00-Roll with Advantage

Whilst not centered on creating elements of an adventure these posts are still part of my process.

Beyond the Yipping

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Tonight we look beyond the yipping and maddening chatter of the kobolds in their cave-lair and to what lies beyond. But tonight we will have a look at just a glimpse of what may wait for some of our adventurers as we continue and endeavour to have multi-level Zines.

So while we wait for tomorrows update let’s sit back with a coffee and roll into tonight’s content.

Beyond the Yipping

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The yipping, yelps and half-roars from the kobolds caused the cave and cavern to reverberate with a constant Din. The smell and sounds of caged, dying and dead animals mixed with the fresh blood from kobolds and the Avermeet guard alike. But the kobolds were not perturbed and threw themselves at the party in an uncharacteristic aggressive manner. But beyond the yipping, stabbing and snarling there was something more behind the eyes of the humanoids.

A fear. A deep fear of the consequence if they did not stop the invasion of the adventurers and guard. As the last of the kobold guards entered the cavern two of them began to chop at a pillar that was supporting the roof of the passage they came out. Beyond the yipping and clash of metal and spells there was a distant, softer sound. The musk of fear and desperation was heavy and the madness in the eyes of the kobolds pushed them to desperate acts.

Rushing over to the cages they let out the most vicious of creatures. This did not end well for the kobolds though as they turned upon their capturers and tormentors. Clawing, biting, slashing and stinging kobold and adventurer alike. But still the kobolds moved from cage to cage and freed creatures as they retreated towards the passage leading from the chamber.

A move like this could be seen as two things, a parent protecting their offspring or – a servant protecting their king. What ever the answer was beyond the attacking kobolds and vicious animals lay the answer, in the passageway from the cavern and into what ever truth lay beyond the yipping.

Thanks for visiting tonight and for sharing a glimpse at, really, the two paths the adventure takes. Being set up for a scale of levels this adventure could finish with the kobolds, or could finish with something worse. So don’t forget to come back tomorrow as we look at what lays in wait for us and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Aerial Race

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Tonight was meant to be the Zine for the week but I wanted to flesh out a bit of the rules from last nights encounter by looking at the Aerial Race itself. Now there are no formal rules for Aerial combat but there is a few guides out there for DMs who want to run an adventure or campaign that features it, or an aerial race for that matter.

So to get into it let’s look at what we have to work with. So grab a coffee, sit back and let’s roll into tonight expanded content.

Aerial Race

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The wind around both Honeysuckle and Jesper’s wings caused them to falter in the air. The cross breeze that flew between the trees towards the north, where the trunks were sparser and the wind stronger, created a perfect place to allow your mount to rest as they let the reverse current carry them through the trees. That was when the direction of the wind was coming from the south. But as hammered from the west it pushed several riders and their mounts dangerously close to the great trunks and limbs of the trees.

Twig had to hall on the harness to encourage Honeysuckle to power through which she did. Having more mass than the normal giant birds made it easier to muscle through the difficult conditions. Jesper and Alkerion however lagged behind as the fairer giant hummingbird was much lighter. They spent more energy trying to move away from the trees and branches than pushing through the westerly wind.

But Alkerion was a talented and veteran rider and the way he handled his animals was a marvel. The wind didn’t slow them down as much as Twig had hoped and as they turned around the final tree of the northern part of the forest, and a marker for their track they were several bird-lengths ahead of the competition. Here the westerly wind aided them in zipping down the eastern side of the forest and recovering some stamina after the gruelling northerly push.

Animal handling is the name of the game this week with certain actions requiring a check to be able to pull off and encourage or control the creature into doing what is needed. This could be to avoid branches, to stop from attacking a fellow racer or to push it on when it starts to falter.

At several points the creature will also need to make Strength or Dexterity checks to avoid the wind or currents that could push them off course. This can be seen in conjunction with the animal handling check up above.

The second last is the shill checks that the players will need to make in addition to animal handling. There may be feats of athletics, acrobatics, the social skills (Persuasion, Deception, Intimidation) to convince other riders, Perception or investigation to spot issues approaching them or with their own harness/saddle or even the other skills (Survival, Nature, History etc.). Each of these skills could be used to try and gleam a further understanding from a situation or gain an upper hand when plausible.

