Dice-ember

December content!

Dice-ember day 2

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Day 2 of Dice-ember is here and with it brings more content. Today I want to explore an idea I have seen in quite a few games that are available. Items that provide movement other than walking and in this case, flight.

Flight is one of those interesting mechanics in D&D. A few races now provide flight as race features and even class features can provide some form of flight however as a dungeon master how you deal with flight makes for few discussion on multiple forums.

Gloves of Flight

14GOF

Day 27, The gloves of flight are simply remarkable. They appear to be a fashion accessory for the more appearance driven individuals at the court however once an individual attunes to the gloves their true nature is revealed.

Once activated the user rapidly has both their arms transformed into the wings of a bird which gives them flight for quite a number of minutes. The number of apprentices that have tried these gloves report that the duration of flight appears to be 10 minutes at which point the feathers of their wings shrink rapidly back into the gloves of the user and the person who was flying, unfortunately, falls rapidly to the ground.

One such case with Sandy revealed that the gloves have a limited number of charges, about 6, at which point the falling creature is unable to sprout wings again to resume flight. Which reminds me to send condolences to Sandy’s parents, she was a curious girl.

Thats it for tonight, a pretty short one but I wanted to get something out whilst it was on my mind. Tomorrow come back for something else, perhaps a bit different to what we have seen before on this blog but hopefully it is entertaining regardless.

Don’t forget to leave a comment if you use the item created today and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Dice-ember day 1

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Welcome officially to Dice-ember, the 31 day long string of content that is focusing on producing items, NPCs, encounters or things to enrich and expand your game.

Yesterday in a bit of a prelude (I was a bit impatient) I created a cloak that could give its wearer a limited form of false appearance and today I want to expand upon that with something that I hope will add a certain little something to your libraries, inns, homes, dungeons, campfires, laboratories or wizards lairs.

The Carafion

14Carafion

“I’m telling you Jess I have a bad feeling about this” Steve babbled as he walked past another bookcase that appeared to be filled from top to bottom in empty glass phials.

“Shut it Steve, this place has been abandoned for years. People only tell us to stay away because they feel bad about looting a dead mans workshop.” Jess snapped back at him, the torchlight shimmering across endless shelf upon shelf of empty glass phials, each one a bit different in hue and size but all roughly the same shape. Stopping in front of a collection of a few different phials on a workbench she started to stuff them into the bag tied to her hip.

Steve jumped and shrieked causing Jess to whip around drawing her dagger. “Over there,” Steve shuddered and pointed towards a bookcase. “There was something there, something moved.”

Rolling her eyes Jess stuffed a fifth phial into her bag before going to investigate. Judging by the level of dust on the shelves no one had been here for years. “You fool, it was nothing. Probably a mouse, look at the dust! Nothings been touched for years..” Jess stopped, cut short noticing the circular shape in the dust where a glass phial used to be. Touching the circle where there was a perfectly clean circular imprint it was obvious that something had been moved from the shelf recently.

“Did you take one of the phials?” Jess asked, staring at the bookcase with the missing Phial. When Steve didn’t respond she whirled around “Answer me damnit, did you take..” she stopped staring at empty space. The last space she had seen her childhood friend, well, acquaintance, was a bookshelf next to the desk she was taking phials off of. The bookshelf itself was missing almost all the phials, a few lay broken into pieces on their side towards the back of the shelf. “Steve! this isn’t bloody funny. Where are ya?”

Moving forward and examining the shelf she noticed the same thing as the other shelf, a dusty shelf with many little rings where no dust has gathered. Looking down at the ground she looked for signs of where Steve had wandered off too, noticing his footprints finishing in front of the bookcase she squatted to look at the the peculiar marks on the ground, as if something heavy had been dragged backwards and fast enough that they had left the ground.

Drip, drip, drip.

Swatting at the back of her head Jess wondered why water would be dripping from the ceiling, it wasn’t raining and when they left, despite the moon being absent, it was a clear enough night. Looking up she dropped her torch to cover her mouth in horror. Steve swung backwards and forwards, his face frozen in panic while his body was wrapped in a cacoon of a glossy white liquid that appeared to be solidifying. Forgetting her torch she ran from the room, pushing through the door to get far away from the cursed workshop as she headed towards the town. As she left the door she felt a sharp pain in her side like a red hot knife lancing her flesh. Ripping her shirt up she looked down to find a spider like creature burring its face into her skin and the glass like carapace that covered its body and legs seemed to shift and liquify as it began to coat itself and the flesh around where it was biting. As she watched in horror she watched as the phials in her open bag began to creep open giving birth to eight spindly legs and a wicked head with large mandibles. she went to throw her bag to the ground but with a sickening feeling in her stomach her arms wouldn’t respond. As she fell to the ground she felt a numbness spreading from her side where the creature had buried it’s head, she could only watch as several more of the glass phial-like creatures scurried from the open door to the workshop. As her vision faded and her body stopped responding completely the creatures began to spray her in strands of a sticky glass like substance before she witnessed them, as a collective, begin to drag her paralysed body back into the workshop.

