A place for sharing my ideas on tabletop, game design and dungeon mastery
04-Thursday – Maps, layout, Extras
Thursdays we will focus on the extra details such as maps, additional information or details and the layout of the adventure that the party will go through.
Hello all and welcome to Thursdays Brazen Wolfe Tabletop post. Tonight I wanted to find something to include that I haven’t done for a little bit mainly due to personal preferences but also due the the amount of time it takes to locate and modify or produce them – A battle map.
With out adventure this week set in the village of Bracken Hollow and the recent tundra like weather system they are experiencing I wanted to find something that would fit in with what we have planned this week so let’s have a look at what was found.
Whilst not being exactly snowy it has the rough features we are after this week , a few buildings, a few old and decrepit walls and gravestones as well as one or two paths in, depending how flexible you define a path.
This will be ideal for what we have planned this week, a place for Paul to be holed up in, walls for players to scout around, areas to hide and sneak through for both the player and what is on the hunt. The idea behind this is that the players can gain a bit of understanding and knowledge about the family that resides in the hilltop manor whilst finding and rescuing Paul Turp who is relatively uninjured and in good health. The encounter, well we will cover that tomorrow, is designed to drive the players perhaps into the large of the two buildings after finding and rescuing Paul from the smaller of the two crypts. Once inside they can seek shelter form the storm and from the beasts that have taken to stalking the snow covered ground.
Once again this week exhaustion will be in effect, the extreme cold, wind and snow makes movement around the area difficult but that wont be the only thing. Perception checks that rely on sight and sound may also be hindered as with heavy snow and wind perception checks that rely on those senses are made at a disadvantage. This should give the players a sense of unknown, danger and suspense as they will be randomly walking into gravestones, perhaps exposed graves as well as fences, trees, bushes and maybe the odd skeleton.
A small river running through the road also gives us a chance to work in the “Frigid water’ and ‘Thin ice’ hazards for the players that don’t walk across the old bridge, something that I would wager would give them cause to seek shelter if they were to fall into the frigid waters below.
Thanks for stopping by and looking over something that will be inspiring the encounter this week, a family graveyard with a small crypt and a larger building amongst the heavy snow. If you like the concepts put in place here I would recommend having a look at Tehoxmaps.com as Matteo has some truly amazing maps for free use and even better ones available to patreons.
Don’t forget to set aside some time this week to enjoy your favourite TTRPG and also, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Hello all and welcome to another night of content here at Brazen Wolfe Tabletop. Thursday is the night for additional content, extras and things that make the adventure just that little bit better.
Tonight I want to delve a bit deeper into something touched upon last night, the weather at Bracken Hollow and they are going through a bit of a cold snap at the moment. So lets have a look at the rules and guides around weather and then see how it applies to the adventure!
205ThWiBH
So the Dungeon master guide covers a few different weather conditions including extreme cold (fitting), extreme heat, strong winds and heavy precipitation.
Extreme cold requires the creature to roll a constitution saving throw (DC10) every hour they are exposed to it and if they fail they gain a level of exhaustion. However deadly this may be it can be mitigated by wearing suitable gear or having an innate ability to withstand and live in that environment (such as those accustomed to living at that temperature). Thick boots, a coat, thick shoes, a hat, scarf etc. all can prevent the affects of extreme cold as well as having cold resistance will prevent the exhaustion that those not prepared will experience.
Extreme heat requires the creature to go through their limited resources more often, water in this case, or be required to make, you guessed it, a constitution saving throw (DC5 +1 DC per hour spend out in the heat) or become gain 1 level of exhaustion after an hour of not drinking. Naturally creatures that have fire resistance can take the heat and those creatures who are acclimatised to the area will find it a walk in the part, not a walk in the desert. Wearing medium armour or heavy clothes or armour will make the creature take this saving throw at a disadvantage.
Extreme wind will impose disadvantage on ranged weapon attack rolls and Wisdom saving throws that require the creature to hear what is around them. Creatures that fly non-magically will have to land (they cant fly), gases and fog clouds will be dispersed and exposed flames and fires will be extinguished.
Extreme precipitation will hamper the vision of creatures making the area lightly obscured (disadvantage on perception checks that use sight) and heavy rain (as opposed to just snow) will also extinguish open flame and impose disadvantage on hearing checks. Ah the sound of rain on colour bond or tin roofs.