But the last is the most important. The core rules of flying is that if a creature that is flying has its speed drop to 0 then they fall. The exception is if they have the hover trait which enables them to, well hover. There may be traps along the way, or nets or ropes wielded by other riders or ground hostile’s which may aim to impede the mount’s speed. If they are successful it’s a very long way to fall and there won’t be long to react. Attacking the ropes or nets with a slashing weapon (swords) may be able to free them (see net rules as per the weapon) but it may be too little too late.

This highlights the biggest risk for the players, really, and something we need to use sparingly as DMs if they are lower levels or unprepared. But don’t pull your strikes as it’s an easy way to lose the respect of your players.

Thanks for visiting tonight, with this being the final piece of the rules around this weeks Zine I will have it written up this week before the next one comes out. But there will be a bit of a delay and so I hope you can forgive me for that. Don’t forget that tomorrow the wheel comes around full circle once more and we are looking at a new week of adventure! So see you then and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Tree Top View

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Tonight we have a quick look from a different perspective, a tree top view. This is one of the options we have to the encounters this week, one for higher level parties that is. But with some scaling it could be a fun encounter for lower levels too – something for us to consider.

As it’s a bit of a shorter on tonight I don’t want to spend too much time talking about it, so let’s sit down with a mug of coffee and roll into tonight’s adventure.

Tree Top View

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The racers flew past the village’s main roost where the party stood and watched. The Race Riggers had been dealt with but there was an uneasy feeling in the air as the job felt too easy. As they watched the Giant bat flying just ahead of some of the birds a shadow passed in front of the setting sun. Several shadows in fact.

Having to squint as they looked up at the sky they noticed three large shapes descending towards the village as they dived through the canopy. As the shapes got closer the large forms of giant owls were visible and each one of them bore a rider, an armed rider. The cries of fear came from the spectators and an alarm gong rang somewhere in the village. But it was the last lap for Twig and Alkerion, if one of them retreated to the safety of the roost then the other could win.

Four large birds, back up birds in case the main racer grew tired, stood in the roost saddled and ready. As the first of the chasing riders stood in the saddle and launched an arrow the situation became clear. Either the riders would have to flee and hide from the pursuers or the pursuers would have to be dealt with. There were many ladders and bridges leading to other lookouts along the course where they may have a passing moment to apprehend the attackers. Or, if they were brave enough the party had four mounts with custom built saddles ready next to them.

As they decided their next move the first of the riders landed in the roost and an armed guard appeared on the walkway with large longbows. “Those attackers came out of nowhere. Their mounts aren’t sanctioned, they aren’t safe to race with. Those owls will rip other birds, or Twig and her bat apart.” One of the racers, an elven maiden, called out as she unbound her legs from the saddle. “I need to go to the elder to alert him. If we don’t do something quickly one or both of them will die. Those idiots want to finish the race. They should start to care more about their lives instead of some blasted title.”

Taking to the sky on an unfamiliar mount is a daunting prospect, but it is something that could also be thrilling at the same time. Don’t forget that tomorrow is the end of week write-up and zine so don’t forget to come back for that. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Softer Were-Folk

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Tonight we look at the softer were-folk that we are encountering this week. The weredeer and wererabbit. While not violent and inherently predisposed to evil as werewolves of wererats these creatures are softer and more timid.

While werebears tend to not inflict their disease on creatures due to their understanding of it as a curse and weretigers not inflicting it due to the prospect of sharing tendencies wererabbits and weredeers, the softer were-folk don’t inflict it because they don’t want to inflict harm in others. This makes them perfect as prey or slaves to their more vicious cousins.

And that is where we find ourselves tonight, prey or slaves and a glimmer of hope for a cure if they can escape for long enough. Clinging to the party and guards with a desperate hope these lycanthropes just want to be free. So to find out more let’s grab a coffee, sit down and roll into tonight’s adventure.

