Friday, March 30, 2018

Creature Loot: Volo's Guide NPCs Part 2

Try a little priest
Holy smokes, the last week! Of Volo's Guide, at least. Don't quote me on that. You can find the full index of creature loot here, and the entire Monster Manual in PDF form here.

Illusionist (3) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Quarterstaff
  • 1d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random illusion spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 1 Set of Boots of False Tracks (XGtE pg. 136)

Kraken Priest (5) - humanoid (survival)
  • 2 Token of the Deep: a small shell, underwater plant, or fish skeleton found in the pockets of the Kraken Priest's body. Can be carefully crafted (jeweler's tools) into an amulet that requires attunement. While attuned, a creature can breathe underwater, and has a swim speed equal to their walking speed. Curse. At dawn, the creature attuned to the amulet must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be compelled to swim to the creature that the Kraken Priest served as if under the effects of a Suggestion spell. If the journey takes longer than 8 hours, the creature may attempt the saving throw again to end the effect after 8 hours.
  • 1 Head of the Kraken Priest: No immediate use. Can be carefully crafted (leatherworker's tools) into a horn. A creature can use their action to blow the horn, which is audible within 300 feet. The user of the horn chooses any number of creatures within range, who must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  • 2 NPC Items: Before the Kraken Priest took its vows, it was another NPC. The DM selects two items from an existing NPC, which can be found on the body.

Martial Arts Adept (3) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1d10 Darts
  • 1 Monastery Map: A map that marks the location of a nearby monastery where the Martial Arts Adept completed their training.
  • 1 Set of Simple Robes: Acts as common clothing. Grants advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to convince others that the wearer is a part of the monastic order associated with the robes.

Master Thief (5) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Shortsword
  • 1 Tattered Light Crossbow
  • 1 Tattered Set of Studded Leather Armor
  • 1 Set of Thieves' Tools
  • 1 Dark Cloak: Signifies the rank of Master Thief, highly valued by bounty hunters and guards. Grants advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks to convince others that the wearer is a Master Thief.
  • 1 Bandit Code: A password or symbol that allows entrance into certain circles.
  • 1 Contact List: A list of places to hide out or find work in the closest civilization.
  • 1 Bag of Treasure: Contains muffled pockets, allowing treasure to be transported silently. Holds up to 600 GP, contains 1d6 x 100 GP when found.

Necromancer (9) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 2d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random necromancy spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 1 Flask of Alchemist's Fire
  • 1 Wisp of Shadow: Destroyed if exposed to sunlight. 5 of these can be carefully crafted by a spellcaster (conjuration) into a Shadow Crossing, a portal that leads to the Shadowfell. The portal is permanently affixed to the location where it is crafted. 20 of these can be mastercrafted by a spellcaster (Transmutation) into a Portable Hole.
  • 1d4 Beads of Nourishment (XGtE pg. 136)

Stylish, impractical clothing is basically a requirement for seafaring rogues
Swashbuckler (3) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Dagger
  • 1 Tattered Rapier
  • 1 Tattered Set of Leather Armor
  • 1 Treasure Map: A map that marks the supposed location of a nearby treasure trove.
  • 1 Spyglass
  • 1 Sailor's Log: A book that marks a ship's passage and encounters. Could contain information about nearby ports, islands, other ships, or rumors.

Transmuter (5) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Quarterstaff
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 1d4 Healing Potions
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random transmutation spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 1 Clothes of Mending (XGtE pg.137)

War Priest (9) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Maul
  • 1 Tattered Set of Plate Armor
  • 1 Holy Book: Of the War Priest's order
  • 1 Holy Symbol
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 1d2 Warrior's Marks: A scrap of skin with a tattoo on it that can be used to prove the identity of a foe.
  • 1 Shield of Glory: Acts as a shield. Displays the symbol of a wealthy patron or church that the War Priest serves, and grants advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to convince others that the owner of the shield is associated with the symbol's owner.
  • 3 Admirer's Tokens: A trinket from a person who wished to thank the Champion for their service.
  • 1 Keepsake: A trinket or memorandum hinting at the War Priest's history or life.
Warlocks get the best outfits
Warlock of the Archfey (4) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Dagger
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Cloak of the Archfey: Requires attunement. An attuned creature can use their reaction to turn invisible and teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space they can see. The creature remains invisible until the start of its next turn or until it attacks, makes a damage roll, or casts a spell. Once used, this ability cannot be used again until the next dawn. Curse. While a creature is attuned to the cloak, they must make a DC 14 Charisma saving throw at the end of each long rest and when they use the cloak's ability. This saving throw is rolled with disadvantage if made due to the cloak's ability. On a failed save, a vision of an Archfey (an illusion without stats) appears to the attuned creature, offering mystical power in exchange for servitude. If they are turned down, the Archfey becomes an enemy of the creature for the rest of their mortal life. If their offer is accepted, the character's next level must be a level in the Warlock Class, using the Archfey Patron subclass.

Warlock of the Fiend (7) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Mace
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 2d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Flask of Alchemist's Fire
  • 1 Amulet of the Fiend: Requires attunement. When the attuned creature makes an ability check or saving throw, it can add a d10 to the roll. It can do this after the roll is made but before any of the roll's effects occur. Once used, this ability cannot be used again until the next dawn. Curse. While a creature is attuned to the amulet, they must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw at the end of each long rest and when they use the amulet's ability. This saving throw is rolled with disadvantage if made due to the amulet's ability. On a failed save, a vision of a Fiend (an illusion without stats) appears to the attuned creature, offering fiery power in exchange for servitude. If they are turned down, the Fiend becomes an enemy of the creature for the rest of their mortal life. If their offer is accepted, the character's next level must be a level in the Warlock Class, using the Fiend Patron subclass.

Warlock of the Great Old One (6) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Dagger
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 2d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Mask of the Great Old One: Requires attunement. At the start of the attuned creature's turn, the attuned creature can designate any number of creatures within 5 feet of it. Those creatures must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 10 (3d6) psychic damage, provided the attuned creature isn't incapacitated. Once used, this ability can't be used again until the attuned creature takes a short or long rest. Curse. While a creature is attuned to the mask, they must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw at the end of each long rest and when they use the mask's ability. This saving throw is rolled with disadvantage if made due to the mask's ability. On a failed save, a vision of a Great Old One (an illusion without stats) appears to the attuned creature, offering ancient power in exchange for servitude. If they are turned down, the Great Old One becomes an enemy of the creature for the rest of their mortal life. If their offer is accepted, the character's next level must be a level in the Warlock Class, using the Great Old One Patron subclass.

Warlord (12) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Greatsword
  • 1 Tattered Shortbow
  • 1 Tattered Set of Plate Armor
  • 2d4 Warrior's Marks: A scrap of skin with a tattoo on it that can be used to prove the identity of a foe.
  • 1 Warlord's Crest: A small token of the warlord which can prove their identity, and grants advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to convince others that the owner of the crest is, in fact, the warlord.
  • 1 Shield of Glory: Acts as a shield. Displays the symbol of the warlord and grants advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to convince others that the owner of the shield is associated with the warlord.
  • 5 Admirer's Tokens: A trinket from a person who wished to thank the Warlord for their service.
  • 2 Keepsakes: A trinket or memorandum hinting at the Warlord's history or life.
  • 1 Conqueror's Map: A map marking recent conquests and outlining strategies for future war campaigns.

Done! Finished! Complete!

Time to sleep a bit.
Relatable content
Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Everyday Cantrips

Hooded young girl doing magic stuff #1
In Ahneria, everybody has a little bit of magic sensitivity. The thing is, those who don't work to practice such talents won't be able to use them in social or combat situations very effectively. Thus, adventurers still get to run around feeling heroic.

I wanted to write out some examples of very, very simple kinds of magic that might exist among the common folk of Ahneria. Specifically, different ways that a commoner might be able to use a cantrip or weakened version of a cantrip.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with giving a commoner a fully-powered cantrip. This is because even though they can use magic, they probably have a good reason not to: action economy.

