Welcome to another Friday night where tonight we are looking at the Followers of Flame and Water. Now some of you may have realised what I was doing when I mentioned the creatures of the other night when I mentioned flying creatures. But tonight we reveal a bit more of what was to come. So sit back as tonight we investigate stat-blocks!
Followers of Flame and Water
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The Mephits
Mephits are elemental creatures that appear to be humanoids with wings. These creatures generally align themselves with an elemental plane but most comprise of one or two elemental natures.
The magma Mephit may be a bit strong so I would suggest using the Mud Mephit and Smoke Mephit in its place as they are a little less overwhelming.
The next stage up is the cultists. Now we got a glimpse of this the other night where we saw some of the village elders actively encouraging the water to rise – however its not just water we have to contend with. Cultists of fire Genasi and Magmin also either impede the approach to the mountain or are are the precipice. Only time will tell.
Now it wasn’t hard to work out that I would have elementals in this weeks adventure but the end combat will be something a bit challenging even for veteran players, I hope. So I hope these forces of nature are up to the task.
Thanks for visiting tonight as we looked at a bunch of stat blocks for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back this weekend as we produce the end of the weeks writeup. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage The Brazen Wolfe
This week we look at a quick map for the encounter at Mount Molwert Temple. I plan for several encounters this adventure but the temple is where a main one will be. So let’s sit back, grab a coffee and delve in!
Mount Molwert Temple
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The temple itself has largely collapsed and the rocky foundation that used to sit at the edge of the crater has been eroded away by the water over the years. With the water now rising further the path and steps that used to lead to the temple have been swallowed up and its only partially visible now.
The temple itself is plain and primitive with two statues dedicated to the two forces of nature who clashed years ago. Water and fire are both held in equal reverence within the temple but there is something foul afoot here… But more on that tomorrow.
Thanks for joining me tonight for a quick map. Inkarnate has added a new tool (or I am just slow to realise) where you can pain over the top of art assets enabling you to more seamlessly blend into the background. This quick map hoped to show that with the eroding walls and cliff edge of the temple. But this map isn’t revealing all and tomorrow we will look into what else is happening here. So don’t forget to come back tomorrow and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Back to our normal format we find the party entering Molwert as the rising water threatens to swallow the village, not just its crops. Tonight we look at the cause of the deluge, but that spoils the surprise a little bit. But hopefully not enough to ruin the adventure. So let’s sit back, grab a coffee and let’s roll into tonight’s adventure.
Rising Water
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Slowly the faithful climbed the steps to the alter at the edge of the river. The signs that had been seen of the resumption of the war between the ancient forces that had lay dormant for centuries. However something had woken them up and they were called to serve the deities that had once saved them from the volcanos wrath.
As the elders from the village gathered, all of them water Genasi’s they marvelled at how quickly their prayers were heard. The rain hammered down upon the village, the river and the mountain and their connection to the water grew. However elsewhere something else was rising.
Beneath the crater at the peak of the mountain something was gathering. The surface of the lake occasionally bubbled as molten rock pushed closer to the surface causing the water to heat. Fish and other aquatic animals died in the hundreds as the water temperatures rose too high and yet this was just the beginning.
Drawn to the surface
The first signs that something was wrong, apart from the flooding of course, came when boiling rain started to pelt the village. The adventurers were first to the front lines as creatures comprised of smoke, steam and mud flew across the sky and the village was filled with screams.
Something was going wrong at the peak of the mountain as more of these creatures could be seen fighting above the peak like a giant cloud of flies. Drawn to the source of the trouble the adventurers marches forth, walking past the shrine by the water where the bodies of the villages elders lay beaten, torn and broken.
Thanks for joining me for tonight’s twist. Now bonus points for those who can guess the creatures in tonight’s sneak-peak. Extra points for those who can guess where this is leading to. Now don’t forget to come back daily this week as we expand upon this weeks adventure. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week we find the village of Molwert under threat as the crater lake threatens to spill over. However the village itself holds relics of the past in the form of the high concentration of Genasi that call this place home. But without spilling the history of Samuel and Charlta I better get stop there. So grab a coffee, sit down and let’s meet some NPCs.
Sam was born into one of the villages families that spent most of their time out on the water of the river. Being a water Genasi, watered down (excuse the pun) they have a natural affinity with the water but limited ways to actually influence in.