Extreme cold, wind and precipitation will be useful in this weeks adventure and I would roll for a shift in the weather every d4+3 hours, the reason why will be revealed next week, where 1 is cold but not extremely so, 2-3 is cold and rainy, 4 is rainy and extremely cold, 5 is extremely cold with snow and finally 6 is a blizzard (Extreme wind, cold and snow).
Hazards may also form under the right consequence and a selection of a few is what I would suggest at some points, to be expanded upon this weekend mind you.
Thin ice, Frigid water and slippery ice.
If the party were to find themselves crossing a lake, river or damn then all three would take affect.
Thin ice means that the ice has a weight limit per 10 ft square of 180lb (3d10*10lbs) and whenever the weight limit for an area of thin ice is met, the ice in that area breaks and all creatures on broken ice fall through. I would rule this as an immediate suffering from frigid water unless! they have resistance to cold.
Frigid water is the same as extreme cold but the creature wont have to make the saving throw until a number of minutes equal to their constitution score. Personally I would also add on disadvantage for any future extreme cold checks until they can dry themselves as it makes logical sense.
The last is slippery ice, nice, simple and comical. The creature who finds themselves on slippery ice must make a DC10 dexterity (acrobatics) check or fall prone.
All of these hazards and weather conditions will have an affect on how the party address the game. Would they spend gold on purchasing thicker clothing or gear or would they try and rough it out?
Thanks for joining me tonight for this small writeup. This weekend, and well tomorrow, I hope to expand upon these a bit more and really flesh out what it means to be caught in a small village during a snow storm looking for a deity favoured maiden.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more content and as always! Don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
So for a long time I have spent my d&d adventures in my own homebrew world’s complete with factions and city states fighting for power and big continent shattering bad guys. Its not since Neverwinter nights (fabulous pc game) that I ever ventured forth through Faerun until Daye.
Daye
204ThDaye
Daye is a small town situated on the river Esmel and being a direct river into Amn it gets a lot of traffic. This is where we see the party visiting. It gets almost all of its income from the river through fishing, farming or trade with people travelling further into Amn.
Being part of Amn they are well off and frequently a port of call for tired travellers bringing wealth into the state. A lot of inns and stout but comfortable houses can be found in Daye with the inns being more well built and suitable for travelling merchants.
Amn not allowing arcane magic outside of their brotherhood means that most forms of magic or supplies for magic may be harder to find but Daye’s priesthood to Chauntea seem to have an exception to the rule.
To the south of Athkatla and to the west of Purskul the small port town is a blip in the scheme of things having a few thousand residents including those who spend their time working the fertile soils.
Well thats all we have today. Working with the Faerun map is strange but beneficial with thr established governments, history and geography of the lands already being well cemented.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,
Welcome to Thursday, the day set aside for those extra bits that can make your adventure just that little bit more. Today is hopefully no exception with a bit of a insight to the current situation in the city of Daye and within the Ren family.
The idea of tonight is to create a story point within the linear quest line for this adventure sequence. The reason behind it is to give the DM some insight into what’s going on in the adventure behind what has been written – you cant expect the Ren family to wait in a room for the party to come knocking, they have their own agenda which may cause the party to encounter them sooner than the adventure plans for and hopefully tonight’s post will give a bit more of a background, if but a taste, into what this family is all about.
Grandfathers gift
203ThGrGi
Hiro Ren smiled behind his white mask and bowed deeply to the man who purchased the horse pendant that would see the mans endurance increase, or so the talisman was meant to provide that blessing to him. Placing the gold pieces in a pouch tided within his robes he looked across his sister and mother who were also selling similar talismans to other people of Daye, “good”, he thought, “we are doing well. Grandfathers suggestion to sell talismans to ward of evil spirits is paying off well. We should be able to make enough gold after a couple weeks with days like today and leave back for home. As long as there aren’t any more setbacks.” He smiled to himself behind his mask as he greeted the next person to come to his little stall and enquire about the warding talismans. Producing a small silver dragon pendant, a dragon from his home country which had a long serpentine body unlike the dragons of this continent who were lesser winged lizards the dragons back home were like deities who flew above man.
Several hours passed and the Ren family packed up their stall. Hiro sat down as his exhaustion came over him and took a few large gulps of the briny air that surrounded the place they set up their stalls. “Brother you must look after yourself better. Are you still unable to sleep well? Is Grandfather keeping you awake with his requests?” His sister, Hana, asked concerned as she wrapped up the last few items in the silk sheets that they stored them within large heavy chests.