Well that’s what we have tonight. Something that may stop your party rogue prone to the 5 finger discount as well as an interesting way to spice up that abandoned room. Having one, two or a few dozen of these tiny critters ambush the party could make for an interesting adventure!

Don’t forget to come back again tomorrow night for more content and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Dice-ember prelude…?

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Last day of November and that brings us to what I have planned for the season of Dice-ember! So tonight I will give a taste of what I hope to bring for the next few weeks as leadup to the holiday season, which is 31 days of content including Adventure Hooks, NPCs, Maps, ideas for twists, Homebrew Creatures and encounters as well as, homebrew magic items.

Now I am not the best judge of balance and power when it comes to magical items and I will have a suggestion on there on its rarity, use, cost, etc. but as the DM/GM feel free to tweak it or modify the rarity so that it suits your purpose.

So a taste!

The Cloak of Lesser False Appearance

14CoLFA

As Albazahr looked into the demi-plane he had created for his experiments he looked on with keen interest as one of his apprentices, for he had many, was attempting to clean out the remains of the last creature that was fed to the beasts.

He had, of course, reassured the young aspiring wizard that the room was completely safe and that the beasts had been put away to ensure the enclosure within his demi-plane could be cleaned, but who is to say that all of the creatures that dwell in his forest of false appearance could be accounted for. As he watched intently, taking notes with a quill made from a griffon with golden plumage, he noticed that a bush was hastily moving away from the boy and stopped abruptly in a patch of bushes, its ability to give the false appearance of it being a bundle of twigs or a bush was remarkable, almost as much as the three goblins sized mushrooms that fled from the bush suddenly bursting into there they had chosen to remain stationary and give off their own false appearance.

The Shrieker’s kept to the shadows of a rocky overhang where the boy was scooping up the remains of a dire wolf he had put in there to test the ability of the other creatures to be indistinguishable from other the plant, rock formation or statue that they were so often confused with.

A shadow passed over the boy which spooked him, just as he ran away from the rocky face just as a stalactite dropped to the ground and started to wriggle around, the pierces ability to mimic the rocky formations on the roof of a cavern was utterly amazing to Albazahr. As the boy ran and screamed many other creatures spooked and scattered, the plants, dead bushes, mushrooms and even some rocks moved away from the source of the noise as the boy ran towards the exit, a small magical door built into a edge edge of this micro demi plane that the wizard had constructed. As the boy through himself through the doorway the shadow, now apparently a gargoyle swooped and narrowly missed the boy. As the stone-like beast flew up to perch near the top of the rocky area in Albazahrs demi-plane the entire area went still as the creatures lurking within became something else, at least to the eye.

The boys panting and constant dabbing at his sweaty forehead with the edge of his cloak gave the wizard an idea.

“Curious creatures aren’t they. Apologies dear boy I thought that they had all been contained.” Albazahr said turning to Wulfrik, his apprentice. “Take this down when you are quite done wasting time. The creatures ability to give off a false appearance seems to be not just a defence mechanism but a means to attack as well. Once stationary they are indistinguishable from their surroundings but given enough time their true nature is revealed. Note to self,” Albazahr muttered as he tapped a long fingernail on his chin. “Make a cloak from the hides, skins and parts of these creatures with the intention to have the wearer don a false appearance of their own. The profits,” he scrawled out some glowing glyphs in the air before nodding satisfactorily, “yes, the profits from the sale of these cloaks will fun operations near Waterdeep and Neverwinter for at least another year. Come now Wulfrik, we have much work to do.” he barked as he strode off, the magical seals snapping shut a few moments after he passed which caused the exhausted and panting boy to run after his master so he would not be trapped in the demi-plane again..

So that’s what we have for tonight. A curious, eccentric and entirely too powerful wizard, his apprentice and the development of a magical cloak that we may have already seen a glimpse of.

As the days go on do stay tuned for more magical items, fearsome beasts or eccentric characters that we can use in the adventures ahead. Don’t forget if you use something or gain inspiration from something I produce please feel free to leave a comment and tell us how it went! Cloaks are meant to be worn and who best suited to test out these magical creations than your players.