In the world of D&D, anyone who has been in a fight knows that you have to use your turn wisely to win the battle. If you have the choice of swinging a club (which you have practiced with) or casting a spell (which you haven't), you're likely to go with the option that deals the most damage on a particular turn.

This isn't meta-gaming: your character, in the game, understands that wearing down an opponent as quickly as possible is the key to victory. So when it comes to giving an NPC a cantrip, you'll basically want to do so for flavor reasons or for a plot device reason. It won't really affect their combat statistics.

For the same reason, PCs shouldn't have these powers. Either assume they mastered their natural cantrip with their spellcasting (if they are a magic user) or they have the weakest version of the cantrip listed below (if they are a fighter). Or not. I'm generally okay with giving PCs small abilities if they add flavor.

When you are picking a cantrip, you can weaken any cantrip in a few basic ways:
  • Instead of casting the cantrip at will, it can only be cast once a day or once a week
  • The cantrip requires extra verbal, somatic, or material components to work
  • The cantrip can only be cast as a ritual, or requires more time than usual to cast
  • The cantrip cannot be cast intentionally, and requires some sort of mental or emotional trigger
  • Casting the cantrip causes the caster to become stunned, paralyzed, exhausted, or unconscious for a set amount of time after casting it
  • The range of the cantrip is halved, limited to 5 feet, or even limited to touch
  • If the cantrip uses an attack roll, it is rolled with disadvantage. If the cantrip uses a saving throw, it is rolled with advantage.

Hooded young girl doing magic stuff #2
Beyond that, here are some examples of modifications you could make to each cantrip in the game to make them more suitable for a commoner or novice magic user. The modifications are generally listed from weakest to strongest.

Acid Splash
  • Weeps acid (not immune to acid damage, but not enough acid damage to harm)
  • Can dissolve nonmagical items held in the mouth for 1 hour
  • Spell can only affect 1 target, not 2

Blade Ward
  • Invokes pity in others
  • Only resists damage from unarmed strikes
  • Resists only one type of damage

Chill Touch
  • Always has cold hands
  • Undead can't tell they aren't undead
  • Deals no damage, only prevents healing
  • Deals no damage, only gives disadvantage to undead

Control Flames
  • Eyes burn or ears smoke when angry
  • Limited to one of the listed effects
  • Can only sustain one effect at a time
Create Bonfire
  • Eyes burn or ears smoke when angry
  • Can snuff candles or torches without taking fire damage
  • Can touch flammable objects and ignite them
  • Size of bonfire is reduced

Dancing Lights
  • Appears as a halo of light, can't be moved from head
  • Lights must appear on the tip of an unlit torch or in an unlit lantern
  • Light appears 60 feet in the air and can't be lowered
  • Only one orb
  • The light is dimmed
  • Must remain in vaguely humanoid shape

Druidcraft
  • Gets a hunch about the next day's weather
  • Supernaturally excellent gardener
  • Limited to one of the listed effects

Eldritch Blast
  • Harmless energy crackles at hands when angered
  • Unarmed strikes can deal force damage, affect incorporeal creatures
  • If they can cast a spell, can twin the spell (PHB pg. 102) once per day

Fire Bolt
  • Eyes burn or ears smoke when angry
  • Can snuff candles or torches without taking fire damage
  • Can touch flammable objects and ignite them

Friends
  • People believe their moods are being influenced when spoken to, causing distrust
  • Popular
  • Limited to a single type of Charisma check (intimidation, persuasion, etc)

Frostbite
  • Always has cold hands
  • Limited to imposing disadvantage, no damage
  • Limited to dealing damage, no disadvantage

Guidance
  • Particularly comforting or encouraging
  • Limited to a single skill (only Animal Handling, etc)

Gust
  • Hair/clothes constantly blowing in the wind
  • Can hold breath twice as long
  • Limited to one of the listed effects

Infestation
  • Incurable lice
  • Friend to insects
  • Limited to movement, no damage
  • Limited to damage, no movement



In fact, I am the disco inferno
Light
  • The light always is on, cannot be snuffed
  • The light is always a particular color
  • The light can only be seen on the ethereal plane
  • The light is dimmed
  • The light always emanates from the eyes or fingertips

Mage Hand
  • The hand has a mind of its own and plays mischievous pranks
  • The hand isn't humanoid, and may not be able to perform certain tasks (such as a fish fin)
  • The hand will only interact with certain types of items
  • The hand's weight limit is lowered

Magic Stone
  • Skilled at throwing or skipping rocks
  • Skilled with a sling
  • Unarmed strikes can use a mental stat instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls
  • Unarmed strikes count as magical

Mending
  • Supernaturally good seamster/seamstress
  • Limited to repairing a certain type of object
  • Size of break/tear is lessened

Message
  • Only relays message in a particular language, which may or may not be known to the sender
  • Can't reply to message
  • Message blocked by any amount of material
  • Message can't curve around corners or must be in sight

Minor Illusion
  • Illusion is extremely faint and barely noticeable
  • Illusion is of terrible quality and automatically seen through
  • Limited to only sound or only image
  • Size of cube containing illusion is lessened

Mold Earth
  • Always slightly dirty
  • Skilled sculptor
  • Limited to one of the listed effects
  • Can only sustain one effect at a time

Poison Spray
  • Halitosis
  • Smelly Hands
  • Coughs poison when ill

Prestidigitation
  • Skilled magician
  • Chef that can make things taste like other things
  • Limited to one of the listed effects
  • Can only sustain one effect at a time

Primal Savagery
  • Always sharp teeth/nails
  • Weeps acid (not immune to acid damage, but not enough acid damage to harm)
  • Can dissolve nonmagical items held in the mouth for 1 hour

Produce Flame
  • Eyes burn or ears smoke when angry
  • Can snuff candles or torches without taking fire damage
  • The light is dimmed
  • Can touch flammable objects and ignite them
  • Flame can't be thrown

Ray of Frost
  • Sluggish, speed reduced 10 feet
  • Always has cold hands
  • Ray only reduces speed, no damage

Resistance
  • Particularly comforting or encouraging
  • Limited to a single save (only Dexterity, etc)

In fashion, a little magic goes a long way.
Sacred Flame
  • Eyes glow when angered
  • Glows with holy light
  • Unarmed strikes can deal radiant damage

Shape Water
  • Hair constantly damp
  • Can hold breath twice as long
  • Limited to one of the listed effects
  • Can only sustain one effect at a time

Shillelagh
  • Skin is rough and bark-like in patches
  • Can sense the feelings of plants by touching them
  • Unarmed strikes can use a mental stat instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls
  • Unarmed strikes count as magical
  • The weapon's damage isn't considered magical

Shocking Grasp
  • More likely to be struck by lightning
  • Harmless energy crackles at hands when angered
  • Unarmed strikes cause the target to be unable to take reactions until the start of its next turn
  • Unarmed strikes have advantage on targets wearing metal armor
  • Unarmed strikes can deal lightning damage

Spare the Dying
  • Frail, can't be stable at zero hit points
  • Skilled doctor
  • Auto-stabilizes at zero hit points

Thaumaturgy
  • Doors occasionally open/close nearby
  • Limited to one of the listed effects
  • Can only sustain one effect at a time

Thorn Whip
  • Longish fingers
  • Thick, vine-like hair
  • No thorns, whip only pulls target
  • Limited to medium or larger creatures

Thunderclap
  • Voice is always louder than normal
  • Sound is audible further away, no additional damage
  • Unarmed strikes can deal thunder damage

Toll the Dead
  • Hallucinates the sound of bells
  • Always correctly identifies if an illness is fatal
  • Always uses d8 for damage

True Strike
  • Great reflexes
  • Sharpshooter
  • Can see a half-second into the future, constantly causes them to trip or flinch

Vicious Mockery
  • Accidentally insults people a lot
  • Skilled wordsmith
  • Limited to imposing disadvantage, no damage
  • Limited to dealing damage, no disadvantage

Word of Radiance
  • Born with the knowledge of a divine word
  • Eyes glow when angered
  • Glows with holy light
  • Unarmed strikes can deal radiant damage


Thanks for reading!