“He is just restless at night, ever since we made the ship more suitable for him he has become less agitated and disturbs me less. But I can go these last few weeks until we have achieved grandfathers and our goal with limited sleep. It will be worth it when our family can return and save our family home from the yakuza.” Hiro smiled sadly, his father having to stay home in order to keep the family business back home occupied and working so the yakuza didn’t move in and take possession of everything they had worked so hard for many years to achieve.
“Hiro, I picked this up from the Kuronami family. It should help you sleep better and get more rest. It’s some form of potion that you pour on a thin cloth and drape over your face as you go to sleep. I have been warned that it can be quite potent so we won’t use too much at once, just enough to help you get rest.” his mother, Saki, said as she handed him the small opaque bottle with a large cork stopper.
Smiling he took the bottle and stood, grabbing the chest that held their wares as his mother and sister walked in front of him, sharing favourite moments from the days sales and being otherwise in a good mood.
As they neared their ship they could see a disturbance on deck, objects were flying around and three figures were retreating off the ship and back onto the dock. Frowning he could make out who they were and he could feel grandfather stirring, a fear, unbridled and raw sprang from deep within him. Placing the chest down he ushered his mother to mind the goods as he and his sister crept forward.
“It looks like my teacher was correct. The family would have had to let the Gaki spirit take possession willingly. This whole ship seems to have been desecrated in order to allow the spirt free reign” the smallest of the figures said, as he nimbly moved across the deck towards the other two, Hurane and Kyoko, he could see Kyoko’s face and would recognise Hurane any where.
Sneaking closer to be at the end of the plank that connected his families ship to the dock he remembered the potion his mother had given him. Quickly uncorking it he risked letting his long dexterous tail coming out to quickly grab some rags he kept in a hip pouch for wrapping sold items at the stall. Coating two of the rags with the potent smelling liquid he gestured for his sister to do the same. An understanding, and fear, crossed her face but a sudden disturbance on deck pushed her fear away, grandfather was impatient and needed these people taken care of.
As they descended the gangplank they discussed his family and his keen hearing heard the word ‘gaki’. He was no fool and the gaki was a hunger spirit from his home continent, they could not be talking about his grandfather, he was a kind and generous ancestral spirit that had come to his family in their moment of need and only asked to be able to walk amongst them during the day to grand them fortune and luck when doing business. Bracing himself for what he was about to do he rushed forward, his sister behind him. Grappling Kyoko and forcing the towel over her face she struggled for a moment before going limp. His tail quickly wrapped around the throat of Hurane and held the last of the soaked Rags to his face too and after a moment all three people; the captain, vice captain and the small nimble one of the Red Fleet, were unconscious in their arms. A calm and soothing voice spoke to him “Take them below deck, I also believe that the mirrors left in the ship will bring a bad omen to us. Destroy them, discard the remains face down on the dock for now. Quickly go my son” his grandfather urged him into action. Moving quickly and using his Vanarian strength and dexterous limbs he quickly did as his grandfather had suggested, it was through his wisdom that they had come this close to their goal.
Well that will do us for tonight, not as small as a writeup as I had intended but I hope that it provides that extra insight into the Ren family, their goals current situation and what the party will need to deal with this week.
Don’t forget, like the Gaki spirit I am hungry to hear your thoughts, feedback and any report on playing through these adventures I think of. Maybe not as hungry as a gaki as the Japanese lore on them is quite, disturbing. But regardless do let me know!
And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Thursday has come and for us here at Brazen Wolfe Tabletop that means we are looking to something that adds a bit more to the adventure as we see it. The last few days we have looked at what the Red fleet is doing, what the party has gotten themselves into and what stalks the town at night. We have also investigated why it has been stalking the streets and tonight I hope to add a few small bits onto what the creature has been feasting on and what Takeo has put into the parties belongings.
So without any more drivel let’s get on with the content!
Charms
202ThCharm
The first on our list is what has become a staple of the Red Fleets merchandise and what the creature has mainly been feeding off. Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you view it) these items contain the smallest amount of magical power to them and so they do not sustain the creatures hunger for long.
Introducing the Lesser Blessed Charm!
