Campaign Chronicles

Day Four of the Odinsleep (5pm) Korbin looks down and sees his companions hard-pressed in the battle against the Jotuns.  He draws his new sword, Laevaetinn, the Wounding Wand, tucks his wings in close to his body and dives.  The ebony bird plummets on high in a tight spiral, clutching the blade given to him by the Norns in the talons of his right foot.  The very air around him begins to whistle as he picks up speed and sees the top of the Jotun’s head racing up to meet him.  The new embodiment of cunning angles slightly to his left, skimming down the giant’s back and holds out his blade.  The enchanted steel cuts easily through the Jotun’s hide armor and flesh, leaving a long, thin slice just to the side of the giant’s spine.  Korbin flares his wings and rolls, breaking hard to the right, narrowly avoiding impact with the ground. Idunn, seeing the lone Jotun just mounting the top of the wall, raises one hand and a stone barrier that reaches nearly to the brute’s waist rises fr

“Frankly, the Number One threat experienced to date by the U.S. electrical grid is squirrels.”                                                                 - John C. Inglis (former Deputy Director NSA – 2015)   The Squirrel Index (TSqI) measures damage to the power grid caused by squirrels. Yes.   This is a real thing.   While surfing YouTube the other day, I came across this video detailing the Squirrel Index. I was immediately fascinated and, being me, began thinking about how I could incorporate something like this into my D&D campaign .   The most straightforward way I could come up with involved a modern, comic book-based setting where a villainous superhuman with the ability to command and control squirrels would hire him or herself out as a “domestic terrorist” to criminal organizations, using furry rodent minions to cripple electrical substations, thus powering down security systems and the like so these criminals could then rob, loot, or other

Day Four of the Odinsleep (5pm) Korbin joins the circling Valkyries high above the city.  The plains spread out before him.  Carnage litters the battlefield, with hundreds, nay, thousands of dead and dying scattered amongst the warriors still fighting below.  Nearly every creature below could serve as the raw materials for the constructed monstrosity Korbin saw in his dream – the vision that ended with Loki on the throne of Asgard. - - - - - - - - - - Arthur does his best to shake off his injuries and fatigue from the prolonged battle.  He raises his holy blade and lifts his shield and steps forward boldly, slashing with his silvered weapon.  Brilliant light flares as his blade crashes into the flesh of the evil giant.  The final blow, the one aided by the spell of speed smashes into the ankle of the brute, cracking the bone and eliciting a howl from the massive Jotun. Drax dodges nimbly between the thunderous steps of Jotun feet, angling into position to strike once more and

Day Four of the Odinsleep (5pm) Munin nods in agreement, “I remember.  We have somewhere else to be.  Kaniŋ, will you be returning to the battlefield with us?” The crow nods, “Sure, I have to practice in my new form…and with a new weapon.”  The two ravens and the crow take flight, soaring through the air, weaving between trees and back out over the plains of battle as they fly back toward the city of Asgard.  Korbin, or Kanin, as he is now known to Hugin and Munin can’t help but notice the Valkyries gathering over the city, circling high above a section of wall nearest the fjord. - - - - - - - - - - Idunn looks up.  In the distance, she can see an entire flight of Valkyries closing in on the group’s position atop the wall.  The goddess shakes her head, despairing for a moment that Thor, the war god Tyr, or even her husband Bragi have not yet arrived to lend their aid against the massed giants.  Tears stream down her face as she hears the Jotun’s axe bite into one of her trees a

On this day in 1987, two Chicago-based television stations had their signals hijacked by person or persons unknown.  The first  event was stopped quickly but the second lasted a bit longer.  More than 30 years later, no suspects have ever been identified. For those of you who have been reading my stuff for awhile, you know that I am planning on having my party eventually reach Earth .  I have plotted out some unusual adventures and some strange NPCs that I think it would be cool to have them encounter (plus I just like making weird characters) and was thinking that crossing paths with Max and his "IRL" counterpart Edison could make for an interesting story. Incorporating Max into a D&D campaign... This does present a bit of a conundrum since Max is undeniably based on futuristic technology.  Then again, Dungeons & Dragons has a long history of sci-fi crossovers so perhaps the next time you find yourself running " Expedition to the Barrier Peaks "

There are many stories surrounding this relic.   The most popular concerns a local lord who was involved in a lawsuit and appealed to the faerie/queen of the banshees, Cl í odhna , for her intervention.   The queen told this lord to trust in her and kiss the first stone he saw on the way to court in the morning.   He did so and spoke so eloquently in court that he won his case.   He then brought the stone home and incorporated it into his keep to honor her.   There is a small cult devoted to this minor goddess/fairy queen in the town.   They arrange marriages and help young people find true love and help in the fields during the day but at night they become vengeful vigilantes, punishing those who have wronged members of their congregation. In my campaign , I have two rough ideas for what I want to do with this stone.   The first is pretty straightforward.   Traveling to the keep and kissing the stone grants a one-time +5 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, or Perform (Oratory) checks (i

Day Four of the Odinsleep (5pm) Korbin flits around the pool outside of the Norns’ shack, flying from tree to tree, adjusting to the difference in his size.  Hugin and Munin emerge from the open window and take up residence on a stout branch, watching their new brother’s antics. The Norns slowly file out of their front door and make their way to the water’s edge.  The crone enters the pool first, clucking to the swan and bidding it to swim toward her.  The Mother and Maiden slip into the water as well.  The three surround the white-feathered bird and join hands. Hugin looks to Munin and squawks, “I think it is time to take our leave.” Munin nods in agreement, “I remember.  We have somewhere else to be.  Kaniŋ, will you be returning to the battlefield with us?” - - - - - - - - - - Niklas falls back toward the main party, trying to put some room between himself and the massive giants. Idunn scowls at the two Jotun.  Much like she did against the Svartalfar, she draws hersel

There are many underground pit fighting arenas in Sigil.   The (SPOILERS!!!) “ Eternal Boundary ” adventure module says that the most infamous of these is the Blood Pit.   The Blood Pit is scattered throughout a series of warehouses and is run by a filthy little gnome named Felgar. The 3.5 update I got called “ Sigil: The City of Doors ” lists the Bottle & Jug Tavern as the place to go if you are in the mood for bloodsport.   This establishment is operated by Barl Hoxun. At first, I thought that I must have missed something, that perhaps a change of management had occurred or that maybe one club has pushed the other out.   But, then, as I put more thought into it, I said to myself, why can’t the two be in competition?   I envisioned a clash of pit fighting rings with one organization absorbing all other competitors in its path – much like the WWE did to the NWA, ECW, and WCW.   Which gave me another idea… The Bottle and Jug tavern’s fighting ring is trying to draw patr

Day Four of the Odinsleep (5pm) The Crone shoulders past the Maiden, “Telleth us truly, Kaniŋ the Cunning, what didst thee see in thy fever’d dreams?” The three Norns all lean in, anxious to hear the crow’s words.  Korbin tells them about his vision – he goes into great detail, inserting his views on the events as they unfolded and then talks about how it changed over the course of his dreaming, including the end where Loki turns the fire demons away from Asgard. The Crone frowns, her iron teeth hidden behind a deep scowl and turns to her sister Norns, “Tis as we feared.  Loki seeks to subvert his Doom.  He will buildeth a monster from those warriors fallen on the field of battle to be slain by Heimdall in his stead during Ragnarok.  This is his grand scheme.” The Maiden replies, “But, in Loki’s plan, Asgard survives.  Tis not destroyed by the fire demons – perhaps THIS is his true fate?” The Mother shakes her head, “No.  Loki’s plan wilt disrupt the cycle of creation, death,

I love this video. I have no idea how many times I have watched it. This was the primary inspiration for a relatively minor superhero I created for use in my current campaign .  Like the Condiment King , Spectrum , and US Archer , Man Hands is a street level NPC on Earth-218 .  Victor Manheim was an average, everyday, ordinary college student living and working in Detroit.   One day, while exploring the forest near his home, he discovered a strange, glowing rock.   There was just one small problem – it was during the day so the glow from the stone could not be seen.   Touching the rock caused his body to mutate, making his hands larger and tougher than normal.   Their outward difference was barely noticeably and through a series of accidents, Victor discovered that he had acquired special abilities like the superhumans on his television – perhaps not as flashy or powerful but they were there nonetheless. Victor just wants to finish school, maybe get a job in graphic desig