For ease of explanation, individuals on trial will be referred to as the accused—and the individual running the trial as the lawgiver. Trials resolve with only a few ability checks, though the appropriate challenge DCs and damage penalties should be determined by the GM based on the PCs’ level. Additionally, some trials draw spectators. Once […]
Musings from an Empty Tankard: Trial by Fire Read More »
You’ve introduced your group of new players to the rules of the game, and they’re excited to create their first characters. They all look through the rulebook and create a fighter, a barbarian, and two paladins. Sure, they’ve all created a character according to the rules and have even written up some personalities to make
Introducing Players to Roleplaying Games: Interacting as a Group Read More »
The following spells are the creations of saints, apostles, and other important religious figures that have spread throughout their faith. Most of the spells can only be used by clerics, but a few can be used by paladins, rangers, druids, and even bards. Only a handful of the spells are available to sorcerers, warlocks, or
Deep Magic: Spells of the Saints, Part 1 Read More »
Options for Clergy The core game presents a few NPC stat blocks with a cleric’s spellcasting abilities. The acolyte (CR 1/4)is akin to a 1st-level cleric, wielding enough power to heal simple wounds. The priest (CR 2)is a more potent 5th-level cleric, possessing the power to cast dispel magic. And the cult fanatic (CR 4)
Bigger Bads: Clerical NPCs Read More »
In this installment of Arcane Adventures,we look at spells that bless or curse a family line, affecting them for many generations until some condition is met. Fruit of the Twisted Line 8th-Level Conjuration (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Wizard)Casting Time: 10 hoursRange: 5 milesComponents: V, S, M (a drop of blood, hair, or fingernail from the target)Duration:
Arcane Adventures: A Curse Upon Your House Read More »
Death Toll 4th-Level Necromancy (Pestilent)Casting Time: 1 actionRange: SelfComponents: V, SDuration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes You conjure a shadowy bell in front of you and ring it with an ominous, ethereal tone. Any living creature within a 30-foot radius of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for the duration.
Deep Magic: Pestilent Cleric Spells, Part 2 Read More »
Brand of Shame 2nd-Level EnchantmentCasting Time: 1 bonus actionRange: TouchComponents: V, S, M (a quill)Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You brandish your quill, inscribing a brand into the flesh of a creature you touch. The creature projects a 30-foot-radius aura that moves with it until the spell ends. All creatures in the aura feel
Bards with Class: New Bard Spells Read More »
Looped Time (Recharge 5–6). The chronalmental targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or be forced to repeat its actions during its previous turn for 1 minute. At the beginning of each of its turns, the target appears in the
Tome Unleashed: Chronalmental Read More »
Our friends Chris and Rita Birch of Modiphius started a not-for-profit, Roll vs Evil, to raise funds for various projects to help embattled Ukraine. Funds go to groups like Ukraine Evacuation and Resettlement and to volunteer groups who are helping with medical and aid supplies to those on the frontlines. When we were asked to
Game for Ukraine! Read More »
In its growing frantic desperation to recover its seedling, the mimic moon fashions greater servants of its cosmic will. These more powerful mimics typically arrive 1d6 days into the cataclysm, after 6–24 waves of lesser mimics spread across the landscape. Mage Mimic An arcane shapechanger, the mage mimic leads groups of mimics on ruthless hunts
Rise of the Mimic Moon: Still Greater Monstrosities Read More »
The collapse of a civilization is a tragic low point in the timeline of a world, but in a fantasy setting, such a fall leaves far more than just a note in a history book. The magical side-effects of an empire’s fall scar the land, sometimes far longer than the civilization who created it were
Magical Wastelands: Collapse of Civilization Read More »
From the genesis of D&D, random lists have been used to create, inspire, and complicate games everywhere. The gamemaster is essentially keeping all the knowledge of a fabricated world inside their head along with all the relevant laws of physics and mechanics, which are transformed into a living story around the table. With that in
The Random Gamemaster: NPC Names Read More »
Levels 1–3 Explorers in the high mountains recently found a body partially frozen in melting ice. Well-preserved, the human is dressed in furs and carrying stone tools. He could be thousands of years old. The body was taken to the city of Zobeck—there to be examined by scholars at the Arcane Collegium—packed in ice and
The Song Undying: Low- to Mid-Level Plot Hooks Read More »
First, pick a mood or theme that suits the flow of the game. After describing that mood, use it for the basis of your prophecy. A prophecy that accurately describes the game feels more organic. It feels as if it has always been unfolding, and the PCs are only now beginning to see it. It
Musings from an Empty Tankard: Omens, Prophecy, and Foreshadowing Read More »
Making Space for Storytelling As a GM, you’ve at least partially defined the world that your campaign will take place in. Whether it’s a setting you’ve written yourself or a commercially available campaign setting, the basics will be set, but there will still be many details that offer room for expansion. Even in the most
Introducing Players to Roleplaying Games: Encouraging Interaction with the Game World Read More »
Saint Uborkagg Origins. Born in the depths of a vast cave system in the Ironcrags, Uborkagg was a sickly ogre who almost perished at the hands of his own mother. Reviled for his weakness, the rest of his family used Uborkagg as a whipping boy and plaything. Yet despite the torment inflicted upon him, he
Saints of Midgard: St. Uborkagg Read More »
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