When the waters started to rise Sam felt a strong connection to the river and spoke to the elders around the potential risk it would have to the village. But the elders ignored Sam.
Born from one of the long standing fire Genasi families Charlta never had to work much. Her family owned businesses and handled export and import into the village of Molwert and were quite wealthy. However despite being the newest generation of her family she had a strong connection to her heritage and could feel that there was something wrong.
A disturbance was brewing in the village and in the valley. There was a presence that thrummed through the streets and as Charlta was so in tune with the villages heritage it affected her deeply. She was prone to sporadic bursts of rage and during these fits her hair would appear to be as fire. A lot of this rage was targeted towards the other Genasi people in the village who were predominantly water Genasi. This caused Charlta to start discussions with the elders of the village who took her connection and sudden manifestation of power as signs of impending doom.
A great start to the week and continuing on with the next bombshells – the drama between NPCs. But both have a pivotal tie in with the story and each other. But to find out more it will come another day this week. So don’t forget to come back each night as we drift closer to the crater and the fight of an eon. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
After taking a week off, well sort of, this week we look at bringing the adventure back to the party and we introduce Crater Lake as the fist stop on the road to adventure. While the weather outside is wet and miserable I wanted to explore an adventure thought that sprung to life as I was driving through the rain. So now we all have to rug up, sit down, grab a hot coffee and read about this weeks adventure!
The Valley of Molwert was riddled with history and lore. The stories of the land go back to say that before the valley was fertile, bountiful and safe it was a volcanic battleground. A war had waged for aeons between the fires from the earth’s crust and the rain from the heavens. However with the help and prayers from the people who dared to live amongst the forces of nature the heavens rain was deemed triumphant. Rain pelted down and extinguished the fires in the volcano driving the fire deep down beneath the rocky surface.
The battle left a scar through the earth but with the aid from the heavens water life blossomed and it became a bountiful and fertile valley.
This is what the stories said. Now as Charlta stared out across the sodden crops she wondered how much longer they could weather this constant rain. The crops were dying as they slowly drowned. The water logged soil was unable to take any more rain and the river bank threatened to burst its banks and flood the land.
Hidden danger
High in the Molwert mountain in the crater of an ancient volcano the lake that had formed here was slowly coming to its critical levels. Trickles of water tipped over the edge of the crater and ran down the valley. Winding its way across the stone, soil and around the trees these trickles joined with the river and slowly, day by day it rose the river height.
The only thing that was dry on the mountain was a forgotten temple that was erected many lifespans ago to try and appease the deities of fire and water. The heat from the temple stone caused the water to retreat back from its steps, however, the water was encroaching even upon this dry place.
Thoughts
Now the story of fire vs water is an old one. However I believe this week will be a good one where I get to use creatures, map art assets and even traps and hazards like I haven’t before. This week will be big and I can’t wait to throw it at the players.
Thanks for joining me again for the start of another week. Don’t forget as this week continues I will add more to this story and grow it until its content bursts the bank. You wont want to miss it. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight and I have created a zine for an adventure a few weeks in the making. Durkenstaff’s New King. This adventure can be used system agnostic as we explore other RPGs out there other than D&D. So please adjust to what ever creatures you are using in your adventure! However as always Kobold fight club can be used to quickly balance an encounter for Dungeons and Dragons and Tetra-cube currently provides the stat-blocks for creatures in this adventure.
So I hope you enjoy this weeks adventure, Durkenstaff’s New King. If you like this format please let me know and I hope you enjoy.
The party find themselves on the road to Durkenstaff – a town known for the ores it digs out of the ground. However there is a disturbance in the valley and the native wildlife seem to be spooked. A shadow walks amongst the trees while a second casts shadows down below as the valley near Durkenstaff has now become hunting ground for alpha predators. What will the party be able to do against such odds?
Thanks for joining me tonight for another Zine. Next time you get a party together consider running this adventure and I hope that you enjoy it.
I hope you don’t miss a thing so come back daily in the coming week. This is so you can experience the creation of the next adventure as it evolves and shapes out. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight I want to look at something that has always fascinated me with D&D and other RPGs, mounts. So tonight we look at what mounts could mean if they are requested as alternative boons, what limits should be drawn and any considerations.
So sit back, grab a coffee and look at some mounts…
Alternative Boons
Now for most mounts that we see already we have a few domestic animals such as horses, donkeys, goats and mastiffs. Occasionally we would see Camels, riding lizards, giant turtles and even bears which can all be different mounts depending on the situation. But what about more exotic mounts??
The owlbear
Now my love for the owlbear should be no secret now. Strong, fast and ferocious it makes a difficult creature to tame and train to be a mount. However there is something satisfying about charging into battle on the back of one of the most iconic D&D creatures out there.
Being a higher CR the process to get an Owlbear as a mount would be difficult and they are quite deadly in combat. But D&D 5e has rules for mounts and attacks so this is covered.
Now the consideration I would make is although they aren’t intelligence creatures they would likely be one to bond with a creature as a partner. So raising one from a chick is likely the only way that you could instil loyalty into one of these creatures as as mount
The Nightmare
Now while normally seen as the bad guys mount they make a wickedly cool mount. Fiends being as varied as they are numerous you could see that there would be different appearances of fields. So a nightmare constructed of living metal, wood, stone, or more gruesomely – rotting flesh could be a thing. Although they may have a flaming main and hooves they don’t have to be red flames either.
This makes them just badass. But to have one as a mount would require a strong charm, binding or contract with the fiend to bend it to serve the master who doesn’t align with its fiendish desires.
The Hippogriff
Now anyone who has seen Harry potter can probably recognise this creature. The Hippogriff is a pretty cool creature and although its often seen as a poor mans Griffin it still makes for one cool mount.
Hatched from eggs these creatures are likely to be reared from chicks and bonded to their master but they aren’t game breaking if someone has instilled loyalty into all hippogriffs in their ranch for welcome buyers.
The Griffon
Now we are getting somewhere. A Strong, fast mount that can fly and is cool as all heck. Most MMORPGs will have a griffon mount as something cool that your character can get at a later level and they generally are seen clad in armour and majestic as all hell.
But these creatures are remarked to be the toughest creature to tame and a true test of animal handling. So these may not be for the faint heart to steal an egg and raise.
Dinosaurs
The Ankylosaurus
Now some people out there would try and debate this statement but there is nearly no mount cooler than a dinosaur and the Anky holds a place in my heart.
Durable and it can pack a mean punch this creature is great for combat focused encounters. However its a bit slow so trying to use this as a means of transportation may be a bit risky.
Its also huge, so getting a stable organised for this massive herbivore may be a struggle.
The Allosaurus
Now for me the Allosaurus needs to be a size bigger, but its a fast ground predator that will be big enough for any player characters needs.
Vicious, packing a punch and it has a great perception skill to boot. This is a perfect hunting companion for parties who want that extra oomft.
However, its a bit low on the intelligence and as such it may take a bite out of its rider or the other mounts and creatures its master works with,
Like the owlbear I don’t think this is a creature that would take kindly to any other than the one that raised it trying to ride it.
Special Considerations
Now while we look at the comparison of a mount, or several, vs the benefit and value of a keep, land , titles or magical items the balance isn’t quite there. The alternative boons that we could have vs a mount are likely to bring more people in but what if the party are at that level where a dinosaur just isn’t cool enough. The next few creatures are other options that may just break the balance of the game but should be considered.
Thanks for joining tonight. I wanted to look at other alternative boons that we could consider for our party if they asked for something a bit different. Some are easier to come across and others are perhaps a bit rarer and harder to tame and raise.
Tomorrow we end of the week with something a bit different. So don’t forget to come back for that and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Welcome to another Friday night where tonight we are looking at the ‘other’ boon. Now until this moment we have kept our boons relatively mundane and simple. But what if we added a flirtatious bard, a protective father and king and a room filled with guards to the mix. But there is another boon that could be asked for. Tonight we can investigate both with the same stat-blocks!
The ‘other’ Boon
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The request
The king stared at the party member for a moment as he began to process the request. “My own daughter… her hand in marriage is what you request for the boon…?” he quivered as he spoke. “And if she isn’t available my wife?!” he roared. “I generously offer you a reward where none was promised and you request the impossible. I seriously hope you are joking or you will find out just how generous I have been until this point.”
Now this one is simple. Asking for a daughters hand in marriage, or the queens hand could be a bit cheeky but it’s nearly guaranteed to be a quick way to make enemies. In this case a room filled with knights, guards, lords and even the requested princesses family may step towards to you protect her and their families honour.
They may have several guards, a few knights and even one or more Royals that would jump to the aid of the king. But also consider things like guard animals such as dogs, lions, cats or birds. Different cultures would have different animals.
The request for Aid
Now the other use for this certain set of stat blocks is the request for Aid. Asking the king or queen to have some of their troops and warriors. If the cause is noble and the deed great enough for the boon perhaps even the king or queen will join the adventurers who ask for such a boon.
In this case instead of fighting these statblocks they would join the party for a period of time. This would be more beneficial if they had a grand quest or conflict that they needed to prepare for, such as fighting demons lords, dragons, giants or worse.
Thanks for visiting tonight as we looked at another two potential boons. Don’t forget to come back this weekend as we produce more content. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week we continue to look at the party collecting a boon from a kingdom or significant NPC. So what can the party get as their Just reward? Well the list is nearly endless but there are a few ones that we can get inspiration from. So this let’s sit back, grab a coffee and delve in!
Just Reward
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The types of boons that can be given to the players are wide and varied. From simple mundane items like, I don’t know, a fort and land with a title to magical trinkets that unlock the parties maximum ability score cap. The list and potential is endless.
So instead of a map tonight we will have a look at a few of them to help start giving ideas.
Now the fort is something that has been on the table for ages and in Vox Machina we see the provision of a keep as some sort of Boon. Now there are a slew of issues with owning a place like this and it normally comes from things like upkeep, friendlies wanting in and enemies wanting to get in and get you out.
Similarly titles and lands come with their own responsibilities. You need people to work the lands to gain use out of them. Perhaps people live there so now you are responsible for not only the land but the people living there. This increase in responsibilities can provide interesting quests or just a driver to go and achieve more so they can manage the upkeep.
Lastly titles. Titles come with an element of coming with a catch. You may be Lord MacPuffin but as a lord you have to do activities or ceremonies or something to retain that title.
Magical items
Depending on the item they can make great boons. A few months back I produced the adventure the stones of deepgrove. This has a ring of wishes being offered as the reward for completing a quest. Now although the guild leader wasn’t a king or queen it was still can be seen as a representation of a boon.
The other magic item’s is as I mentioned earlier. A ring, totem or “macguffin” that grants the character a increase in the cap to one of the six ability scores they have. This can be more rewarding or seem underwhelming depending on the character and the skill.
So this was a few of the items that we could see as a boon. There are more and probably each one comes with pro’s and cons for bot the player and the DM. Don’t forget to come back for the next few days as we continue to look at boons. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Because this week doesn’t really have an adventure line or straight forward plot we have something different. With us looking at what can flow into or from an adventure tonight we are looking at what happens what is A Boon Rescinded. The revocation or denial of promised reward. So to explore this concept let’s sit back, grab a coffee and let’s roll into it.
A Boon Rescinded
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Furious Count Ottar stormed down the hall and towards the hall where the adventures waited. How dare they claim a boon that was meant to be his. He had orchestrated the attacks and lead the giants to siege the cities defences. But that was so his victory would seem even more magnificent. With the outcome predetermined and success in his corner all he had to do was request for aid and prove to the people of the kingdom that he was a better leader than the lost heir they waited on.
With his own boon claimed he would be king. He would claim the throne as what was rightfully his. But instead these adventurers came out of no where and silenced war by bargaining peace with the giants queen. He didn’t even think it was possible. He had spent every last penny he had in a dozen giant killing arrows and he was going to ambush the queen and claim the prize. But that was all for naught now.
Broken Oaths
Slamming opening the door he saw the interlopers looking calm. “Seize them! I have received word that they collaborated with the giants to stage this assault. Knowing full well that the kingdom would do anything to be saved they waited until the promise of a boon was issues and then finalised the deal. These fiends are not heroes they are anarchists and traitors to the crown!” he roared gesturing a finger at them. The guards, the low heirs men and women looked startled and confused.
“But sir. They rescued us. They save our lives. We can’t arrest them.” One guard said, someone who had been there at the front lines against the giants.
“Refusing this request is to go against the crown and treason!” roared the count. “Consider this A Boon Rescinded.”
Thanks for joining me for tonight’s update. When looking at the motivation behind boons and the rescindment of one its not hard to find. I have a few more things planned for this plot expansion so don’t forget to come back and visit to keep up to date. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 