And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Dice-ember prologue

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Welcome to this special edition of the Monday writeup, this week I have a short snappy peak at what Dice-ember will bring you for the next few weeks.

This will be a bit of a large project and with work not slowing down, life ramping up (December is never quiet here in the Brazen Wolfe den) and an overly ambitious project I want to do over the next month I hope that I can make it. But I didn’t think I would be writing nightly for 3 months straight and yet here we are.

The creaking wood was the only indication of the load the eight wheeled wagon. Its driver looked wearily at the eyes behind half closed doors and window shutters who stared at the heavy wooden vehicle as it moved without beast of burden to pull it down the street. As the broad steel-clad wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement the clack-clack-clack echoed down the empty streets as it did every time he took his wagon on its pilgrimage.

“Easy now Nicki, no need to think this time is any different to the past hundred.” the driver muttered to himself as he approached a narrow bridge that crossed above the road he was on. Whistling once, as quiet as a whistle could be a stunted green body slunk up to sit just behind Nicki. “What is it master? You called?” The green form of a frail, old goblin asked, his words laden with spit from his nearly toothless mouth.

“get your misses and get into the wagon from the hatch. Don’t let anyone see you but I have a odd feeling about his run Humph. Keep and eye on the goods and don’t open up unless it’s me.” Nicki said as he drew the wayward branch, a slender wand that had the word gave off feelings of discontent to any who gazed at is dark wood.

Without a word Humph skittered over the top of the wagon and muttered to another goblin that was perched at the back of the wagon before they both disappeared over the side and under the wagon. Nicki looked to the few people staring at his wagon who perched on the edge of the bridge.

“Nothing to see here boys n’ girls. Move a long lest you get on my bad side” he called out, the children climbed over the ledge and safely back onto the bridge before running giggling and carrying on.

Every time was the same, he would pass the bridge then roll out of the town. Having a magic wagon that moved without need for beasts or people to pull it was novelty enough, but the wagon itself wasn’t what he was worried about. He had a schedule to keep to and if he didn’t get his wagon and it’s contents through the city safely there would be no time for niceties.

“There he is,” the shadowy figure said as they watched the heavy magic wagon move slowly towards the bridge. “Come one lets go now!” said the eager cloaked figure.

“Hold it, you know the plan. Wait for the signal, create a distraction then join up with the others on the other side of the bridge” a second non-cloaked figure said has he held a basket of apples.

“Ahh don’t let him get you!” called a child from on top of the bridge. Knowing that to be the signal the man in the cloak pushed his co-conspirator in the chest, who dropped the basket of apples (more threw them) as they rolled towards the cart. “Oi watch it mate! My Apples!” called the un cloaked man as he ran forward picking up a few apples and putting them in into the basket but always moving forward towards the wagon.

Stopping Nicki watched the man approach the wagon, his hand tightening on the wand in his hand. “Hail stranger, you seem to have a bit of a problem there friend.” Nicki said, quickly glancing the man over and determining that he held no weapons or objects that could do him harm. Jumping down he started to pick up the apples and hand them to the man.

“Thank ye sir, it’s not often you get such a nice fellow this far up north” he totally-not-a-apple-seller said.

“You just caught me on a god day I assure you my friend. Do be careful with your wares next time ” Nicki said as he went to jump back on the Wagon.

“Sir, do take some for the road. I have plenty and I really do appreciate your help” the man said with a grin as he held out three apples to Nicki.

Smiling Nicki took them, throwing the most bruised two into the wagon for Humph and Missy through a window that was too small for anything other than a purse or in this case apples. “Thanks Stranger.” He said as he jumped onto the wagon and pressed onwards through the bridge. Maybe he was wrong, he just had been doing this trip for too long and had grown paranoid.

Meanwhile a halfling held her magical cloak down tightly as she lay flat on the roof of the wagon. She hoped the merchant was right and that the outside of the cloak would make it look like the roof was flat and that her presence was completely masked. Hearing two apples hit the ground inside the wagon she smiled. Her plan was going just as planned.

Well there we have it – a bit of an obvious teaser for tonight’s writeup. Come back tomorrow night to have a look at the next step of this months content and thanks for joining me for the 1st day of Dice-ember!

Also a big thanks to everyone who has subscribed or followed to this little blog of mine, I don’t mean to sound sappy but it means a lot to know that there are people out there who are interested in the random, or sometimes calculated, thoughts that I put to keyboard (and paper…) So thanks to you all, you all can have a point of inspiration.

Don’t forget… You make your own advantage, don’t hesitate to cash in on that pool of goodness when feel like you need a little bit extra on any one day. Oh, yeah, and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe