A very long and shitty January is the gorilla, her expression is me. February cannot get here soon enough.
Book of Loot: Climbing Claw
Climbing Claw
Made from the claw of a Axebeak, this magical item bestows an Advantage on all Climbing rolls.
Abandoned Vaults of the Fallout Survivors: A Procedural Post-Apocalyptic Fallout Shelter Generator
From Tales of Scheherazade
Paranoia is very high on the list of dream games I'd like to play (or more likely, run). This vault generator from Tales of Scheherazade would fit in nicely.
Paranoia is very high on the list of dream games I'd like to play (or more likely, run). This vault generator from Tales of Scheherazade would fit in nicely.
State of Play
I’m gaming now more than I ever have. I have followed a FB
group of local players for a while now and back in September I took a chance
and answered a DM who was for players. So in addition to the bi-weekly session I
DM with the kids, I’m now also playing in a weekly game, this time as a player, which has made for a pleasant change.
Both games start up again this week after a holiday break. Tonight I’m
hoping to get the group back on track after a very extended side-quest that has
been going on since May! (not including the summer break) and has involved a
mushroom maze, a flooded shire, new characters, time travel and nuclear
weapons. Tonight I hope to wrap it up and get the characters back together and
on track, where they will discover that they’ve actually jumped forward ten
years, and the city is now controlled by an alien Mindflayer and his Psychophantic
Cult bent on summoning an Illithid Dreadnaught during the upcoming Conjunction
of the 13 Moons. Infiltrating and surviving the Lunar Observatory / Summoning
Tower will hopefully make up the rest of the term.
But first they have to survive this;
The other group is tomorrow night. I play Coaltooth a Dwarven
Arcane Thief (I’m never going to use the term ‘Rogue’. I’m just not), who has become obsessed with the idea of stealing the massive ruby that powers the
magical stasis field containing the undead, lovecraftian horror that has
already half destroyed the city before being stopped by our brave party. Just
don’t tell anyone that we’re also the group that let it out.
 |
| Coaltooth From the 2nd ed Talisman Board Game. Ironically, the illustration is for the 'Rogue' character |
Paladin Oath of Forthrightness: Incomplete
 | |
| by SirHanselot |
Paladin: Oath of Forthrightness
Tenets of Devotion
Honesty: Do not lie or cheat.
Righteousness You will act in a morally correct way.
Law: The law is paramount. It must be respected
Steady Aim
Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your aim becomes deadly. As a bonus action on your turn, you can take careful aim at a creature you can see that is within range of a ranged weapon you’re wielding. Until the end of this turn, your ranged attacks with that weapon gain two benefits against the target:
• The attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover.
• On each hit, the weapon deals additional damage to the target equal to 2 + your Paladin level.
You can use this feature three times. You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.
Arcane Shot
At 3rd level, you learn to unleash special magical effects with some of your shots. When you gain this feature, you learn ONE Arcane Shot option of your choice (see "Arcane Shot Options" below).
Once per turn when you fire an arrow from a shortbow, longbow or crossbow, as part of the Attack action, you can apply one of your Arcane Shot options to that arrow. You decide to use the option when the arrow hits, unless the option doesn’t involve an attack roll. You have two uses of this ability, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.
You gain an additional Arcane Shot option of your choice when you reach certain levels in this class: 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level. Each option also improves when you become an 18th-level Paladin.
Arcane Shot Options
The Arcane Shot feature lets you choose options for it at certain levels. The options are presented here in alphabetical order. They are all magical effects, and each one is associated with one of the schools of magic.
If an option requires a saving throw, your Arcane Shot save DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.
Banishing Arrow. You use abjuration magic to try to temporarily banish your target to a harmless location in the Feywild. The creature hit by the arrow must also succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be banished. While banished in this way, its speed is 0, and it is incapacitated. At the end of its next turn, the target reappears in the space it vacated or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.
After you reach 18th level in this class, a target also takes 2d6 force damage when the arrow hits it.
Beguiling Arrow. Your enchantment magic causes this arrow to temporarily beguile its target. The creature hit by the arrow takes an extra 2d6 psychic damage, and choose one of your allies within 30 feet of the target. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or it is charmed by the chosen ally until the start of your next turn. This effect ends early if the chosen ally attacks the charmed target, deals damage to it, or forces it to make a saving throw.
The psychic damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Bursting Arrow. You imbue your arrow with force energy drawn from the school of evocation. The arrow detonates after your attack. Immediately after the arrow hits the creature, the target and all other creatures within 10 feet of it take 2d6 force damage each.
The force damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Enfeebling Arrow. You weave necromantic magic into your arrow. The creature hit by the arrow takes an extra 2d6 necrotic damage. The target must also succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or the damage dealt by its weapon attacks is halved until the start of your next turn.
The necrotic damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Shackle Arrow. When this arrow strikes its target, conjuration magic creates grasping, shackles, which wrap around the target. Chaotic aligned creatures hit by the arrow takes an extra 2d6 Law damage. All creatures hit with this arrow have their speed reduced by 10 feet, and takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage (constriction) the first time on each turn they move 1 foot or more without teleporting. The target or any creature that can reach it can use its action to remove the shackles with a successful Strength (Athletics) check against your Arcane Shot save DC. Otherwise, the shackles last for 1 minute or until you use this option again.
The Chaotic-inflicting damage and slashing damage both increase to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Piercing Arrow. You use transmutation magic to give your arrow an ethereal quality. When you use this option, you don’t make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, the arrow fires forward in a line, which is 1 foot wide and 30 feet long, before disappearing. The arrow passes harmlessly through objects, ignoring cover. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes damage as if it were hit by the arrow, plus an extra 1d6 piercing damage. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage.
The piercing damage increases to 2d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Seeking Arrow. Using divination magic, you grant your arrow the ability to seek out your target, allowing the arrow to curve and twist its path in search of its prey. When you use this option, you don’t make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, choose one creature you have seen in the past minute. The arrow flies toward that creature, moving around corners if necessary and ignoring three-quarters cover and half cover. If the target is within the weapon’s range and there is a path large enough for the arrow to travel to the target, the target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, it takes damage as if it were hit by the arrow, plus an extra 1d6 force damage, and you learn the target’s current location. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage, and you don’t learn its location.
The force damage increases to 2d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Blinding Arrow. You weave a magical burst of sunlight into your arrow, causing it to blind your foe’s vision with light.The creature hit by the arrow takes an extra 2d6 psychic damage, and it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be unable to see anything farther than 5 feet away until the start of your next turn.
The psychic damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.
Careful Eyes
Starting at 7th level, you excel at picking out hidden enemies and other threats. You can take the Search action as a bonus action.
You also gain proficiency in the Perception, Investigation, or Survival skill (choose one).
Spell Shot
At 10th level, you can add spells to your arrows to shots, extending the spell range (to that of the weapon). In 1 action, the Paladin can cast the spell on a readied bolt of ammunition and then fire it at the target. The spell will activate when the bolt strikes the target (on a normal Dex to-hit roll).
Ever-Ready Shot
Starting at 15th level, your magical archery is available whenever battle starts. If you roll initiative and have no uses of Arcane Shot remaining, you regain one use of it.
Snap Shot
Starting at 18th level, you are ever ready to spring into action. If you take the Attack action on your first turn of a combat, you can make one additional ranged weapon attack as part of that action.
The Hits Damage System
What do you do when you’ve spent the weekend writing a detailed sandbox adventure set in a tangled swamp and culminating in a dungeon crawl through the ruins of a High Court of Law, but then on Wednesday, sick as a dog, you drive twenty minutes to get to the game, take out all your books, dice and miniatures and realize that you’ve left all those printed pages filled with the descriptions, stats, hidden traps & treasures, plus the rules you worked out for doing karaoke with witches, sitting in your work bag back home?
The answer is Trolls. You make them fight Trolls.
Along with my notes, I’d also forgotten to bring any pad of paper, without which I am utterly useless as a DM, and had to repurposed the back of a couple of blank character sheets. They were fighting trolls because the regenerating bastards take a long time to kill, but which also means a lot of adding and subtracting on my part as the DM. With not a lot of paper or patience for that, I decided to try something that has been percolating for the past few weeks now. And I think it worked really well.
The Hits Damage System
For use with Dungeons and Dragon (editions, -5) or any other game system that uses a numerical “Hit Point” damage game mechanic.
As characters gain levels, the damage rolls get larger and some people aren’t great at on-the-spot math. Nothing can kill the flow of combat faster than frequent pauses while the DM is mentally subtracting 18 from 73 plus another 7 off in bonus damage. The Hits System is just a shortcut for the DM to handle these large numbers.
This system doesn’t require learning any new rules or doing any math on the player’s part. Nothing changes for them and their damage is handled normally. This is strictly for the DM’s use when tracking how much damage the DM controlled monsters/opponents have taken.
How it Works
Divide the monster’s Hit Points by 10 [For the purposes of rounding off: 11-15 = 1, 16-20=2). For every 10 hit points, give them one “O”. Any monster/opponent with 10 or less Hit point always gets one full O.
Example, The average 5e Troll has 84 hit points. They get 8 “Os”, OOOOOOOO.
I use circles are used because they are quick and easy to draw. Useful when dealing with healing and regenerations - instead of erasing or crossing out, you just add new circles.
Now, whenever a player character hits a monster for 1-6 points of damage, colour in just half of the circle. If they hit for 7-12 points of damage, you colour in the whole circle, and so on…
Note: I make no claim that this system is a brand new idea. I'm sure similar damage systems exist, either in other homebrew hacks or in non-D&D rule-sets.
The answer is Trolls. You make them fight Trolls.
Along with my notes, I’d also forgotten to bring any pad of paper, without which I am utterly useless as a DM, and had to repurposed the back of a couple of blank character sheets. They were fighting trolls because the regenerating bastards take a long time to kill, but which also means a lot of adding and subtracting on my part as the DM. With not a lot of paper or patience for that, I decided to try something that has been percolating for the past few weeks now. And I think it worked really well.
The Hits Damage System
For use with Dungeons and Dragon (editions, -5) or any other game system that uses a numerical “Hit Point” damage game mechanic.
As characters gain levels, the damage rolls get larger and some people aren’t great at on-the-spot math. Nothing can kill the flow of combat faster than frequent pauses while the DM is mentally subtracting 18 from 73 plus another 7 off in bonus damage. The Hits System is just a shortcut for the DM to handle these large numbers.
This system doesn’t require learning any new rules or doing any math on the player’s part. Nothing changes for them and their damage is handled normally. This is strictly for the DM’s use when tracking how much damage the DM controlled monsters/opponents have taken.
How it Works
Divide the monster’s Hit Points by 10 [For the purposes of rounding off: 11-15 = 1, 16-20=2). For every 10 hit points, give them one “O”. Any monster/opponent with 10 or less Hit point always gets one full O.
Example, The average 5e Troll has 84 hit points. They get 8 “Os”, OOOOOOOO.
I use circles are used because they are quick and easy to draw. Useful when dealing with healing and regenerations - instead of erasing or crossing out, you just add new circles.
Now, whenever a player character hits a monster for 1-6 points of damage, colour in just half of the circle. If they hit for 7-12 points of damage, you colour in the whole circle, and so on…
When all the circles are coloured in, the
monster/opponent is dead/incapacitated.
I’ve only run this once with a pair of regenerating
trolls, but I’m going to keep using it in my game and see how it responds in
other situations.
Note: I make no claim that this system is a brand new idea. I'm sure similar damage systems exist, either in other homebrew hacks or in non-D&D rule-sets.
D&D Under the Sea
Last Sunday I took part in another D&D 5e one-shot hosted by a local gaming store. This time the party were a squad of Atlantian Royal guards tasked with watching over their king on his day off. Yes, this King …
It was a blast. The party ended up interacting with or battling against as many of Aquaman’s rogue’s gallery as I could comfortably squeeze in, including Ocean Master, King Shark, Black Jack, Scavenger and of course, Black Manta.
What I’m enjoying about these sessions is that the store provides the scenario, which means writing for scenarios that wouldn't normally occur to me and I have to get creative. In this game I came up with an underwater creature-riding race at the Atlantean Hipposphere against King Shark on a barely controlled giant great white shark (using adapted dinosaur racing rules), and a dungeon crawl through a giant maze coral looking for the King’s anniversary present to his Queen before the Scavenger destroyed the whole thing.
Along the way one of the party was force-fed a Potion of Lobster form (never roll a 1 when negotiating against a giant shark-man), the sorcerer found Captain Cold’s gun (a Wand of Cold), the ranger pair-bonded with her giant eel racing steed, and the Rogue found an ancient tomb with a golden robed figure inside. When he cracked it open the water pressure instantly destroyed the body, but he did find a golden ring inside. Putting on the ring required him to face his worst fear, but he made the saving rolls and … yes, I turned the Rogue into a Yellow Lantern/Sinestro Corps.
I live in an Atlantic coastal city so the climax had the party battling Black Manta and a raised army of Trench on the waterfront while the King raced back to Atlantic to stop his brother’s attempted coup with an army of sahuagin.
It was a blast. The party ended up interacting with or battling against as many of Aquaman’s rogue’s gallery as I could comfortably squeeze in, including Ocean Master, King Shark, Black Jack, Scavenger and of course, Black Manta.
What I’m enjoying about these sessions is that the store provides the scenario, which means writing for scenarios that wouldn't normally occur to me and I have to get creative. In this game I came up with an underwater creature-riding race at the Atlantean Hipposphere against King Shark on a barely controlled giant great white shark (using adapted dinosaur racing rules), and a dungeon crawl through a giant maze coral looking for the King’s anniversary present to his Queen before the Scavenger destroyed the whole thing.
I live in an Atlantic coastal city so the climax had the party battling Black Manta and a raised army of Trench on the waterfront while the King raced back to Atlantic to stop his brother’s attempted coup with an army of sahuagin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)