Campaign Chronicles

  08 Hiddumont 348 AC After Raven suggests planting the magical seed Cedron carries in his pouch in Silvanesti, the minstrel-priest is taken aback, Cedron turns to Raven “A fine idea but where to plant the seed?” He muses momentarily, “The Tree of Progess is not only a conduit for Malazzarrr to a realm, but it also a location of reverence. It’s placement is not to be taken lightly. An ill-minded lumberjack could undo all that has done with a careless swing.” says the minstrel-priest. “If I could find a location of relative peace, then I’d gladly try. Perhaps a local can guide us?” "I think an elven realm is probably one of the most unlikely places one could find an ill-minded lumberjack," Raven replies.  “Truth be spoken. But the concern remains valid if not for safety than appropriateness.  I bet our lovely guide can offer a suggestion,” says the minstrel with a tone of optimism. Raven then tells Cedron about the vision he had while he was laid out. He was in a far-off ...

Another Throwback Post to the time when the party was trapped in the Grimmlands . The group had arrived in Spinnenbruch on their way to the Fortress of the Three Pigs on the day of the Festivus Competition. I have edited out the parts that are not directly related to the contest itself but Cedron and Kysek were speaking with Niklas, (who had not even joined the party yet) to learn more about the deadly dungeon that lay ahead of them. Meanwhile, Grotto was catching up with his brother Mormund whom he had not seen in several years. I determined the results of the contest with a series of Constitution checks, adding up the results as I went. Any contestant who failed would either get sick, choke, or pass out and would then be eliminated. The top four contestants then moved on to the Airing of Grievances with Charisma checks measuring crowd responses and the top finalist earned the privilege of wrestling with Piotr (of "Peter and the Wolf" fame) for the title of Festivus Champi...

The party encountered these creatures during their time in the Grimmlands. They were adapted to 3.5e from the AD&D adventure module "Dungeonland." These flowers are ten feet tall. The petals are gold and silver-colored, surrounding a “head” filled with seeds made from a variety of gemstones. The leaves are long and supple, able to bend and grab objects while their stem is as thick as a large man’s wrist. These flowers are silly, vain, and rude. They make faces, obscene gestures, and disparaging remarks about passersby’s appearance, odor, and intelligence. Gemstone Flower CR: 3     Large Plant     HD: 4d8+12 (30 Hp) Init +0      Spd: 0’      AC: 15 (-1 size, +6 Natural); ff: 15, t: 9 Attacks: (BAB +3; Grap +12) ; +7 Slam: 1d6+7 plus Improved Grab (10’ reach) or +3 Stone: 1d4+5 (additional +1 hit/dmg within 30’) SA: Constrict 1d6+7; Improved Grab SQ: Blindsight 3...

From one of the cheesiest movies of my childhood, I present  one of the coolest (and most impractical) weapons in all of cinema! Exotic Weapon: Triple Sword (a.k.a.The Sword that SHOOTS Swords) Two-handed Melee Weapon Cost: 390 gp Damage (Small): 1d8; (Medium): 1d10 Critical: 19-20/x2 Range Increment: 5' Weight: 10 lbs. Type: Slashing or Piercing Triple Sword: The triple sword is essentially a bastard sword with two slightly smaller additional blades mounted parallel to the primary blade. It is too large to use in one hand without special training, thus it is an exotic weapon. Unlike the bastard sword, the triple-blade design gives the wielder a surprising option. By pressing a button on the hilt, the wielder shoots one of the smaller blades at a nearby target. Due to the craftsmanship required to construct the weapon, it is only available as a masterwork weapon. 

08 Hiddumont 348 AC Raz , Shadow , and Romulus left for their Tests of High Sorcery three days ago. The group's days have been filled with exploration of Silvanesti, visiting with their hosts, and other mundane activities.  Kysek and Onforithalas have spoken at length about being fathers. The Elf guardsman has shown great sympathy to the thief-turned-wizard-turned Knight of the Barrie Grange and the dilemma caused by the party traveling some 20 years into the past only to discover that his son has yet to be born to a wife who is still but a child herself. Finding a way to returning to the "present" remains foremost on Kysek’s mind.  Grotto’s experiments with edible "potions" continue unabated although without access to the magic granted by Hanseath, his progress is limited to say the least. On the deity-front, Cedron and Arthur make repeated attempts to commune with Malazzarr, also without success. Raven suggests that planting one of the magical seeds Cedron c...

The kids were watching "The Jungle Book" earlier tonight. I was in the kitchen, half-listening for the songs, when they got to the part of the movie where Bagheera is asking the elephants for their help in finding Mowgli. Colonel Hathi then turns to his troops, gives his orders, and tells them that they will have the "element of surprise."  But that is not what I heard. What I heard was "Elephant of Surprise."  So, here we are. I decided to go with a Chaotic Neutral Fey. I'm envisioning a creature who sneaks up behind you and yells "BOO!" before collapsing in a fit of laughter.  As your party progresses through the woods, the Ranger catches sight of a creature up ahead: an elephant standing upright on its hind legs, hiding behind a tree. You are stunned to realize that if your scout hadn't said anything, you would have walked right past the creature without noticing. The Elephant of Surprise CR: 7     Huge Fey     HD: 11d6+55 (91...

Genome /jee-nohm/   • full set of chromosomes; all the inheritable traits of an organism      • a conglomerate of genetists playing God and conducting insane experiments in the name of "SCIENCE!" The Gegnomes are an organization of gnome genetists. They offer a wide range of services, including cloning, gene-splicing, and other forms of genetic manipulation. They have created a wide range of humanoid/animal hybrids in their secret laboratories. There is a special division that deals in cybernetics and another that labors to reanimate the dead. • have been based in Germany since the 1940s - headquarters in Dresden (in the Forgotten Realms, they would be based in Lantan; on Krynn, Mt. Nevermind, and so on) • developed and implemented Eugenics programs for the Nazis during World War II • derisively referred to as "Gnazis" or "Little Lethal Lawn Gnomes". • main building is shaped like a double helix • Hat Color indicates department:      ...

A long time ago, I came up with the idea of a campaign involving different generations of characters. This would be a story that would unfold in chapters with callbacks to previous adventures. NPCs, both helpful and antagonistic , would show up repeatedly over the course of years. The campaign would begin during the American Revolution and move forward through the Old West , Prohibition , World War II , the 1950s, Vietnam, and then the 80s . Titanium Cranium (a.k.a Amos Whitmann): male Gadgeteer 2/Metahuman 2 CR: 6     Medium Humanoid (Human, Mutant)     HD: 2d8+4 plus 2d8+4 (28 hp) Init: +1     Spd: 30'     AC: 11 (+1 Dex); t: 11, ff: 10 Attacks: (BAB +2; Grap +2) ; +2 Unarmed Strike: 1d3 (20/×2) or +2 Head Butt: 2d4 (20/×2) or +3 Sonic Blaster: 1d4+1 (20/×2, 100', max 480') SA: Class Features, Mutant Abilities SQ: Class Features, Mutant Abilities Align: LG     Saves...

As we near the end of the year, I am sort of wrapping up things I have started or have been sitting on for a while. I originally did a post on Creeks and Crawdads a long time ago but while working on pun names (Shrim Possible, Shrim Kardashian, Shrimothy, Shrim Shady), I started thinking that maybe I could go back and refine crayfish stats. Leonardo daPinchi : male White-Clawed Crawdad Thinker CR: - -     Fine Vermin      HD: ¼d8 (1 hp) Init: +1      Spd: 1’, swim 5’      AC: 19 (+1 Dex, +8 size); t: 19, ff: 18 Attacks: (BAB +0, Grap -21) ; +0 Pincers: - - SA: - - SQ: Amphibious, Vermin traits Align: N      Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0 Str: 1, Dex: 10, Con: 10, Int: --, Wis: 10, Cha: 1 Skills: Read/Write and Speak Italian, Hide +18, Swim +8 Feats: - - • Amphibious (Ex): Crayfish can survive out of water for one hour per point of Constit...

My youngest boy is obsessed with Sharks. And dinosaurs. But, for a loooong  time, it was Sharks and only Sharks. It didn't matter if they were real-life Sharks or Cartoon Sharks. Baby Shark's Big Adventure played on repeat for much of 2021. And then, one day, a video made its way into the "Recommended for You" list on YouTube. It was a short, catchy toon and there were dozens of animated videos to accompany the song. That song was "Scary Flying Shark" by Boom Buddies. It told the story of the eponymous shark, its death, and its subsequent hunt of children. He loved it. More recently, he has discovered (i.e. rifled through the DVDs upstairs) the 1980s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon and realized that the show was based on the shelves of game books that take up much of the wall in the living room (beholders are his current favorite). This has led to me needing to provide stats for the previously mentioned "Scary Flying Shark". This is basically...

Rumblestrip : "Male" Cybertronian Robot (Transformer, Powermaster) CR: 8     Huge Construct (Shapechanger)   HD: 6d10 plus 40     Hp: 75 Init: +4    Spd: 50' or 3000' in vehicle mode    AC: 24 (-2 size, +15 Natural), t: 8, ff: 24 Attacks: (BAB +4/Grap +22) ; +12 Slam 1d8+10 (20/×2) or +2 Particle Beam Rifle: 8d6 (20/×2, 75', single or autofire)      * Autofire targets a 10'×10' area, Ref DC15 to avoid SA: Alternate Form SQ: Cybertronian Durability, Cybertronian Traits, DR10/--, Powermaster Traits Align: CG     Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +3 Str: 30, Dex: 10, Con: --, Int: 13, Wis: 12, Cha: 10 Skills: Read/Write and Speak Common and Cybertronian; Computer Use +11, Disguise +10 to appear as a normal dragster; Drive +9, Knowledge (Technology) +10, Navigate +6, Repair +5 Feats: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Heroic Surge (b), Improved Initiative, Personal Fi...