Softer Were-Folk

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The sounds of snapping twigs and branches followed the party as they trekked on foot with the prisoners; now in their hybrid lycanthrope forms, hunched down behind them. The large ears of the wererabbits and the twitching nose of the weredeers revealed that they were aware of the creatures that stalked them. And how nervous they were.

The party had split from the guard with a hastily drawn map from Boris. They had taken the remaining functional wagon and most of the lycanthrope prisoners-come-refugees and had ridden off to lead the man and his rats away from the party who had snuck off with some of the folk when the coast was clear. Watching the hoard of giant rats, and the man in a coat, chasing after them was relieving. After a few hours of moving by moonlight they had become aware of creatures doubling back in search of stragglers.

Weredeer- created in tetra-cube.
Wererabbit – created in tetra-cube.

As the night went on the fog got deeper and the ground became harder to see – but they had managed to stay on course from the passage of the moon, stars and from identifying some key landmarks. But they were not out of the woods yet, figuratively and literally. By cutting through the woods they would make it to their destination by mid morning – if they travelled through the night. But it was a rough journey and pausing to avoid creatures in the forest only slowed them down.

Luckily the were-folk with them, three wererabbits and two weredeer were calm, fit and smart so travelling with them was easy. They seemed to shy away from the party, seemingly unwilling to get close to them for fear of infection. But there was no hint of malice in how they spoke or acted – a hopeful trust that the party would get them out of this situation.

And so the next few hours went, moving swiftly when the moon pierced the fog, stopping suddenly when something moved nearby and even having to fight off a few giant rats as they darted out of the darkness to attack the party. But the woods were full of noise and movement and the dawn couldn’t come soon enough.

Thanks for joining me for another night. Expanding this particular one-shot has been a pretty easy affair with the narrative nearly writing itself. I have covered it before in the past where there are only soo man fundamental quests for a D&D party and they differ from each other with the twists and NPCs. Tomorrow we have the PDF for this week coming out so don’t forget to come back for that and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Source of the Problem

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Tonight we look at the source of the problem in Morrowdeep with the revelation of the creature causing the problems. This particular statblock, much like the common one we see for this (the green hag) gives us an option for higher level combat as well. A single hag isn’t too threatening but a coven could be a real challenge for a level 4 or 5 party.

But tonight we can see the scene in focus and the additional statblock for those higher level encounters. So let’s grab a coffee, sit back and read on with the adventure for tonight!

Source of the Problem

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The party moved quickly through the streets of Morrowdeep as the child they found in the abandoned mine in the hills. As they pushed past the people on the streets several spoke to the child, asking about her whereabouts and what she had been doing and before long a group of people were rushing towards her home with the party and her.

As they reached the child’s house she stopped as her parents ran out of the door and hugged her. Crying and embracing each other the reunited family thanked the party for bringing back their daughter but a shadow, something passing behind the windows in the house alerted the party to something being wrong.

Looking between the parents of the girl and the house they noticed that both parents had the same rich-earthy-red colour dirt on their shoes and clothes that the girl had. This matched what the party had on their boots from the cave. As the rest of the people around them dispersed quickly the party notice the girl stop sobbing and clutching at her parents, pull back and look at them. Her hand touched and rubbed their arms before stepping back out of their embrace.

“You’re not my parents,” the girl said. As the realisation dawned on the party and little girl a woman in brown and green robes strode from the house. The girl immediately shied away and pointed at the woman “I saw her in the woods, collecting pink tongue and riverwort. Why is she in my house?”

The villagers nearby stopped moving as the woman in green, the mother and father each drew out a long, gnarled wooden staff that was tipped with Lanternstone. As they did so they pleaded for the child to come to them, to safety but she refused and walked behind the party.

Grey Hag – created in tetra-cube.

As the villagers moved forward and started questioning the parents and murmuring the forms of the three people wavered for a moment, a twisted, hunched and vaguely humanoid appearance wavered into existence before the three of them ran inside the house and closed the door behind them. A gust of wind started to blow down the streets and with it a cloud formed overhead.

Something was not right in the town of Morrowdeep and the party was at the epicentre of it.