This charm is seen and said to be a good luck charm for doing people who have a very certain need for something to be lucky in. If a Mayor needs luck during their next speech to sway the vote for an election they may be gifted with a Lesser Blessed charm of persuasion (which only works for the persuasion skill) which would be sold to them as a lucky charm that would make people more inclined to listen and believe what the speaker had to say. The same could be said for a squire who picked up the Lesser blessed charm of Animal Handling who wanted that extra bit of luck when working with horses, either her own or the person they served. These items sway luck in the favour of the owner but not enough to really be relied upon. Perhaps that occasional lucky motivational speech, game of cards or operation to save someone’s life can be tied back to the charm or perhaps its just the inherent skill in the owner – but we can all use a bit of luck some times.
The second item I have is designed to be rarer, harder to come by but not so strong that people would seek them out to abuse them. Introducing the Lesser charm of tracking!
The Lesser charm of tracking is quite simple, you have the charm and can know where it is. Sew it into your left sock and you will never lose that sock however the right sock may have a tendency to go missing.
In this case slipping it into a pocket of someone and using it to follow them around may be a bit sinister but also when used to keep track of important people, or people you want to keep an eye on it may be worth its weight in jade.
Thanks to joining me tonight and looking at a few minor magical items. The idea behind these is to add a bit more something to the adventure that wont break encounters or make that adventure you have planned for the party broken from the moment they find these little items.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and this weekend for more Dungeons and Dragons content and I hope to also bring a Warhammer battle report this weekend (if I can tee up a game on tabletop Simulator. COVID is a bit rampart in Australia at the moment and don’t quite want to risk an in person game.) Oh, and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Hi all and welcome to Thursdays update for this exciting weeks content. Today, like all Thursdays moving forward, will be dedicated to things I believe could do with additional information or new additional content that I think will give another layer of depth to what we have here this week.
Tonight we will look at what the group known as the Lotus can bring to the table as well as expanding our understanding of the characters we have encountered so far. So without stalling any longer let’s get into it.
Only a sea breeze can see all
201ThSeBr
Kyoko watched as the hawk soared above the boat and and head out towards the city, she wondered what it would be like to be born with the gift of flight. Sighing she turned away and strolled down the plank to go check on the stalls where her peoples wares were being sold, regrettably a lot slower now that they had restrictions put upon them, she only could hope that the creature, or person that was the source of their restrictions.
Hurane walked up to her, clasping his forearms behind his back as he looked over ships and the people discussing price on food, craft and other items. “The morning Lotus has bloomed. If one of ours is responsible they will find out” he said leaning closer to her to ensure that the message was hard to intercept. The masks her people wore helped to also protect the words Hurane spoke to her. But also protect their identities, the people of this city were not ready yet to see who they were behind the masks.
“I noticed. Let us hope they can find what is causing the distress of the good people of Daye and we can begin to rebuild the relationship needed to establish this trade route. “Have you any leads yet?” Kyoko asked as she looked towards the masked man she had grown up with.
“Sadly no Kyoko, we don’t have a lead. Every trader, sailor and officer has been questioned and they all swear their loyalty and deny any involvement in the disturbance. Apologies Kyoko” Hurane spoke with a tinge of regret in his voice.
“Well let’s hope the lotus blooms and we find what’s causing our grief”
The wind filled the wings of the bird as it flew high in the sky its keen eyesight gazing down upon the blue waters, the red railed ships and the thatch covered houses that covered the ground like a maze. The houses were built as needed without much foresight into where the next would be built. This evidently caused the alleys and pathways between houses to be erratic and suddenly end, a maze of mudbrick walls and thatch covered roofs. Very different from where she is from.
Noticing something different from the sea of thatch, mudbrick and rough stone street she flew down in broad circles looking around her as he descended for any signs of danger. Seeing no danger she landed on the roof and picked up the object that was shining on the roof and held it in one claw so she could look at it closer. It appeared to be a medallion or talisman made from metal, or so what was left of it gave that appearance. Noticing the faint taint of magic from it and the way that it was damaged concerned her, in her experience magic items were very difficult to break and finding one damaged as such concerned her. Deciding that it was worth notifying Kyoko she flew off with the hook shaped metal trinket.
The tight random thatch and mudbrick houses gives interesting ‘arena’ for what I plan for tomorrows encounter. The Lotus, or the semi-secret spies and scouts for the Red-fleet who specialise in reconnaissance and retrieval of people and items. In this case they have found the trinket that the creature was feeding on in last nights write-up.