Monday, March 26, 2018

Monday Recap: A Noble Endeavor

In the Game of D&D...you win, or you find someone to resurrect you.

Greetings! Guest Dungeon Master Will here again with another exciting (if late) recap of the "Agents of the Queen" campaign, this time with proper formatting and line spacing (hopefully, sorry about that)...

At the end of our last session, I asked my players not where, but when they would like their next quest to take place. They had the choice of Past, Present, or Future and aside from one dissenting vote for a game set in Ahneria's future (sorry Patrick), the majority rule deemed that we would be taking a trip to the past. That's right! The Queen's Agency doesn't just stalwartly stamp out the threat of Undeath from anywhere in the world, but also anywhen! So, what historical hijinks would our heroes get into this time?

Let's find out!

This story is part 2 of a series. The campaign is ongoing.
Part 1 | Part 2 |

Agents of the Queen: A Noble Endeavour


Cast of Characters
Will: Dungeon Master
Jon: Skalus, the Unyielding Mountain. Human Druid and Protector of the Fractured Mountains, 800 years young, doesn’t/can’t talk much, follows a very...minimalist dress code.
Michelle: Nimble Snow of The Ethereal Wilds Clan. Tabaxi Mystic of the Order of the Nomad, known as “The Snow Angel of Khoomes”, puts her tail in her mouth when bored.
Matt: Vinci Ironshell. Super old and forgetful Tortle Barbarian, endowed with unnaturally long life, has been fighting in legendary battles for centuries, doesn’t know how to use a phone but still tries.
Patrick: Terrinevander “Gidge” Gidge. A Halfling Artificer that blew most of his limbs off in a horrible accident and replaced said limbs with advanced prosthetics, has a Thunder Cannon for an arm, saved a kingdom with giant robots.
Kelly: Hollilynn Goodbody. Evangelical Tiefling Cleric of Pelor, technically seven feet tall (with horns), lifelong enemy of the undead and slayer of Vampire Lords, has bright blue hair.
AND...Introducing!
Bria: Donut Steele. Inquisitive Gnome Rogue and Ahneria-renowned Private Investigator, worked in The Agency's Acquisitions department but has now been promoted to Raven, the only mystery he hasn't solved is his own death, wears sunglasses.

When last we left our heroes, they had ended the evil and pretty-disturbing-when-you-think-about-it reign of Raxxar the Reanimator, officially became Ravens of The Agency, and received their first Sparks of Divinity. As they no longer needed to sleep and time works very differently in The Shadowfell, it was unclear how many "days" had passed since their last assignment. Regardless, they each spent this time settling into their new roles in their own unique way.

Vinci, though he no longer needed to eat to survive, had been banned from the company microwave after cooking fish in it one too many times. Nimble Snow, in typical Tabaxi fashion, took an obsessive interest in Skalus and began studying his mannerisms and limited speech patterns. Skalus did his best to ignore this by rediscovering his enthusiasm for sculpture. Hollilynn spent most of her time communing with Pelor for guidance and wisdom. And Gidge also found his microwave privileges revoked after repeatedly dissembling it for parts and recreational study.

And thus, a few more rules were added to the "Don't" section

Finally, a voice echoed throughout the halls of the Black Citadel summoning the party to Conference Room A. There they met back up with Vaughn who informed them of their next assignment. But first they would need to fill out some paperwork, specifically a 50-page Time Travel Permit. After gaining a questionable understanding of the specific rules laid out in the the permit, the group signed. Right as Gidge dotted the "i" in his name a construct bearing the symbol of Lendor, the God of Time, appeared out of nowhere and asked about the permit. Vaughn rolled his eyes, grabbed the signed document, and handed it to the construct. It then nodded and instantaneously vanished from sight.

"Ugh...chrono-golems." Vaughn sighed as he proceeded to give an overarching rundown of the assignment. Our heroes were to travel 800 years in the past to the Garlancian Year 42 where they would hunt down a Yuan-Ti Necromancer named Histzoshala and subject her to the Black Feather Brand. Unlike their last assignment however, Vaughn gave them specific instructions to not kill Histzoshala after branding her. Evidently, her vile machinations would end up unleashing a terrible curse upon Yuan-Ti society in the Glarlancian Year 52, weakening and destabilizing it enough to allow the peoples of the North to conquer the South. Thus unifying and further establishing the present-day country of Garlancia.

Before dismissing them for a more detailed briefing with Kalara in Conspiracy Hall, Vaughn made the announcement that one of The Agency's members in the Acquisitions department was recently promoted to a full-time Raven. As he said this, strange music began to play from just on the other side of the conference room door. Evidently this new Raven had a knack for investigation, which would come in handy for this particular assignment. Finally, Vaughn introduced the new member of the team as the "Ahnerian-renowned private investigator, Donut Steele". The door to the conference room flew open, the music reached a crescendo, and a Gnome wearing black crystal glasses strode into the room.

Understandably a little confused, the rest of the group did their best to welcome Donut and began to get to know one another. Just before they left, Vaughn handed them their brand new "C-Level" access passes and mentioned to Gidge that Kalara had commissioned something for him in the Shadow Forge, a mysterious workshop within the Black Citadel.

Pictured: 100% accurate representation

The Shadow Forge was...not what Gidge was expecting. Instead of a mighty workshop worthy of a goddess, the group was treated to a quiet and dimly lit room with a single sleeping Duergar Dwarf behind a desk. Our heroes sauntered up, rang the service bell, and the Dwarf behind the desk awoke with grumbling reluctance.

The Dwarf, who identified himself as Brungi, grunted at Gidge and asked him to state his business. Gidge did so, and within seconds Brungi shouted at a Fire Elemental to retrieve Kalara's commission. Case in hand, Brungi set the case in front of Gidge. Inside the case was a near flawless recreation of Gidge's prosthetic limbs, complete with Thunder Cannon arm. Brungi then asked if there was anything else he needed and Gidge, who was fighting back tears, said no. Almost immediately, Brungi was back asleep and the group left to find Kalara in Conspiracy Hall.

Once again, the other Ravens were hard at work on their own respective assignments and once again Grimnir stepped up to the group, this time singling out Donut. He was ecstatic to see that Donut had received his promotion and wrapped him up in a mighty hug (that might've crushed his bones had he not passed a saving throw). He wished the group luck on their next assignment and walked back over to his squad, but not before he and Skalus exchanged a manly headbutt with one another.

Kalara was busy making preparations when our heroes arrived but was no less happy to see them again. After confirming Gidge had received her package, she launched into the details of their assignment. She reiterated everything Vaughn had told them only moments before, but then offered up a distressing bit of news. The Agency, for all of its supposed omniscience, was unable to pinpoint Histzoshala's exact location. Luckily, Kalara had a backup plan.

During the Garlancian Year 42 in the newly established city of Garton, there was a Yuan-Ti Infiltrator that went by the name Sumoshil. Sumoshil was a known servant of Histzoshala's and had disguised himself as member of Garton's nobility, no doubt as a way to get close to King Garton III of Kam himself. Unfortunately, The Agency could also not pinpoint who or where Sumoshil was within the city. However, Four days after our heroes were to arrive, the King was going to throw a massive party for city's high-class citizens and visiting nobility from the surrounding areas, and with luck, this included Sumoshil.

Like trying to find a needle disguised as piece of hay in a haystack

In light of this, Kalara told the group that she had received authorization to modify their Amulets of Anonymity so that they could go in disguised as a visiting noble house and secure an invite to the party. In order to do this, they would need secure one of Garton's major noble houses as a "reference" in order to receive an invite. Normally this would be considered too "high profile" for Raven's work, but Garton at this time was a very young city, and as such was home to several dozen lesser noble houses all vying for influence and political pull. Blending in with this rat's nest of backstabbing and infighting would be a piece of cake. However, their disguises would only last for five days (or like...when the clock strikes midnight at the party or something), so they would need to find Sumoshil before then or risk being discovered.

Our heroes needed to get their cover story straight. They would pose as the very fitting "House Ravenwood", a noble house from the city of Oldstone who made their fortune mining and exporting jewels. At its head was Hollilynn, disguised as Lord Justin Ravenwood. Beside him/her was his/her wife/adventuring companion Nimble Snow, playing the part of Lady Susan Ravenwood. Alongside the Lord and Lady would be Justin's father, Lord-Reagent Don Ravenwood, played by Vinci. Of course no noble house is complete without a few heirs so Gidge and Donut would pose as the twins, Chip and Greg Ravenwood, who were no older than six. Last but not least was Skalus, who everyone agreed should pose as House Ravenwood's loyal and practically mute Thane, Man-Servanté.

With their cover story now firmly in place, the mission was clear. Find Sumoshil and make him reveal Histzoshala's location. After giving the group a small stipend of 2,000gp and allowing them to equip themselves, Kalara opened a portal to Garton in the Year 42.

(Heads up: Until otherwise mentioned, I'm going to now refer to each character by their cover names)

Our heroes, now fully disguised, arrived in a small alley just off to the side of the Town Square. Almost immediately, Justin spotted the Grand Temple of Pelor and there wasn't much the rest of the group could do to stop him from going in. Once inside, he met a very pious man named Deacon. The two proceeded to gush over Pelor for a bit and eventually Deacon revealed that he was a member of House Hardshaper, a major noble house of Garton, but had forsaken his birthright to better serve Pelor. Regardless, they had their first lead! Justin thanked Deacon for his time, said a few prayers, and left the temple.

As they were making their way toward the city's High District, they heard a nearby Town Barker mentioning that any visiting nobility could make an appointment at the Royal Palace to meet with the King in order to secure an invitation to his party, or at the very least learn about the major noble houses who were offering them. After hearing this they decided to divert course and head to the Royal Palace instead.

Their hopes for getting an appointment were all but dashed when they set their eyes upon the massive line that had formed in front of the palace gates. With much reluctance, the group sulked over to the back of the line and began to wait. Several minutes passed and impatience began to set in. Chip decided it would be a good idea to tug on the robes of the man in front of them and inquire as to how long he had been waiting. This rotund and jovial man casually informed the young lad that he had not moved in nearly twenty minutes. This man was also wearing incredibly expensive-looking finery, a fact that Susan took notice of and correctly deduced that he must be a noble. Indeed her hunch was correct, and the man introduced himself as Darrow Brackenbaugh, Merchant Prince of Garton.

This guy is LOADED

Darrow had a surprising zest for life and was really just happy to be out and enjoying the nice weather. After conversing for some time, Darrow mentioned that if the group simply wanted a list of the major noble houses they could just walk up to the gate and talk to the Royal Ledgerman. They did so, and although the Ledgerman turned out to be an incredibly rude man named Timms, they secured the list of houses that they needed to hopefully ingratiate themselves with.

The first of course was House Kam, the royal house of which this seemingly endless line of people was trying to meet...so that was out. Then came House Hardshaper, a council house whom the group had already heard about from Deacon. Third was House Gilmeneu, a prestigious foreign house who had firmly established themselves in Garton only a few years ago. House Brackenbaugh was also on the list and upon reading this the group looked back at Darrow, who smiled and waved but had only moved about a foot in the time it took them to reach the palace gates. And finally House Murk, a military house and primary benefactor of the Garton City Watch.

List in hand the group went to talk to Darrow some more, but was stopped when a Yuan-Ti Pureblood stepped out of the shadows to address them. He identified himself as member of Clan Ezhutu, a visiting band of diplomats from the Yuan-Ti territories in the Southern Valley. He had observed that the group was looking to secure an invite to the King's party, and extended an invitation to the Yuan-Ti Embassy later that day. Cautiously, the Ravenwoods agreed, and the Yuan-Ti slithered off.

They met back up with Darrow, and decided to invite him to lunch to further discuss a potential arrangement between their two houses. Darrow was understandably hesitant to give up his place in line, but Don made the suggestion that Man-Servanté could hold his place until they were done with their meal. Darrow thought this to be a fine idea, and proceeded to lead the group to the Harbor Ward where his favorite dining establishment was located. As they left, they noticed that a small chorus of swooning young socialites had begun to form around Man-Servanté.

Darrow lead the group to The Wading Watchmen, a very upscale restaurant on the edge of the Harbor Ward, the ward of which was currently undergoing a considerable amount of expansion. They were seated at Darrow's usual table albeit with a few more seats and a couple of high-chairs. Their meal turned out to be very cordial and Darrow took a liking to their somewhat odd (and fake) family. He then offered to have them meet him and his wife Milanostra for afternoon tea the next day.

With lunch over and done with, the Ravenwoods lead Darrow back to his spot in line. As they did, a surprisingly large group of young, and crying, women sprinted past. This seemed strange until the group set their eyes on Man-Servanté, who had a look of both confusion and trepidation in his eyes as well as few lipstick stains around the now-unkempt collar of his gambeson. Darrow then resumed his place in line, which didn't seem to have gotten any shorter, and bid the Ravenwoods a fond farewell for now.

Man-Servanté: Thane. Bodyguard. Lady-Killer.

The remainder of the day was mostly spent testing the waters with their other options. First, they took Clan Ezhutu up on their invitation and went to the Yuan-Ti Embassy. There they met Shekhousu, head diplomat and High Priest of Merrshaulk, who wanted the group to place a Sending Stone in the King's Royal Chambers in exchange for an invitation to the party. Sensing that this would be untoward (and for good reason), Justin gave a very noncommittal answer and ushered his family out of the Embassy.

As the day grew long they decided to meet with Frazen Gilmeneu, the oldest son of House Gilmeneu, who was in the middle of his evening dueling practice. Franzen was an impressive duelist, and simply wanted House Ravenwood to pick up a sword he had commissioned from a local smithy named Brandon. A reasonable request, and one that the group decided to think on.

Eventually the sun began to set and House Ravenwood decided to stay at a tavern called The Fair Feathered Inn. The bartender, a Dwarf named Fromnaug, was all too happy to have visiting nobility in his establishment and offered up his finest rooms. Although it was expected that the humans of House Ravenwood would need to sleep, the Ravens of The Agency no longer did. So the group bade their time until morning as Vinci regaled the commonfolk with (probably true) ghost stories, Hollilynn prayed, Donut set up his "web of clues", and Skalus rooted himself in the ground outside to keep watch over the street.

At long last, morning had arrived and House Ravenwood began the day by meeting with House Murk. The heavily armed guards out front stripped the group of any and all weapons, except for Man-Servanté and Greg who decided to wait out front. Lord Braggar Murk trusted the Yuan-Ti about as far as he could throw them (although considering his impressive size, this could be rather far), so his request was simple; make the Yuan-Ti of Clan Ezhutu experience an "unfortunate accident". Susan thought this to be a bit much for a family with two children, and respectfully declined. Outside they collected Man-Servanté and Greg who were playing patty-cake with the two guards.

The last house on their list was Hardshaper. Earl Bromnack Hardshaper was a very old and surly man who barely seemed to tolerate having guests. He then demanded that the group convince his son Deacon to renounce his vows to Pelor and marry Linny Brackenbaugh, Darrow Brackenbaugh's only and beloved daughter. Justin found this idea to be absolutely abhorrent, refused Bromnack's request, and left in a huff.

With every house and avenue visited, the group decided the best course of action would be to honor their appointment with House Brackenbaugh. As they considered this, Chip (Donut) pointed out that every single noble and diplomat that they had met with was wearing the exact same necklace. The rest of the group indeed thought this to be odd.

WHAT COULD IT MEAN!?

Afternoon Tea with the Brackenbaughs was a delight, and Darrow tasked the group with delivering a package to a man named "Ross" in the Harbor Ward. The package was of considerable size, and Justin tasked Man-Servanté with carrying it. As they made their way to the Harbor Ward, Man-Servanté (Skalus) decided to use Detect Magic on the package to sense if anything was off about it. Indeed something was off, but not necessarily about the package, rather everywhere around him. Not only was he unable to cast the spell properly, it actually fed back into his mind causing a quite unpleasant overloading of his senses. Greg (Gidge) attempted this as well and experienced similar results.

Finally they arrived back at the Harbor Ward and began to inquire about "Ross". This line of questioning was met with suspicion and mean-glances, but since the package bore the Brackenbaugh house sigil, a few of the dockhands that were present agreed to comply. The group was led into an underground aqueduct of sorts, where several men wearing dark leather armor were waiting. Not wanting to set them off, Justin instructed Man-Servanté to set the package down and slide it over to them. The biggest among them stepped forward and opened the package to examine it. It was filled to the brim with gold and jewels.

Suddenly, the man slammed the package closed and demanded to know where the rest of it was. This caught Justin off guard as obviously he and his family were just the messengers, a fact he used to try and deescalate the quickly escalating situation. The man, who they all assumed to be "Ross" at this point, agreed but decided that they were going to be kept as collateral until he got his supposedly full payment from Lord Brackenbaugh. Which might've worked out for him, if he didn't then threaten Chip and Greg.

Vinci, who not-uncharacteristically could've forgotten that Donut and Gidge weren't actually his grandchildren, responded by flying into a violent rage and attacking "Ross". To "Ross", it appeared that an old and frail human man just broke several of his ribs with a cane, which made it all the more confusing when Chip, a six year-old child, then stabbed him in the thigh with a rapier. The remaining Ravenwoods lept into action against "Ross's" gang.

The sheer confusion of a bunch of seemingly defenseless nobles systematically annihilating their group seemed to get the better of them as one by one each of "Ross's" thugs fell to this unexpected onslaught. Finally, Man-Servanté (Skalus) unleashed a Hold Person spell on "Ross" and Greg (Gidge) took full advantage of this by blowing off "Ross's" head with his arm (Thunder Cannon). The final remaining thug dropped his weapons and sprinted away in terror. It's a good thing he was already in the sewers...

RIP "Ross", we hardly knew you...no really, what was his real name?

The danger now passed, the group realized that no one was going to believe that a bunch of stuck-up nobles just dispatched a band of hardened thugs, so they all decided to cover Man-Servanté in a more convincing amount of "red paint" and head back to House Brackenbaugh, likely with some questions. Despite the mortified looks they received on the way back, they eventually arrived back at the Brackenbaugh estate. The man servant (not to be confused with Man-Servanté) informed them that Darrow and Milanostra were out at a late lunch and would be back within an hour or so. The group took this time to rest in the Brackenbaugh's study.

An hour went by and eventually the laughter of Darrow and Milanostra could be heard arriving through the front door. This laughter was abruptly cut-off as the two entered the study and took one look at a "painted" Man-Servanté. Milanostra screamed, Darrow relieved himself of his freshly eaten lunch, and the two demanded to know what had happened. Justin recounted the events with "Ross" and politely asked for an explanation. Though Darrow was familiar with "Ross's" unscrupulous demeanor, he suggested that perhaps "Ross" tried to take advantage of the group's supposed defenselessness to leverage Darrow for more money. But luckily, Man-Servanté (and only Man-Servanté...) was there to stop him.

Darrow apologized profusely and went at once to fetch a chest from his chambers. Inside was one of the same necklaces that all of Garton's nobility were wearing. He informed the group that these acted as the invitations to the King's party, to which they were now officially invited to. Once again, Darrow expressed his deepest concessions and sent the Ravenwoods on their way.

A necklace now secured, that night they called Kalara to give her the good news. They also told her about their inability to cast Detect Magic. The group knew something was up with these necklaces and Kalara asked Gidge to describe the necklace to her. After a bit creative administrative work, Kalara correctly identified it as a Necklace of Nondetection, a powerful magical item that blocked all divination magic within a small radius of its wearer. Suddenly it became clear why The Agency was so blind to Sumoshil's presence in Garton.

With the sheer number of nobles trying to keep their secrets hidden within its walls, Garton had become a blind spot in history. After a moment of silent deliberation, Kalara said she had a plan but it would require further authorization from Vaughn. She then instructed the group to lay low until the party. Our heroes however decided to hedge their bets a little bit and carry out Franzen Gilmeneu's request. It took a fair amount of running back and forth, but eventually they secured Franzen's delivery. Franzen then decided to have a bit of fun with Man-Servanté by dueling him with his new sword.

The sword was of impressive make indeed and after getting only a single hit in on Franzen, Man-Servanté yielded. Franzen laughed, sheathed his new blade, and instructed one of his servants to fetch a chest from his quarters. One again, the chest contained a Necklace of Nondetection. With two invitations now firmly in their grasp, House Ravenwood laid low until the night of the King's party.

En Garde! (Yes I gave him a French accent...) 

The night of the King's party arrived and everyone was dressed for the occasion. The party grounds themselves were as lavish as lavish could be. The invites adorned around their necks, Justin and Susan led House Ravenwood through the front gates and into the grand ballroom. Anyone who was anyone in Garton was there including Darrow and Milanostra Brackenbaugh, who gave the Ravenwoods a hearty greeting. The group decided to split up and see if they could comb the crowd for murmurings about Sumoshil. After mingling for awhile the met back up at the banquet table with the same unfortunate news, no one at this party seemed to know anything.

Suddenly Kalara chimed in and instructed our heroes to find a private location away from prying eyes and ears. House Ravenwood then proceeded loudly announce that they were going to use the restroom together. Everyone nearby was understandably confused by this seemingly unprovoked outburst, except the Brackenbaughs, who thought it was hilarious.

Once they were alone, Kalara told them that she was going to replace the Nondetection spell within the necklace with a very powerful Dispel Magic spell that would render every necklace in the Royal Palace useless for one minute. It would however also deactivate the group's disguises for that amount of time. Everyone hesitantly agreed, and Gidge did his best "child having a bathroom crisis" impression to gradually usher everyone that wasn't a Raven out of the bathroom. Finally they were alone and locked the door. Kalara instructed Donut to put on the necklace so that she could infuse it with the spell back at HQ.

Donut did so, and within minutes he returned with a Necklace of Dispel Magic. With a nod, Donut activated the necklace and their disguises washed away. All was relatively quiet for the first few seconds, but then they started to hear shouting on the other side of the door. Followed by more shouting. Then followed by the breaking of glass and ceramic. And finally it sounded as if there was a full-on melee on the other side of the door. This was confirmed when a young noble with visible wounds on his face broke down the bathroom door to take cover. Although he certainly did not expect to see a Torle, a Tiefling, a Tabaxi, a Gnome, a Halfling, and one incredibly naked man on the other side of it. He couldn't even muster a scream before passing out.

What resulted was nothing short of pure chaos. Their secrets and machinations now on display to a room filled with a good number of magic-users, every noble was either fighting, screaming at, or demanding the arrest of every other noble. Our heroes sprang out of the bathroom, and as they did they morphed back into the members of House Ravenwood, the minute was up. Suddenly Kalara shouted in over their Talismans of Requisition...

"It's Franzen! Franzen is Sumoshil! He's making a break for it!"

Kind of like this, but with a lot more gold and silk

With no time to lose the group gave chase, pushing and weaving their way through the unruly crowd. They bounded into a long hallway where Donut identified a set of tracks in the carpeting. Sprinting past the kitchen staff and a few guards who were running toward the ballroom, they found themselves in a dimly lit study where the tracks had abruptly stopped. Everyone fanned out in different directions trying to see where Sumoshil had gone. Suddenly, Vinci caught a glint of steel as Sumoshil attacked from Invisibility.

Though he was an accomplished duelist and armed with the magical sword our heroes delivered to him (the irony!), he was horribly outnumbered and quickly found himself on the ropes. In his desperation, he produced a Sending Stone from his pocket and pleaded Histzoshala for aid. Histzoshala did not answer with words, but instead a sinister form of magic that transformed Sumoshil into a terrifying Yuan-Ti Abomination.

With renewed strength and resolve, Sumoshil's sword cut into Vinci like tissue paper, knocking him down into a weakened state. Hollilynn responded by calling out to Pelor and healing her companion. Donut, Nimble, and Skalus got in a few good hits on Sumoshil but the Yuan-Ti showed little sign of slowing down as he unleashed a Fear spell on the party and sent many of them running. Vinci found his feet once more and proceeded to land a mighty blow against Sumoshil's collar. Gidge, apparently having some trouble with his Thunder Cannon, couldn't seem to land a shot on Sumoshil's writhing and snake-like form.

Finally, Nimble drew back her bow and infused an arrow with psychic energy. She let it loose, and with terrifying speed it effortlessly pierced through Sumoshil's skull. Sumoshil stood stunned for short moment, staring directly at Vinci, before slumping lifelessly to the ground.

The group breathed a sigh of relief, but their victory was short lived as they remembered only-too-late that they needed to interrogate him into revealing Histzoshala's location. Nimble sheepishly grabbed her Talisman of Requisition and informed Kalara of their misstep. Upset at first, Kalara expressed her disappointment with the situation and struggled to come up with alternatives. Until Donut mentioned Sumoshil's Sending Stone. Ecstatic, Kalara deduced that she could track the source of the stone's magic back to its origin. She asked to Donut to once again hold onto it as she briefly brought him back to HQ.

A few seconds later, Donut returned and Kalara chimed back in with an unnerving degree of apprehension in her voice. She had Histzoshala's location, unfortunately it was in the catacombs beneath the Yuan-Ti capital city of Ohshashlahizarosh.

A few moments later, the clock struck midnight (see I told you) and the group's noble disguises faded. With the sound of approaching guards echoing down the hall, Skalus Thunderwaved a nearby window and the party absconded to safety...but not before Vinci took Sumoshil's sword as a trophy.

As they escaped, Gidge recalled an event he read about in a history book called The Night of Terrible Truth. Where the once proud nobles of Garton descended into madness as all of their secrets were suddenly revealed. The night was then blamed on the Yuan-Ti of Clan Ezhutu and it was their subsequent imprisonment and execution that sparked the War of Skin and Scale. The war that would establish the country of Garlanica.

Oshashlahizarosh...fun place, if you like ritual sacrifice

And it was there we wrapped! This game was an absolute blast to run. Like one of my players (my wife Michelle) said, it could have gone in a hundred different directions and although it ended up pretty much where I expected, it was interesting to watch how we got there. I think the players also really enjoyed establishing their cover stories and posing as an eccentric family of nobles. And now I'm off to figure out how this band of heroes can infiltrate a Yuan-Ti city without immediately getting murdered.

Thanks for reading!

Friday, March 23, 2018

Creature Loot: Volo's Guide NPCs Part 1

If it has stats, you can kill it. You monster.
Holding on strong for another week! Creature Loot ahoy! You can find the full index of creature loot here, and the entire Monster Manual in PDF form here.

Abjurer (9) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Quarterstaff
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 2d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random abjuration spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 1 Flask of Alchemist's Fire
  • 1 Potion of Greater Healing
  • 1 Horn of Silent Alarm (XGtE pg. 137)

Apprentice Wizard (1/4) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Dagger
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random spell of 1st level that can be copied by a Wizard.

Archdruid (12) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Scimitar
  • 1 Tattered Set of Hide Armor
  • 1 Tattered Shield
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 2d4 Tribal Tokens: A small totem that can act as a druidic focus.
  • 1 Leyline Map: A map detailing places of great magical power in the surrounding area.
  • 1 Keepsake: A trinket or memorandum hinting at the Archdruid's history or life.
  • 1 Leafy Cloak: No immediate use. Can be crafted (weaver's tools) into a cloak that grants advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in leafy terrain.
  • 3 Vials of Archdruid Blood: No immediate use. Can be carefully crafted (Alchemist's Supplies) into a Potion of Polymorph (allows the user to change shape as though they had cast the Polymorph spell).
  • 3d4 Forest Trinkets: Small nature-related items (such as acorns or leaves) with a touch of mystery. Roll on the Trinket table (PHB pg. 160) for inspiration.

Archer (3) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Shortsword
  • 1 Tattered Longbow
  • 1 Tattered Set of Studded Leather Armor
  • 1d20 Arrows
  • 1 Archery Training Book: If a creature spends 5 minutes studying the book, they may add 1d10 to their next attack or damage roll with a longbow or shortbow within the next 10 minutes. Once a creature has gained this benefit, they cannot do so until they have completed a long rest.
  • 1 Keepsake: A trinket or memorandum hinting at the Archer's history or life.
Actually good monster art strikes again

Bard (2) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Shortsword
  • 1 Tattered Shortbow
  • 1 Tattered Chain Shirt
  • 1 Instrument: Of fine make.
  • 1 Songbook: Contains 1 Bard Spell of 2nd level or lower. A Bard can spend a long rest memorizing the spell, replacing one of their known spells with the new spell.

Blackguard (8) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Glaive
  • 1 Tattered Shortbow
  • 1 Tattered Set of Plate Armor
  • 1 Lord's Disgraced Crest: A small token of the ruling lord which can prove fealty to the land. However, the crest has been defaced, and has no benefit.
  • 1 Holy Symbol
  • 1d2 Warrior's Marks: A scrap of skin with a tattoo on it that can be used to prove the identity of a foe.
  • 3d4 Trophies of the Innocent: Roll on the Trinket table (PHB pg. 160). Each of these items belong to a victim of the Blackguard, and some may be identifiable. 
  • 1 Keepsake: A trinket or memorandum hinting at the Blackguard's history or life.
  • 1 Demon's Sigil: A gift to the Blackguard by fiendish powers. A creature can use the sigil to cast Summon Greater Demon (XGtE) as a ritual. Once used this way, the sigil is destroyed.

Champion (9) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Greatsword
  • 1 Tattered Light Crossbow
  • 1 Tattered Set of Plate Armor
  • 1d2 Warrior's Marks: A scrap of skin with a tattoo on it that can be used to prove the identity of a foe.
  • 1 Lord's Crest: A small token of the ruling lord which can prove fealty to the land, and grants advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to convince others that the owner of the crest is associated with the ruling lord.
  • 1 Shield of Glory: Acts as a shield. Displays the symbol of a wealthy patron or lord who the Champion serves, and grants advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to convince others that the owner of the shield is associated with the symbol's owner.
  • 5 Admirer's Tokens: A trinket from a person who wished to thank the Champion for their service.
  • 1 Keepsake: A trinket or memorandum hinting at the Champion's history or life.
He's a Champion on the edge with nothing to lose!

Conjurer (6) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Dagger
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 1d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random conjuration spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 1 Pipe of Smoke Monsters (XGtE pg. 138)

Diviner (8) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Quarterstaff
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 1d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 2d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random divination spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 1 Flask of Alchemist's Fire
  • 1 Orb of Direction (XGtE pg. 138)

Enchanter (5) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Quarterstaff
  • 1d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random enchantment spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 1 Wand of Smiles (XGtE pg. 140)

Evoker (9) - humanoid (survival)
  • 1 Tattered Quarterstaff
  • 1 Spellcasting Component Pouch
  • 2d4 Healing Potions
  • 1 Arcane Focus
  • 1d4 Books (useless)
  • 1 Spellbook: Contains 1 random evocation spell of 3rd level or less that can be copied by a Wizard.
  • 2 Flasks of Alchemist's Fire
  • 1 Wand of Pyrotechnics (XGtE pg. 140)
One more week! One more week! There are so many NPCs, I ended up having to split them up. So , next week, we'll officially be done with Volo's Guide! I can't promise a PDF will be out as quickly, however. Unless someone decided to randomly help me out again. We'll see.
If people start writing for me, I'll have to set up a staff meeting!

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Tiered Skill Checks

D&D is full of great skills, such as Perception, Deception, and... reading...
We've discussed creating combat challenges at different tiers of play, how to deal with common combat problems, and how to handle spells that disrupt combat at each tier.

But that's only one pillar of an RPG experience. Combat is a big part of D&D, but it's not the only part.

What about skills? How do they evolve over the course of a campaign? (No, not those skills. Not those either.)

Well, surprise surprise, I'm not going to be suggesting you create Skill Challenges for your players. For those unaware, Skill Challenges were a thing from 4th edition where you tracked skill checks from the group and they had to get a certain number of successes before they got a certain number of failures.

Not that you shouldn't use Skill Challenges. They are quite good when built properly. But I'm talking about the individual checks themselves: what sort of skill checks should low-level characters expect? What sort of skill checks should high-level characters expect? How does this affect how you build your game?

But first, a quick word on Challenge Rating and using these skills.

Challenge Rating


In the Player's Handbook, page 171, the book gives a table of "Typical Difficulty Classes".
  • Very Easy: 5
  • Easy: 10
  • Medium: 15
  • Hard: 20
  • Very Hard: 25
  • Nearly Impossible: 30

This is a great guideline for an average character. and it's certainly an intuitive indicator of what a difficulty class should be in a standard D&D game.

But that doesn't mean you always need to, or should, use it.

Hey fellas, surely we can talk this out...
See, in D&D, you get something called Skill Specialization. Whoever has the highest modifier on a check will perform that check. If there's a lock to pick, the rogue will do it. If there's a person to convince, the bard will step up. So, if you want to keep things interesting, you need to adjust the level of challenges you give your players.

Important note: I'm not saying that you should arbitrarily raise the DC of everything in your game. If simple iron locks used to be DC 10 and now they are DC 20, you're going to have a big problem when you start your next campaign of low-level characters. Instead, just start putting more dwarven mithril locks in your game.

For a given check, you should know whether or not your party has a specialist in that check. This means the character has expertise in the check, and likely has an 18-20 in the relevant ability score. The most common of these are Rogues with Stealth/Slight of Hand/Thieves' Tools, or Bards with any of the Charisma-based skills. The Prodigy feat (XGtE pg 75) also allows half-elves, half-orcs, and humans to gain expertise in a skill.

Assuming you have a specialist in your party, you can assume their skill bonus will be the at the following levels at each tier.
  • Tier 1: +5
  • Tier 2: +9
  • Tier 3: +13
  • Tier 4: +17

So, if you have a Bard who specializes in Deception, you can throw really hard Deception checks at the party, right? Not exactly.

Skill checks are divided into three categories:
  1. If one person passes, we all pass (perception checks, knowledge checks, lock picking, etc)
  2. If one person fails, we all fail (stealth checks, deception checks, etc)
  3. If most of us pass, we succeed because we can help each other (athletics checks, performance checks, etc.)
The first category lets the specialists do their thing. Therefore, you can give very hard challenges in this category. Here's a cheat sheet:
  • Tier 1: Mostly Medium challenges
  • Tier 2: Mostly Hard Challenges
  • Tier 3: Mostly Very Hard Challenges
  • Tier 4: Mostly Nearly Impossible Challenges

Again, this shouldn't change how the world works. A standard lock is still DC 10. But you shouldn't be putting standard locks between the players and their goals in tier 4 play.

This also solves a big problem that comes up in the first category: if the specialist fails, everyone else wants to try. Many times, the Perception specialist rolls low on a check, only for the rest of the party to shout in chorus: "I look around too!" If the DC is built for a specialist, you can somewhat mitigate these effects.

If we use the average specialization bonuses, that means we get the following success percentages:
  • Tier 1: 55% Success rate (chance of getting a 15 or higher with a +5 bonus)
  • Tier 2: 45% Success rate (chance of getting a 20 or higher with a +9 bonus)
  • Tier 3: 40% Success rate (chance of getting a 25 or higher with a +13 bonus)
  • Tier 4: 35% Success rate (chance of getting a 30 or higher with a +17 bonus)
That might seem a little low. But remember that specialists (Rogues and Bards) also have abilities they can use to buff these checks. And the more uses of Bardic Inspiration they have, the more likely it should be needed for a good challenge. Plus, let's look at what happens when we add advantage to the roll...
  • Tier 1: 75% Success rate (chance of getting a 15 or higher with a +5 bonus on two d20s)
  • Tier 2: 70% Success rate (chance of getting a 20 or higher with a +9 bonus on two d20s)
  • Tier 3: 64% Success rate (chance of getting a 25 or higher with a +13 bonus on two d20s)
  • Tier 4: 58% Success rate (chance of getting a 30 or higher with a +17 bonus on two d20s)

Additionally, with the Help action and the Guidance cantrip, it's easy to see how these success rates can be buffed into acceptable ranges.

If you don't have any specialists in your party for a particular skill, use the third category's numbers instead.

In the second category, you are going for reverse specialization. Everything hinges on the lowest skill check. Therefore, when designing these checks, you'll have to lower the level of challenge. But do remember that parties will slowly gain access to better and better buff spells to help their weakest members. A Paladin with no Dex and Heavy Armor can still do pretty well on a Stealth check if the Ranger has Pass Without Trace. Here's the cheat sheet:
  • Tier 1: Mostly Very Easy Challenges
  • Tier 2: Mostly Easy Challenges
  • Tier 3: Mostly Medium Challenges
  • Tier 4: Mostly Hard Challenges

And yes, this perfectly explains the Passive perception of monsters. A Dragon with Passive Perception of 20 is a real threat when only one character has to fail to be noticed by them.

Note that if a character is by themselves, this can be counted into the first category. A rogue on their own can get away with much more difficult stealth challenges.

In the third category, you need to let your specialists shine, and your reverse-specialists fail. Which means the people who are average are going to decide the outcome. Time to use the middle of the road!
  • Tier 1: Mostly Easy Challenges
  • Tier 2: Mostly Medium Challenges
  • Tier 3: Mostly Hard Challenges
  • Tier 4: Mostly Very Hard Challenges

Again, it might seem like asking for DC 25 checks from the entire group is a bit too much. But at high levels, the players will basically have permanent advantage, access to tons of buff spells, and will hopefully be using the help action to its fullest. So expecting half the party to hit 25 isn't completely unreasonable.

Tiered Skills


Whew.

I need to sleight of hand myself a drink
Now that we're finished up with that, let's get to the fun part of the article! Note that unlike the passive skills, these are all examples of checks that have an active component to them.

Acrobatics
  • Very Easy: Stay on your feet when shoved playfully
  • Easy: Keep balance on a sheet of ice, do a somersault
  • Medium: Stay upright when shoved forcefully, perform a dive
  • Hard: Stay upright on a ship's deck or during an earthquake, perform a flip in midair
  • Very Hard: Balance on a tightrope, perform a series of complex acrobatic maneuvers
  • Nearly Impossible: Balance on the tip of a sword, use a weapon with your feet, dodge arrows
Animal Handling
  • Very Easy: Befriend a domesticated animal
  • Easy: Calm a domesticated animal, spur a mount, discern an animal's intentions
  • Medium: Calm a wild animal, keep a stable of domesticated animals
  • Hard: Domesticate a wild animal, keep a mount from becoming spooked
  • Very Hard: Calm a monster, keep a stable of animals who are naturally predatory
  • Nearly Impossible: Calm a fiend or aberration, domesticate a monster
Arcana
  • Very Easy: Figure out what cantrip an enemy spellcaster is casting, identify a common magic item and know the lore around it
  • Easy: Figure out an enemy's low-level spell, identify an uncommon magic item and know the lore around it
  • Medium: Figure out an enemy's mid-level spell, identify a rare magic item and know the lore around it
  • Hard: Figure out an enemy's high-level spell, identify a very rare magic item and know the lore around it
  • Very Hard: Figure out an enemy's epic-level spell, identify a legendary magic item and know the lore around it
  • Nearly Impossible: Figure out how a God's magic works, identify an artifact and know the lore around it, including how to destroy it
Athletics
  • Very Easy: Walk up an incline, tread water
  • Easy: Climb a steep incline, swim quickly, leap 1 foot further than your maximum
  • Medium: Climb a jagged natural wall, swimming against a current, leap 3 feet further than your maximum
  • Hard: Climb a smooth natural wall, stay afloat while fighting someone in the water, leap 5 feet further than your maximum
  • Very Hard: Climb a man-made wall, swim without injury in an ocean storm, leap 7 feet further than your maximum
  • Nearly Impossible: Climb a glass wall or ceiling, run on water, leap 10 feet further than your maximum
Deception
  • Very Easy: Lie to a child or idiot, lie to a friendly creature
  • Easy: Lie to a commoner, win a casual game of poker
  • Medium: Lie to a guard, bounty hunter, or street-savvy person, act normally while in disguise, lie to an indifferent creature
  • Hard: Lie to a wizard, noble, or formally educated person, win a high-stakes game of poker
  • Very Hard: Lie to someone who is an expert in the field you are talking about, win a professional game of poker, lie to a hostile creature
  • Nearly Impossible: Lie to an angel or demigod
History
  • Very Easy: Identify a legendary hero before you speak to them
  • Easy: Identify a famous adventurer before you speak to them, use basic manners
  • Medium: Identify a local hero before you speak to them, act as a part of polite society
  • Hard: Identify an important person from a distant land before you speak to them, perfectly follow the customs of a noble court
  • Very Hard: Identify a commoner before you speak to them
  • Nearly Impossible: Identify a God in disguise before you speak to them
Insight
  • Very Easy: Figure out the intentions of a child or drunk person
  • Easy: Figure out the intentions of a commoner
  • Medium: Figure out the intentions of a guard, thief, or someone from a rougher background
  • Hard: Figure out the intentions of a noble, wizard, or well-to-do person
  • Very Hard: Figure out the intentions of a professional negotiator, merchant, or conman
  • Nearly Impossible: Figure out the intentions of an angel or demigod
Intimidation
  • Very Easy: Scare a child or animal
  • Easy: Scare a commoner
  • Medium: Scare a noble, wizard, or well-to-do person
  • Hard: Scare a guard, thief, or someone from a rougher background
  • Very Hard: Scare a barbarian, Goliath, or Orc
  • Nearly Impossible: Scare an angel or demigod
Investigation
  • Very Easy: Learn a piece of common knowledge
  • Easy: Figure out how to disarm a simple trap, identify a weapon type from the shape of a wound
  • Medium: Deduce the location of a hidden object, learn a piece of uncommon knowledge
  • Hard: Figure out how to disarm a complex trap
  • Very Hard: Learn a piece of rare or lost knowledge
  • Nearly Impossible: Piece together a mystery from seemingly unrelated information
Medicine
  • Very Easy: Pick a sick person out of a lineup
  • Easy: Basic first aid, identify and treat a common illness
  • Medium: identify and treat an uncommon illness
  • Hard: Practice medicine, identify and treat an internal injury
  • Very Hard: Professional medicine, identify and treat a rare illness
  • Nearly Impossible: Treat a creature whose physiology you haven't studied, identify and treat a brand new illness
Nature
  • Very Easy: Identify domesticated animals
  • Easy: Identify common plants and animals
  • Medium: Identify uncommon plants and animals, recall the types of plants and animals in an area without having seen them there
  • Hard: Identify rare plants and animals
  • Very Hard: Predict the types of plants and animals in a type of terrain you've never been to before
  • Nearly Impossible: Identify legendary plants and animals
Perception
  • Very Easy: See a bright light, hear a voice originating within a few feet of you
  • Easy: Catch an untrained person sneaking around, hear a conversation through a closed door, locate a poorly-hidden trap
  • Medium: Hear a monster moving through its natural environment, hear a nearby whisper
  • Hard: See a camouflaged creature, locate a well-hidden trap
  • Very Hard: Read a creature's lips to understand what they are saying
  • Nearly Impossible: Locate a trap set by a fiend or celestial, see an invisible creature
Performance
  • Very Easy: Delight a child or idiot with your performance, delight a friendly creature
  • Easy: Delight a commoner with your performance
  • Medium: Delight a noble, wizard, or other well-to-do person with your performance, delight an indifferent creature
  • Hard: Delight a world-weary or depressed person with your performance
  • Very Hard: Delight a professional in your field with your performance, delight a hostile creature
  • Nearly Impossible: Delight an angel or demigod with your performance
Persuasion
  • Very Easy: Convince a child or idiot, convince a friendly creature
  • Easy: Convince a commoner
  • Medium: Convince a guard, bounty hunter, or street-savvy person, convince an indifferent creature
  • Hard: Convince a wizard, noble, or formally educated person
  • Very Hard: Convince a merchant or conman, convince a hostile creature
  • Nearly Impossible: Convince an angel or demigod
Religion
  • Very Easy: Recall the tenants, traditions, and deity lore of your own religion, recall your portion of a common prayer chant
  • Easy: Recall the tenants, traditions, and deity lore of a common religion, recall a frequently used prayer from memory
  • Medium: Recall a yearly prayer from memory, act appropriately to a high-ranking member of your religion
  • Hard: Recall the tenants, traditions, and deity lore of an obscure or outlawed religion
  • Very Hard: Recall a once-in-a decade prayer from memory, act appropriately to a high-ranking member of another religion
  • Nearly Impossible: Recall the tenants, traditions, and deity lore of a long-dead religion
Sleight of Hand
  • Very Easy: Shuffle a deck of cards, cross your fingers to resist a hag's curse
  • Easy: Perform a simple magic trick, lift a few coins from a commoner's pocket
  • Medium: Conceal a tiny object in your palm, steal a merchant's coin purse
  • Hard: Perform a complex magic trick, steal a thief's coin purse, perform complex somatic components
  • Very Hard: Steal a coin from a dragon, conceal a small (20-30 lbs.) object on your person
  • Nearly Impossible: Steal a coin from an angel, erase a Glyph of Warding without setting it off
Stealth
  • Very Easy: Sneak up on a child, a mushroom, or an intensely focused person
  • Easy: Sneak up on a commoner, or a person having a conversation
  • Medium: Slip past a guard, scout, or hide from an angry mob
  • Hard: Hide from guards who are actively looking for you, sneak past a creature with supernatural perception
  • Very Hard: Sneak past an ancient dragon or angel, hide from a creature with supernatural perception that is actively looking for you
  • Nearly Impossible: Hide from a divination spell, sneak past a God without their knowledge
Survival
  • Very Easy: Find food and water in a city, catch a fish
  • Easy: Find food and water in a forest, accurately predict tomorrow's weather
  • Medium: Find food and water in a swamp or grassland, follow a clear trail left by a creature
  • Hard: Find food and water in the mountains or underdark, accurately predict the weather three days from now, follow a light trail left by a creature
  • Very Hard: Find food and water in a desert or in the outer planes or the multiverse, follow a creature's trail if they are purposefully evading you
  • Nearly Impossible: Find food and water in the elemental planes, the astral/ethereal planes, or the less-hospitable outer planes of the multiverse, accurately predict the weather for a week

Insert joke about your hometown here!
In the end, it's all about appropriate challenges for each tier. Once you get into the fourth tier, your specialist characters should be dealing with extraplanar entities. If they don't, there won't really be much tension in their skill challenges.

Thanks for reading!