Thanks for joining me tonight as we expand the adventure some more with another stat block. Going with a cave theme and having a slightly modified stat-block that would make sense for a cave dwelling hag we have a recipe for a fun encounter with a hag coven, a loan hag or some creatures that may make an appearance only in the Zine. So don’t forget to come back tomorrow for a copy of the PDF and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

A Difficult Lesson to Learn

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The priests of Kelemvor have a difficult lesson to learn this week as the full price of their deal comes to light. Making a deal with the wrong people to follow their misguided beliefs has cost them, well a trinket in their eyes but tonight it is revealed that it is much, much more.

The deal made, the plot hatched and the aftermath is what the priests of Kelemvor have to wait for. Will these misguided warrior priests survive this night, a difficult lesson to learn and more. Well to find out we need to read on.

A Difficult Lesson to Learn

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The priests moved through the city, smiled and blessed any and all who greeted them – ignoring the hot pulsating aura that came from the length of wood and bone tucked under one of their robes. The wizard had promised them the ability to root out the truth behind the ritual that always extended the high priest’s life.

He, a gnomish man who smiled warmly and smelt like warm biscuits, had assured them that with some borrowed power he would be able to pull forth the truth and prevent corruption. A divination ritual he claimed it was – but he was short on a focus. He claimed the ritual he would take would need a powerful focus to be able to draw down from the weave and harness its raw power.

So Brother Kindred had found such a relic in the catacombs and crypts beneath the temple. Guided by his belief and zeal that he was the wrong thing for the right reason he had also convinced those amongst the order that his course of action was alright. Emboldened by their faith in him he had made the deal, stolen the unholy relic – a bone wand that was taken from the still twitching corpse of a necromancer, and we’re now on the way to the wizard.

“Are you sure Brother, Kindred,” Haster asked as they turned down the street to meet the wizard at the Green Fairy – an inn that was famous for its strong gnomish spirits. “This relic, I can feel its unholy power from here. I have my doubts…” he began.

“Easy Haster. The relic isn’t the thing that commits evil, it’s the person. The gnomish wizard is willing to help us root out evil and this foul scheme. That can only be an act of good can it not?” Kindred began smiling and grasping his brother affectionately. “The relic itself is not evil – it is merely power to be controlled and bent. It would not matter if it was something from our temple, something from the street or dug up from a grave. If the wielder is good then the outcome shall be.”

Smiling Haster nodded, “I believe you brother, sorry for my doubt.”

“Do not apologise Brother Haster, to doubt is human but to believe and trust is what entrusts us to the right course of action. Fear not all will be well.” Brother Kindred said as he opened the door and walked into the inn.

The exchange went off without a hitch and soon the brothers of Kelemvor were back at their temple and there they witnessed the determination of Kelemvor themselves.

A few days after Richards death the body was ready to be sealed within the Chamber of Remembrance. The brothers that believed and stood with Kindred had been shocked, like him (but maybe more so) , that the High Priest had been found dead on the day of his three hundredth birthday. But they were happy to see the natural cycle of life and death continue.

Sometime during the day they had noticed a group of outsiders to Oakspire, two in fact, who had been around the church giving thanks, paying respect and trying to learn more about the order. Kindred had caught them on the odd occasion asking questions about the late priest and asking if there were suspicious actions leading up. Kindred had to buy in for his brothers who were still in shock and recovering from the rapid determination after the ritual had been completed.

These outsiders were asking more questions and had even been granted permission to examine the catacombs themselves. They would not be granted admittance to the Chamber of Remembrance as that was Kelemvors will – he was sure, but there was a spark of doubt. They were even down in the Crypt now, well one group was anyway learning about their order and their history.

That’s when Kindred heard the knocking. Alone Kelemvor went to the door to find the gnomish wizard there in dark green robes. “Good evening Brother, I hope I find you well?” the old gnome asked, smiling in a friendly way.

“Yes Master Girten, I am pleased that the natural order has been reestablished and that we are moving forward with what is right.” He answered the gnome’s question. “Can I help you, Girten?” he asked curiously.