This should give the NPCs enough information or evidence in order to bring PCs into the fold to assist them in finding what is affecting the people of Daye. It consumes magical items, appears at night and seems to appear through shadow and disappear just was quickly as it appears. (due to the notification from the guard. But that’s for this weekend)
Well that’s it for tonight and I hope you enjoyed that we had, albeit shorter than what we may be used to it should make sense by the end of it why I have reduced the narrative.
If you like what you have read tonight and more importantly if you like the split between narrative and the section of DM insight then please let me know!
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and the following days for the concluding updates, and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Welcome to Map day (also known as Thursday by most). Today I don’t have a plan for a write up as I believe the leadup for this week has players on a boat heading out to sea, regardless if its the King invading, the prince coming to broker peace (with either of the twists…) or a mashup of both of them I feel as though a ship will be involved.
So for that purpose I have found two maps for a ship – one from the D&D 5e Dungeon Masters guide and the other from an artist out there (100% credit and link to them below).
A dungeons Guide
13ThMa1
Dungeon Masters Guide (full credit to the original Author and WoTC)
The dual masts, galley and living quarter all are suitable for the rough picture painted for this weeks adventure. It is perfectly wide for combat above and below deck but perhaps too much empty space on the lower deck. I would almost consider having a separate room or two there for ‘guests’ to reside in the lower dock.
‘The Somnolent Queen’
13ThMa2
All credit goes to the original Artist, found at Nerdbrarian.com
This is more ideal, main deck is simple with a single mast, ample storage space down below with a single stairway down (sort of how I described entrance to the galley) and two rooms where the captain and crews quarters would be. Having the stern deck is nice – its how I envisioned The Gallant Swallow, but perhaps having a bow quarter with the crews quarters at the bow (front) of the ship. This ship is wider, but shorter which in this instance I find less desirable due to the breadth of field that combat can now take on the top of the boat.
What ever boat you choose, image you find or draw or, potentially, ship you build, print or create for your tabletop having a visual representation of what the ship is can aid in describing it to your players, is their ropes attached to the stern deck so you can tie the ships wheel at the helm down to lock it into a position, or ropes that you can swing from the stern deck (where the helm tends to be located in my make believe boats and ships) to get to the main deck or even Bow Deck quickly to deal with tricky situations can give your players ideas for dealing with giant waves to giants in waves..
Combat outside of the boat can take place near it and the boat can be a simple reference point to what it happening around it or beneath it, but having something in mind can make all the difference.
Well that’s it for tonight, thanks for tuning in, apologies it wasn’t as long as normal (Thursdays tend to go overtime with work..) but I still hope you walked away with something that can create that spark of adventure for your stories and campaigns.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for FightNight! (Friday) where I come up with new creatures, boss stat blocks or puzzles and ordeals that the party must overcome if they want to be successful in their endeavours.
Don’t forget to let me know if you like what you have read, and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
It’s Thursday and that means map day! This week we look at a single map that we explored a bit yesterday in our twist write-up but today writing up the map so it can be used without the twist being implemented.
So without much more discussion let’s roll into it.
Heading back to Arciryas after saving the wizard, Petrel, and stopping the sea elves from flooding the northern beaches with a powerful ritual they run into a familiar face on the road. Rafnir, who looks a bit worse for wear having suffered a few wounds, is slowly and finally walking back along the same road. “It’s good to see you, Rafnir!” Ray called as the party accompanied by a grouchy old wizard jogged to catch up with him. Spinning around, Rafnir raised a sword and eyed the party with overt hostility.
“Don’t move, not even a muscle.” He warned, muttering the arcane syllables that made his tusk feel like it was a chunk of coal. The party complied, worry spreading on their faces as they paladins prepared to draw their blades. ” Boys, always with the swords. He is casting divination magic not something to burn, smash, cut or boil you alive. Relax” Zander said calmly as he fiddled with a button on his cloak. A moment passed and the spell was cast, sighing with relief Rafnir sat on the side of the road and rolled his wounded shoulder. “Sorry lads, had a tough few days and nights. Not sure who to trust and I am out of spells to make sure I know who I am dealing with.” Rafnir grumbled, his discomfort apparent. “Let me tend to your wounds laddie, then you can tell us what happened to you” Dusk said, moving forward preparing to heal the half-orc.
After Rafnir had explained the possessed soldiers, then the ambush from the sea elves that night, and then some possessed farmers who attacked him without hesitation or warning the party were left bewildered. “So these elves, they attempt to somehow separate you from your soul and then inhabit your body?” Mike practically spat, he was not a fan of cultists.
