatically pass “hard” checks.

Easy and Very Easy Checks

The DC of easy tasks is 10, meaning most characters have a passive perception that will automatically pass this check (along with “very easy” checks). The reason for this is that, as a reminder, the base passive perception score is 10.

However, if a character has a negative perception (or Wisdom modifier), they might fail to pass even “easy” passive perception checks.

Medium Checks

A DC of 15 requires higher proficiency, a bonus, or a combination of modifiers. It takes a lot of progress for a character to achieve a passive perception of 15.

If a player creates a wisdom-focused character, however, they can quickly get to this DC. A passive perception of 15 is already in what I would consider to be the “good enough” category of passive perception scores for probably an entire campaign.

Hard Checks

A DC of 20 is already the equivalent for a character of maxing out the wisdom modifier. Achieving a passive perception of 20 may also mean that the character also has a high proficiency bonus.

If you recall from earlier in the article, I rate a passive perception score of 20 as being in the “rock solid” category. Any character with a 20 can reasonable expect to save themselves from a literal ton of grief over the course of their campaign.

Very Hard and Nearly Impossible Checks

To achieve a passive perception score of 25+ requires the “Observant” feat, and quite a bit of specialization. It may be worth it for a single character in an adventuring group to max out, or nearly max out, their passive perception score in this way.

However, it certainly isn’t worthwhile for multiple characters in a group to do so.

It’s worth remembering that in games like DnD , difficulty levels are almost always on a bell curve.

For example, characters may face a few traps in their adventuring career with a DC of 10 or less. Then, they’ll come across a host of traps from DC 15-20. And finally, they’ll only come across a few traps above DC 25.

So, while it may take players a tremendous amount of effort to get their characters to attain a passive perception of 25 or more, the payoff may not be all that worthwhile, as the frequency of how often that high score will actually be utilized is likely to be quite low.

I usually don't let player characters die just because they failed a passive perception. But as the dungeon master, sometimes it's just part of the fun.

Examples of Passive Perception 5e Usage

The mechanic for passive perception 5e allow you and your gaming group to do the following, and more:

Detect secret doors.
Spot characters being pick-pocketed.
Detect traps.
See hidden or distant creatures.
Explore environments.

Maximize Passive Perception – as a Player

If you’re a player in your campaign, here are some tips to help you maximize your Passive Perception and make the most out of this important skill.

Invest in Your Passive Perception Score

Passive Perception is based on your Wisdom (Perception) skill modifier. Increasing your Wisdom score or taking proficiency in the Perception skill can significantly boost your Passive Perception.

Consider choosing a race or class that grants bonuses to Wisdom or Perception to further enhance your chances of noticing hidden details.

Be Mindful of Your Environment

Pay attention to description provided by the Dungeon Master. Take note of any hints, sounds, or visual cues that may indicate hidden objects or creatures. Keep in mind that Passive Perception is always active, so being observant of your surroundings can lead to valuable discoveries.

However, if you feel that your dungeon master may be hinting at something present in the environment but no further details are forthcoming, it may be time for an active perception check, just to be sure!

Collaborate with Your Party

Work together with your fellow players to cover more ground. Remember that so long as your party is adventuring together, really only one of you needs to have a high passive perception score.

You may consider talking with your party to determine which of you is best suited to optimize your passive perception score, allowing other characters in the group to specialize in other things.

Remember, even monsters have Passive Perception. Especially "boss" monsters/ villains, like Eladriana, the Lich Empress.

Maximize Passive Perception – as a Dungeon Master

As a Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons 5e, you play a crucial role in utilizing Passive Perception to create immersive and challenging gameplay. To keep track of things that require passive perception checks, I always recommend use of a DnD Campaign Planner .

That being said, here are some tips to help you maximize the use of Passive Perception in your campaigns, whether you're starting a new campaign , or adding to an existing one.

Set the Scene

When describing environments, be sure to include subtle details that may require a Passive Perception check. Mention the faint sound of dripping water, the faint glimmer of a hidden object, or the slight movement in the shadows.

These descriptions can prompt players to do more than rely on their Passive Perception, by engaging in an active check. More importantly, however, these small details enhance your players’ immersion into the game world, overall.

Vary DCs and Hidden Objects

Adjust the Difficulty Class (DC) for hidden objects or creatures based on their level of concealment or the importance of the discovery. This allows for a range of challenges, from easily spotted items to more elusive secrets that require higher Passive Perception scores.

Varying the DCs reminds players that investing in passive perception can be valuable, as those with higher scores are often “in-the-know” right away, while others have to wait for concealed information to be shared with them.

Use Passive Perception to Foreshadow

Passive Perception can be a powerful tool for foreshadowing upcoming events. By subtly hinting at hidden dangers or secrets through higher DCs, you can create an atmosphere of anticipation and curiosity.

This anticipation can build tension and excitement as players become more aware of potential threats or rewards lurking in the shadows.

Reward Observant Players

When a player's Passive Perception exceeds the DC for a hidden object or creature, reward their character with additional information or advantages. This can include providing extra details about the environment, granting advantage on subsequent checks, or even allowing them to take preemptive actions in combat encounters.

Rewarding attentive players encourages them to continue paying close attention to the game and reinforces the importance of being observant.

Give Monsters Passive Perception

Don't forget that the player's enemies can have passive perception, as well! Usually, I give my players the chance to roll for their stealth checks (or whatever they're trying to do), and then use that check's overall score as the DC for the passive perception of any nearby foes to try and beat.

Common Mistakes to Avoid about Passive Perception

Here are some common mistakes and misunderstandings to be aware of when it comes to passive perception, to make sure you get the most from this important mechanic in your game, while avoiding its pitfalls.

Passive Perception Replaces Active Perception Checks

One common misconception is that Passive Perception completely replaces the need for active perception checks. This is not true. Passive Perception represents a character's baseline awareness, but active perception checks are still necessary in situations where characters are actively searching or focusing their attention on something specific.

Passive Perception is Always Active

Another mistake is assuming that Passive Perception is constantly active, even during combat or when characters are engaged in other tasks.

Passive Perception is primarily used outside of combat, and when characters are not specifically searching for something. You have to imagine for situations like during combat, for example, characters may be heavily distracted by what’s happening in the moment, which is why passive perception usually “fades” during battle.

Just remember that the DM determines when Passive Perception is relevant, and when it is not, and that passive perception cannot be 100% relied upon at all times.

Passive Perception Detects Everything

Passive Perception is not a catch-all ability that detects every hidden object or creature, automatically. Instead, passive perception only detects things that the DM determines are within the character's perception range and surpass the Difficulty Class (DC) set for the hidden object or creature.

Passive Perception is Solely Based on Wisdom

While Passive Perception is calculated using the Wisdom (Perception) skill modifier, it's not the only factor that affects a character's awareness.

As I’ve covered in this article, class traits, feats, proficiency, magic items, and more also have a profound effect on passive perception, when utilized.

Passive Perception is the Same for All Characters

Each character has their own Passive Perception score, which is determined by their Wisdom (Perception) skill modifier, traits, proficiency, feats, and more.

Each character has their own unique level of passive perception, and just because one character doesn’t notice something when they visit a important-seeming dungeon room doesn’t mean that another character wouldn’t find something!

Passive Perception is Infallible

Passive Perception is a valuable tool, but it isn’t infallible. Passive perception represents a character's baseline awareness, but doesn't guarantee that the character will notice every hidden detail.

There may be situations where even characters with high Passive Perception scores fail to detect something due to exceptional concealment, magical effects, or other factors.

Basically, it's important to remember that D&D is meant to be a challenging and unpredictable game, so passive perception failings may actually be a tool used by the dungeon master in certain cases, to heighten an encounter’s sense of drama.

One of the most fun uses of Passive Perception is giving players access to hidden treasure boxes, and the like. Imagine someone's character finding and opening this oaken box of magical runes.

Happy Adventuring with Passive Perception

I know that’s a lot of info to take in. Really though, everything in D&D 5e is a lot to take in, at least until you get used to the game.

Passive perception 5e is the key to unlocking many hidden secrets in your tabletop adventure. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to passive perception, so don’t hesitate to ask your dungeon master or other players about it.

Most importantly, keep playing. Happy 5e adventuring!

Passively Perceive Eternity TTRPG

Made it this far? I'm glad you liked the article - or at least, I assume you did, having made it to the end.

Since you're here, did you know that Eternity TTRPG is also its own game system? Eternity strives to take the complex concepts of D&D and other TTRPGs and provide a rules-light roleplaying experience, while also giving an in-depth, strategic combat experience.

Want to check it out? You can read more about the Eternity TTRPG Game System , see the game's unique races , unique classes , and even purchase .

Starset RPG Game Review - Score: 85 / 100

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 22:50:45 GMT

Josiah Mork is definitely one of the up-and-coming TTRPG designers that you should be watching. Let me first say that Josiah did not pay me to create this review. Through our exchanges, he has become a friend of mine, though that does not affect my review of his game (as you'll see below, I do have some critiques).

We originally connected when I reviewed his first TTRPG: BaG (Basic and Generic) Role-Playing Game , which Kickstarted back in 2021. My take on BaG was that it was a solid game system, but not what I would consider to be amazing.

Now, fast forward a couple years, and Josiah asked me to review Starset: The Great Dimming. And let me tell you, what an improvement. If you’ve seen some of my other TTRPG Reviews , you’ll actually note that my score for Starset: The Great Dimming (at 85/100) makes it into my top-5 list of all time, just behind the Marvel Universe RPG , which I rank at 4th place.

In my opinion, Starset is actually a better overall game than longstanding TTRPG favorites such as Shadowrun , Savage Worlds , Zweihander (another grimdark TTRPG), and more. This may seem like a stretch, but read on to see why I think this top-5 placement for Starset is so well-deserved.

If you want, you can also check out the Starset Kickstarter page to get a feel for the game, while you read this review.

How Unique is Starset RPG: The Great Dimming: (9/10)

Every great modern TTRPG is both firmly rooted in the genre’s core concepts established by D&D, and yet also expands upon key components to improve player/ GM experience.

Starset: The Great Dimming hits these marks as it contains ideas that are somewhat standard to the TTRPG genre, while there are also parts that take common ideas in entirely new directions.

Character Creation

Probably the most brilliant part of Starset is character creation.

There are only 3-core stats (Toughness, Vitality, Movement) to player characters in Starset, and all three are actually originally determined by finding your character’s height and weight. I was honestly surprised by this, but it's also interesting to see an TTRPG tie stats to something like character appearance.

Once core stats are determined, the next major part of character creation are “plot choices.” When creating a character, you're given a series of 4-15 choices you select, from essentially a random list of backstory prompts. Based on the prompt, you make a choice, which then shapes your character’s Skills, maybe your core stats a bit, and your character’s “Keywords.”

Keywords are like “Perks” or even “Feats” in other games, in that they give your character bonuses to skills, etc. or sometimes negative effects.

Taking your character’s “plot choices” and “keywords” into the game lets any player – even and especially those new to the TTRPG genre – start an RPG campaign with a nearly fully-fleshed out backstory that actively affects your character’s stats and skills.

Character Leveling

As if character creation wasn’t enough, I also love the Starset leveling system - at least as far as gaining XP goes (I do have some critiques, later, about the overall progression/ lack of options with leveling up).

Most times that you’re making a skill check (which is all the time), you’ll be rolling more than 3-dice at a time. I mention this because if you happen to roll 3-dice that land on the same number – for any roll – you get +1XP.

I’ve always enjoyed the idea that the more your character “does” something, the better they get at that activity. So, it was really fun for me taking on missions or trying to complete tasks, and naturally "leveling up" while doing so.

Dice Pools

Much like the Cypher System , in Starset, your character has a dice pool that also functions as HP.

Every turn, your character replenishes their dice pool up to their maximum value, and those dice can be “spent” on performing actions to increase your likelihood of success.

If your character takes injuries (or becomes fatigue through additional exertion), the number of dice replenished to your pool decreases each round. If you ever take enough damage that you can’t replenish your dice pool to at least 1, your character dies.

This is obviously a close idea to Monte Cook’s Cypher System rules, but with some unique spin on it. This kind of dice pool/ HP usage is also very rare among TTRPGs, so definitely counts towards being a unique strength of the system.

It also doesn’t hurt that the way Starset uses dice pools is very clear, easy-to-use, and does not obstruct the game’s flow in any way.

How Easy is it to Learn to Play Starset RPG: (10/10)

Compared to Josiah's first game, BaG RPG, which only had a 55-page rulebook, I was at first a little concerned by Starset, which comes in at 271-pages. However, the core rules to play Starset RPG only requires reading about 4-chapters (roughly 53-pages) and a lot of those pages are taken up by charts and artwork.

As you'll see, my impression with Starset RPG is that the game is very easy to learn and teach to new players.

Character Creation

Back to generating characters – I love games where I can create a new character in under 15-minutes.

Do you know how many TTRPGs let you create characters in under 15-minutes? Pretty much none.

In that list, and along with Starset, I’d include BaG, maybe Cypher System if you kind of know what you’re doing, Eternity TTRPG , and that’s pretty much it. I realize that if you've been playing D&D or Pathfinder for your entire life, maybe you too could make a character in 15-minutes. But I'm talking about picking up a game for the first time, and still hitting that 15-minute mark. So no, D&D doesn't make the cut, here.

Additionally, the amount of immersive character-building you actually dive into during your 15-minutes of character creation with Starset RPG is unmatched. It’s easy, fast, and compelling, which is why I give this section a solid 10/10.

Gameplay and Skill Checks

Pretty much all of Starset RPG game is played using skill checks. Whether you’re investigating a break-in, conversing with an NPC, or attacking someone, you’re rolling one of the game’s many Skills to see what happens.

I would say that Skills in Starset RPG take the place of “core stats” in most other games. I think Starset's "Skills" are well-defined and clearly labelled, leading to clear gameplay.

When it comes to Skill Checks, you basically just roll a number of d6 to see if you get enough “checks” to succeed at whatever task your character’s attempting. Nothing really unique here, but it’s easy to understand, and it keeps the game moving at a quick pace.

Starset Presentation: (8/10)

I really like Josiah’s graphic design and layout choices for Starset RPG, and I think this game is a bit of an improvement over BaG, which I also like.

The graphics on the front and back cover, as well as the page borders throughout the text work very well. There’s definitely a unique “style” to Starset that makes the book feel both complete, and at home in the Sci-Fi genre.

I have to mention though that there are font choices in the book that are very difficult to read. If you sometimes have trouble reading small or partially-blurred text, you may not love all of the font choices in Starset RPG, to be honest.

As a “grimdark RPG,” I think the somewhat messy font actually makes sense for the game, thematically. However, there are places such as Pg.9 where the bolded text is almost too runny, or Pg.10 (in the bottom left corner) where the white text actually runs into a white background of oblivion (I think this issue was fixed in the PDF).

These issues are relatively small and did not affect my overall love of the game; they were more like small occasional annoyances.

Starset: The Great Dimming Lore: (10/10)

The lore for Starset: The Great Dimming makes me think of Starcraft , but if there were only humans. It’s gritty, dark, futuristic, and provides a deep dive into space exploration, survival on the fringe of civilization, and all kinds of related topics.

I especially enjoyed the various Factions presented in the game’s lore, their leaders, and basically everything provided in the chapter on “The Solar System,” which thoroughly details organizations, faction motivation, rumors around the universe, and so much more.

As the game master (known as the “Overlord” in Starset), I felt that there was more than enough material provided to create epic game sessions without needing to spend too much time in the game's preparation.

The core rulebook's lore is well laid-out and explained, and genuinely interesting.

Combat in Starset RPG: (6/10)

As with BaG, I think that Starset isn’t really created for the power gamer (like me) who loves combat. Or rather, combat isn’t emphasized in incredibly unique or exciting ways.

Really, this is only the major criticism I have about Starset. So, if you don’t care a whole lot about having a fully developed combat system in your game, then ignore this section.

However, if like me, you really enjoy nuance and strategy in combat, then you may feel the need to supplement your Starset experience in some way, such as with homebrew rules. Personally, I'm just hoping for some supplemental material to Starset RPG in the future that specifically expands combat.

How Combat Works

As mentioned earlier in this review, every action in Starset RPG comes down to a Skill Check resolution, which includes combat.

If my character attacks with a rifle, I’d make a “Weapon (Ranged)” Skill Check, adding in any bonus dice I’d like from my character’s dice pool (up to a total of 5). I'd then add in modifiers to the attack from my weapon, which say adds another +4.

If my total “checks” from my dice rolls equal or exceed my target value, then I hit. That action then becomes a “Floating Action,” which actually resolves at the end of the target character’s upcoming turn.

Then, the defending character has the option to use their turn to try and “Dodge” the attack, or something similar that would otherwise reduce its damage. Basically, same process, and the degree to which they succeed reduces my degrees of success, and damage dealt.

Combat Skill Outcomes

So, that’s pretty much it. In my group’s experience, the Starset combat system ended up mostly being one character attacking, and then the attacked character spending their turn defending themselves.

Afterwards, the same character would attack again, and the same defending character would spend their turn trying not to die... again. Or, if they had a large enough dice pool, they’d also make a counterattack of their own, using the same simple attack/ defend process.

My Wishlist

I love that combat in Starset is very streamlined and fast paced. In addition to those great traits, however, my wishlist for a future version of Starset RPG includes:

An expansion of weapons with unique traits.
Some kind of unique powers or combat maneuvers that provide additional layers of strategy, but still keep combat simple.
“Keywords” from your character’s backstory that provide or enhance your character’s unique power or combat maneuvers.

Combat is the one big piece of Starset RPG: The Great Dimming keeping it from being even higher up on the list of best TTRPGs of all time.

Starset RPG Game “Flow”: (9/10)

Starset RPG “flows” smoothly, from character creation through actual play during the game’s session. Overall, Starset is a “rules-light,” classless RPG system, that provides a framework for campaign setting, character backstories, and skill/ knowledge/ combat resolution.

I tend to favor game systems that are light on rules. Many TTRPGs come with dense game manuals that require players to double-check rules quite frequently during the game - which, in my opinion, is why many TTRPG players come up with their own in-house rules meant to simplify the games they play.

In any case, I do think that Starset RPG: The Great Dimming is probably a little bit too light on rules/ game systems – even for my tastes.

What’s Missing

Take this section with a grain of salt, as I am giving Starset RPG: The Great Dimming a 9/10 when it comes to overall game “flow.”

However, if you recall what I mentioned before, Starset RPG doesn’t offer much meat and potatoes when it comes to combat. When it comes to overall game sessions and character progression, I actually feel basically the same...

There isn’t anything “wrong” with Starset RPG. There just isn’t anything inherently engaging about the game once you get past character creation, lore, and the cool way that skill checks resolve.

What I mean is that most TTRPGs have a progression system that naturally leads campaigns to build in intensity over time:

In D&D, players gain levels, which provide unique and powerful abilities/ spells based on the character’s class.
In Cypher System, you increase your character’s stats and gain unique “Cyphers” that provide you with interesting game options and powers.
In Star Wars, you gain Force Powers, etc.

I would love to see Starset adds in more level-up options/ ways to use XP in the future, such as:

The ability to create/ improve NPC importance (and have NPC importance do more than just be a reminder for GMs to use those NPCs in game sessions).
The ability to add desired keywords (and have more keywords in the game – especially those that count as unique “powers” of some kind, for both in and out of combat).
The ability to increase (or even decrease) your reputation with desired factions, without needing to resort to keywords (and to have that reputation have more "in-game" meaning or value).
The ability to add more than 5-dice to a skill check, to make your character truly god-like at certain skills, etc.
The ability to increase your character's Toughness, Vitality, and Movement (your character's core stats).

What it boils down to is that I want something within Starset RPG's rules that I feel like I’m “endeavoring towards,” aside from just the campaign story that the GM is creating. I get that Starset is a grimdark RPG, and so it is weighted more towards realism and somewhat frail characters.

But even so, I want to have my character be able to "do" more in the game, both as a matter of abilities/ powers, and their capacity to affect the game's world.

Artwork: (5/10)

I don’t mean this in a negative way, but Starset RPG: The Great Dimming clearly makes use of AI artwork. I know this is a hotly-debated topic right now, and I won't weight in too much about AI art overall. I'm just pointing out that Starset makes use of quite a bit of AI art.

Some pieces look kind of odd, as AI art (as of the date of this article) still struggle with making human-looking art. With most of Starset’s art though, I think it is kind of nice to have as it breaks up the text, and makes the book look quite presentable.

With up-and-coming TTRPGs, I also never expect too much in the way of artwork. New TTRPGs often can’t afford a professional artist who can create multiple high-quality pieces, after all.

Starset has done really quite well as a Kickstarter game, but never aimed for high-quality artwork, anyways. I can appreciate that, and the game’s overall experience is certainly good despite the lack of full-color, human-made artwork.

Ease of Purchase: (10/10)

Starset is extremely easy to purchase. You can find it on the Hoodwink games website, and find information on it at the and Kickstarter page.

Price & How Many Books Do You Need to Play: (10/10)

Starset: The Great Diming has a player manual PDF price of $15, or complete core print for $40. For a core rulebook that’s over 200-pages, those are great prices to have.

I also enjoy that to play Starset, you only need the one core rulebook. Everything from player information to GM (Overlord) information is contained within.

Ease of Starting a Group & Availability of Supplemental Material: (8/10)

At this time – to the best of my knowledge – there are not any supplemental materials for Starset RPG. Hoodwink Games does offer a “Player’s Manual” and “Universe Manual” that are separate from the core rulebook, but those are actually pieces of the core rulebook split out into separate guides, and not their own unique books.

If you’re thinking of trying out Starset: The Great Dimming, I can confidently say that you can bring this game to any group of people – even those new to TTRPGs – and have a great time. The game’s easy to pick up, fast-paced, and provides tons of interesting setting material.

I’m personally hoping for more supplemental material from the game in the future (particularly for combat and level-up progressions).

Starset RPG: The Great Dimming is Produced By:

Josiah Mork – Hoodwink Games

Eladrin 5e – D&D 5th Edition Race

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 21:26:08 GMT

We all know Legolas from The Lord of the Rings. We’ve journeyed with Link from the Legend of Zelda. And, we’ve said “Dobby is a free elf” every time the scene comes on in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Am I geeking out over some of the most aweso me elve s ever ? I am! Elves are some of the coolest creatures in fantasy, and I can’t get enough of them, especially in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.

Well, I can’t get enough of anything about DnD. And because I think elves are cool, I keep letting Eladrin 5e influence my DnD choices. They make DnD ca mpaigns more colorful, adventurous, and exciting. The Eladrin are elves who traveled to the Feywild after being banished from Arborea. Who are they, and should you let them join in your next campaign ?

Before the fey forests of Lormuda fell, the half-human/ half-eladrin town of Bretelsenphar was a favorite stop among travelers.

Eladrin 5e Traits

Are the Eladrin 5e just moody, shapeshifting elves that join an adventure? While this idea seems fun, Eladrin gives more than that to the table. They have a range of traits and abilities that make them incredibly powerful in any given situation.

Like the Warforged 5e , the Eladrin are a very unique race in D&D. They're underplayed (in my opinion), and offer some really fun gameplay options.

In Mordenkainen Presents: Monster s of the Mult iverse , Eladrin have the following traits:

Ability Score Increase

As an Eladrin 5e you get to increase your Charisma score by 1 and Dexterity by 2, which can be helpful for virtually every class. Also, since the Eladrin is a subrace of elves, the majority of the traits of elves are shared.

However, the eladrin do get some very special traits that make them quite powerful.

Eladrin 5e Fey Step

Playing an Eladrin is like enjoying a gift that keeps on giving, which starts with Fey Step (which is similar to Misty Step ):

As a bonus action , you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

When you reach 3rd level, your Fey Step gains an additional effect based on your Eladrin season (mentioned immediately below); if the effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8+ your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier.

Of course, the season comes into play here, too. Depending on the Eladrin’s season, they gain different abilities regarding Fey Step:

Autumn Eladrin: Right after you use your Fey Step, up to two creatures of your choice (that you can see within 10 feet) must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for a minute or until you or your companions deal any damage to them.
Winter Eladrin: One creature of your choice (that you can see within 5 feet) before you teleport must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Spring Eladrin: You can touch one willing creature within 5 feet of you, and that creature teleports instead of you. They can appear in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 30 feet.
Summer Eladrin: Every creature of your choice (that you can see within 5 feet) takes fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier. The minimum is 1 damage.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Having darkvision in D&D 5e can be highly advantageous for a character. It provides a tactical advantage in combat, allows you to navigate, and of course, is particularly useful in stealth or ambush situations.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the Eladrin darkvision trait also counteracts magical darkness effects.

Fey Ancestry

You have an advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the ch arm ed condition on yourself.

Mind control and charm effects are quite common in DnD 5e, so being able to resist them is a great safeguard. Charm immunity can also benefit the entire party. An eladrin character can provide a reliable anchor within the group, as someone who cannot be charmed or manipulated by enemies or NPCs. This can help maintain cohesion, prevent internal conflicts, and ensure the party remains focused on their goals.

Oftentimes, the greatest adversary to the party is one of their own, who’s been persuaded or even controlled by some villain in the campaign.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Trance

You don’t need to sleep; magic can’t put you to sleep. You can complete a long rest in four hours in trance-like meditation while retaining consciousness. After the trance, you can change your season and gain two proficiencies you don’t have, as well as a weapon or tool of your choice for each. You draw and acquire these proficiencies from shared elven memory and retain them until your next trance.

Get Some Eladrin Magic at the Eternity TTRPG Shop!

Best Classes for Eladrin 5e

The Eladrin in 5e are incredibly versatile, which makes for a great number of possible class choices which can be powerful.

When playing an Eladrin, I personally I always choose the Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, or Ranger classes. These classes make fantastic options, and are quite fun. However, I’d say that with the additional +2Dexterity, and racial trait to Fey Step, pretty much any class could be combined with Eladrin 5e.

Eladrin are the kind of race that makes playing a class-based RPG fun - especially because of the interesting ways you can play them, when factoring in their "seasonal" aspects.

Eladrin 5e Artificer

In D&D 5e, an Eladrin Artificer can be a strong and interesting character choice.

Eladrin have several racial traits that synergize well with the Artificer class. Their Ability Score Increase (+2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma) boosts key Artificer abilities, such as ranged attacks and spellcasting.

The Eladrin’s unique trait "Seasonal Benefits" grants benefits such as temporary hit points, charm resistance, teleportation, or bonus damage. This flexibility adds versatility and adaptability to an Eladrin Artificer's toolkit.

Eladrin Artificer Playstyles

When choosing a subclass for an Eladrin Artificer, two options stand out.

Artillerist: The Artillerist subclass focuses on ranged damage and creating magical turrets. Eladrin Artificers can use their Fey Step ability to quickly reposition themselves and their turrets, gaining tactical advantage. The Artillerist's Enhanced Arcane Focus feature also complements the Eladrin's natural spellcasting abilities.
Battle Smith: The Battle Smith subclass emphasizes melee combat and the bonding of a magical steel defender companion (by the way, use this to avoid a TPK ). Eladrin Artificers can use their Fey Step ability to quickly engage or disengage from melee combat, providing mobility and positioning advantages. The Battle Smith's Extra Attack feature and Steel Defender's assistance make for a potent combination.

When choosing a subclass, consider whether you prefer ranged damage and control (Artillerist) or melee combat and support (Battle Smith).

Eladrin Barbarian

In D&D 5e, an Eladrin Barbarian can be a unique and powerful character choice.

The Eladrin racial traits benefit a Barbarian to some degree, though perhaps not optimally. The Ability Score Increases (+2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma) enhance a Barbarian's AC, initiative, and... social skills. So, yes, the Eladrin is a bit charming as far as barbarians normally go.

The Eladrin Fey Step ability providies both mobility and tactical advantage in combat and exploration. Obviously, barbarians like to be right next to their foes, and the Fey Step ability puts them right where they need to be, even if the enemy is atop a cliff, behind a wall, or even across a chasm.

Eladrin Barbarian Playstyles

When choosing a subclass for an Eladrin Barbarian, two options stand out:

Path of the Berserker: The Path of the Berserker focuses on pure rage and relentless assault. Since the Eladrin's seasonal benefits can provide additional bonuses to damage or resistance, enhancing the Barbarian's already formidable combat abilities which emphasize both attack and defense, the path of the berserker makes for a truly stat-heavy barbarian build.
Path of the Totem Warrior: The Path of the Totem Warrior allows Barbarians to tap into the spiritual power of animal totems. Eladrin Barbarians can choose to align their totem with their seasonal benefits, creating interesting thematic and mechanical combinations. For example, an Eladrin Barbarian with the Winter seasonal benefit could choose the Bear Totem, gaining resistance to all damage except psychic while raging.

If you enjoy relentless offense and dealing massive damage, the Path of the Berserker is a great choice. If you prefer a more versatile and durable approach, the Path of the Totem Warrior offers a range of options to suit different situations.

Eladrin Bard

In D&D, an eladrin 5e bard can be a very strong and versatile character. The Eladrin’s +2 bonus to Dexterity improves initiative and AC, while the +1 bonus to Charisma is excellent, as it is the primary ability score for bard spell casting. Not to mention that most bards, already having high charisma, tend to be the “face” of the party in social interactions, so the bonus is most welcome.

For Bards, the Fey Step is most beneficially used for escaping danger, or reaching allies in need to support them.

Eladrin Bard Playstyles

When it comes to choosing a bard subclass for an eladrin, it largely depends on your preferred playstyle and the role you want to fulfill within the party:

1. College of Lore: This subclass grants additional skills, more magical secrets, and the ability to use Cutting Words to hinder enemy attacks and abilities. It excels at versatility, knowledge, and support, taking advantage of the Eladrin’s great mobility.

2. College of Glamour: This subclass focuses on enchantment and charm magic, allowing you to manipulate emotions, inspire allies, and control crowds. It also provides unique abilities like Mantle of Inspiration, which grants temporary hit points and movement to your allies.

3. College of Whispers: This subclass emphasizes espionage, deception, and infiltration. It offers features like Psychic Blades, which allow you to deal extra damage with your weapon attacks, and the ability to steal the memories of your foes. The +2Dexterity bonus from Eladrin also help make use of the stealth-like traits of this subclass.

Eladrin Cleric

As with the bard, an Eladrin cleric enjoys some extra AC and initiative from their bonus to Dexterity. Additionally, the Fey Step ability, of course, can be used for offenses or defense. As a last-line-of-defense type class, having a cleric character who can escape enemies so that the party can continue to benefit from healing and concentration effects is very valuable.

The various domains available to clerics can make for interesting interactions with the Eladrin seasons. The more you enjoy roleplaying as part of your D&D game, probably the more you’d enjoy playing an Eladrin cleric.

Eladrin 5e Druid

As with all classes, the Eladrin druid benefits greatly from the Fey Step racial trait. Since druids can be played in so many different ways (spell caster, fighter-type, tank, etc.) this ability can be great for repositioning on the battlefield, whether it be to escape danger, reach allies in need, chase down enemies, or what have you.

As I’ve mentioned for other classes, bonus Dexterity is always welcome since it provides an initiative boost and AC increase. With the variety of ways that druids can play, it’s useful to have the increase to both defenses and speed of play.

Eladrin 5e Druid Playstyles

Here are a few subclass options to consider:

Circle of the Land: This subclass focuses on deepening your connection to a specific terrain type, such as forests, deserts, or mountains. It grants additional spells and abilities related to your chosen terrain, enhancing your exploration and survival capabilities. All of these roleplay cues fit in perfectly with the Eladrin 5e of course, especially with their affinities with the seasons.
Circle of the Moon: This subclass emphasizes shapeshifting and wild shape abilities. It allows you to transform into more powerful creatures earlier than other druids. Again, you can also customize how your creatures look and act, based on your Eladrin’s “season,” which provides another set of fun roleplay opportunities.
Circle of Dreams: This subclass emphasizes healing, support, and manipulation of the Feywild. It offers features like Healing Spirit, which allows you to heal multiple creatures over time, and the ability to create a magical sanctuary for rest and recuperation. If you want to utilize Fey Step and your extra AC to provide support and healing to your party, then Circle of Dreams is a good choice to go with.

On the outskirts of Bretelsenphar was an Eladrin Druid's Grove, where mushrooms grew to the size of trees.

Eladrin Fighter

You’ll hear me mention this over and over again, but the Eladrin Fey Step ability is a real winner. Other than the ability for your Eladrin 5e Fighter to instantly teleport next to any enemies you’re trying to reach though, there isn’t anything particularly great about this race/ class combination.

Yes, the +2Dexterity bonus is helpful, but there are much better race combinations with Fighter than what Eladrin can provide.

If you really want to play an Eladrin Fighter though, you may consider specializing with a ranged weapon, such as a longbow. Then, you could use your Fey Step trait to escape enemies.

Eladrin Fighter Playstyles

Let’s take a look at the Fighter Subclass options you may want to play as an Eladrin:

Battle Master: This subclass focuses on tactical combat maneuvers and versatility. It provides a variety of maneuvers that allow you to add extra damage, impose conditions, or protect allies. It is a good choice for those who enjoy strategic decision-making and flexibility in combat.
Eldritch Knight: This subclass combines martial prowess with limited spellcasting abilities. It allows you to choose spells from the wizard spell list, enhancing your versatility and giving you access to utility or defensive spells. It is a good choice for those who want to add a touch of magic to their martial abilities, and of course fits well overall with the Eladrin “elf” theme.
Samurai: This subclass emphasizes precision strikes, resilience, and self-discipline. It offers features like Fighting Spirit, which grants temporary hit points and advantage on weapon attack rolls, and the ability to regain hit points by meditating. It is a good choice for those who want to embody the disciplined warrior archetype. I often think of this class as being somewhat similar to what you see from the elves in Lord of the Rings – not culturally, of course, but in terms of their steadfastness and precise, coordinated fighting style.

Eladrin 5e Monk

A high Dexterity score is crucial for a monk's AC, attack rolls, damage, and ability to avoid damage. As a monk, you can use your Dexterity score in place of Strength when making unarmed strikes, or when using Monk weapons – and that goes for both attack rolls and damage rolls. So, Eladrin Monks have a big advantage.

I also feel like since Eladrin and elves don’t technically sleep, but rather go into a trance/ meditative state for 4-hours as their long rest, the monk aesthetic works rather well for them.

Eladrin 5e Monk Playstyles

Here are a few subclass options to consider:

Way of the Open Hand: This subclass focuses on unarmed combat mastery and battlefield control. It offers features like Open Hand Technique, which allows you to impose various effects on your foes, such as knocking them prone or pushing them away. It is a good choice for those who want to excel in hand-to-hand combat and crowd control.
Way of Shadow: This subclass emphasizes stealth, deception, and the manipulation of darkness. It provides features like Shadow Step, which allows you to teleport through shadows and gain advantage on your next attack. It is a good choice for those who want to embody the stealthy, ninja-like archetype that the monk class in 5e allows someone to play.
Way of the Four Elements: This subclass grants access to elemental-themed abilities and spells. It allows you to channel the power of fire, water, earth, and air, which synergizes really well with the Eladrin “seasons,” and allows you to unleas devastating attacks and defensive maneuvers. It is a good choice for those who want to add a touch of elemental magic to their martial arts, and fits well for the naturally-magical Eladrin race.

Eladrin Paladin

In D&D 5e, an eladrin paladin can be a strong and compelling character choice. Since Eladrin receive a +1 bonus to their Charisma score, which is the primary ability score for paladins, they have mildly enhanced spellcasting ability. Also, their effectiveness in social interactions, and their ability to use their Divine Smite feature is improved.

Additionally, they receive a +2 bonus to their Dexterity score, which can improve their AC and initiative, and – wait for it – Fey Step is really good for repositioning on the battlefield, closing the gap with enemies, or escaping dangerous situations; it enhances the mobility and versatility of eladrin paladins.

Eladrin Paladin Playstyles

When it comes to choosing a paladin subclass for an eladrin, it largely depends on your preferred playstyle, the role you want to fulfill within the party, and the tenets of your character's oath. Here are a few subclass options to consider:

Oath of Devotion: This subclass focuses on honor, justice, and protection. It offers features like Sacred Weapon, which allows you to enhance your weapon with radiant energy, and the ability to turn the undead. It is a good choice for those who want to embody the classic knightly archetype.
Oath of the Ancients: This subclass emphasizes nature, preservation, and the defense of light against darkness. It provides features like Channel Divinity: Nature's Wrath, which allows you to ensnare enemies with grasping vines, and the ability to resist magical aging, though that shouldn’t really be a concern for an Eladrin. It is a good choice for those who want to embody a connection to the natural world and the forces of good, which could fit in with some very unique Eladrin backstory.
Oath of Vengeance: This subclass focuses on retribution, righteous fury, and the pursuit of justice against evildoers. It offers features like Channel Divinity: Vow of Enmity, which grants advantage on attack rolls against a specific enemy, and the ability to move swiftly towards your foes. It is a good choice for those who want to play a paladin driven by a personal vendetta or a desire for justice. Most of the paladins that I see played are oath of vengeance, so it’s definitely a popular build, regardless of what race you’re playing.

Eladrin 5e Ranger

Eladrin 5e rangers are basically like saying you’re Legolas from Lord of the Rings. Eladrin Rangers fit in so naturally together, especially given the Eladrin “season” trait, that it’s practically a must to play at some point in your D&D gaming career.

The Eladrin +2Dexterity bonus is hugely valuable for the Ranger class, and imagine using the Fey Step trait to escape into dense forest foliage, or to suddenly ambush from an outcropping of rocks. You know – all elven ranger-like.

Eladrin 5e Ranger Playstyles

Here are a few subclass options to consider:

Hunter: This subclass focuses on combat prowess and versatility. It offers features like Colossus Slayer, which allows you to deal extra damage to wounded foes, and the ability to choose additional hunter's prey options. It is a good choice for those who want to excel in combat and tracking. Choose this subclass if you want to emphasize the nature/ seasonal affinity side of your Eladrin Ranger.
Beast Master: This subclass emphasizes a bond with an animal companion. It allows you to choose a beast companion that fights alongside you and gains its own unique abilities. It is a good choice for those who want to have a loyal animal partner and prefer a more pet-focused playstyle.
Horizon Walker: This subclass focuses on planar travel and dealing with threats from other planes of existence. It provides features like Planar Warrior, which allows you to deal extra damage and bypass resistances, and the ability to teleport between planes. It is a good choice for those who want to explore the multiverse and have a unique connection to planar energies. Choose this subclass if you want to emphasize the magic side of your Eladrin Ranger.

Eladrin Rogue

Eladrin 5e rogues are actually amazing. Rogues need lots of Dexterity (check), Charisma for when they’re caught (check), and... Fey Step! To pass over traps, get through checkpoints undetected, ascend steep cliffs to attack ranged enemies, and naturally, to suddenly appear behind someone peacefully enjoying dinner (probably from the rafters), with a dagger in hand.

Just. Fey Step. Over and over. You’ll love it.

Eladrin Rogue Playstyles

Rogues have some interested subclass choices that all work pretty well with Eladrin:

Arcane Trickster: As an eladrin, you already have a connection to the Feywild, making the Arcane Trickster subclass a flavorful choice. This subclass combines rogue abilities with spellcasting, allowing you to use enchantment and illusion spells to deceive, distract, and manipulate your enemies.
Swashbuckler: If you enjoy being a charismatic and agile duelist, the Swashbuckler subclass can be a great fit. Eladrin's bonus to Charisma can enhance your social interactions, and the Swashbuckler's Fancy Footwork and Rakish Audacity features allow you to engage in one-on-one combat with finesse.
Scout: The Scout subclass is well-suited for those who prefer a more mobile and survival-focused playstyle. With the Skirmisher ability, you can move away from enemies without provoking opportunity attacks, and the Superior Mobility feature grants you extra movement speed. Combine this with... Fey Step... have I mentioned this enough yet? ...to have better movement than probably anyone or anything in the entire campaign.

Eladrin Sorcerer

The Eladrin’s +1Charisma ability score increases is a perfect for a sorcerer, as Charisma is their primary spellcasting ability. Also, it’s nice as a spell caster to have bonus Dexterity to improve AC and help with the all-important Dexterity saving throws.

Aside from Fey Step, Eladrin have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and they cannot be put to sleep by magic. This racial trait can provide valuable protection against certain spells and magical effects that could hinder a sorcerer, and though the effects are somewhat rare to be hit with, I do feel like having a spell caster that can charm others, but never be charmed, is a huge advantage for just about any campaign.

Eladrin Sorcerer Playstyles

Here are a few popular options for 5e Sorcerer subclasses:

Divine Soul: The Divine Soul subclass allows you to tap into both your sorcerous magic and divine powers. As an eladrin, you already have a connection to the Feywild, and the Divine Soul can enhance this connection further. This subclass grants you access to a wider range of spells, including those from the cleric spell list, providing versatility and support options.
Shadow Magic: If you want to embrace the mysterious and dark side of the Feywild, the Shadow Magic subclass can be a great choice. This subclass allows you to manipulate shadows and darkness, granting you abilities like Hound of Ill Omen and Shadow Walk (it feels just a little like having a second Fey Step). It can be a flavorful and powerful option for an eladrin sorcerer.
Wild Magic: The Wild Magic subclass is known for its unpredictability and chaotic nature. If you want to embody the wild and ever-changing essence of the Feywild, this subclass can be a fun choice. It introduces a random element to your spellcasting, with the potential for wild surges that can have both positive and negative effects. It’s also a great way to emphasize your “seasonal” nature as an Eladrin.

Some new minis we got for our game, ready to be painted. I think I see what will become an Eladrin (or two) in this batch.

Eladrin 5e Warlock

I don’t honestly have anything to share here that wasn’t the exact same for an Eladrin Sorcerer. Everything that makes an Eladrin sorcerer good are the same things that make an Eladrin Warlock good. The only difference is that an Eladrin Warlock may be a little more “Drow-like” with their dark pacts and evil vibes, but the actual style of play is very similar.

Maybe I will add in that warlocks tend to be a little tanky/ hard to kill, so as a fragile Eladrin spell casting character (“fragile” said with a little bit of sarcasm), it is helpful to have a caster class that adds some toughness back in to the mix.

Eladrin 5e Warlock Playstyles

More than anything, the Warlock subclasses are what can make an Eladrin Warlock character really come together:

Archfey: The Archfey subclass aligns well with the eladrin's connection to the Feywild. This subclass focuses on enchantment and illusion magic, granting you access to spells that can charm and manipulate others. The Misty Escape (think of Fey Step again) and Beguiling Defenses features can provide additional survivability and control in combat.
Celestial: If you want to tap into the celestial powers of the Feywild, the Celestial subclass can be an interesting choice. This subclass grants you healing abilities and radiant damage spells, allowing you to support your allies while still dealing damage. The Healing Light and Celestial Resilience features can provide additional survivability and utility.
Hexblade: While not directly tied to the Feywild, the Hexblade subclass can still be a strong option for an eladrin warlock in general, though honestly, maybe not the best for an Eladrin. This subclass focuses on melee combat and weapon mastery, granting you the ability to bond with a powerful sentient weapon. The Hexblade's Curse and Accursed Specter features can enhance your damage output and provide additional battlefield control.

Eladrin Wizard

In D&D 5e, an eladrin wizard can be a strong and fascinating choice. I mean, we are talking about an elven wizard here, the peak of the peak spell casters. Add in the Eladrin’s +2Dexterity (for AC and initiative bonus), resistance to magical charm and sleep effects, and general feywild/ magic vibes, and you’ve got a winning combination that also makes a lot of sense from a roleplaying perspective.

Keep haste up and slap on some mage armor 5e , and your Eladrin Wizard will be a powerhouse.

Eladrin Wizard Playstyles

Pretty much any Wizard subclass makes sense for an Eladrin. Personally, I’d go for spells and a subclass that plays up the “seasonal” nature of my Eladrin character, and that emphasize which season I’m currently in:

School of Enchantment: The School of Enchantment subclass aligns well with the eladrin's connection to the Feywild. This subclass focuses on enchantment magic, allowing you to charm and manipulate others. The Hypnotic Gaze and Alter Memories features can provide control and versatility in social and combat situations.
School of Divination: If you enjoy manipulating fate and foreseeing the future, the School of Divination can be a great choice. This subclass grants you abilities to manipulate dice rolls and gain glimpses of future events. The Portent and Expert Divination features can provide additional utility and strategic advantage in various situations.
School of Evocation: The School of Evocation is a classic choice for wizards who want to specialize in dealing damage with their spells. While not directly tied to the Feywild, eladrin's affinity for magic can enhance their destructive capabilities. The Evocation Savant and Sculpt Spells features can boost your damage output and provide control over area-of-effect spells.

As a quick side note, we have tried the "Skinny Minis" available for games, which can be a great way to get high-quality art and save money. I personally prefer the "3D Models," but have found a couple of these 2D ones that I love.

Eladrin 5e Size and Other Characteristics

With the major parts of Eladrin specs and classes out of the way, we can cover some of the smaller, yet still important parts of playing an Eladrin - namely their creature type, size, speed, and alignment, etc.

Creature Type

Creature Type: You are a Humanoid and considered an elf for any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be one. No major surprises here, but it's worth covering.

Size

Size: You are medium. Again, nothing major to playing a medium-size character, and this is also to be expected for an elf-like being.

Speed

Speed: You walk at the speed of 30 feet. This is the standard movement speed in D&D 5e.

Eladrin 5e Alignment

Alignment: The Eladrin love freedom and self-expression. They value and protect each others’ freedom, loving variety as much as they do creativity. Below, I'll cover more about Eladrin personality, but as far as alignment goes, these are the major traits to remember when selecting alignment.

As with any character when you roleplay, I always recommend using alignment to help discover your character, but never to limit them. Whatever way you want to roleplay your Eladrin is the best way to go.

Of course, the Eladrin's emphasis as a race, upon freedom and self-expression lends itself to being "chaotic."

Age

In D&D 5e, there is no specific age limit mentioned for eladrin. However, it is generally understood that eladrin have lifespans similar to those of elves, which can extend for several centuries. Elves are known for their longevity, and eladrin, being a subrace of elves, likely share this trait.

The Dungeon Master's Guide suggests that elves typically live up to around 750 years, but this can vary depending on the campaign setting and the specific lore established by your DM. As such, the maximum age for eladrin would likely fall within this range or potentially even longer, depending on the DM's discretion and the specifics of the campaign world.

Languages

Languages: The Eladrin speak, read, and write common and elvish.

Eladrin 5e Appearance

Now, what do the Eladrin look like? They may have similarities with Legolas, Link, and Dobby, but they absolutely look more… Mystical. The Eladrin look like other elves in the multiverse but are more slender with sparkling eyes. Generally, their features are delicate and androgynous in some ways, but the seasons make them look different each time.

The seasons also change their appearance, from their skin and hair to their clothing!

For example, a Spring Eladrin’s skin may look like the colors of fresh leaves, while an Autumn Eladrin has golden and fiery orange hues. Anything you associate with the seasons also applies to the Eladrin appearance, which makes them different from their predecessors. If that’s not cool, then I don’t know what is…

Unique Eladrin Names

The Eladrin names come from the melodic elvish tongue, so they can be Uda, Haust, Wayra Pacha, or names like Kynyaf or Sierade.

Even more impressive is that Eladrin can also choose a surname derived from the season they are most commonly associated with! When you name an Eladrin, you have the creative freedom to choose from a range of unique names. If I were you, I’d spend more hours glued to the Eladrin naming books than in the actual adventure. Just kidding! Or not…

Eladrin and Seasons

I’ve already mentioned the seasons many times, so let me elaborate. The seasons play an essential role in the life of Eladrin because they manifest themselves in different ways. They influence their looks, behaviors, and actions, and these are how you can distinguish one from another.

Also, if you're ever in need of some great DnD Quest Ideas or even entire DnD Campaign Ideas , try brainstorming some topics around the Eladrin 5e "seasons" concept, and see what kinds of fantastical towns, battles, or even magical items you can come up with for your next game.

Autumn Eladrin

The Autumn Eladrin is all about peace and goodwill. You can say they’re the elves singing, “Make peace, not war,” at every opportunity. These Eladrin love to end conflicts and suffering with their magic. They heal and cure (need bless 5e or cure wounds , anyone?) those who comes to them with an ailment and never let violence happen in their presence. The Autumn Eladrin are very much committed to keeping the world peaceful!

Winter Eladrin

Of course, the Eladrin can feel sad, too. And when they do, they become the Winter Eladrin. You know how sorrowful winter can be; the world is cold and pale, and the chill of sadness comes to everyone’s heart. The Winter Eladrin are no different. They slip into a melancholic, bitter state, and frozen tears roll down their cheeks. Palpable sadness? Check. Bitter cold? Check. The Winter Eladrin are all about contemplation and dolor.

Spring Eladrin

When you think about spring, you think about renewal and the world coming alive again. And that’s exactly what the Spring Eladrin are about! They bring an aura of cheerfulness, joy, and celebration to the world around them. They truly embody the joy of springtime, with their songs and laughter taking over the world. The Spring Eladrin are playful creatures, which can be both good and bad. Their antics can either make you feel happy or put you in danger…

This has to be like the animal friendship 5e version of Eladrin, in my estimation.

Summer Eladrin

Lastly, the Summer Eladrin is the most powerful (or scariest…) of the four Eladrin subraces. They are known for their boldness and aggression, which makes sense, considering that summer is usually a time of heat, passion, and adventure. This Eladrin subrace is burning, tempestuous, and furious. They become warriors who will vent their wrath in every way they can. When you’re looking for fighting ability, trust the Summer Eladrin to strike with terrible force!

Just imagine an Eladrin 5e Warlock casting Hellish Rebuke 5e ... Yeah, that's a Summer Eladrin, for sure.

Eyes On the Seasonal Advantage With Eladrin 5e

If you’ve never tried Eladrin 5e before, I suggest focusing on their seasonal advantage because this is what makes them different from others. The elves of the Feywild are all about boundless magic and perilous beauty. They use their magic to step from one place to another in the blink of an eye, and their ability to change makes every adventure even more supernatural.

The Eladrin 5e put some of those human emotions into the game. But, of course, I don’t have that magical ability to teleport to anywhere in the world. I also don’t abduct people to the Feywild. I live those adventures through the Eladrin instead.

Only some explore the Feywild. Many of us focus on the other factors of DnD, but Eladrin 5e brings a certain mystique to all our games. What better way to add a touch of fantasy and imagination, right? Get to know the Eladrin 5e, and you’ll experience some of the best magic in DnD.

And honestly, the Eladrin 5e seasonal aspect basically provides a built-in set of Character Ideas you can work with for your campaign.

I created an Eladrin "Grove of the Seasons," where players could change the map's season by interacting with its various parts.

Eladrin 5e Personality

In D&D 5e, as mentioned, eladrin are known for their connection to the Feywild and their ever-changing moods and emotions. While specific personalities can vary greatly among individuals, there are a few common personality traits and themes associated with eladrin:

Emotional and Expressive

Eladrin are highly attuned to their emotions and tend to express them openly. They can be passionate, intense, and prone to mood swings. Their emotions can shift rapidly, reflecting the ever-changing nature of the Feywild.

Enigmatic and Mysterious

Eladrin often have an air of mystery and otherworldliness about them. They may have a reputation for being unpredictable or difficult to understand, as their fey nature can make it challenging for others to anticipate their actions or motivations.

Connection to Nature

Eladrin have a strong connection to nature, often embodying the beauty and wildness of the Feywild. They may possess a deep appreciation for natural beauty, be knowledgeable about plants and animals, and have a desire to protect the natural world.

Dualistic Nature

Eladrin can embody contrasting qualities simultaneously. They may be both joyful and melancholic, playful and serious, or serene and passionate. This duality reflects their connection to both the vibrant and tranquil aspects of the Feywild.

Love for Art and Beauty

Eladrin often have a deep appreciation for art, music, and beauty in all its forms. They may be skilled artists themselves or seek out experiences that evoke a sense of wonder and aesthetic pleasure.

Curiosity and Wanderlust

Eladrin are known for their curiosity and desire to explore. They may have a strong wanderlust, seeking new experiences and knowledge. This can lead them to be adventurous and open-minded, always eager to discover the secrets of the world.

It's important to note that these personality traits are not prescriptive or exhaustive, and individual eladrin characters can deviate from these generalizations. The specific personality of an eladrin character is ultimately up to the player's interpretation and the choices they make during character creation and roleplaying.

Enter here, through the "Eladrin Gateway," and see for yourself what adventures lie within!

Eladrin 5e Lore

Once upon a time, there was the oldest elven society in the multiverse called the Eladrin. But before they were “the Eladrin,” they were elves banished from their primordial home world called Arborea and settled in the Land of the Faerie.

The Feywild’s powerful and natural magic reminded them of their home. There, they found themselves in the realm of chaotic magic and took the elven culture and architecture to creative heights. They merged with Feywild magic and became more emotional and erratic than they used to be.

Does all this already sound compelling? Well, I’m not stopping there! The elves who settled in the Feywild lost their humanoid form and were elevated into powerful Eladrin. They decided that they were now entirely different creatures from their predecessors. The multiverse has never been so fascinating.

Read Up On the Eladrin

I love to read about the Eladrin from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (page 195), which calls them the creatures who dwell in the verdant splendor of the Feywild.

“They are related to the elves found on the Material Plane, and resemble them in both their love of beauty and the value they place on personal freedom. But where other elves can temper their wild impulses, eladrin are creatures ruled by emotion—and because of their unique magical nature, they undergo physical changes to match their changes in temperament.”

Seasons and Manifestations

The Eladrin are creatures of passion, responding to their emotions by aligning themselves with a season. Their behaviors, capabilities, and forms change, and they become either the Autumn, Winter, Spring, or Summer Eladrin. Some stick with a season for years, while others go through different ones, adapting and changing like real-life seasons.

They’re also lovers of beauty. They surround themselves with everything lovely and try to possess anything they find beautiful. They may be drawn to music, art, and anything with a touch of loveliness. If you have paintings, statues, or glittering jewels, know that the Eladrin have their eyes on them. And if you’re someone with a luminous spirit, they might use their magic to delight (or abduct!) you.

Eladrin in Games Like D&D

Look, everyone loves D&D - whether that's 5e or one of the previous editions. I'm also interested to see how D&D 6e turns out (or whatever they're going to call it) as I've been a long-time D&D fan.

But, it's time to face that facts, which is that their are a literal boatload of Games Like DnD out there, and some of them are actually better than DnD. In reality, D&D is just the best-known game in its genre, and it has the biggest budget, which is why you haven't heard of the others.

So, let me not-so-humbly brag about Eternity TTRPG's Game System , which you can check out at the Eternity TTRPG Shop . Play with multiple Game Masters, try out tons of unique races and classes with great lore, and build a game world with more immersive capacity than you've ever played before.

Oh, and the "Eladrin"-like race in Eternity TTRPG? Yeah, that would be either the Ateri or Empyrean - check them out!

Warforged 5e – D&D 5th Edition Race

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 18:40:59 GMT

These race details for Warforged 5e include everything you need to know for your game. I also have a list of other DnD reference info available for you on related topics.

Warforged make for an interesting race for pretty much any RPG campaign . They have a mechanical/ magical body, but a living being's soul contained within.

Race details for Warforged 5e come from Eberron: Rising from the Last War (which, by the way, could make for an excellent DnD Gift !).

"Pierce was built by design, while you were built by accident,” Lakashai said.

“The soul is what matters, what the shape of the vessel.”

“What makes you think he has a soul?” Gerrion said.

“What makes you think you do?”

-Keith Baker, The Shattered Land

Behold Scyaroth, Warforged Barbarian.

Warforged 5e Traits

Your warforged character has the following traits. A few of the traits give you a choice; consider how your choice reflects the purpose for which your character was built.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score in creases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

These stat increases may not seem incredibly significant, but they make for a terrific combination. Having the additional Constitution makes your warforged character more durable by providing additional hit points and increasing your Constitution Saving Throw .

Having an increased Constitution Saving Throw makes playing spell casting classes easier for warforged, at least so far as keeping us spell concentration goes, should you take damage.

Finally, warforged 5e provide an additional +1 to any other ability score of your choice. Obviously, you should put that point into whatever ability is most needed for your desired class. Though a +1 may not seem like a huge value, it does increase the number of classes you can realistically play by quite a bit.

Constructed Resilience

You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:

You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.
You are immune to disease.
You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.

In my experience, most D&D groups don’t really track things like food, water, or even disease (unless it’s a sort of magical disease or curse, which is often central to the storyline). So, in my mind, the main benefits from “Constructed Resilience” are the other effects.

Having resistance and advantage against poisons and poison damage can be big in certain scenarios. Also, not being able to be put to sleep isn’t something you’ll benefit from very often, but it is extremely nice when you do get the benefit.

Overall, depending on your DM, I have to say that constructed resilience (along with the other perks to being a Warforged, which basically make it harder for you to die) can absolutely contribute to avoiding a DnD TPK .

Sentry's Rest

When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn't render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Since warforged 5e don’t lose consciousness while taking long rests, you basically get the Alarm 5e spell going at all times, for free.

It should be just about impossible for anyone to ever sneak up on an adventuring party at night, with a warforged in the group. Short of someone casting a spell like invisibility or at least Silence 5e , the warforged should be able to notice anyone approaching.

Integrated Protection

Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor:

You gain a +l bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.

Having a flat +1 bonus to AC is really valuable, no matter what character class you’re playing as a warforged. If you want to fight on the frontlines, that +1 AC keeps you alive. Meanwhile, if you want to cast spells from the back lines, that +1 AC further aids you with Constitution saves whenever you’re casting concentration spells.

Otherwise, I’d say that the 1-hour requirement to don or doff armor isn’t really a big deal – in probably 99% of cases. Additionally, since shields do not count as “armor” in D&D 5e, it doesn’t really matter that your armor can’t be removed against your will.

Warforged Need Gear at the Eternity TTRPG Shop

Best Classes for Warforged 5e

Realistically, because warforged get a +2 to Constitution, another +1 to any ability score of their choice, a flat +1 to AC, and proficiency in an additional skill of their choice, they can play as any class. Warforged 5e are a durable and flexible race.

That being said, there are some classes where warforged 5e truly excel. Here's the facts for Warforged class combinations, which can probably help you with some great DnD character ideas as well!

Warforged Artificer

The primary stat for Artificers is Intelligence, so make sure that you spend your extra +1 ability point there. Otherwise, Artificer offers so many different ways to play that you can certainly make a warforged artificer work.

Even between the artificer specialists of alchemist, artillerist, and battle smith, I wouldn’t say that any of the three stand out terribly, as a warforged.

If you choose Battle Smith though, you will get a “ Steel Defender ,” which can help to soak up some damage (not that you need it, already having +2 Constitution and +1 AC). Plus every 6th-level artificer also gets a “ Homunculus ,” so especially counting allied creatures, warforged artificers can be quite a lot to deal with.

Thematically, a warforged 5e artificer fits in perfectly. Since warforged need to visit an artificer to change their appearance anyways, you’ve got everything you need within your own tool kit. Artificer’s are natural tinkerers, and can imbue magic into items, which is basically exactly what you are as a warforged (one large, magical item).

Warforged 5e Barbarian

A warforged barbarian is basically a menace to everyone who stands against them. With your extra hit points from your +2 Constitution, bonus +1 that you can put towards Strength, and natural +1 AC, the warforged barbarian is super tough and deadly.

As a Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarian, your warforged as a bear totem eventually gains the ability to give disadvantage on attack rolls to all enemies within 5-feet of you, who attack anyone but you.

Furthermore, while raging as a bear totem Barbarian, you also gain resistance to all damage types except for psychic.

Though all subclasses can work for warforged 5e, this combination is particularly brutal, as you’re already so hard to kill already. Then, you add damage resistance on top of that, and make it so that your allies are also harder to kill. Totally brutal.

Warforged Bard

A warforged bard may not maximize their advantages provided unless you put them right in the middle of the action, in combat. Since the bard’s most important ability is Charisma, you should use your +1 ability point for that purpose.

Otherwise, the bard’s “ Bardic Inspiration ” is basically their most valuable contribution to the party. If you have a high Charisma score as a bard, then you can use “Bardic Inspiration” more often, as a Bonus Action .

So long as you can stay in the middle of the fight, enemies should start to notice the value you bring with “Bardic Inspiration,” and then you can put your +2 Constitution and +1 AC to work.

Finally, the “College of Valor” Bard has the “Battle Magic” trait, which lets you make one weapon attack as a bonus action whenever you cast a bard spell. As a warforged who’s in the middle of combat, having that attack really makes the most out of your natural race traits.

Warforged Cleric

Clerics can take many roles in D&D, including some that fit Warforged play style quite nicely. In particular, you may take a look at the “ War Domain ” cleric, which provides very useful Channel Divinity effects, such as “Guided Strike.”

Guided Strike: Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses.

War Domain clerics provide options for the class to fight in close combat, which favor Warforged. Additionally, the extra Constitution from Warforged and +1 bonus to AC help create a somewhat tanky cleric character.

It’s also worth mentioning that in addition to providing additional HP at level-up, the bonus Constitution that Warforged receive also makes it easier for them to maintain concentration spells when taking damage. Since clerics have so, so many buff or debuff effects that they can use as concentration spells, the extra Constitution is a very nice bonus to have.

Just imagine casting cure wounds or bless 5e as a warforged who's so durable already that you basically can't die...

Warforged 5e Druid

There aren’t incredibly strong synergies between the Warforged 5e race and the druid class. Of course, every class benefits from having additional HP and AC, which Warforged naturally provides. However, the best case scenario for a Warforged 5e druid is to be in the middle of combat as probably a “Circle of the Moon” druid.

Circle of the Moon druids feature more physically powerful wild shape forms, providing the character with more healing options through “Combat Wild Shape,” higher CR wild shapes through “Circle Forms,” and even “Primal Strike” to overcome damage resistance.

Warforged Fighter

When it comes to D&D 5th edition, the Warforged Fighter has become a popular choice among players. The sentient constructs, forged for war, possess unique abilities that make them formidable on the battlefield, particularly in the role of fighters.

This is really a class where Warforged 5e truly excel.

A key strength of the Warforged Fighter is their versatility. With their proficiency in all martial weapons and their ability to choose from a wide range of fighting styles, Warforged Fighters can adapt to various combat situations.

Whether wielding a greatsword with unmatched strength or dual-wielding weapons with finesse, these mechanical warriors can excel in any combat role.

Furthermore, Warforged Fighters possess a unique ability called Integrated Protection. This feature allows them to embed armor into their bodies, granting additional protection without the need for external equipment. This not only enhances their durability but also frees them from the burden of carrying heavy armor, enabling them to move swiftly and strike with precision.

Combine the high Constitution and innate AC of a Warforged with the fighter’s ability to deal tremendous amounts of physical damage, and you can see why this combination is so powerful.

Warforged Fighter Playstyles

The Battle Master subclass is a popular choice for those seeking tactical prowess. With access to a variety of combat maneuvers, such as disarming foes or tripping them, Battle Masters excel at controlling the battlefield and providing strategic advantages to their allies.

Additionally, the Champion subclass is a straightforward yet reliable choice. With improved critical hit chances and increased durability, Champions become unstoppable forces on the battlefield. They are the epitome of a classic fighter, relying on sheer strength and resilience to overcome their foes.

Personally, I love the improved critical hit chance that a Champion provides. It’s so fun for to me, rolling lower numbers to deal huge damage. This subclass isn’t fancy, but it gets the job done.

Lastly, for those who prefer a more magical approach – not that you typically would, playing a Warforged – the Eldritch Knight subclass is an excellent option. This subclass combines martial prowess with arcane spellcasting, allowing Warforged Fighters to cast spells and enhance their combat abilities.

With access to spells like Shield and Absorb Elements, Eldritch Knights can bolster their defenses and adapt to different damage types, weakness, resistances, and immunities. This could be a fun subclass to roleplay, though I have to say that it would likely not be as “strong” in combat as the other subclass options.

Haru here is actually a human nether knight, but his armor and weapons make him look like a perfect Warforged - just for some inspiration for you!

Warforged Monk

Warforged 5e monks have become a popular choice among players in Dungeons and Dragons. These unique characters combine the mechanical prowess of the warforged race with the disciplined combat techniques of a monk.

Warforged, as a race, possess several inherent advantages that make them formidable monks. Their integrated armor grants them additional AC, providing excellent protection in combat. Additionally, their composite plating ability allows them to add their proficiency bonus to Strength (Athletics) checks, making them highly skilled in grappling and other physical maneuvers.

Moreover, Warforged monks benefit from their racial traits, such as the ability to resist poison and disease. This resilience can be crucial in battles where such afflictions are prevalent.

So, what makes a Warforged monk good? In short, it’s their combination of high AC, proficiency in various Skill checks, and resistance to poison and disease make them durable and versatile combatants.

Additionally, their racial traits synergize well with the monk's core features, such as Unarmored Defense and Martial Arts. This combination allows Warforged monks to excel in close-quarters combat, delivering powerful strikes while remaining agile and protected.

Warforged Monk Playstyles

Now, let's discuss the choice of subclass for a Warforged 5e monk. The subclass you choose will greatly influence your playstyle and abilities. Here are three popular options:

Way of the Open Hand: this subclass focuses on unarmed combat and control. It offers abilities such as Open Hand Technique, which allows you to knock opponents prone or push them away with your strikes. The Quivering Palm feature is particularly potent, as it can deliver a lethal strike to your foes.
Way of the Four Elements: this subclass taps into the elemental forces, granting you access to a variety of elemental disciplines. You can unleash powerful fireballs, summon walls of ice, or even control the flow of water. This subclass adds an extra layer of versatility to your Warforged monk.
Way of the Shadow: this subclass emphasizes stealth and deception. It grants you abilities like Shadow Step, allowing you to teleport through shadows, and Cloak of Shadows, which grants you temporary invisibility. If you prefer a more subtle and mysterious approach, this subclass is an excellent choice.

Warforged 5e Paladin

In the vast world of Dungeons & Dragons, the Warforged 5e Paladin is a unique and formidable character choice. Also, for some reason that I have a little difficulty explaining, it’s actually a pretty common choice among players.

Note that Warforged in general aren’t played a whole lot, so I don’t mean to dissuade you from playing a Warforged 5e paladin if that’s what you really want. I just mean to point out that a number of players seem to enjoy playing a mechanical paladin.

First and foremost, as with every class that Warforged touch, Warforged Paladins possess exceptional durability and resilience. Their sturdy construction grants them a natural armor, making them a formidable force on the battlefield.

Additionally, their integrated protection ability allows them to enhance their armor class further, making them incredibly difficult to hit. This innate toughness makes them excellent front-line combatants, capable of absorbing blows and protecting their allies, which one could argue, is one of the paladin’s primary roles.

Furthermore, the Warforged's unique composition grants them several other advantages. They don't require food, water, or sleep, allowing them to remain vigilant and ready for battle at all times – another often-forgot value that Warforged bring to the table.

The Warforged’s ability to withstand extreme environments makes them ideal for adventuring in harsh terrains, as they hunt down and obliterate evil. Moreover, they have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage, making them highly resilient against certain types of attacks, which they may often face in undead enemies, or when battling dark wizards.

Warforged Paladin Playstyles

When it comes to choosing a subclass for your Warforged Paladin, there are several excellent options to consider.

The Oath of Devotion is a classic choice, emphasizing the Paladin's commitment to justice, truth, and protecting the innocent. This subclass grants powerful abilities such as Sacred Weapon, which enhances the Paladin's attacks, and Aura of Devotion, which provides immunity to charm effects for themselves and nearby allies.

Alternatively, the Oath of Vengeance offers a more aggressive playstyle. This subclass focuses on hunting down and eliminating enemies of the Paladin's cause. Abilities such as Vow of Enmity, which grants advantage on attacks against a specific target, and Relentless Avenger, which allows the Paladin to pursue foes who try to escape, make the Oath of Vengeance an excellent choice for those seeking a relentless and determined warrior.

Lastly, the Oath of the Ancients is an intriguing option for Warforged Paladins who wish to embrace their connection to nature. This subclass emphasizes protecting the natural world and radiates an aura of resilience and hope.

With abilities like Nature's Wrath, which ensnares enemies in difficult terrain, and Elder Champion, which grants resistance to damage and increased spellcasting, the Oath of the Ancients offers a unique and versatile playstyle.

Warforged Ranger

Warforged 5e Rangers have become a popular choice among players in Dungeons and Dragons.

These unique characters bring a blend of mechanical precision and natural prowess to the battlefield. But are they really good? And what sets them apart from other ranger options?

Their inherent traits, such as their high Constitution and proficiency with medium armor, make them durable and capable of withstanding heavy damage. Additionally, their unique ability to integrate magical items into their bodies allows them to enhance their combat abilities even further.

This means that a Warforged Ranger can be a force to be reckoned with, both in close-quarters combat and from a distance. One of the key factors that make Warforged Rangers stand out is their versatility.

Rangers are known for their affinity with nature and their ability to adapt to various environments. With their mechanical nature, Warforged Rangers can easily blend into any setting, whether it be a dense forest or an urban cityscape. This adaptability makes them excellent scouts and trackers, as they can navigate and survive in any terrain.

Furthermore, Warforged 5e Rangers have access to unique features that set them apart from other races. Their Integrated Protection ability allows them to add their proficiency bonus to their armor class, making them even more resilient in combat. Additionally, their Living Construct trait grants them immunity to disease and resistance to poison, further enhancing their survivability.

Warforged Ranger Playstyles

When choosing a Warforged 5e Ranger, it is important to consider your playstyle and the role you want to fulfill within your adventuring party.

If you enjoy being on the front lines, dealing damage up close, the Hunter archetype might be a good fit for you. This archetype focuses on dealing maximum damage to enemies, making use of abilities such as Colossus Slayer and Multiattack Defense.

On the other hand, if you prefer a more supportive role, the Beast Master archetype might be a better choice. This archetype allows you to form a bond with a companion, such as a wolf or a bear, and fight alongside them. This can provide additional utility and versatility to your party, as your animal companion can assist in combat or help with tracking and scouting.

Warforged 5e Rogue

One intriguing class choice for Warforged 5e is the rogue. But firstly, let's address the question of whether Warforged rogues are good.

The answer is a resounding yes. Warforged, with their unique mechanical composition and built-in enhancements, bring a range of advantages to the rogue class. Their natural armor plating grants them a higher base AC, making them more durable in combat compared to other rogues. This increased survivability can be a game-changer, especially when you find yourself in the thick of battle.

Additionally, Warforged have the Integrated Protection feature, allowing them to integrate armor or weapons directly into their bodies. This feature not only saves on carrying capacity but also grants the Warforged rogue the ability to surprise opponents by concealing weapons or armor until the perfect moment. This can be a significant advantage in both combat and stealth-based scenarios.

What truly sets a Warforged rogue apart, however, is their unique race traits. Warforged are immune to disease, do not require food, water, or sleep, and have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned. These traits can be incredibly useful for a rogue, allowing them to explore dangerous environments, go on extended missions, and remain alert at all times.

Furthermore, their Warforged Resilience feature grants them proficiency in Constitution saving throws, making them more resilient against harmful effects.

Warforged Rogue Playstyles

Now that we've established the strengths of a Warforged rogue, let's discuss what you should consider when choosing this subclass.

If you enjoy being in the thick of combat, a Warforged rogue's increased durability and armor proficiency will suit you well as an Assassination rogue.

On the other hand, if you prefer a stealthy approach, the ability to integrate weapons and armor seamlessly into your body can provide the element of surprise as a Thief, or perhaps – in some rare cases – even an Arcane Trickster rogue.

Consider your character's backstory as well. Warforged are constructs created for war, so think about how this background can shape your rogue's personality and motivations. Are they a relic from a bygone conflict seeking purpose in the world?

The bottom line though, is that if you're looking for a unique and powerful class for your Warforged, don’t hesitate to try out the rogue.

Back when HeroForge made steel custom minis, my wife and I purchased a few of them for our campaigns. Steel minis naturally have a great Warforged look about them.

Warforged Sorcerer

Another unique combination that has caught the attention of many adventurers is the Warforged 5e Sorcerer. This mechanical being infused with arcane powers brings a fresh and intriguing twist to the battlefield. As always, first and foremost, the question arises: are Warforged 5e Sorcerers good? The answer is a resounding... maybe!

The Warforged race itself brings a host of advantages to the table. Built for war, these sentient constructs of course possess natural armor that provides them with additional AC, and of course the extra Constitution gives them more HP and better concentration saves, making them incredibly durable.

Sorcerers, themselves, are always amazing. They have access to a wide range of spells, including damaging spells like Fireball or utility spells like Invisibility, allowing them to adapt to various situations, which is useful when playing a race that – yes, it’s true – doesn’t 100% fit the class to a tee.

Of course, the Sorcerer does provide Ability Score Improvements of your choice at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th levels, allowing even a Warforged to gain the necessary Charisma to become a powerful Sorcerer. This isn’t to say, basically, that a Warforged is a great fit for the sorcerer class, but rather that the sorcerer is basically a decent fit for just about any race.

Warforged Sorcerer Playstyles

When it comes to your subclass, I’d recommend taking a look at the Draconic Bloodline build, for both unique features and interesting roleplaying. Imagine, if you will, a sorcerer with a “bloodline,” when your race is actually... mechanical? Interesting thoughts, for sure.

But! The Draconic Bloodline sorcerer gains “Draconic Resilience,” giving you a base AC of 13+ your Dexterity modifier when you aren’t wearing armor, which stacks with your racial +1AC bonus.

Also, at 14th level you gain a pair of dragon wings, which sprout from your back. So, that’s obviously way cool.

Warforged Warlock

The sentient Warforged constructs, forged for war, possess a unique blend of mechanical prowess and, in a roleplaying sense, magical abilities. One intriguing class option for warforged is the warlock, offering a fascinating combination of mechanical resilience and eldritch power.

Are warforged warlocks good? Um, not necessarily, but they can be quite fun!

Warforged warlocks do have numerous advantages that make them formidable on the battlefield. Their inherent racial traits, such as their high Constitution and proficiency with armor, provide them with exceptional durability. This resilience allows them to withstand even the harshest of battles, making them a reliable front-line option for warlocks who choose the “Pact of the Blade,” or perhaps for those who choose “The Fiend” as their “Otherworldly Patron.”

Depending on your desired role, there are tons of invocations and spells available to warlocks that could conceivably complement your warlock playstyle. For example, if you want to be a tank, invocations like Armor of Shadows or Fiendish Vigor can boost your defenses, while spells like Armor of Agathys 5e can provide temporary hit points and damage reflection.

Also, if you cast spells like Hellish Rebuke 5e , with how defensive you already are as a Warlock, you can make it even less advantageous for enemies to attack you.

All of that being said, it isn’t like Warforged 5e get a bonus to Charisma, for warlock spell saves. The only real benefit that a Warforged gives to the warlock class is what they provide in the case of being any spell casting class – which is their bonus HP, concentration save from their high Constitution, and natural AC.

Warforged Wizard

With their unique abilities and versatility, Warforged can make for formidable wizards in your D&D game.

The Warforged’s high Constitution and Armor Class provide them with exceptional durability, making them difficult to take down in combat – which is really important for a wizard class, as the class itself is extremely fragile.

The innate resilience of a Warforged allows one who’s a wizard to focus on their magical abilities without worrying too much about their survivability. This, as you might imagine, is a big benefit.

Additionally, their integrated protection grants them proficiency with various armor types, further enhancing their survivability and versatility. Warforged also possess the Constructed Resilience trait, which grants them immunity to disease and resistance to poison damage.

Warforged 5e Wizard Playstyles

When it comes to choosing a subclass for a Warforged wizard, several options are available.

The School of Evocation is a popular choice, as it allows Warforged wizards to maximize their damage-dealing potential. With features like Empowered Evocation and Overchannel, they can unleash devastating spells that deal immense damage to their enemies.

This subclass is ideal for those who prefer a more offensive playstyle and enjoy obliterating foes with powerful magical abilities.

Alternatively, the School of Abjuration can be a great choice for Warforged wizards who want to focus on defense and protection. The Arcane Ward feature provides a protective barrier that absorbs damage, making the Warforged wizard even more resilient in combat. Or, consider having mage armor 5e on top of your natural Warforged AC bonus.

This subclass excels at protecting themselves and their allies, making them valuable assets in any adventuring party.

Lastly, the School of Transmutation offers Warforged wizards the ability to manipulate matter and transform objects and creatures. This subclass allows them to alter the properties of items, create temporary magical enhancements, and even transmute their own bodies.

With features like Transmuter's Stone and Shapechanger, Warforged wizards can adapt to various situations and overcome obstacles with ease.

Our gaming table before a big adventure towards the end of one of our year-long campaigns.

Warforged 5e Size and Other Characteristics

Warforged size is Medium.

As basically the “default” size in D&D, being medium doesn’t change any stats or add modifiers for attacks, weapons, AC, or anything else.

Speed

Warforged base walking speed is 30 feet.

Similarly, a base walking speed of 30 feet is also sort of the “default” value in D&D 5e. This simply means that warforged 5e are not particularly fast, nor slow.

Alignment

Most warforged take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality, or lack thereof, of the beings with which they served.

Oftentimes, you see characters like fighters play towards lawful neutral . I personally find alignment to only be much help when I’m first creating a character, as a sort of guiding light for how I want to roleplay.

However, alignment can be quite helpful for your game, so it’s worth thinking about. Of course, as an organic-machine character, you could certainly make the case to play about any alignment you’d like.

Warforged 5e Specialized Design

You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice.

Though having an extra tool proficiency probably doesn’t matter much (or at all), having an extra skill proficiency is pretty handy.

Also, it just feels good in D&D when your character has proficiency with something. Whether or not that extra bonus to your roll makes a difference on an individual basis, knowing that the odds are in your favor is a major mental perk.

Age

A typical warforged is between two and thirty years old. The maximum warforged lifespan remains a mystery; so far, warforged have shown no signs of deterioration due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.

Aging is another effect in D&D that most groups don’t pay much attention to. Unless you’re playing in a multi-year ( or 40-year, plus ) campaign, or your story is based around following a nation or group of people over decades of time, character age usually isn’t even a consideration.

Still, age can be a fun roleplaying component, and if you have something in mind for your warforged related to their age, this race leaves you with plenty of flexibility.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Having the option for fluency in any other language of your choice is very nice. In my experience, language is probably the final part of a campaign that’s often overlooked.

Perhaps you’ll occasionally run across some cryptic script in another language, where fluency would help advance the story. However, aside from roleplaying, having access to multiple languages most often isn’t a useful part of gameplay.

Warforged 5e Lore

Need some DnD Quest Ideas or Campaign Ideas to go along with your new Warforged? Look no further.

The warforged were built to fight in the Last War. While the first warforged were mindless automatons, House Cannith devoted vast resources to improving these st eel soldiers. An unexpected breakthrough produced sapient soldiers, giving rise to what some have only grudgingly accepted as a new species. Warforged are made from wood and metal, but they can feel pain and emotion. Built as weapons, they must now find a purpose beyond war. A warforged can be a steadfast ally, a cold-hearted killer, or a visionary in search of meaning.

Living Steel and Stone

Warforged are formed from a blend of organic and inorganic materials. Root-like cords infused with alchemical fluids serve as their muscles, wrapped around a framework of steel, darkwood, or stone. Armored plates form a protective outer shell and reinforce joints. Warforged share a common facial design, with a hinged jaw and crystal eyes embedded beneath a reinforced brow ridge. Beyond these common elements of warforged design, the precise materials and build of a warforged vary based on the purpose for which it was designed.

Although they were manufactured, warforged are living humanoids. Resting, healing magic, and the Medicine skill all provide the same benefits to warforged that they do to other humanoids.

Warforged Personality

The warforged were built to serve and to fight. For most of their existence, warforged had a clearly defined function and were encouraged to focus purely on that role. The Treaty of Thronehold gave them freedom, but many still struggle both to find a place in the post-war world and to relate to the creatures who created them.

The typical warforged shows little emotion. Many warforged embrace a concrete purpose-such as protecting allies, completing a contract, or exploring a land-and embrace this task as they once did war. However, there are warforged who delight in exploring their feelings, their freedom, and their relationships with others. Most warforged have no interest in religion, but some embrace faith and mysticism, seeking higher purpose and deeper meaning.

The typical warforged has a sexless body shape.

Some warforged ignore the concept of gender entirely, while others adopt a gender identity.

The more a warforged develops its individuality, the more likely it is to modify its body, seeking out an artificer to customize the look of its face, limbs, and plating.

Warforged 5e Quirks

Warforged often display an odd personality trait or two, given how new they are to the world. The Warforged Quirks table contains example quirks.

Roll 1d8:

You analyze-out loud-the potential threat posed by every creature you meet.
You often misread emotional cues.
You are fiercely protective of your friends.
You try to apply wartime discipline to every situation.
You don't know how to filter your feelings and are prone to dramatic emotional outbursts.
You don't understand clothing beyond its utility and assume it denotes a person's function.
You are obsessed with your appearance and constantly polish and buff yourself.
War is the only thing that makes sense to you, and you're always looking for a fight.

Warforged Names

Most warforged were assigned numerical designations for use in military service. Many of them adopted nicknames, often given to them by their comrades. As independent individuals, some have chosen new names as a way to express their path in life. A few take on human names, often the name of a fallen friend or mentor.

Warforged Names: Anchor, Banner, Bastion, Blade, Blue, Bow, Cart, Church, Crunch, Crystal, Dagger, Dent, Five, Glaive, Hammer, Iron, Lucky, Mace, Oak, Onyx, Pants, Pierce, Red, Rod, Rusty, Scout, Seven, Shield, Slash, Smith, Spike, Temple, Vault, Wall .

Warforged in Games Like D&D

As you no doubt already know, there are many games like DnD out there. With all the drama that's happened with Wizards of the Coast, and with D&D's shift to a more digital platform (and higher prices), many people have been looking for other TTRPGs to try out.

Eternity TTRPG has our own tabletop RPG that we've independently published. Check out the PDF download here , and let us know what you think!

Witch Bolt 5e – D&D 5th Edition Spellbook

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:07:57 GMT

Witch Bolt 5e

1st-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a twig from a tree that has been struck by lightning)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A beam of crackling, blue energy lances out toward a creature within range, forming a sustained arc of lightning between you and the target. Make a ranged spell attack against that creature. On a hit, the target takes 1d12 lightning damage, and on each of your turns for the duration, you can use your action to deal 1d12 lightning damage to the target automatically. The spell ends if you use your action to do anything else. The spell also ends if the target is ever outside the spell’s range or if it has total cover from you.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the initial damage increases by 1d12

for each slot level above 1st.

Spell details on Witch Bolt 5e come from the D&D Player's Handbook .

Classes That May Cast Witch Bolt 5e

The following classes from the D&D Player’s Handbook may cast Witch Bolt:

Sorcerer
Warlock
Wizard
Additionally: the Arcane Trickster Rogue may get Witch Bolt 5e at 8th level.

Witch Bolt is firmly a “main spellcaster” sort of magic. Though the spell isn’t incredibly useful (as you’ll see more about, below), 5e is pretty restrictive on allowing its acquisition to specific classes.

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Witch Bolt 5e

1st-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a twig from a tree that has been struck by lightning)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

At Higher Levels. When you cast this

spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the initial damage increases by 1d12

for each slot level above 1st.

Spell details on Witch Bolt 5e come from the D&D Player's Handbook .

Classes That May Cast Witch Bolt 5e

The following classes from the D&D Player’s Handbook may cast Witch Bolt:

Sorcerer
Warlock
Wizard
Additionally: the Arcane Trickster Rogue may get Witch Bolt 5e at 8th level.

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Witch Bolt 5e

1st-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a twig from a tree that has been struck by lightning)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the initial

damage increases by 1d12 for each slot level above 1st.

Spell details on Witch Bolt 5e come from the D&D Player's Handbook .

Classes That May Cast Witch Bolt 5e

The following classes from the D&D Player’s Handbook may cast Witch Bolt:

Sorcerer
Warlock
Wizard
Additionally: the Arcane Trickster Rogue may get Witch Bolt 5e at 8th level.

Check Out the Eternity TTRPG Shop!

Witch Bolt Spell Damage

Witch Bolt deals 1d12 damage when it hits, which scales by an additional 1d12 damage on the initial attack, for each spell level used.

1st-Level Spell: 1d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 6.5 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 11 damage per attack.
2nd-Level Spell: 2d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 13 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 15 damage per attack.
3rd-Level Spell: 3d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 19.5 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 19 damage per attack.
4th-Level Spell: 4d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 26 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 23 damage per attack.
5th-Level Spell: 5d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 32.5 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 27 damage per attack.
6th-Level Spell: 6d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 39 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 30.5 damage per attack.
7th-Level Spell: 7d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 45.5 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 34 damage per attack.
8th-Level Spell: 8d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 52 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 37.5 damage per attack.
9th-Level Spell: 9d12 damage + 1d12 damage per turn (average 58.5 damage plus 6.5 damage per turn). A fighter of this level does an average of 41 damage per attack.

As you can see, Witch Bolt 5e scales terribly with higher spell levels. Perhaps if the spell continued to deal the higher damage per round, it could be a viable option. However, compared to other spells, even if Witch Bolt did scale better, it still does very little damage. Just consider that a fighter gets multiple attacks per round as they increase in levels, and you can imagine how easily Witch Bolt falls off.

Spell Damage Comparison

The spell damage listed above doesn’t account for hit chance, but purely shows damage dealt if attacks hit. Witch Bolt 5e is also compared to a fighter’s average damage per round (DRP), roughly estimated to match spell levels for Witch Bolt.

Witch Bolt 5e Usefulness

Truthfully, Witch Bolt 5e is an awful spell. The Witch Bolt name is cool, but that doesn’t make up for its lack of power.

Basically, compare Witch Bolt to spells like Burning Hands 5e (also a 1st-level evocation spell) or even Call Lightning 5e or Destructive Wave 5e , which can all deal area of effect spell damage. As I’ve mentioned in many articles, any spells in D&D 5e that may attack multiple targets at once are basically broken.

To give you the short version of my article on Burning Hands, if you hit 3-targets with that spell, you’ll deal anywhere from 31-damage (when cast as a 1st-level spell) all the way up to 115-damage (when cast as a 9th-level spell). Then, compare that to Witch Bolt 5e, which deals a pathetic 6.5-damage per turn, requiring multiple actions for additional damage.

The one saving grace about Witch Bolt is that the spell can by cast once but then deal continual damage each turn, for the cost of one action. In the right circumstances – by which I mean almost perfect circumstances – this spell could be somewhat useful.

Problems with Witch Bolt

Witch Bolt has many, many problems which keep it from being even a mid-tier spell. If, somehow, the designers of D&D decided to fix these issues in a future version of the game, then perhaps Witch Bolt could take its place in the game as a viable spell choice.

Until that time, however, I’d recommend that you stay away from using spell slots on Witch Bolt 5e – unfortunately.

Though I love the theme of this spell and its overall vibe could create some great DnD Quest Ideas , this is also the sort of spell that if you rely on it too much as a player, you may end up with a TPK .

Low Spell Damage

As mentioned, the pure damage of Witch Bolt 5e pales in comparison to many other D&D 5e spells.

Unless you’re basically out of spell slots, and you can guarantee that you’ll be able to continue conducting spell damage to your target for a large number of turns to come, Witch Bolt probably isn’t worth your time to save it into a spell slot.

Lightning Damage Resistance and Immunity

I always feel like it’s worth mentioning damage type resistance, immunity, and weakness. If you aren’t familiar, damage resistance in D&D 5e halves any damage dealt to the target (rounded down). Damage immunity renders all damage of that type completely null. And finally, damage weakness in D&D 5e doubles damage dealt to the target.

When it comes to Lightning damage, in the D&D Monster Manual , there are 35-creatures with Lightning damage resistance, 10-creatures with Lightning damage immunity, and fully 0-creatures with Lightning damage weakness.

So... uh, you can see where I’m going with this. If I’m going to possibly face 45-creatures with resistance or immunity to a damage type and there are no creatures with weakness, for me, I’m not going to choose that damage type, in most cases.

Of course, your dungeon master may decide to create a unique monster, creature, or enemy and specifically give them Lightning damage weakness for some reason. However, short of that, you just have to assume that any Lightning-based spell is going to be less effective than you’d like.

Taking Other Actions

Though you can continually deal damage each turn with Witch Bolt, you need to spend your action every turn doing so or the spell fades. In D&D, a lot can happen in a single round of combat. As such, I feel that it’s very rare where I can simply choose one single action to take every round.

Realistically, once you start casting Witch Bolt, you’ll end up needing to switch to taking some other action or casting a different spell within a turn or two. Once you switch up your action in order to cover your combat needs though, Witch Bolt instantly ends. Major bummer.

It is worth noting though that you can use your Bonus Action each turn to do other things, besides casting Witch Bolt.

Witch Bolt-Themed Dice

As a quick off-topic promo, I always like to point out that D&D is an experience, not just a rulebook and set of game rules. Or, at least, I should say that D&D is best when it's an experience. What I mean is that the more you put into your D&D game, the more you and your friends will get out from it.

Not that you always have to roleplay in character, use different voices for NPCs, or dress up in costume for your game sessions. However, if you make a little effort to help yourself and others become immersed in the game, then you will find yourself in the flow of your game's world and story more often than not.

When it comes to being a caster, especially when casting very themed spells like Witch Bolt, I like to bring a little something to the gaming environment. For example, these great blood-soaked dice by Heimdallr would make for great table aesthetics whenever you're casting a damaging spell.

I like the quality of Heimdallr's metal dice, and I like that their dice come in so many color and design options. It's the kind of thing that makes for great DnD Gifts !

Limited Spell Range

As if the spell’s low damage and limitations on actions weren’t bad enough, an enemy who wants to end your Witch Bolt spell can simply move out of spell range.

If Witch Bolt had, say, 120-foot spell range, then maybe it’d be difficult for enemies to escape your spell, or they’d at least have to really dedicate themselves to do so. However, with only a 30-foot spell range, virtually any enemy can easily walk outside of Witch Bolt’s area of coverage, and instantly end your spell.

Many spells in D&D have a lot more spell range than Witch Bolt’s mere 30-feet, so this point also factors in to why I think the spell is quite bad.

Taking Cover

Any enemy wishing to avoid your Witch Bolt 5e spell can simply take full cover. Now of course, taking full cover isn’t always possible depending the encounter environment.

There are no shields in D&D 5e that provide full cover as well, so taking full cover from a Witch Bolt isn’t always achievable. However, hiding behind just about any wall, boulder, or even large tree could easily end Witch Bolt 5e, making it a relatively poor choice even while battling outdoors. Indoors, it’s virtually guaranteed that an enemy could duck behind a corner and avoid your spell.

Spell Concentration

The list of problems with Witch Bolt 5e goes on... Spell concentration. If you are attacked while casting Witch Bolt, there’s a chance that your spell will end.

Yes, I know that your spell can already end from someone just walking out of spell range, or casually sauntering behind some form of full cover. Yes, I know it’s not fair. But in addition to those already problematic issues, if someone whacks you one, you could also lose your spell.

Great.

Also, since Witch Bolt is a concentration spell, that means that you cannot cast far superior spells, such as:

Banishment 5e
Blindness Deafness 5e
Cause Fear 5e
Charm Person 5e
Cloud of Daggers 5e
Crown of Madness 5e
Or even Spiritual Weapon 5e (and many others).

Normally, spells that require concentration come with some truly terrific bonuses, since there is that chance that your spell can end, when attacked. However, with Witch Bolt 5e, there doesn’t seem to be any of that customary beneficial trade-off.

Casting Witch Bolt at Higher Spell Levels

One of the truly unique and enjoyable parts about playing a spell caster in D&D is that you have the option with so many spells to cast magic using higher-than-normal spell levels.

Usually, when expending higher-level spell slots with magic, you get really dramatic bonuses. Take Aid 5e , for example, which increases temporary hit points to multiple targets for each spell level, effectively multiplying the spell’s value.

However, with Witch Bolt 5e, when you cast the spell at a higher level, you don’t multiply all damage dealt by the spell. Instead, you only increase the initial spell damage, when cast.

This means that even if you cast Witch Bolt 5e as a 9th-level spell, you deal 9d12 damage on your first turn. Thereafter, however, you still only deal 1d12 damage per turn! Talk about a major rip-off.

Witch Bolt Combinations

I’ve love to say that there’s some saving grace to the Witch Bolt 5e spell, but there really isn’t any. You can use some of the following spell combinations to potentially get a little more out of using this effect, but in reality, it’s pretty much a lost cause.

Bless: since Witch Bolt is a ranged spell attack , it benefits from the additional +1d4 to attack rolls given from Bless 5e .
Color Spray: normally not the greatest spell, Color Spray 5e could help you avoid getting hit, and help you keep your Witch Bolt spell concentration going.
Haste: with Haste 5e , you get an extra Action every turn, which you could use to deal additional damage with Witch Bolt. This doesn’t add a ton of damage, but it does make a little difference.
Mage Armor: since Witch Bolt 5e is a concentration spell, if you can lower your chances of being hit by an attack, then you have a better chance of keeping the spell going. Depending on what armor you’re wearing, Mage Armor 5e can help you there.

Counters to Witch Bolt 5e

Aside from the aforementioned counters to Witch Bolt (full cover, moving out of range, and breaking spell concentration), there isn’t much left to go over. Of course, the counters against Witch Bolt 5e mentioned already are severe enough to make the spell clearly problematic, anyways.

However, since Witch Bolt is a ranged spell attack, it is affected by Bane 5e , which lowers attack rolls by 1d4. Additionally – and as with virtually every spell – Silence 5e is a counter as it prevents spell casting within its sphere of effect.

Maximize Witch Bolt

Even after reading about the many negatives of the Witch Bolt 5e spell you decide that you still want to give it a shot, try implementing the following tactics to maximize the spell.

Attack enemies with low AC: since Witch Bolt is a ranged spell attack, its hit chance goes against AC rather than Dexterity save or something similar.
Attack immobile enemies: if an enemy has severely-reduced or even zero movement speed, then they can’t walk out of range of Witch Bolt or move behind full cover.
Attack enemies focused on someone else: if you can prevent yourself from taking damage, then you can keep your spell concentration going. Use Witch Bolt when enemies are focused on one of your allies, and not you.

Just a couple "spell scrolls" we made using printer paper, a little ink, and some random string I found lying around.

Concentration Damage Spells in D&D 5e vs. Eternity TTRPG

As far as a spell category goes, I’d put Witch Bolt 5e into the “concentration damage spell” group. It’s an effect that you can cast once, may be interrupted since it requires concentration, but then may deal additional damage every turn.

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System , there are a number of spells and effects that have a similar type of grouping to the “concentration damage spell” category.

In D&D 5e, once you hit with Witch Bolt 5e, you can automatically deal additional spell damage each turn, for the cost of an action. In Eternity TTRPG, aside from actual damage over time spells (which continue dealing damage passively, once they hit), all spells like Witch Bolt require attacking the target again, each round. However, the main difference is that in Eternity TTRPG, spells that continue attacking each round don’t require an action to do so. Instead, they become “Instant Actions,” and continue attacking without taking up your turn.

What Classes can Cast Concentration Damage Spells?

Though the “concentration damage spell” category isn’t one that fits neatly into the Eternity TTRPG Game System, it still functions as a good way to describe effects between both games.

To keep it simple though, there are a number of classes in Eternity TTRPG that have concentration damage spell effects, or something similar to Witch Bolt 5e.

Dragon Knight – Core Class Ability

Incinerating Breath: this ability can only be used if you have “Chromatic Breath” selected. This ability can also only be used by the “Dragon.”

After you use this ability on yourself, every time you cast “Chromatic Breath,” roll d20. If you roll 20, deal 1damage. With

each cast of “Chromatic Breath,” you roll 1 number lower to hit (can stack to 14-20 by the 7th use). You can only deal damage with this ability once per turn. If you critical this ability, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this ability for 3Inspiration.

(Wings of Death) Roll 18-20 on the first “Chromatic Breath,” and 1 number lower to hit attack round after. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
(Knight of the Blood Oath) After you use this critical, every turn, you also roll to deal damage with “Incinerating Breath” to up to 3 enemies in 1Range of the “Dragon,” automatically. This critical also allows you to deal damage with “Incinerating Breath” twice per turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 2Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).
(Memories of Tarscisia) This effect also has a chance to hit whenever the “Dragon” (but not the dragon knight) uses “Eviscerate,” “Draconic Domina tion,” “Paralyzing Gaze,” or “Primordial Pressure.” However, using these abilities does not lower your chance to hit with “Incinerating Breath.” You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 4Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).

Each time the Dragon Knight’s Dragon uses its breath weapon, “Chromatic Breath,” you have an ever-increasing chance to deal additional damage from “Incinerating Breath.” Additionally, this ability may be maintained so that it does not require an action to use the effect.

Concentration Damage Spells in D&D 5e vs. Eternity TTRPG

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System , there are a number of spells and effects that have a similar type of grouping to the “concentration damage spell” category.

What Classes can Cast Concentration Damage Spells?

Though the “concentration damage spell” category isn’t one that fits neatly into the Eternity TTRPG Game System, it still functions as a good way to describe effects between both games.

To keep it simple though, there are a number of classes in Eternity TTRPG that have concentration damage spell effects, or something similar to Witch Bolt 5e.

Dragon Knight – Core Class Ability

Incinerating Breath: this ability can only be used if you have “Chromatic Breath” selected. This ability can also only be used by the “Dragon.”

After you use this ability on yourself,

every time you cast “Chromatic Breath,” roll d20. If you roll 20, deal 1damage. With

(Wings of Death) Roll 18-20 on the first “Chromatic Breath,” and 1 number lower to hit attack round after. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
(Knight of the Blood Oath) After you use this critical, every turn, you also roll to deal damage with “Incinerating Breath” to up to 3 enemies in 1Range of the “Dragon,” automatically. This critical also allows you to deal damage with “Incinerating Breath” twice per turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 2Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).
(Memories of Tarscisia) This effect also has a chance to hit whenever the “Dragon” (but not the dragon knight) uses “Eviscerate,” “Draconic Domina tion,” “Paralyzing Gaze,” or “Primordial Pressure.” However, using these abilities does not lower your chance to hit with “Incinerating Breath.” You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 4Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).

Concentration Damage Spells in D&D 5e vs. Eternity TTRPG

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System , there are a number of spells and effects that have a similar type of grouping to the “concentration damage spell” category.

What Classes can Cast Concentration Damage Spells?

Though the “concentration damage spell” category isn’t one that fits neatly into the Eternity TTRPG Game System, it still functions as a good way to describe effects between both games.

To keep it simple though, there are a number of classes in Eternity TTRPG that have concentration damage spell effects, or something similar to Witch Bolt 5e.

Dragon Knight – Core Class Ability

Incinerating Breath: this ability can only be used if you have “Chromatic Breath” selected. This ability can also only be used by the “Dragon.”

After you use this ability on yourself, every time you cast “Chromatic Breath,” roll d20. If you

roll 20, deal 1damage. With each cast of “Chromatic Breath,” you roll 1 number lower to hit (can stack to 14-20 by the 7th use). You can only deal damage with this ability once per turn. If you critical this ability, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this ability for 3Inspiration.

(Wings of Death) Roll 18-20 on the first “Chromatic Breath,” and 1 number lower to hit attack round after. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
(Knight of the Blood Oath) After you use this critical, every turn, you also roll to deal damage with “Incinerating Breath” to up to 3 enemies in 1Range of the “Dragon,” automatically. This critical also allows you to deal damage with “Incinerating Breath” twice per turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 2Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).
(Memories of Tarscisia) This effect also has a chance to hit whenever the “Dragon” (but not the dragon knight) uses “Eviscerate,” “Draconic Domina tion,” “Paralyzing Gaze,” or “Primordial Pressure.” However, using these abilities does not lower your chance to hit with “Incinerating Breath.” You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 4Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).

Druid – Core Class Spell

Earth Blades (Magic): Weapon Range, Strike Bonus vs. Dodge or 4Range, Faith vs. Will. If this Spell hits, on every one of the target’s turns, roll d20. On the first turn, if you roll 19-20, they take 1damage. On each successive turn, roll 2 numbers lower to hit (can stack to 7-20 by the 7th turn). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Spell as an aura for 3Intelligence, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

(Double-Hit): roll 5 numbers lower to hit on the first turn (each turn after is still roll 2 numbers lower).

(Dazed): the effect from “Earth Blades” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Nature’s Wrath) On the first turn, roll 14-20 (each turn after is still roll 2 numbers lower). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Nature’s Healing) If this Spell hits, the target also deals 1damage less the next time they deal damage. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Primal) Weapon Range +6, Strike Bonus vs. Dodge, or 10Range, Faith vs. Will. You also have these same Range bonuses when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

Once you hit with “Earth Blades,” you have an ever-increasing chance on each one of the target’s turns to deal damage to them. Additionally, this spell may be maintained so that it does not require an action to use the effect.

Pyromancer – Critical Option

Abyssal Flare (Magic): 4Range, -2Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers).

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain one (1) stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage

with certain pyromancer Spells. Stacks are not consumed when used, and you can gain up to two (2) stacks. When casting “Abyssal Flare,” roll d20. If you roll in the following values – based on your number of “Inferno” stacks – if your attack hits, you instead deal 2damage: 1 stack of “Inferno” (19-20), 2 stacks of “Inferno” (17-20).

(Double-Hit): deals an additional 1damage.

(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -10Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Abyssal Flare” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

“Abyssal Flare” only comes with a Witch Bolt-like effect when you select the “Elemental Fire” critical option which allows you to cast the spell again as an “Instant Action” ever turn, just with a lowered hit chance.

Revenant/ Witch – Core Class Spell

Familiar (Magic): you summon an animal companion with 1HP and stats otherwise the same as the revenant/ witch’s, except with -5Resilience, -5Dodge, and -5Will. On the “Familiar’s” turn, roll d20. If you roll 16-20, they cast any spell you have access to, using your stats. “Familiar” may not use criticals. “Familiar” acts on the same turn as the revenant/ witch.

“Familiar” does not count as a separate character for the purposes of stacking spell effects, and they may not stack the same effect as the revenant/ witch does upon a target, unless the spell specifically states that multiple stacks may be applied.

“Familiar” always has the same stats as the revenant/ witch, whether from level increases, buffs, or debuffs. If the

revenant/ witch receives a debuff, it also affects the “Familiar.” However, the “Familiar” is immune to both Wisdom damage and debuffs that cause recurring damage.

It takes 15minutes to summon/ tame a “Familiar,” so a new “Familiar” cannot be created during combat. You can only

have one “Familiar” active at a time. You continually maintain “Familiar” for 3Inspiration.

(Dazed): while you are Dazed, “Familiar” is also Dazed.

(Grimly Fated) Roll 12-20. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 6Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
(Of the Dread Vale) If your “Familiar” casts a spell at a target, +7Faith vs. Resilience against the same target, gives -3Range on any attacks or actions that normally have 2Range or more for 1turn, even if your familiar misses. This critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).
(Witch’s Coven) Spells that your familiar cast also apply poisons that you have added to your weapons, with either +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, or +7Faith vs. Resilience, and applies double effect. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).

“Familiar” is a summon that allows you to cast any spell available to you on turns where the creature gets to act. Though this spell is a bit different than Witch Bolt, it functions similarly, allowing you to continually casting spells. Additionally, summoned creatures must be maintained, meaning that you can essentially get free spell casts, without using an action.

Vampire Mage – Core Class Spell

Mortal Flay (Magic): 4Range, Faith vs. Will. If this Spell hits, on every one of the target’s turns, roll d20. If you roll 16-20, they take 1damage. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Spell as an aura for 3Intelligence, per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

(Double-Hit): roll 5 numbers lower to hit.

(Dazed): the effect from “Mortal Flay” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Blood Magic) Roll 11-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Drain) Even if this Spell misses, roll Faith vs. Resilience, gives either -5Intelligence or -5Inspiration, at your choice. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Vampire’s Coven) If you roll 16-20, also heal yourself or an ally in 4Range +1HP. This Critical allows the affected target to heal 1HP above their normal max HP. Healing from this effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

“Mortal Flay” is another damage over time effect that continues to pressure enemies long after you’ve initially cast the spell. Additionally, this spell may be maintained so that instead of requiring an action to use the effect, you may cast it as an “instant action” at the start of battle.

Druid – Core Class Spell

(Double-Hit): roll 5 numbers lower to

hit on the first turn (each turn after is still roll 2 numbers lower).

(Dazed): the effect from “Earth Blades” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Nature’s Wrath) On the first turn, roll 14-20 (each turn after is still roll 2 numbers lower). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Nature’s Healing) If this Spell hits, the target also deals 1damage less the next time they deal damage. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Primal) Weapon Range +6, Strike Bonus vs. Dodge, or 10Range, Faith vs. Will. You also have these same Range bonuses when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

Pyromancer – Critical Option

Abyssal Flare (Magic): 4Range, -2Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers).

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain

one (1) stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage with certain pyromancer Spells. Stacks are not consumed when used, and you can gain up to two (2) stacks. When casting “Abyssal Flare,” roll d20. If you roll in the following values – based on your number of “Inferno” stacks – if your attack hits, you instead deal 2damage: 1 stack of “Inferno” (19-20), 2 stacks of “Inferno” (17-20).

(Double-Hit): deals an additional 1damage.

(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -10Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Abyssal Flare” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Revenant/ Witch – Core Class Spell

“Familiar” does not count as a separate

character for the purposes of stacking spell effects, and they may not stack the same effect as the revenant/ witch does upon a target, unless the spell specifically states that multiple stacks may be applied.

“Familiar” always has the same stats as

the revenant/ witch, whether from level increases, buffs, or debuffs. If the revenant/ witch receives a debuff, it also affects the “Familiar.” However, the “Familiar” is immune to both Wisdom damage and debuffs that cause recurring damage.

It takes 15minutes to summon/ tame a

“Familiar,” so a new “Familiar” cannot be created during combat. You can only have one “Familiar” active at a time. You continually maintain “Familiar” for 3Inspiration.

(Dazed): while you are Dazed, “Familiar” is also Dazed.

(Grimly Fated) Roll 12-20. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 6Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
(Of the Dread Vale) If your “Familiar” casts a spell at a target, +7Faith vs. Resilience against the same target, gives -3Range on any attacks or actions that normally have 2Range or more for 1turn, even if your familiar misses. This critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).
(Witch’s Coven) Spells that your familiar cast also apply poisons that you have added to your weapons, with either +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, or +7Faith vs. Resilience, and applies double effect. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).

Vampire Mage – Core Class Spell

(Double-Hit): roll 5 numbers lower to hit.

(Dazed): the effect from “Mortal Flay” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Blood Magic) Roll 11-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Drain) Even if this Spell misses, roll Faith vs. Resilience, gives either -5Intelligence or -5Inspiration, at your choice. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Vampire’s Coven) If you roll 16-20, also heal yourself or an ally in 4Range +1HP. This Critical allows the affected target to heal 1HP above their normal max HP. Healing from this effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

Druid – Core Class Spell

(Double-Hit): roll 5 numbers lower to hit on the first turn (each turn after is still roll 2

numbers lower).

(Dazed): the effect from “Earth Blades” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Nature’s Wrath) On the first turn, roll 14-20 (each turn after is still roll 2 numbers lower). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Nature’s Healing) If this Spell hits, the target also deals 1damage less the next time they deal damage. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Primal) Weapon Range +6, Strike Bonus vs. Dodge, or 10Range, Faith vs. Will. You also have these same Range bonuses when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

Pyromancer – Critical Option

Abyssal Flare (Magic): 4Range, -2Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers).

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain one (1) stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to

deal an additional 1damage with certain pyromancer Spells. Stacks are not consumed when used, and you can gain up to two (2) stacks. When casting “Abyssal Flare,” roll d20. If you roll in the following values – based on your number of “Inferno” stacks – if your attack hits, you instead deal 2damage: 1 stack of “Inferno” (19-20), 2 stacks of “Inferno” (17-20).

(Double-Hit): deals an additional 1damage.

(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -10Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Abyssal Flare” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Revenant/ Witch – Core Class Spell

“Familiar” always has the same stats as the revenant/ witch, whether from level increases,

buffs, or debuffs. If the revenant/ witch receives a debuff, it also affects the “Familiar.” However, the “Familiar” is immune to both Wisdom damage and debuffs that cause recurring damage.

It takes 15minutes to summon/ tame a “Familiar,” so a new “Familiar” cannot be created

during combat. You can only have one “Familiar” active at a time. You continually maintain “Familiar” for 3Inspiration.

(Dazed): while you are Dazed, “Familiar” is also Dazed.

(Grimly Fated) Roll 12-20. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 6Inspiration (and 0Wisdom).
(Of the Dread Vale) If your “Familiar” casts a spell at a target, +7Faith vs. Resilience against the same target, gives -3Range on any attacks or actions that normally have 2Range or more for 1turn, even if your familiar misses. This critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).
(Witch’s Coven) Spells that your familiar cast also apply poisons that you have added to your weapons, with either +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, or +7Faith vs. Resilience, and applies double effect. Your “Familiar” also has 2HP. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom).

Vampire Mage – Core Class Spell

(Double-Hit): roll 5 numbers lower to hit.

(Dazed): the effect from “Mortal Flay” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Blood Magic) Roll 11-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Drain) Even if this Spell misses, roll Faith vs. Resilience, gives either -5Intelligence or -5Inspiration, at your choice. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Vampire’s Coven) If you roll 16-20, also heal yourself or an ally in 4Range +1HP. This Critical allows the affected target to heal 1HP above their normal max HP. Healing from this effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical as an aura for 5Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), per target you want to cast at, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

In our Halloween game I had a second mini table set up for when players would get summoned to the "Witch's Altar."

Strategies for Using Continual Damage Spells

In Eternity TTRPG, since the game features a dynamic initiative system (see the Eternity TTRPG Initiative Tracker for an explanation of what that means, exactly), there’s a near-infinite number of ways to benefit from continual damage spells.

Target High-Initiative Enemies

Since damage over time effects always take place on your target’s turns, they’re the perfect counter to high-initiative enemies. Basically, you could build a high hit chance character with low initiative, DoT your target(s), then let their high initiative deal loads of continual damage to them.

Attack Fast or Ranged Enemies

In Eternity TTRPG, characters can build truly incredible amounts of movement speed or range for their attacks. In many cases, it’s possible for enemies to outrange you or simply become too fast to ever hunt down.

Particularly if you have a relatively slow character or fight in melee range, using a damage over time effect on your target could be the difference between life or death.

The idea is that once you hit them with a DoT, no matter how fast they run or how much range away they attack from, you’ll keep doing consistent damage to them.

Maximize Your Hit Chance

If you’re playing a pyromancer and utilizing the “Elemental Fire” critical option for spells like “Abyssal Flare,” whenever you increase your Faith (spell hit chance) you’re effectively getting double value.

For every Faith, you get +5% hit chance with your action each round. Then, you also get +5% hit chance with your instant cast of “Abyssal Flare” each turn. This sort of strategy gets you double value for every point of Faith your character has, making that high hit chance build absolutely devastating.

Interested in the Eternity TTRPG Game System?

I know you’ve probably been playing D&D for 10-years, and you know the game in and out. But, there are many great TTRPG systems out there, and the Eternity TTRPG Game System is one that I would like to shamelessly promote to you.

Eternity TTRPG allows for multiple game masters in your group (while still keeping your world and story chaos-free), every character/ class is balanced in and out of combat, and there aren’t worthless spells like Witch Bolt – to be frank.

If you want to check it out, the PDF version of the game is available for download.

Destructive Wave 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 22:18:10 GMT

Destructive Wave 5e

5th-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (30-foot radius)

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

You strike the ground, creating a burst of divine energy that ripples outward from you. Each creature you choose within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 5d6 thunder damage, as well as 5d6 radiant or necrotic damage (your choice), and be knocked prone. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone.

Spell details on Destructive 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Destructive Wave 5e

Within the player's handbook, the only class that gains destructive wave 5e as a guaranteed spell is Paladin. Otherwise, Tempest Domain Clerics may also gain destructive wave at 9th-level.

These classes make sense since destructive wave deals not only thunder damage, but also radiant or necrotic damage, at your choice. However, since the spell allows for necrotic damage, you would think that warlock might also gain access to casting the spell.

Destructive Wave Spell Effectiveness

Spell Damage

Normally, spells may be cast using higher-level spell slots, but destructive wave may only be cast as a 5th-level spell. That being said, its damage may still increase (drastically) by affecting multiple targets. The table above provides the damage dice and average damage based on the number of targets hit with destructive wave. Furthermore, a fighter's average damage per round ( DPR ) is provided as a rough comparison of overall damage. This table does not factor in hit chance, but only provides raw damage values.

Destructive Wave 5e Usefulness

As I've mentioned in previous articles, like the ones on burning hands 5e and call lightning 5e , any spell in D&D capable of attacking multiple targets at once can be potentially game-breaking. Just look at the table above for comparative damage between a destructive wave that hits 5+ targets and a fighter's normal weapon attack.

Of course, even with area of effect spells such as this one, there are ways to make sure that the devastation caused to your enemies from the spell is absolutely maximized.

Destructive wave 5e deals so much damage that it's truly one of the rare cases where I'd consider running directly into a clump of enemies, just to make sure everyone gets hit by the spell's effect.
That being said though, the spell has a 30-foot range, so if you can hit all enemies from the full distance, be sure to do so. The last thing you want after blowing everyone up with damage is to become a pin cushion from all of their attacks at once.
Prioritize casting this spell against enemies with thunder, radiant, or necrotic damage vulnerability to double your spell's damage.
Cast destructive wave 5e on enemies who have low Constitution save modifiers, to increase your chances of both dealing full spell damage, and of knocking your targets prone.

Prone

Since destructive wave 5e also knocks targets prone on a failed Constitution save, you need to know exactly what happens with that effect.

A prone creature's only movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition.
The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls.
An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature. Otherwise, the attack roll has disadvantage.

Thunder, Radiant, and Necrotic Damage

Before casting any spell, I like to know how many monsters in the D&D monster manual have resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities that the spell's damage type. In D&D 5e, damage resistance halves damage taken from that type (rounded down). Damage immunity completely nullifies damage of that type. And finally, damage vulnerability doubles damage from that type.

So, you can see how knowing what you're up against is a very big deal with any spell. Imagine casting destructive wave 5e against 10-enemies who are all vulnerable to one of the damage types - how much damage you would end of dealing.

Thunder Damage

In the monster manual, there are 14-monsters with thunder damage resistance, 2-monsters with thunder damage immunity, and only 1-monster with thunder damage vulnerability.

Radiant Damage

As far as radiant damage goes, there are 4-monsters with radiant damage resistance, 0-monsters with radiant damage immunity, and 2-monsters with radiant damage vulnerability.

Necrotic Damage

Finally, for necrotic damage, there are 11-monsters with necrotic damage resistance, 11-monsters with necrotic damage immunity, and 0-monsters with necrotic damage vulnerability.

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Combine Destructive Wave with the Following Spells

Like most spells in DnD, destructive wave 5e gets even more powerful when used in combination with certain spells and effects. I recommend trying out some of the following spell combos to see what you enjoy playing, and to make the most of your 5th-level spell slot usage.

Acid Splash 5e : no, acid splash isn't really a "combination" spell with destructive wave 5e. I put this spell here though to remind you that if your enemies are resistant to thunder, radiant, or necrotic damage, don't waste your 5th-level spell slot. Instead, switch up your damage types, even if it means changing it up to a simple cantrip like this one.
Bane 5e : as I've mentioned quite a bit before, in previous posts, I really don't think very highly of the bane spell, overall. However, when you're attacking with a 5th-level spell like destructive wave, reducing 3-targets' Constitution saving throws by 1d4 can be a big deal.
Haste 5e : if you have multiple 5th-level spell slots and you want to try the "dive-bomb" strategy, run into a large group of enemies, cast destructive wave, and finally, cast destructive wave again using your extra action each round from haste. We're talking absolutely game-breaking damage here.
Mage Armor 5e : let's face it - if you're attacking enemies from 30-feet away, and you do big damage, you're likely going to be attacked next. So, make sure you have defensive spells like mage armor, Bless 5e for extra saving throw, or even Aid 5e or Armor of Agathys 5e for the extra temporary hits points cast on you so that you can survive the onslaught.

Destructive Wave 5e Counters

Be super cautious of spells like Silence 5e when planning to cast destructive wave. Yes, basically ever spell caster should always be wary of silence. However, spell casters can even cast silence on themselves and their own allies in order to nullify the thunder damage from destructive wave, as no thunder damage may be caused within silence's sphere of effect.

Destructive Wave-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

Finally, Eternity TTRPG - of course - is my personal favorite TTRPG . If you're ever interested in checking out other games like DnD , Eternity TTRPG was designed with players in mind who love the immersive storytelling and roleplaying of D&D, but want to contribute to the game's world and story while still playing a character.

Basically, Eternity TTRPG lets players jump in and out of the game master role, and provides rules and support for everyone to contribute to the overall campaign as they'd like.

Below, I've included how a similar spell to destructive wave 5e looks in Eternity TTRPG, which is "Pyro Storm," from the pyromancer class.

Pyromancer - Core Class Spell

Pyro Storm (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -9Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers). “Pyro Storm” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain

1 stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage with

certain pyromancer Spells. Stacks are not consumed when used, and you can gain up to 2 stacks. When casting “Pyro Storm,” roll d20. If you roll in the following values – based on your number of “Inferno” stacks – if your attack hits, you instead deal 2damage:

1 stack of “Inferno”: 19-20. 2 stacks of

“Inferno”: 17-20.

(Flames of the Abyss) -2Faith vs. Will.
(Magic of the Silver Lands) 8Range. You also have 8Range when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration.
(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -12Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Pyro Storm” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Pyro Storm hits multiple targets for potentially a great deal of damage. Depending on the (bullet point) Critical option you select as well, you can attack from further range, attack multiple times per round, or give yourself a greater hit chance. Though Pyro Storm doesn't deal multiple damage types, it does fit the overall destructive wave 5e spell vibe pretty nicely.

Every great RPG needs its own patented area of effect fire damage spell.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Pyromancer - Core Class Spell

Pyro Storm (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -9Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers). “Pyro Storm” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain 1 stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage with

1 stack of “Inferno”: 19-20. 2 stacks of “Inferno”: 17-20.

(Flames of the Abyss) -2Faith vs. Will.
(Magic of the Silver Lands) 8Range. You also have 8Range when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration.
(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -12Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Pyro Storm” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Every great RPG needs its own patented area of effect fire damage spell.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Crown of Madness 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 22:01:15 GMT

Crown of Madness 5e Spell Effects

2nd-level enchantment

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

One humanoid of your choice that you can see within range must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by you for the duration. While the target is charmed in this way, a twisted crown of jagged iron appears on its head, and a madness glows in its eyes.

The charmed target must use its action before moving on each of its turns to make a melee attack against a creature other than itself that you mentally choose.

The target can act normally on its turn if you choose no creature or if none are within its reach.

On your subsequent turns, you must use your action to maintain control over the target, or the spell ends. Also, the target can make a Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success, the spell ends.

All information about Crown of Madness 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Crown of Madness 5e

The following classes gain access to casting Acid Splash 5e as part of their normal class spell availability:

Bard
Sorcerer
Warlock
Wizard

Crown of Madness Spell Effectiveness

Table Values

In the table above, "DPR" indicates damage per round , in this case, not accounting for hit chance. The numbers provided are very rough calculations of the average damage a fighter might do, per round. The fighter class is used as an example for the spell effectiveness of crown of madness because ideally, you would charm a powerful melee unit with the spell. Furthermore, the "Total Value" column in the table shows the value of not only not being attacked by a charmed fighter, but of them attacking an ally - so, double the effect, by target level.

Crown of Madness Usefulness

Crown of Madness 5e is such a cool spell because it's a charm effect that actually allows you to take over your charmed target's actions, and cause them to attack their own allies. Though crown of madness has some drawbacks, it also has terrific potential. Use crown of madness 5e in the following situations to make the most from the spell.

Cast crown of madness 5e against enemies with low Wisdom saving scores, to maximize your chances of succeeding with the spell.
Prioritize crown of madness 5e on enemies who deal a ton of melee damage, since your charmed effect only allows for you to have the target melee attack. The more damage the target does with melee attacks, the more you should prioritize casting this spell.
For the love of god, make sure that when you cast crown of madness on a target that there is another enemy within 5-feet of your target. If you stop attacking with your target at the start of their round, your target gets to act normally on that turn. Though this situation doesn't end the spell altogether, it does make it very likely that you won't get anything out of it at all as the target can simply run away from their own allies.
Since crown of madness requires concentration to maintain its effect, make sure that you're far away from enemies who can attack you. If possible, cast the spell from the full 120-foot range, away.
Make sure that you don't have any other super high-priority spells that you need to cast or actions that you need to take because maintaining this effect requires an action each round.

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Combine Crown of Madness with the Following Spells

There are some spells such as burning hands or call lightning that, since they can target multiple units, or in other cases, get a sort of multiplying effect, they can become almost game-breaking. Crown of Madness certainly fits into the "potentially game-breaking" category, as you can not only prevent a powerful enemy from attacking you, but you can even turn that same enemy against their own allies.

Before casting Crown of Madness, in order to maximize its potential multiplying effect, try setting up the combat encounter by mixing in some of the following spells:

Bane : though I typically don't consider bane to be a very powerful spell, when combined with crown of madness 5e, it certainly can be. Since bane lowers the targets' saving throws by 1d4, it's a must-have for maintaining the charmed effect on crown of madness victims.
Banishment : have an ally cast banishment so that you keep more enemies away from attacking you. Alternatively, have an ally cast cause fear on any enemies getting too close to you for comfort.
Cloud of Daggers : normally, I also view cloud of daggers as a pretty suboptimal spell, but if the map features a choke point, consider casting this spell as a way of preventing other creatures from attacking you. Since crown of madness 5e requires concentration, you must do everything possible to avoid being hit.
Color Spray : if you can blind targets with this spell or even Blindness/ Deafness , you can give enemies disadvantage on their attack rolls, which ultimately helps you keep concentration for crown of madness.
Haste : using this spell (which an ally would need to maintain on you since you can't concentrate on a second spell), you can gain +2AC and double your movement speed. Combine this spell with mage armor and you can significantly increase your AC, and keep moving away from any enemies who might break your crown of madness 5e concentration.

Crown of Madness 5e Counters

The easiest ways for your crown of madness run to end are when an enemy silences you, bolsters their affected ally's Wisdom saving throw with Bless , or deals damage to you to break your concentration. When it comes to damaging spells, something like cloud of daggers, which automatically hits, is especially troublesome, so be wary of effects of that nature by keeping your distance and knowing what your enemies are capable of casting.

Crown of Madness-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

Effects where you control another character's actions, or generally go berserk and sometimes attack allies, are some of my favorite in any TTRPG . I've included a couple examples of crown of madness 5e-type spells below, from the Eternity TTRPG Game System .

Revenant - Core Class Spell

Wicked Heart (Magic): weapon Range, -3Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or 4Range, -3Faith vs. Resilience, if this spell hits, take control of the target’s Action for 1turn.

When you take control, you may not

have the target use a critical, use a spell or ability with a 1Day Recharge, or dispel any of their own maintained effects. However, you may have them take any other action (including attacking themselves), and you may know the target’s HP, Wisdom, and all other stats and maintained effects for the duration of the control.

If you hit the target with “Spellbound”

while they are affected by “Wicked Heart,” you may instead have them use a Critical.

(Double-Hit): also deals 1damage.

If this Spell hits, it also deals 1damage and you gain either +6Strike Bonus or +6Faith for 1turn.
If this Spell hits, the target also has either -6Strike Bonus or -6Faith, at your choice.
Up to 3 enemies in Weapon Range -3Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -3Faith vs. Resilience. *Double-Hit with this critical only allows one of the attacks to control for an additional turn.

Revenant - Core Class Spell

Wicked Heart (Magic): weapon Range, -3Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or 4Range, -3Faith vs. Resilience, if this spell hits, take control of the target’s Action for 1turn.

When you take control, you may not have the target use a critical, use a spell or ability with a

1Day Recharge, or dispel any of their own maintained effects. However, you may have them take any other action (including attacking themselves), and you may know the target’s HP, Wisdom, and all other stats and maintained effects for the duration of the control.

If you hit the target with “Spellbound” while they are affected by “Wicked Heart,” you may

instead have them use a Critical.

(Double-Hit): also deals 1damage.

If this Spell hits, it also deals 1damage and you gain either +6Strike Bonus or +6Faith for 1turn.
If this Spell hits, the target also has either -6Strike Bonus or -6Faith, at your choice.
Up to 3 enemies in Weapon Range -3Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -3Faith vs. Resilience. *Double-Hit with this critical only allows one of the attacks to control for an additional turn.

Revenant - Core Class Spell

Wicked Heart (Magic): weapon Range, -3Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or 4Range, -3Faith vs. Resilience, if this spell hits, take control of the target’s Action for 1turn.

When you take control, you may not have the target use a critical, use a spell or ability with a 1Day Recharge, or dispel

any of their own maintained effects. However, you may have them take any other action (including attacking themselves), and you may know the target’s HP, Wisdom, and all other stats and maintained effects for the duration of the control.

If you hit the target with “Spellbound” while they are affected by “Wicked Heart,” you may instead have them use a

Critical.

(Double-Hit): also deals 1damage.

If this Spell hits, it also deals 1damage and you gain either +6Strike Bonus or +6Faith for 1turn.
If this Spell hits, the target also has either -6Strike Bonus or -6Faith, at your choice.
Up to 3 enemies in Weapon Range -3Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -3Faith vs. Resilience. *Double-Hit with this critical only allows one of the attacks to control for an additional turn.

Alchemist - Core Class Ability

Crour Formula: you create an “item” that you or other characters can use.

When used, 4Range, the target deals an

additional +1damage when they hit with physical attacks (non-magic) that deal damage, and they also gain +2Resilience, +2Dodge, and +2Will. Each affected target can only deal additional damage from this ability once per turn.

The target must also roll d20 every

turn. If they roll 1-5, they go berserk for that turn and must do everything possible to kill their nearest ally (not including the use of criticals). If no allies are present when the target goes berserk, they must attempt to damage themselves.

Summoned units cannot benefit from

“Crour Formula’s” effect. You can make a number of “Crour Formulas” per day equal to your Intelligence value.

You infuse the “Crour Formula” so that the target only goes berserk on rolls of 1-4.
You infuse the “Crour Formula” so that when your user drinks it, they also gain immunity to all damage and negative effects the next time they are attacked. This effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). This critical does not count as contributing “Crour Formula” for using “Chimaera.”
You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), making it an Instant Action use on yourself at the start of every battle.

Whereas "Wicked Heart" is almost exactly the same as crown of madness 5e, except that it provides more flexibility for its use, "Crour Formula" actually enhances your own allies' strength, while also making them a liability. Both effects have quite a bit of nuance to them, and many more options when you choose to Critical with them, but they are definitely within the spirit of crown of madness, and make for wildly entertaining spells.

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Alchemist - Core Class Ability

Crour Formula: you create an “item” that you or other characters can use.

When used, 4Range, the target deals an additional +1damage when they hit with physical

attacks (non-magic) that deal damage, and they also gain +2Resilience, +2Dodge, and +2Will. Each affected target can only deal additional damage from this ability once per turn.

The target must also roll d20 every turn. If they roll 1-5, they go berserk for that turn and

must do everything possible to kill their nearest ally (not including the use of criticals). If no allies are present when the target goes berserk, they must attempt to damage themselves.

Summoned units cannot benefit from “Crour Formula’s” effect. You can make a number of

“Crour Formulas” per day equal to your Intelligence value.

You infuse the “Crour Formula” so that the target only goes berserk on rolls of 1-4.
You infuse the “Crour Formula” so that when your user drinks it, they also gain immunity to all damage and negative effects the next time they are attacked. This effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). This critical does not count as contributing “Crour Formula” for using “Chimaera.”
You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), making it an Instant Action use on yourself at the start of every battle.

Curious to learn more about the Eternity TTRPG Game System? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Alchemist - Core Class Ability

Crour Formula: you create an “item” that you or other characters can use.

When used, 4Range, the target deals an additional +1damage when they hit with physical attacks (non-magic) that deal

damage, and they also gain +2Resilience, +2Dodge, and +2Will. Each affected target can only deal additional damage from this ability once per turn.

The target must also roll d20 every turn. If they roll 1-5, they go berserk for that turn and must do everything possible to

kill their nearest ally (not including the use of criticals). If no allies are present when the target goes berserk, they must attempt to damage themselves.

Summoned units cannot benefit from “Crour Formula’s” effect. You can make a number of “Crour Formulas” per day

equal to your Intelligence value.

You infuse the “Crour Formula” so that the target only goes berserk on rolls of 1-4.
You infuse the “Crour Formula” so that when your user drinks it, they also gain immunity to all damage and negative effects the next time they are attacked. This effect also Fatigues the target, giving -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit). This critical does not count as contributing “Crour Formula” for using “Chimaera.”
You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 3Intelligence (and 0Wisdom), making it an Instant Action use on yourself at the start of every battle.

Curious to learn more about the Eternity TTRPG Game System? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Commune 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 19:52:14 GMT

Commune 5e Spell Effects

5th-level divination (ritual)

Casting Time: 1 minute

Range: Self

Components: V, S, M (incense and a vial of holy or unholy water)

Duration: 1 minute

You contact your deity or a divine proxy and ask up to three questions that can be answered with a yes or no. You must ask your questions before the spell ends. You receive a correct answer for each question.

Divine beings aren't necessarily omniscient, so you might receive "unclear" as an answer if a question pertains to information that lies beyond the deity's knowledge. In a case where a one-word answer could be misleading or contrary to the deity's interests, the DM might offer a short phrase as an answer instead.

If you cast the spell two or more times before finishing your next long rest, there is a cumulative 25 percent chance for each casting after the first that you get no answer. The DM makes this roll in secret.

All information about Commune 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Commune 5e

I'm often by surprised which classes are able to cast certain spells, and commune 5e fits into that category. Of course, clerics can cast commune 5e. However, within the player's handbook, no other classes may cast commune. I would assume that classes such as paladin and warlock would also enable characters to cast commune, but that is not the case!

Commune Usefulness

Automatically, any ritual spell in D&D provides additional value simply because:

You do not have to prepare ritual spells.
Ritual spells do not use up spell slots so long as you spend 10-additional minutes casting the spell.

So, any cleric can use commune 5e once per day for simply the time it takes to cast the spell. Though the spell typically only provides yes, no, or "unclear" as an answer, there is basically no downside or "cost" to using its effects. Really, commune provides a great way for clerics to roleplay at least semi-meaningful and useful interactions with their chosen deity.

Since the spell wears down in usefulness the more it's used each day, players can probably only cast it a few times each day before taking a long rest.

At the end of the day, the value provided from commune comes down to your dungeon master. Sometimes, a yes/ no question can be extremely valuable in life, whereas other times, it may be borderline worthless. If your dungeon master is feeling very generous, they may provide you with extremely good value from your commune spell. However, if you word your questions poorly, or your dungeon master isn't really into your divination attempts, then the spell may fall pretty flat.

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Combine Commune 5e with the Following Spells

Commune 5e can be combined effectively with other spells and effects entirely based on what you learn from the spell. Or rather, it's based entirely upon what you "feel" you've learned from the spell.

For example, if you ask your deity if you're going to be attacked at night and the answer is "yes," then casting alarm 5e prior to bedtime would be a prudent idea. Similarly, if you find out that you're going to battle a devastating dragon the next day, then you should prepare a spell like aid 5e with that exact encounter in mind. Or, if you find out that the person you're tracking is riding an owlbear , then perhaps you should prepare animal friendship 5e .

Along the same line, if you ask if an enemy you're after is weak to fire damage, then prepare burning hands 5e . You could also ask if a villain you're facing is from another plane of existence, in which case preparing banishment 5e could be extremely valuable.

Really, you can see how just about any spell could be used following your interactions with a deity, via commune. Literally, the spell's entire realm of usefulness comes down to your question quality and your dungeon master's willingness to work with you.

So, be sure to bring them cookies for any gaming session in which you plan to cast commune 5e quite a bit.

Commune 5e Counters

Since commune 5e isn't a combat encounter-type spell, there really aren't many "counters" against it. If you have a very high-level, very powerful enemy who you're trying to learn about via your commune spell, perhaps there are ways that they could tamper with the information you're gathering. But really, commune 5e is what it is, and you get what you get.

Commune-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

When it comes to Eternity TTRPG , every spell in the game has both a combat-encounter use and a roleplaying use. It's not like in D&D how some spells, like commune 5e, are clearly meant for roleplaying, while others, like chill touch 5e are clearly meant for combat.

That being said, in Eternity TTRPG, every combat-based spell effect is very clearly laid out, whereas the only restrictions on a roleplaying use are that the effect closely matches the spell's name, its intended effect in battle, and doesn't exceed the overall "power" or purpose of the in-combat effect. Otherwise, players are free to determine how they want the spell to be used, outside of combat.

Below, I've provided a spell example for how the commune 5e effect could roughly be achieved in Eternity TTRPG.

Sage - Core Class Spell

Also, up to 3 enemies in 4Range of your target, -7Faith vs. Will, deals 1light damage (deals 2damage to Shadow Aura units).
You can still cast this Spell while Dazed, Locked, or Silenced. Also, roll d20. If you roll 15- 20, you also remove that effect from yourself.
+2HP. This Critical allows the target to heal 2HP above their normal max HP. This effect also Fatigues the target, giving -3Resilience, -3Dodge, and -3Will for 1Day Duration (can stack without limit).

Players could interpret "Blessed Light" to be a kind of divine knowledge or provision of insight. It also wouldn't be beyond the spell's combat "power" to say that Blessed Light could be used allow a player to interact with their deity, for the purpose of helping them gain knowledge on whatever question(s) they ask. Since the purpose of divination spells in D&D is usually to avoid harm and gain advantage with knowledge gained, the net effect is something like healing or avoiding damage (which Blessed Light naturally provides).

With any group, the ultimate decision of whether or not to allow a specific roleplay effect from a spell comes down to the game master. But in my opinion, having a commune 5e-type effect from Blessed Light could be completely acceptable, depending on what the player wanted to learn from their deity.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game !

Color Spray 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 18:38:17 GMT

Color Spray 5e Spell Effects

1st-level illusion

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (15-foot cone)

Components: V, S, M (a pinch of powder or sand that is colored red, yellow, and blue)

Duration: 1 round

A dazzling array of flashing, colored light springs from your hand. Roll 6d10; the total is how many hit points of creatures this spell can affect. Creatures in a 15-foot cone originating from you are affected in ascending order of their current hit points (ignoring unconscious creatures and creatures that can't see).

Starting with the creature that has the lowest current hit points, each creature affected by this spell is blinded until the end of your next turn. Subtract each creature's hit points from the total before moving on to the creature with the next lowest hit points. A creature's hit points must be equal to or less than the remaining total for that creature to be affected.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, roll an additional 2d10 for each slot level above 1st.

All information on Color Spray 5e comes from the D&D 5th edition Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Color Spray 5e

The only classes from the player's handbook that may cast color spray 5e are the sorcerer and wizard . To me, color spray seems like the kind of spell that a bard would also be able to cast, but apparently the area of effect blinding status is a bit too powerful for them!

Color Spray 5e Spell Effectiveness

Instead of casting against saving throws or even using a ranged spell attack, color spray 5e automatically affects creatures up to the number that you roll on your 6d10 cast. However much your total roll is, that equals the number of "hit points" of creatures you can affect with color spray. So, the higher you roll, either the more creatures you can affect, or the stronger of creatures you can affect.

Color spray 5e is a blinding spell at its core, much like blindness deafness 5e , except that depending on the target creature's constitution save value, you may have better luck using this lower-level spell slot.

Blinded 5e

To make sure that you really understand exactly what the color spray 5e spell "does," the in-game status condition is officially called: "Blinded."

A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature's attack rolls have disadvantage.

Color Spray Usefulness

Color spray is basically an area of effect blind spell. The weaker your targets are, the more of them you can hit. However, even singular, very powerful foes can be almost automatically blinded for 1-round, so color spray certainly has utility in many situations.

It's worth noting that blinded creatures may still move towards you. They simply fail on sight-based ability checks, and they have disadvantage when making attack rolls, or when targeted by attack rolls. So, the usefulness of color spray 5e is really based on whether or not you're facing enemies who either deal a lot of physical damage, or who are primarily casting ranged spell attack-type spells, such as chromatic orb or chill touch 5e .

If an enemy were to simply use their turn with a dash action or were to cast a spell like cloud of daggers , blade ward 5e , or even cure wounds 5e , which do not rely on hit chance, then the blind effect would be essentially wasted.

Though powerful enemies may have access to such spells, numerous weaker enemies probably would not. In most cases, I've seen color spray 5e used to best effect, therefore, against crowds of relatively weak enemies, who all basically become significantly weaker for 1-round, while the blind effect takes place.

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Combine Color Spray 5e with the Following Spells

Since the main purpose of color spray 5e is to lower your targets' hit chance with physical or ranged spell attack-based attacks, anything you can do to bolster your defenses is a welcome addition to your blinding effect:

Aid 5e : though this spell isn't a direct combination with color spray, whenever you're trying to keep yourself or allies alive, having temporary hit points - such as aid 5e provides - is always welcome.
Armor of Agathys 5e : this spell also provides temporary hit points, though only for yourself. Additionally, effects that grant temporary hit points cannot stack, so you wouldn't be able to benefit from both this spell and aid 5e.
Haste 5e : a sort of all-purpose spell, haste also raises your target's AC by +2, making it a natural combination with blinding enemies from color spray 5e.
Mage Armor 5e : similar to haste, mage armor may increase your AC, so having it active provides another layer of protection.

Color Spray 5e Counters

Normally, an adventuring party of 4-or so players wouldn't be under too much threat from a spell like color spray 5e, since its blinding effect only lasts for 1-round. Players could easily maneuver themselves to take a more defensive stance for the 1-round duration, cast healing spells on themselves in the interim, or otherwise use their time in any number of other useful ways.

So, mostly it'll be enemy creatures (especially non spell casting creatures) who defend themselves against color spray. If an enemy has silence 5e , it of course, could prevent color spray 5e from ever being casted in the first place. However, color spray is probably the least of many enemy's worries. Additionally, they could use dispel magic on the effect, though using dispel on a

1-round blind probably seems like a waste.

As a sort of "soft counter," spells like Bless 5e could be cast, which raises attack rolls by +1d4, which could sort of offset the disadvantage to attack rolls from blindness.

Color Spray-Type Effects in Eternity TTRPG

When it comes to Eternity TTRPG , the actual "Blind" effect is pretty different from just some effect that lowers a target's hit chance. However, Blind is one of my personal favorite effects in the game, so I've included an example from the Thief class, below.

Thief - Core Class Ability

Darken: Weapon Range, Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Blind for 3turns. If you hit with this Ability, it also allows you to apply poisons that you have added to your Weapon.

(Double-Hit): Blind for an additional 3turns.

(Saboteur) +7Strike Bonus vs. Resilience, Blind for 4turns.
(Burglary) Move up to your Speed value +2 before or after using this Ability. You can also move up to your Speed value +2 before or after using this Ability, for Battle Duration.
(Kleptomania) If this Ability hits, you also gain +6Strike Bonus specifically against the target.

Blind

While Blinded, a Character cannot use Abilities (though they may still cast Magic), and they have -6Strike Bonus when attacking. Abilities already in effect remain active even while a Character is Blinded.

In Eternity TTRPG, the blind effect not only reduces the target's physical hit chance, but it also prevents physical-based classes from using their spell-like effects (known as "Abilities"). Though Blind as a status condition does not also give the target disadvantage against attack rolls coming at them like it does in D&D, the "Kleptomania" critical option with the thief's "Darken" ability, above, does allow them to have additional hit chance against their blinded foe. This extra hit chance not only makes it easier for the thief to damage the enemy, but it also makes it easier for them to continually apply "Darken" (and blind) to the target.

Curious to learn more about the Eternity TTRPG Game System? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Cloud of Daggers - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 17:21:03 GMT

Cloud of Daggers Spell Effects

2nd-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S, M (a sliver of glass)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You fill the air with spinning daggers in a cube 5 feet on each side, centered on a point you choose within range. A creature takes 4d4 slashing damage when it enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or stars its turn there.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 2d4 for each slot level above 2nd.

All information on Cloud of Daggers comes from the DnD Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Cloud of Daggers

The following classes from the player's handbook can cast cloud of daggers:

Bard
Sorcerer
Warlock
Wizard

Cloud of daggers is honestly a pretty strange spell. As you'll see below, it's not very powerful (nor does it make a lot of sense, in my personal opinion). Cloud of daggers seems more like something a bard player came up with one time, and then the spell somehow made it into the official game.

Otherwise, it's a little hard to imagine why any spell caster would create a literal cloud of what I imagine to be spinning daggers.

Cloud of Daggers Spell Effectiveness

Spell Damage

The table above compares cloud of daggers to burning hands 5e , a 1st-level evocation spell, and to a fighter's average damage per round. The biggest thing to note here is that cloud of daggers is not a ranged spell attack, and it doesn't require a saving throw. Instead, if a target begins their turn in the affected area, or moves through it, they automatically take damage. So, though the damage represented in the table above appears quite low comparatively, burning hands and the fighter's represented damage are calculated without factoring in hit chance, so their true values would be quite a bit lower in some cases.

Cloud of Daggers Usefulness

Cloud of daggers basically has two features that make it useful:

The spell does not require a hit chance. Since it's neither a ranged spell attack nor requires a saving throw, when you cast the spell on a target, when that target begins their next turn, they automatically take damage.
Furthermore, the spell can be maintained with concentration, meaning that you can cast the spell at a choke point, forcing enemies to walk through your cloud of daggers to get to you. If there is no such 5-foot sq. choke point in your environment, however, then this additional advantage disappears.

Since Cloud of Daggers does not require any kind of hit chance, you should cast the spell on enemies who:

Have very high AC and are therefore resistant to spells such as chromatic orb and chill touch 5e .
Have very high Dexterity saves and are therefore resistant to spells such as burning hands, call lightning 5e , and even cantrips like acid splash 5e .

If there happens to be a choke point on the battlefield such as a 5-foot wide tunnel, or perhaps a 5-foot wide bridge that enemies have to cross, cloud of daggers could actually be an amazing spell choice. If you can center cloud of daggers on an enemy, dealing damage, and then force others to either not pass through the cloud of daggers at all, or push past and take more automatic damage, then the spell could really shine.

Honestly, if you had some choke point with an area you were trying to defend for 1-minute or less (the spell's duration), cloud of daggers could actually work like an improved alarm 5e , as not only would you be alerted to enemies crossing through - via their screams of pain - but yes, you would also deal damage with your alert system.

Slashing Damage Resistances, Immunities, and Vulnerabilities

In the D&D monster manual there are 6-monsters with slashing damage resistance, only 2-monsters with slashing damage immunity, and 0-monsters with slashing damage vulnerability. Of all the damage types, slashing damage is one of the least resisted, and is pretty much secure as a good spell damage choice almost no matter what you're facing.

Visit the Eternity TTRPG Store!

Combine Cloud of Daggers with the Following Spells

Most DnD spells have some kind of other spell type that they mix well with, whether they increase hit chance, give more actions, or increase defenses, etc. With cloud of daggers, I wouldn't really say that there are many directly beneficial support spells, though I suppose that there are a few that could work well together.

Banishment 5e : say that you've cast banishment on an extra-planar enemy. Once the 1-minute spell effect from banishment is up, that being will be banished from your current plane for good - or that is, at least until they find a way back. In any case, if you can use cloud of daggers to protect an ally while they concentrate on banishment, this combination could make for a very successful combat encounter.
Blindness Deafness 5e : this is a pretty mean combination, but imagine blinding an enemy, then casting cloud of daggers right in front of them. Since they're blind, chances are high that they could walk right into your spell. Of course, you could always just cast cloud of daggers right in their space to begin with, so blinding them isn't really necessary. But I imagine that being slashed by a cloud of daggers while blinded would be significantly more terrifying than the spell's usual effect.
Cause Fear 5e : if your goal is to prevent enemies from attacking you - say especially if you have a choke point with cloud of daggers set up - then a spell like cause fear could also be helpful to use, especially against any ranged characters who wouldn't need to pass through cloud of daggers in order to attack you. Note, however, that since cloud of daggers in also a concentration spell, you'd need to coordinate cause fear with one of your other party members.
Charm Person 5e : similar to cause fear, you could charm enemies with enough range or spells to avoid cloud of daggers.
Spiritual Weapon 5e : since spiritual weapon can be moved away from you, and is immune to damage, you could cast cloud of daggers, then send your spiritual weapon after your enemies, beyond the choke point. Spiritual weapon is also a concentration spell, however, so an ally would need to cast this spell.

Cloud of Daggers Counters

So many spell effects are more or less nullified by the fact that cloud of daggers doesn't require a ranged spell attack or even a saving throw. However, as always, silence 5e is a nice choice to prevent the spell from ever being cast, in the first place. If you're charging into a choke point and you're facing a bard, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard, you can be sure that they're thinking about cutting off the choke point with cloud of daggers, so silencing them ahead of time could be a great move.

Additionally, the relatively useless cantrip blade ward 5e actually has some great value against cloud of daggers as it grants you resistant to slashing damage for 1-round. If you need to charge through a choke point that's covered by cloud of daggers, cast blade ward and run in. You'll certainly find yourself far better off than if you'd run through without the slashing damage resistance, that way.

Cloud of Dagger-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

Finally, I'll share a bit about the Eternity TTRPG Game System . I realize that you came here for information on cloud of daggers, but maybe you've been thinking about checking out other TTRPG systems. If that's the case, then I'll keep it short: Eternity TTRPG allows for multiple players to act as the game master at various times during your campaign. The game also features very fast-paced combat encounters, and every class/ character feels like it has something meaningful to contribute, while also being equally useful.

Below, I've included a sample spell for you that somewhat represents the general purpose of cloud of daggers. You can take a quick look to see if you like the game's flavor. If so, there are links below for where you can find the game.

Chaosmancer - Core Class Spell

Gravity (Magic): 8Range, creates a “Gravity” space that remains for Battle Duration. Every turn, up to 3 enemies in 8Range of the “Gravity” space, -3Faith vs. Resilience, all affected targets are either pulled up to your Range+ value towards the “Gravity” space, or pushed up to your Range+ value away from the “Gravity” space, at your choice.

You can only have one “Gravity” space active at a time. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Spell for 3Inspiration, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

(Double-Hit): pulled or pushed your Range+ value +4. *Double-Hit can only affect one target, per turn.

(Dazed): the effect from “Gravity” is temporarily interrupted while you are Dazed.

(Chaos Stream) If this spell hits, affected targets also have -3Initiative for 1turn. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 2Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom), making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Mirror Star) Whenever an enemy is pulled into the “Gravity” space, -10Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage. This Critical cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 2Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom), making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.
(Celestial Energies) Instant Action. When you use this Critical, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn.

Though cloud of daggers is aesthetically far away from creating a point of gravity on the map, functionally, they have similarities. Gravity pulls (or pushes) enemies away from you, and the "Mirror Star" Critical option allows you the chance to deal damage whenever enemies are pulled into the point of gravity. Overall, it's an effective way - choke point or not - to protect yourself, positionally, from enemies.

Curious to learn more about the Eternity TTRPG Game System? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Chill Touch 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 21:07:28 GMT

Chill Touch 5e Spell Effects

Necromancy cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: 1 round

You create a ghostly, skeletal hand in the space of a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the creature to assail it with the chill of the grave. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 necrotic damage, and it can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Until then, the hand clings to the target.

If you hit an undead target, it also has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.

This spell's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

All information on Chill Touch 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Chill Touch 5e

The following classes from the player's handbook can cast chill touch 5e:

Sorcerer
Warlock
Wizard

Since chill touch is a cantrip and doesn't have a spell level, it isn't available to any of the cleric domains .

Also, I know what you're thinking: "I thought this spell was called 'chill touch'?" So, why's it deal necrotic damage? Good question. Like you, I also feel that this spell should be called "Grave Touch," or "Skeletal Hand," or something. But, whatever, I guess we can't always get what we want. Chill Touch deals necrotic damage, not cold damage, for some reason. Who knows why.

Chill Touch Spell Effectiveness

Spell Damage

Only roughly half of the value from chill touch comes from its damage - the other half comes from preventing healing, and in some cases, giving disadvantage on attack rolls (to undead). The numbers presented on this table are compared to a fighter's average damage per round , which is calculated before factoring in hit chance. These numbers are rough estimations, intended to provide only an idea of chill touch's overall value as compared to the damage from another class.

Chill Touch 5e Usefulness

Chill Touch, like many spells in DnD, can be amazing when cast in the right situation. Or, it can be highly mediocre when cast in a suboptimal situation. To get the most from this interesting cantrip, try using chill touch 5e in the following circumstances.

If you're facing an enemy who is getting a lot of healing sent their way, be sure to utilize Chill Touch 5e. Since Chill Touch prevents healing on the target for 1-round, it should absolutely be spammed on enemies who rely on incoming heals.
Cast Chill Touch 5e when you're out of spell slots. This advice is probably obvious, as the damage/ utility from chill touch is certainly less than even 1st-level spells, but it is an important way to optimize its usage.
Use Chill Touch on enemies with low AC. Since a " ranged spell attack " goes against the target's AC to hit, in place of a saving throw, targets like other spell casters are actually relatively easy targets to hit, with chill touch 5e.
Finally, chill touch should certainly be prioritized against enemy undead who deal physical damage (not spell casters). Though the disadvantage to undead hit chance from a successful chill touch only applies to attacks they make against you - and not your allies - it's still a useful part of the spell to keep in mind.

Necrotic Damage Resistances, Immunities, and Vulnerabilities

When using Chill Touch 5e, it's worth knowing ahead of time that in the DnD Monster Manual , there are 11 monsters with necrotic damage resistance, 11 monsters with necrotic damage immunity, and 0 monsters with necrotic damage vulnerability.

Dungeon masters may always decide to give enemies you face off against necrotic damage vulnerabilities, but in my experience, most DMs aren't so generous. There are certainly other spell damage types that have more monsters with resistance and immunities (acid, fire, and lightning for example - consider spells like acid splash , burning hands , and call lightning ), though the 22 monsters that reduce necrotic damage are worth looking out for.

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Combine Chill Touch with the Following Spells

Chill touch is really not an amazing spell in the early game, but it's one of those spells that grows in value the further you get into your RPG campaign . In my experience, the further you go into a campaign, some of the more difficult fights you'll face often come from battling enemy healers. Since chill touch prevents healing for 1-round entirely - and there is no limit to how much healing it prevents - it can be truly amazing past 11th-level or so, when healing spells get really powerful.

Try combining chill touch 5e with the following spells to get the most out of this cantrip, especially in later levels.

Bless : normally, bless doesn't benefit spell casters very much, since hit chance is usually determined by enemy saving throws. However, since chill touch is a ranged spell attack, it technically counts as an "attack roll," meaning the +1d4 bonus from bless actually does apply.
Haste : characters affected by haste gain an extra action every round, meaning that haste pretty much meshes well with every spell in the game. Though Chill Touch 5e doesn't exactly do a ton of damage, if you're facing one or more enemy healers, you could cast chill touch on multiple enemies per round, effectively preventing multiple targets from being healed. Though chill touch is a mere cantrip, this simple combination could really make life difficult for an enemy healer.
Hellish Rebuke : this spell doesn't exactly multiply the effects from chill touch or anything. Instead, it's really just here to remind you that if your target's resistant or immune to necrotic damage, to - for the love of god - cast a spell with a different type of damage.

Chill Touch 5e Counters

If I was a healer, facing an enemy with chill touch, I would certainly make the time to silence them, use charm person , or cast cause fear on them. Really, anything to interrupt them from continually preventing my allies from receiving healing effects would be worthwhile effort.

Additionally though, since chill touch 5e uses AC to hit, it's also worth casting some of the following spells to lower chill touch's hit chance:

Bane : as the opposite of bless, you can use bane to lower a target's (3-targets', in fact) ranged spell attack by 1d4. Though bane doesn't outright prevent a spell caster from using chill touch 5e, it does make hitting with the spell more difficult.
Mage Armor : similarly, mage armor effectively raises AC of the target (in some cases), making it harder for them to be hit with spells like chill touch.

Chill Touch-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

There are so many TTRPGs out there that many players just go with D&D. 5e is the most well-known tabletop RPG in the world, it's a great system, and finding a group to game with is a piece of cake.

If you've ever wondered about finding a game that might better suit your gaming tastes though, let me shamelessly self-promote Eternity TTRPG for a second. In Eternity TTRPG, players can share the game master role, everyone gets to play a character (including GMs), and the game features really awesome tactical combat.

Below, I've included an example spell from Eternity TTRPG that's similar to Chill Touch 5e as a very short example you can use to compare how each game works.

Revenant/ Witch - Core Class Spell

Hex (Magic): weapon Range, -3Strike Bonus vs. Dodge or 4Range, -3Faith vs. Will. If this spell hits, you prevent the next 2HP of healing that the target would otherwise have received (can stack without limit). The target still receives any applicable Fatigue that they would otherwise have received from the prevented healing effect.

(Double-Hit): also deals 1damage.

(Grimly Fated) Not only is the next 2HP of healing prevented, but it instead causes the target to instead take equivalent damage.
(Of the Dread Vale) If this spell hits, the target also has -3Resilience, -3Dodge, and -3Will.
(Witch's Coven) Up to 3 enemies. *Double-Hit with this critical only allows one of the attacks to also deal 1damage.

Similar to chill touch 5e, Hex prevents healing on affected targets. Though there is a cap to how much healing can be prevented, and hex does not deal damage (unless the attack roll is very high), it's probably the closest example of a comparable spell within Eternity TTRPG. Revenant/ witch happens to be one of my favorite classes in the game (though revenant is an expansion class) as it has many unique debuff-like effects available in its spell/ ability kit.

Curious to learn more about the Eternity TTRPG Game System? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Call Lightning 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:36:07 GMT

Call Lightning 5e Spell Effects

3rd-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

A storm cloud appears in the shape of a cylinder that is 10 feet tall with a 60-foot radius, centered on a point you can see within range directly above you. The spell fails if you can't see a point in the air where the storm cloud could appear (for example, if you are in a room that can't accommodate the cloud).

When you cast the spell, choose a point you can see under the cloud. A bolt of lightning flashes down from the cloud to that point. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down lightning in this way again, targeting the same point or a different one.

If you are outdoors in stormy conditions when you cast this spell, the spell gives you control over the existing storm instead of creating a new one. Under such conditions, the spell's damage increases by 1d10.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th or higher level, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 3rd.

All information on Call Lightning 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Call Lightning 5e

Of all classes in t he Player's Handbook, only druids gain access to casting call lightning 5e. Yes, call lightning is purely a druid spell.

You would think that sorcerers, wizards, and even nature domain clerics should perhaps be able to cast the spell, but the official rules say otherwise.

Call Lightning Spell Effectiveness

Call Lightning Spell Damage

This table provides information on the damage that Call Lightning 5e could do, as compared to a fighter of a similar level (based on the level it would take to cast each spell level). Average fighter DPR refers to their damage per round, which is roughly calculated prior to factoring in hit chance. Also, note that call lightning could easily hit more (or less) than the 3-target damage numbers shown above.

Call Lightning 5e Usefulness

Every spell in D&D 5e that can hit multiple targets has the potential to be absolutely game-breaking when it's cast in the right situation. Try using call lightning in the following ways to maximize its usefulness for you.

If you're outside, and see multiple enemies clumped together - at least 2, but preferably 3 or more - blast them with call lightning for some huge damage.
Cast call lightning 5e on any enemies who (somehow) have lightning vulnerability, to double your damage.
Since you can call down lightning bolts using this spell, every round, for no additional spell slots, try using it when you're besieged. That is, if your enemy has to attack into your position, then the cloud you created can continue to rain down lightning damage upon them.
For additional value, cast call lightning 5e whenever you happen to be fighting in a storm. Since the spell deals an additional 1d10 damage in stormy weather, this is an excellent time to go crazy with lightning.
Finally, cast call lightning against enemies with low Dexterity save scores. The higher your hit chance with call lightning 5e, the less likely you are to have your spell damage halved from successful saving throws.

Lightning Damage Resistances, Immunities, and Vulnerabilities

When using call lightning 5e, it's worth knowing ahead of time that in the DnD Monster Manual , there are 35 monsters with lightning damage resistance, 10 monsters with lightning damage immunity, and yes - 0 monsters with lightning damage vulnerability.

Of course, you may come across situations where your dungeon master throws in enemies who have lightning damage vulnerability, but aside from that, call lightning only has liabilities. As with spells like acid splash 5e and burning hands 5e , where tons of monsters have resistance, be very careful about using call lightning on enemies. The worst thing you can have happen is to only deal half damage - or even no damage - against enemies, from casting your 3rd-level spell.

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Combine Call Lightning with the Following Spells

Pretty much every damage-based spell becomes more powerful when combined with other spells. Try out some of these high-powered mixtures for some spectacular results.

Alarm 5e : this one's a little more for fun than optimization. But just imagine setting up the alarm spell while you sleep outdoors. If a group of goblins comes to ambush you, not only are they surprised when your party is already awake, but they'll be absolutely stunned to see the flashing light of an incoming lightning bolt.
Bane 5e : as with basically every damage spell in D&D, casting bane on your target to lower their saving throw by 1d4 before crushing them with lightning is a major plus. Note that since bane, like call lightning, is also a concentration spell, you'll need to have an ally to set up this combo.
Haste 5e : since call lightning 5e says that "on each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down lightning," it isn't perfectly clear if the limit of lightning bolts is once per turn, or once per action you spend. If the limit is actually actions spent, then having haste maintained on you by an ally actually allows you to effectively double-cast call lightning each turn, causing really massive damage into entire groups of enemies. In any case, this is one where you should strongly consider asking your dungeon master for backup, to let you have some lightning-based fun.

Call Lightning 5e Counters

As with any spell that requires concentration, you have to be cautious about taking damage, or else the spell effect could fade. Also, just note that any enemy who has silence 5e can prevent you from casting call lightning. Meanwhile, enemies affected by Bless 5e have +1d4 on their Dexterity saving throws, making call lighting less likely to hit for full damage.

Perhaps one of the biggest counters to call lightning 5e is that enemies can simply leave the 60-foot radius area that the cloud covers. Once enemies are out of that area, they can no longer be targeted by that same call lightning spell.

Call Lightning-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System , there are actually a number of spells very similar in nature to Call Lightning 5e. I've provided one example below, in case you're interested in other Games Like DnD which you may not have heard about before.

Pyromancer - Core Class Spell

Pyro Storm (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -9Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers). “Pyro Storm” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain

1 stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage with

1 stack of “Inferno”: 19-20. 2 stacks of

“Inferno”: 17-20.

(Flames of the Abyss) -2Faith vs. Will.
(Magic of the Silver Lands) 8Range. You also have 8Range when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration.
(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -12Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Pyro Storm” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Pyro Storm is a fire damage spell that can hit up to 3-targets at a time. When you cast Pyro Storm as a Critical, if you take the "Elemental Fire" option, it allows you to recast the spell every turn, just with lower hit chance. Obviously, there are a number of similarities between this spell and Call Lightning 5e, though the finer points, and overall aesthetics are different.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Pyromancer - Core Class Spell

Pyro Storm (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -9Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers). “Pyro Storm” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain 1 stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage with

1 stack of “Inferno”: 19-20. 2 stacks of “Inferno”: 17-20.

(Flames of the Abyss) -2Faith vs. Will.
(Magic of the Silver Lands) 8Range. You also have 8Range when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration.
(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -12Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Pyro Storm” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Burning Hands 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 21:21:02 GMT

Burning Hands 5e Spell Effects

1st-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (15-foot cone)

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

As you hold your hands with thumbs touching and fingers spread, a thin sheet of flames shoots forth from your outstretched fingertips. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The fire ignites any flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.

All information on Burning Hands 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Burning Hands 5e

The following classes gain access to casting Burning Hands 5e as part of their normal class spell availability, within the Player's Handbook:

Cleric: Light Domain
Sorcerer
Wizard

Burning Hands Spell Effectiveness

DPR

DPR indicates damage per round , but in this calculation, it does not account for hit chance. The intent of this table is to provide a roughly-accurate comparison between Burning Hands 5e damage and a fighter's damage per round, to compare. It's also worth noting that since Burning Hands 5e hits a 15-foot cone, it can certainly hit more (or less) than 3-targets at a time. Again, the numbers presented here are intended simply to provide an idea of how powerful the Burning Hands 5e spell may be.

Burning Hands 5e Usefulness

I have both been on the giving and receiving end of Burning Hands, and I can certainly say that when the spell is used properly, it can be absolutely devastating.

Obviously, Burning Hands 5e should primarily be cast on clusters of enemies. As you can see in the table above, hitting multiple targets with the spell can drastically raise the damage it deals.
Be sure to only cast Burning Hands 5e on targets who do not have fire damage resistance or immunities (below). Furthermore, try to maximize your usage of the spell on enemies with fire vulnerabilities.
Since Burning Hands only has an effect cast range of 15-feet, consider if you can actually kill enemies with the spell, rather than just damaging them. The reason is that if you cast on a large group, and many of them live, you probably become the main target for all of them, and being only 15-feet away, you won't have a lot of safety.

Fire Damage Resistances, Immunities, and Vulnerabilities

When using Burning Hands 5e, it's worth knowing ahead of time that in the DnD Monster Manual , there are 37 monsters with fire damage resistance, 40 monsters with fire damage immunity, and 9 monsters with fire damage vulnerability.

Surprisingly, of all damage types in the entire game, fire damage is the one that most monsters are vulnerable to, at 9. Meanwhile, there are 77 monsters in total that take reduced or no damage at all from fire, so be very cautious when casting Burning Hands. One of the worst things you can do as a spell caster in D&D is to waste a spell slot on a spell that deals reduced damage.

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Combine Burning Hands with the Following Spells

Most spells in DnD 5e work even better in combination with other spells, effects, feats, and so on. Try combining Acid Splash 5e with some of these other effects.

Acid Splash 5e : this cantrip spell isn't one that you'd use in combination with Burning Hands. However, it does deal acid damage, so it's here to remind you that if you're facing an enemy with fire resistance or immunity, switch up your damage type.
Bane 5e : since bane reduced enemy saving throws by 1d4, it's a perfect way to make them more susceptible to your Burning Hands 5e spell.

Burning Hands 5e Counters

Hard counters to Burning Hands 5e are spells like Silence 5e , which prevent you from casting spells to begin with. If you know your enemy has silence, be very cautious around them, as you don't want to get locked out from spell casting.

There are also "soft counters" to Burning Hands, like Bless 5e and Haste 5e . Bless provides a +1d4 bonus to saving throws, while Haste provides advantage on Dexterity saving throws, making targets of these effects less likely to be hit from the full damage of Burning Hands.

Burning Hands-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

I created the Eternity TTRPG Game System about 15-years ago, and have been refining the game ever since. It's independently published, inspired by other great TTRPG systems, provides rules for having multiple game masters in your group, and features tactical gameplay in combat.

I've provided a spell example below that correlates pretty similarly to the Burning Hands 5e spell, if you want to see what another game like DnD looks like.

Pyromancer - Core Class Spell

Pyro Storm (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -9Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers). “Pyro Storm” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain

1 stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage with

1 stack of “Inferno”: 19-20. 2 stacks of

“Inferno”: 17-20.

(Flames of the Abyss) -2Faith vs. Will.
(Magic of the Silver Lands) 8Range. You also have 8Range when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration.
(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -12Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Pyro Storm” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Pyro Storm maxes out hitting 3-targets, whereas Burning Hands 5e can hit any number of targets in a small 15-foot cone area. However, otherwise, the spells are virtually the same. In Eternity TTRPG, characters can choose to cause their spells to "Critical," at-will, so Pyro Storm provides a few more players options, that way.

Every good RPG needs an area of effect fire damage spell.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Pyromancer - Core Class Spell

Pyro Storm (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -9Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage (deals 2damage to cryomancers). “Pyro Storm” cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Even if this Spell misses, you also gain 1 stack of “Inferno,” which gives you a chance to deal an additional 1damage with

1 stack of “Inferno”: 19-20. 2 stacks of “Inferno”: 17-20.

(Flames of the Abyss) -2Faith vs. Will.
(Magic of the Silver Lands) 8Range. You also have 8Range when casting this Spell, for Battle Duration.
(Elemental Fire) Every turn, Instantly cast this Spell with -12Faith vs. Will. Instantly casting “Pyro Storm” in this way does not give you an additional stack of “Inferno.” This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.

Every good RPG needs an area of effect fire damage spell.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !

Blindness Deafness 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book

jake@thirdloft.com (Jacob Tegtman) — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 20:24:50 GMT

Blindness Deafness 5e Spell Effects

2nd-level necromancy

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V

Duration: 1 minute

You can blind or deafen a foe. Choose one creature that you can see within range to make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, the target is either blinded or deafened (your choice) for the duration. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make a Constitution saving throw. On a success, the spell ends.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 2nd.

All information on Blindness Deafness 5e comes from the D&D 5th edition Player's Handbook .

Classes That Can Cast Blindness Deafness 5e

The following classes may cast Blindness/ Deafness 5e as part of their normal class spell availability, through the Player's Handbook:

Bard
Cleric
Sorcerer
Wizard

Surprisingly, warlock can't cast Blindness/ Deafness, even though the spell tends to fit the overall demonic vibe they have going on. At least, in my opinion, that is.

Blindness Deafness 5e Spell Effectiveness

Since this spell, well - causes either Blindness or Deafness in your target - it's important to know exactly what each effect does. That way, you can determine if you want to use this spell in the first place, and then from there, optimize its use.

Blinded 5e

The in-game term for blinding someone in D&D 5e is the status condition : "Blinded."

A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature's attack rolls have disadvantage.

Deafened 5e

The in-game term for causing deafness to someone in D&D 5e is the status condition: " Deafened ."

A deafened creature can't hear and automatically fails any ability check that requires hearing.

Blindness Deafness Usefulness

Sometimes the wording of D&D terms gets a little technical, so just to be clear, an "ability check" in D&D 5e is basically just a "Skill Check," but without a proficiency bonus from any particular skill. So, taking an ability check is the same as rolling d20, and then adding your ability score modifier.

For further clarification, an "ability check" in D&D 5e is not the same thing as a "Saving Throw." Even though saving throws benefit from ability score modifier, ability checks are for when characters try to "do" something, whereas saving throws are for when something "happens" to the character.

So, for the most part, when it comes to combat, blinding a target is more useful than causing them deafness. When it comes to roleplay encounters, however, both may be equally valuable, and may be extremely useful depending on the situation.

Visit the Eternity TTRPG Store!

Combine Blindness Deafness 5e with the Following Spells

For the most part, I'd consider Blindness Deafness 5e to be a roleplay spell. However, it does have utility in combat. Try casting Blindness Deafness with the following combinations to create some really exciting and potent effects.

Bless 5e : since attack rolls against blinded characters have advantage , why not give your allies an extra +1d4 modifier with Bless? With this combination, your allies are almost sure to hit even the most defensive foe.
Haste 5e : this spell provides so many benefits, but the one that comes to mind for this situation is the extra action it provides each round. With the advantage on attack rolls against a blinded enemy, why not increase the number of attacks you have against them?
Spiritual Weapon 5e : melee spell attacks still count as attack rolls, so spiritual weapon has advantage when attacking blinded enemies. Furthermore, this spell only requires a bonus action to attack each turn, so you can add its attacks to your own.

Blindness Deafness 5e Counters

The only spells to Blindness Deafness are the basic spell counters that apply to all of D&D 5e. Silence 5e can prevent you from casting Blindness Deafness to begin with. Meanwhile, dispel magic can remove the blinded or deafened status condition that the spell causes.

Otherwise, any character's best bet for counteracting Blindness Deafness 5e is to have a high Constitution score and constitution saving throw modifier.

Blindness Deafness-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG

For my last bit of promo for you, I'll mention that Eternity TTRPG has it s own TTRPG game system of the same name.

In the Eternity TTRPG Game System , multiple players can act as the game master, trading off as they'd like. The game's rules also supports every player - including game master(s) - getting to roleplay their own character.

Finally, Eternity TTRPG was inspired by games like DnD and the early Final Fantasy series, so there are some spells with somewhat similar effects to D&D. In this case, with Blindness/ Deafness, there really isn't an exact spell that matches. I have listed below, however, a spell that could cover a somewhat similar effect, for comparison.

Chaosmancer - Core Class Spell

Eclipse (Magic): up to 3 enemies in 4Range, this spell automatically hits. Affected targets have -1Resilience, -1Dodge, and -1Will (can stack without limit). Lowered Resilience, Dodge, and Will from “Eclipse” cannot be dispelled.

(Chaos Stream) Instead gives -2Resilience, -2Dodge, and -2Will (can stack without limit).
(Mirror Star) 8Range. You also have 8Range when casting this spell, for Battle Duration.
(Celestial Energies) You can still cast this spell while Dazed, Afraid, Locked, or Silenced. You also gain +7Initiative for 1turn.

In Eternity TTRPG, every spell or ability has a specific in-combat effect. However, players may choose to creatively use spells however they can imagine, when it comes to roleplay encounters (or even while roleplaying during combat encounters). The only rules for this creative application is that the desired effect must somewhat match the spell's name or intended combat effect, and that the desired effect can't be more powerful than the combat effect, by comparison.

In this case, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that casting "Eclipse" could cause temporary blindness in one or more targets, and it wouldn't necessarily be substantially stronger than the combat effect. This kind of decision is left to each group to decide among themselves, but many groups would probably approve of this kind of use, at least every once in a while.

Curious to learn more? Check out the Eternity TTRPG Core Game PDF !