“Yes actually, I have trouble lifting something, can you help me lift something that is in a cart just over there.” he said and pointed to a cloth covered cart near a hold tanners building that had closed. “I fear that I am not as strong as I used to be… Not that I was ever strong mind you!” he laughed as he walked slowly over to the cart.

Kindred obliged and walked to the cart, following the old man. When he got there he saw that there were a few dirt covered sacks, some that appeared to be wet and some that were much drier. “These should be light enough. But there are quite a few.” he began as he reached for the first bag, a dirty moist bag. The dirty, dank smell from the tannery was strong next to it and the smell of rot and the unclean mingled with the contents of the bags which made him nearly retch.

“What is in these might I ask?” Kindred asked the old gnome as he hefted out the firth one, the bags were heavy and his hands were getting damp and tacky with moving them. A faint pink-red moisture was sticking to his fingers.

“Oh just some reagents for the finalisation of the ritual I promised you. Herbs and hard to come by components that’s all.” Girten replied from nearby. Kindred continued to unload the bags into the old tannery before moving to the cart – the tacky substance on his hand disturbed him and the smell was nearly unbearable.

“These reagents are repugnant are they not?” he asked with a laugh as he turned to look at them. “I don’t know how you can work with them,” he added.

“Oh you get used to them.” Girten replied as he stepped up to the halfling priest. “Oh I have one more request if you have some time to spare…” Girten asked, his hand on the shoulder of the halfling.

Kindred was looking from the bags to his hands, something was not right. He looked at the bag as his mind registered the question. “Sure I can – what is it? Also…” he looked harder at one of the wetter, dirtier bags. “Girten, is that a hand?”

Girten sighed. “Yes it is and that’s where I need your help. I need you to die Kindred,” the old wizard replied before untold pain caused its way through Kindred’s body. He tasted blood in his mouth as he felt Girten’s hand rip through his tunic, into his shoulder and the pain echoed through his chest. The last thing he felt was a blade, a thin slither of metal entered through his neck and slit his throat.

And that wraps up that part of the adventure nicely. This may be used as something that the party are told from a witness or they may see it, partially of fully, themselves. But more on that this weekend as we wrap up this adventure. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the Zine and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Driven to Mischief

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Welcome to the Twenty-fourth night of Dice-ember and tonight we have a look at not only the reason Daryn’edril and Beth’andra are driven to mischief but we also reveal a nearly forgotten stat-block. As we look back on the last twenty-four days, and as I am preparing the one-shot Zine, I marvel at just how much there is in a few weeks worth of content. But more on that later, let’s not waste any more time in understanding the mind of the fey!

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

Driven to Mischief

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While originally put in as a bit of a “assistant” NPC for Rick, Alice quickly became a core NPC that helps drive the story later on. Because of this I was originally going to have her as using one of the bloody Knuckle Gang statblocks but I think she deserves a bit more than that. So introducing Alice Ironglove!

Alice Ironglove – created in tetra-cube.

Daryn’edril and Beth’andra are lesser members of the fey court in the feywilds. During the winter season, in their attempt to create excitement and entertainment for themselves they began to visit the elves of the Rimeteeth mountains. This delighted them for some time but the elves began to not react in the same manner and their senses and knowledge of the fey made them difficult to prank and trick.

However, as the mountains began to have other races move in they found that the same tricks, pranks and jokes that used to entertain them with the elves stopped having the same effect. It started with replacing a hunter’s arrows with twigs, which caused the twins much delight as the hunter failed to bring down its target, a deer.

Then slowly the pranks increased and they soon forgot about the elves of the forest, much to the elves delight. They realised that the humans, dwarves and other humanoid races of the now bustling city were much easier to fool than the elves and the chaos that their winter-time pranks brang delighted the fey pair more than the elves ever did.

As they progressed their pranks for swapping knives for spoons or hammers for rolling pins they realised that the people of this town relied on the guard and soon a new game was born. A game of cat and mouse began to delight the fey as they pushed their pranks and tricks further, using their magic they confused, befuddled and manipulated the people of the city until the guard wised up to their tricks. Then they would have to evade the ever angry and ever eager guard.

This game of chase was something that brought such joy that they forgot the melancholy of the feywilds during the winter months. The people eventually started to put their trinkets and valuables in chests with iron bindings which prevented their magic from affecting those few items and so they lost interest when people stopped caring that their turnips turned into carrots. With the change in the reaction of the people of Rimeglenn the fey returned to the feywilds and began to plan for the next year when they would increase the level of mischief and pranks that they would sew.

And that marks the last night of Dice-ember for the year, sort of. Come back tomorrow for the end of Dice-ember Zine. But that’s not quite the end of the year as I have plans for the last six or so days of the year. So don’t forget to come back daily and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Mischief Unmasked

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Welcome to the Twenty-Third night of Dice-ember where tonight we look at mischief unmasked! The true faces of the trickers who have plagued Rimeglenn for years and a hint at why they have; but more on that tomorrow. But for now we will get to see their true faces, perhaps their ‘true names’ and their statblocks!

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

Mischief Unmasked

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While their stat blocks are geared towards a CR5 encounter they don’t like taking life as that would put a quick stop to their fun. They will try and prevent the loss of life so they can continue their mischief and gain more amusement and joy from the people of Rimeglenn becoming increasingly confused as chaos grows in the city.

Daryn’edril Brimesquience – Created in Artbreeder.
Statblock created in tetra-cube.

The holder of the unidentical twins, Daryn’edril is a fierce defender of his sister however still has some latent magical abilities. Stronger and quicker he uses his spells to modify his appearance more than using his precious few magical abilities to hinder or affect his opponents. Armed with a powerful attack with his claw and trained to fight in closer combat he is dangerous and effective, if provoked to fight that is.

Beth’andra Brimesquience – Created in Artbreeder.
Statblock created in tetra-cube.

Now where Daryn’edril is more accustomed to physical tests Beth’andra is adept at manipulation and using her magical talents. Able to manipulate and control those around her she uses this to get the most out of any situation. However he primary focus is getting herself and her brother to safety before they get into trouble or injured.

A brief view of the NPCs, Daryn and Beth – or should I say Daryn’edril and Beth’andra. These two fey have caused a bit of trouble over the years and tomorrow we can get a glimpse as to why and what exactly drives them. But we need to get to tomorrow first, so don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more Dice-ember Christmas themed adventure. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Intensification of Mischief

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Welcome to the Seventeenth night of Dice-ember and this week we see an Intensification of Mischief the likes of which has not been seen in Rimeglenn. The parties find themselves at the centre of this escalation and two strangers cause trouble for them. But who they are and what they want will have to be explored another night for tonight we watch it all unfold!

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

Intensification of Mischief

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The party walked back towards the barracks with the Rimeguard after the conflict with the Bloody Knuckles gang.

“I’m glad we got there in time. Those bloody knuckles have been a problem in our sides for years now and thanks to you we can be rid of them for good.” Guard captain Penelope Sungrave said to them from nearby. “Those that come willingly with us to the holding cells will be given a fair trial and if found guilty they will be exiled from the city. But the severity of their crimes will judge what they leave with. Generally those found guilty will leave with tools, rations and weapons to survive in the wild. But if their crimes are more than just petty theft then they may end up leaving with just the clothes on their back and an axe. The wilds will decide their fate” she said as she looked distastefully at the number of people in tow.

As the party helped manage some of the more difficult gang members into the holding pen they admired how much respect and authority that Captain Sungrave had. For a young woman to reach this level of command she would have had to demonstrate her prowess, skill and unwavering leadership for quite some time. From what they had heard from Patrik Goloze at the Rusty Duck Inn she was more than capable at commanding the city’s guard and more.

After the gang members were all accounted for Penelope approached them again. “I wanted to thank you for the service you have. But I have one more request. I hope you can come with me to ensure that the hidden fault is protected – that is the target of the knuckles plan. I would be more sure if I had some capable hands with me as I need to leave most of my guard here to mind the holding pen until we can process this lot.” She asked with a note of hope in her voice.

“It is not far and we can be back before a mug of ale goes cold.” she promised.