“That’s what my theory is” Rafnir replied, drinking from a flask as they rounded the last bend before the city Arciryas would be before them. “No solid proof other than what I saw”
As the party arrives back in Arciryas they are greeted by a mass of guards and soldiers. It didn’t take long for the party to be shown to Blake. Having Petrel and Rafnir with them helped speed things along when the soldiers knew who they were talking to. As they met with Blake, and pleasantries between the three Arciryasians took place the party was invited to walk the docks.
“So what you believe to have happened is our own Navy, and some of the soldiers in the city are already under this elven spell.” Blake recounted the conversation in hushed but hurried voices on their way to the old docks. “I can’t stress this enough how poorly timed this is. Our navy should be docking at dusk with some of the captains already having arrived earlier.”
As the party steps onto the wet stone pavers Mike slipped on one of the soaked squares of stone. A few chuckles could be heard from the buildings to the left and right of the party as Mike was helped up to his feet.
Four piers jutted defiantly into the sea ahead of the party and similar buildings to the ones to their left and right formed little clusters of shops and storage buildings for those who worked the boats thst were moored at the piers.
Stepping forward, as Blake ran through plans with Rafnir and, somewhat, Petrel, the party looked around. To their right at the end of the docks lay an old decrepit warehouse. Closer to them was a fish monger carving up a large ray, much like the ones they had fought in the tides of Long Tooth Beach.
A few alleys crossed between buildings as they watched men and women carrying crates the to buildings via the reasonably narrow walkways. In the distance on the waves large sails could be spotted meandering on the seas surface as many large ships head towards the dock.
To their left a few more buildings appeared to be left to disrepair with some drunk sailors and fishermen loitering in their shattered door frames. Looking to the right the source of the drunk fishermen and sailors could be seen. The Block and Tackle. A tavern situated nearly on the water that specialised in hard liquor and meals made from, unsurprisingly fish.
After returning from looking around the dock Blake and Rafnir looked upon the party with unusual interest.
“Tell me gentlemen, do you go fishing?” Blake asked looking at them calculating.
“Not really, why?” Mike asked
“Well to catch a shark you need bait.” Mused Rafnir “and what better bait than four strangers alone on by the docks at night…”
Well that’s it for tonight. If you are like me and thought the map used above is awesome go check out Neutral Party on Reddit and the content they create.
Thanks for joining me tonight, don’t forget to come back tomorrow to look at encounters to fill our adventure with excitement.
And, as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,
Thursday is here and that means it’s map day… I have a brief writeup to do today (as unfortunately work ran overtime tonight) but I still wanted to make sure I kept to my self enforced schedule of a daily post. This weekend I will expands a bit more on maps and hope to be able to provide visual aids as well. In the mean time though I would suggest having a look out there at the fantastic artists we have in the community and where possible supporting them to do what they love and keep making artwork that inspires out adventures.
This week I looked to extraordinary creators and not did I find a gem that got that spark going. Caeora draws on twitch and has awesome maps and tokens available to purchase on his website. So please check his content out!
White Sands
11ThMa1
The grass became coarse and hardy, I guess it must need to beings this close to the salt water and sand mused the old man. As he shook off the leather shoes that he had walked in to this spot he looked around the edge of the cliff, short by cliff standards barely being 30ft incline until you hit the soft white sand. Turning his gaze along the horizon the white sand, course grass and blue waves went on as far as his eyes could see. He had always liked the sea that’s why he lived here. The path down to the beach was narrow, barely enough space for one person to walk down, but it had some crude steps carved into the rock and dirt to enable people to walk down to the sand and waves. Wriggling his toes in the sand he breathed in the salty air and shrugged the sack on his shoulder, not that I was full and heavy but carrying anything these days seemed to take it out on him.
Today he was looking for ingredients for the king and the beach is just where he needed to find the last few things. Scales from a fish and mother of pearl, ground into a powder of course. Walking through the fine white sand he moved slower than normal, the sun already passed his zenith he would need more assistance if he was to get this done. Closing his eyes he tapped into the weave, drawing forth a bead of arcane power before reciting a few harsh arcane syllables. As a gust of wind travelled across the exposed shore the sand came to settle upon the invisible servant that he had just conjured. Giving it the orders to search for mother of pearl the servant went off towards she shore and rockpools that formed around a jagged spike of rock that gave the name “Long fang Beach” to this area.
As the old mage dragged his feet across the sand he scoured the white grains for a fish, or something with scales – his experiment didn’t really specify a certain type of scale only that it came from something that swam. As he walked he drew out wand, muttering a single word the wand transformed into a walking stick which he pushed through the last of the lose sand before the beach met the ocean and became more-or less solid. Poking and shifting the sand around he had no luck. Spitting more out of frustration than the tobacco he was chewing absentmindedly he moved to the heaped seaweed and the waves. For someone who lived near the beach he didn’t like the water especially these days since they had grown so unseasonably cold.
After an hour or so of combing the beach he met up with his servant near the rock pools, the invisible arcane conjuring having found the mother of pearl he handed the sack to the figure and informed it to also look for something with scales along the water edge. As the being moved off his walking staff hit something heavy amongst the weed. Calling back the figure he looked down at the piece of scale covered flesh at his feet. It was the calf of a humanoid, the skin lightly covered in iridescent scales. How interesting, it had been many years since he had seen something as such and many called him crazy for his so called discovery. Bagging the lower leg he got his invisible servant to carry the bag and stay close.
The lone tower of stone piercing the waters edge, separating white sand from the beating waves now not as inviting as it was when he first came down to the shore. There were many holes, nooks and caves riddled amongst the 100ft pillar of stone, not all of it had been explored yet and he didn’t like the feeling he was getting being this close to it. Wrapping his hand hand around the bag and dismissing his unseen servant he used his free hand to clasp one of the rings he wore on his wrist he invoked the stored magic within. Instantly he felt the magic tingle his skin as he watched the bag he was now holding turn invisible. Feeling a bit safer now he began to walk back to his hut, following his footprints where he could as to attempt to hide his presence from what ever, or who ever could be watching.
Well that’s a taste of what I hope to be able to reveal this weekend so make sure you come back on Sunday (most likely) to catch up on what was produced.
Don’t forget that you don’t need a map to run a TTRPG session, you can make do with describing the situation. Short, sharp and concise paragraphs can really set the scene for our players and give them what they need to be able to map out the battlefield in their mind.
And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Thursday is here and that would normally see me drawing, digitally creating or finding premade art or maps that I can use in the week’s adventure. This week I am leaving it to chance and letting chance decide which previous week’s content to use and incorporating it into this week’s adventure writeup.
Today we rolled 8-3 which is the dried creek bed from two weeks back. Fate seemed to like me today as maps are generally very adventure specific but in the case of this map it has potential to be versatile.Let’s look at a way we can find ourselves looking at the dried cracked creek bed. So without any further waffle let’s get on with it.
A thirst that the land can’t quench
08ThMa3/10ThMa3
Credits to image go to g0dxmode which you can find some of their content here on redit
The doors to the tavern swung open, letting through a breeze into the tavern that had begun to feel more like a cell rather than a place normally associated merriment.
It had been but a day after the Tavern had shifted unexpectedly, the food was beginning to run into smaller supply with no one but the party being willing to venture out side for fear of the tavern deciding to shift again and leaving the patrons stranded.
“what luck!, a Tavern in the middle of no where!” one of newcomers bellowed to two other humans behind him as he stepped through the threshold. “It will be good so rest our steeds and our weary bodies after such long ride here” he laughed, clapping a man and a woman as they both walked through the door.
The newcomers instantly gave a freshness to the tavern, people strode up to greet the newcomers who were equipped as only adventurers could be.
“But Drood, there wasn’t a tavern here before, the maps don’t show anything for a few days in any direction” the woman said, moving a strand of amber coloured hair behind her slightly pointed ears as she adjusted her pack, a large necked lute sticking over one shoulder.
“Nonsense Filli, Taverns don’t just spring out of the ground. Your maps just must be out of date.” Drood said with mirth, his eyes drifting towards the tankards of ale. Despite looking like a man who prefers the company of animals over humans one could recognise hunger in his eyes when looking at the unspoken promise of cold drink and good food.
“No, Filli is right. This Tavern has only just appeared here,” a man, rather unremarkable except for his sleeveless robe that connected to a hood that seemed to wrap around his shoulders and extend down. His forearms and hands showing arcane etchings, marks and runes marked him of someone who studied arcane. His eyes moved calculating over the room with a gaze that seemed to stare through people rather than upon them. “You, Sorcerer”, the hooded man pointed towards Zandar, “this tavern, surely you can tell it is not bound to the material plane. What brings you and your, ‘his eyes drifted briefly over the companions of Zandar, a smile crossing his face, “Ah, you made it off that mountain it seems.”
Slowly a man in the corner of the room stood and tried his best to nonchalantly move to the front of the tavern.
“Good to see you again my Lady Firehair. The guises you take always confuse me since your normal form is such a marvel” the hooded stranger whispered in the ear of the man having travelled across the room in an eye beat thanks to his mastery over magic. “I suppose it would be your doing that this tavern is unbound. Never matter, I am here to rest. My compatriots and I have come from the Black Iron Isles and we would rather rest than clean up someone else’s mess.”
Whilst the room was focused on the exchange between the new man and the the smith they knew as Chad Baxter saw his chance and moved towards the front door, using what he had learnt on the streets in his youth he made it to the front of the tavern and slipped out the door with nearly no one noticing.
“Woah, hold on there boy.” a voice like scales scraping on a rock came from behind him as he checked one last time in the tavern.
Turning around, trying not to arouse suspicion he was greeted with the blue scales of a dragonborn standing just off from the doorway holding the reigns of four horses.
“You, I can’t find where to stable the horses. Take care of it for me will you stableboy?” He dragonborn said as he walked forward and handed the reigns to Baxter.
Nodding and bowing his head he walked around the side of the Tavern. He had never had it so easy before, glancing around to make sure that there was no one watching him he tied up three horses and started to size up the fourth for himself.
“Hey boy, now Red told me that he gave our horses to a stableboy but. I think you aint’ him huh?” the man that the other newcomers referred to as Drood questioned, leaning against the wall of the tavern “why don’t you step away from the horses and come in side for a drink. Be thankful I came out and not Magnus, that man isn’t as understanding as me” Drood said, standing up and stepping forward towards Baxter.
Baxter couldn’t give up now. He had to get the Crystal to Mr P. or his future would never truly begin. Hoisting himself up on the horse as fast as he could he whirled the beast around in the same motion, preparing to spur it on to escape as quickly as possible.
“That won’t do. Get down boy!” Drood yelled, grabbing at the boy and grasping onto the crystal through Baxter’s shirt. Green arcs of lightning shot out causing the older man of the wilds to convulse and fall backwards. Looking down at the man Baxter could tell that he was living. His breath was rapid but looked steady enough, his mouth opened slightly as if mouthing words but nothing would come out.
“Sorry mister, I am not going back to the streets or worse. If I can I shall bring back your mare, if I can find you that is!” Baxter spoke, leaning down the side of the mare as he made it trot past him.
Drood could only watch as the mare and the boy disappeared away from the road. He could feel the magic, what ever it was, pulsing through his body interrupting his own connection to the weave and to nature. Until the energy dissipated he was stuck here.
A hour or so passed and the energy had not let up, it seemed to pulse and glow like a heart beat and it was showing no signs of wavering.
“What are you doing Drood?” A cool voice like a refreshing ale spoke from five paces away. Unable to talk he mustered enough strength to turn his head. Magnus stood there, cleaning something under his nail with a short sharp knife. After a moment of Drood being unable to talk Magnus sighed and approached Drood, placing his hand over his chest the green energy sparked into him before being re-directed at the wall of the inn. through Magnus’s other outstretched hand.
“Magnus! The boy, he took Yendavire. When I grabbed him and tried to get him off the horse he used some magic and struck me with green lightning. I have been paralysed on the ground since.”
“Interesting, it was the same resonance of what powers and flows through the tavern. Come in Drood and speak to my new acquaintances.”
With the escape of Baxter and the information from Drood and Magnus the party should be able to track the crystal and find Baxter camping in an alcove in a dried river bed.
Well that’s it for today. The other way that we could incorporate the map, or any random encounters we generated tomorrow (Friday being fight night) would be utilising the nature of the tavern – since it is unstable and teleports through the material plane by nature it wouldn’t be unfathomable for it to appear randomly in a desert, forest, in a hostile city or anywhere in between. Having versatile locations, NPCs, Twists and maps can make the concept of a modular adventure toolkit.
Don’t forget the deal this week is that if there is something that is someone’s particular favourite I will incorporate it into this weeks adventure – or continue to let my wife, 6 year old daughter and 2 year old son roll dice across the table to randomly select which adventure we are working with today.
Also don’t forget to come back tomorrow and this weekend for the final pieces to see if this concept of min actually plays out and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 