As they wove their way through the streets they passed the Adventurers lane; home to the Rusty Duck and other ex-adventurer run establishments, before they came to stop in front of a large warehouse. Two people approached dressed in long brown robes as Penelope walked up to them. “Captain Sungrave here of the Rimguard. Please let my companions past as well as they are here to ensure that all is well beyond the door.”

“Did you bring the key?” a voice replied from the taller guard.

“Of course I did – it wouldn’t do me any good if I didn’t bring it…” Captain Sungrave replied before springing backwards and drawing a sword sword from the small of her back. “Be ready, those aren’t the men that I Posted here this morning.” she said as her glare shot knives at the figures. “Reveal yourself!”

Laugher came forth from the cloaked figures before they withdrew the hoods to reveal a large man and a stocky female dwarf. “As expected from the captain. But I will need that key from you. These companions that walk with you stole everything from me and I need what lies beyond the doors!” Rick Harding yelled before he drew a wicked set of bladed gauntlets and rushed towards the party.

“Rick ‘Fierce knuckles’, I should have known you’d be here. Take them alive!” Captain Sungrave yelled before rushing to meet the imposters.

With Rick and his accomplice, Alice Ironglove, subdued and bound Penelope, Captain Sungrave, rushed towards the door and withdrew a key from under her armour. As she fiddled with the wooden boards that covered the door two voices called from above. “Watch out behind you, miss! Those people with you. They can’t be trusted!” Penelope looked up at them just as she slid a board of wood aside and revealed a keyhole.

“What are you talking about? These adventurers helped bring down the most vicious gang in Rimeglenn and protected me from their leader.” She retorted as she placed the key into the keyhole in the door and turned. The whirring of gears and grinding of stone beyond the wood greeted the ears of those nearby.

“You don’t understand, miss. They were here earlier! They stole all the gold!” The voices from above shouted down. Two figures hidden behind the glare of the midday sun pushing past the clouds.

“Don’t be ridiculous they…” she started to say before the vault doors opened to reveal nothing. Absolutely nothing remained in the vault. Penelope turned around and looked between the figures up above them and at the party. “I hate to ask this but, do you know what happened here?” she asked the party as two small children in tattered rags slowly climbed down from the roof.”

Thanks for visiting tonight with a bit of a bigger write up. Now with this being the predecessor for this weeks part of the adventure you can’t forget to come back each day this week to find out what lies in store. As this is the last component you can rest assured that an exciting conclusion is just ahead. So don’t forget to come back so you don’t miss out on it and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Leavings of the Mischief Makers

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Welcome to the Sixteenth night of Dice-ember and I have a gift for you, one of the leavings of the mischief makers to be exact. Now these artefacts aren’t overly powerful overtly, but with the right use and a bit of luck these things could be something truly remarkable for the party to have. But let’s not waste any time talking about it here when we could be looking at it below!

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

Leavings of the Mischief Makers

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Bag of Lesser Animus

The Bag of Lesser Animus – created in D&D Beyond

The bag of Lesser Animus is an interesting wondrous item. Able to turn a small wooden carving that was found inside its bag into a construct of the same tiny (Miniscule) size. The carving-creature has the same stats and abilities and limitations as found on the stat block.

Sticking to a bit of the “12 Days of Christmas” it can hold up to 12 creatures but is normally found with 7. If you pay the bag it will make an additional or replacement carving for you and if you bribe it with snacks (Rations) it will even take commissions and make something of your request (within exception). Each carving-creature can also have commands or orders given to them up to 12 words (12 days again) so they cant be complex but its better than a small phrase. 1 or two sentences will suffice. But like the creatures and most other constructs – they don’t talk.

Some examples of the Carving-Creatures can be found below but these are just the ones that I found in D&D Beyond (links included!).

d8 – Carving
1 – Rat
2 – Spider
3 – Bat
4 – Lizard
5 – Frog
6 – Scorpion
7 – Crab
8 – Weasel

Thanks for visiting tonight. Hope you find a use for the Bag of Lesser Animus and are inspired to make the greater versions of this bag too. Don’t forget that we are a bit over half way there now for the Dice-ember adventure which means we still more days to come! So don’t forget to come back this week to find out what lies in store. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe