Fantasy

Sal Wethridge

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Sal Wethridge is at a loss. She has lost her companion who trusted that she had his back and now without any evidence or suspects she is stuck. However tonight the party discover more, in plain view of where the tiefling was found dead.

So top up your coffee as we look harder for clues and learn more about the failure of a protector in tonight’s adventure!

Sal Wethridge

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Sal Wethridge – created in copilot.

Sal eventually had calmed down after the healers had examined the body of her companion, finding nothing that would have caused their death. The party had revealed the dagger that had half of it stop glimmering with magic which had taken Sal a few minutes to realise it belonged to her friend.

‘Tamiel always bragged about his dagger. Something about being blessed by a nighthag. We were coming to Miran to help the city look for its mage killer. We thought that us two would be able to handle it as Tamiel knew magic and I am rather good with a sword and can handle myself in a fight against foes both magical and mundane. Normally…’ she said as the gloom settled back over the top of her.

‘That’s why he was in that stupid isle looking for a stupid book that he thought may have held the secrets to what was happening. He hated being wrong and got embarrassed by Jake, the man at the reception, was quick to tell Tamiel where to find what he was after. I wasn’t paying attention though as I was distracted…’ she added as the sound of remorse and regret made her voice crackle.

‘As soon as I stopped talking to Jake I tried reaching out to Tamiel via our sending stones and when it didn’t work I rushed to where I thought he would be. Life less in shadow. Those stupid drifting globes of light had shattered on the ground and so it took me a moment to see him lying there.’

The party took a few moments more to talk to the tall woman, her shoulder length blonde hair resting against her armour and while she wasn’t a fine featured woman her proud features and imposing feature didn’t match the look of desperation nor the sullen look in her eyes.

Finding Jake and working back from where Tamiel had been investigating or looking for something seemed like the next best step but for now they waited with Sal and tried to see if she would remember anything else. The only thing coming to her mind was how the shadows had looked upon the body of her friend as she rounded the corner.

Thanks for visiting tonight for another update for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back the last few nights this week to make sure that you don’t miss anything that happens with this adventure. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Without a Trace

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This week we start off with a series of impossible deaths where the murderer disappeared without a trace. That is until the party found a clue at the scene of the crime.

So grab a coffee and your investigation gear as we start another murder mystery in tonight’s adventure!

The sight of a powerful mage’s body normally comes with other evidence of their dying moments. Scorch marks, shattered stone, debris and worse which makes people wonder what happened here. But when a series of bodies of powerful mages appears without anything – no destruction nor damage nor arcane collateral at those investigating are left in pure wonderment.

That is until a party of adventurers stumbles across evidence. Now there is a race against the clock to find what it means before they too end up like the dead mages.

Without a Trace

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Without a Trace – Created in WordPress.

The party had spent most of the day travelling to the City of Miran to visit the Magus College. Having secured lodgings at the Little Bullette inn they braved the crowds of the streets and head towards the large building. The Magus College was more library than a place to learn magic however many famously strong mages who had made their name in adventuring parties called it home.

Managing to find the rhythm of moving through the crowded streets and avoiding pickpockets and dodgy merchants hawking wares that were nearly good enough to pass off as quality products they found themselves at the large darksteel metal gates. There was significantly less people here and the only people walking around seemed to be guards or small groups consisting of armed warriors and a mage. Considering this was a hub for people like them who were trying to find information to aid them in their job or quest.

However, there was a distinct anxious energy through the air and as they walked through the guards watched them suspiciously as they entered the door that led into the library. Entering the small entrance hall there was a few people ahead of them. A tiefling just in front of them watched them approach as he held the handle of a small blade which had a simple loop of leather for its sheath. The blade faintly glowed green as it lay in its sheath while he looked around his comrade, a human woman dressed in chainmail, spoke in quiet whispers to the man behind the desk who returned the hushed whispers back causing the tiefling to roll his eyes.

‘Sal, I’ll be looking for the book. Don’t take too long.’ the tiefling said as he walked off. The human woman waved in recognition of her companion.

‘Yeah. I’ll be there in a sec, I just have an important piece of information to get,’ she added. ‘now when do you get off work?’

After the man behind the counter grinned goofily and told the warrior when he finished work the warrior walked off in search of his companion. As the party stood in front of the love-eyed receptionist a cry of anguish and pain echoed out from the left. Their question forgotten the party raced towards the noise along with dozens of other adventurers and guards and came across the woman from a few moments ago kneeling in front of a lifeless body.

The tiefling from before lay lifeless, contorted on his back with his blade a few feet away but out of his reach. As the guards came through and made way the party were shoved to the side nearest the dagger. As they moved around the blade careful not to nudge or disturb the scene they noticed that the blade has stopped shining closest to the mage in a near-perfect straight line where the magic seemed to no longer glow from the side of the dagger closest to the mage.

‘Not again. Right who found the body and why were you not with them?’ a stern looking man with a bristly moustache said looking around. ‘I assume you are this mages companion?’ he said towards the visibly distraught human.

‘I was not long after them. A few moments is all. He has always been impatient but I didn’t think it would cost him his life.’ she replied.

‘Not when there’s something killing mages on the lose in the city…’ one of the other guards added before his face turned grim. ‘So did anyone see or notice anything unusual?’ the man said looking towards the group of people that had gathered at the scene.

Thanks for visiting for another start of the week adventure kick off night. Don’t forget to come around for more adventure crafting tomorrow and the rest of the week as we continue to grow and expand this adventure into something memorable for our parties. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Trusted Axe Cartel

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Now for the next Zine of the year I present, in single page zine format, Trusted Axe Cartel. I still believe that these provide DMs a lot more freedom to tinker with it how they want and open up the adventures to be more free formed and flowing than the larger booklet zines.

There is references to the blog nights which are D&D centric but it can easily use the adversary stat-blocks highlighted in Friday nights post if you’re running Daggerheart. As always Kobold fight club can be used to quickly balance an encounter for Dungeons and Dragons and Tetra-cube provides the stat-blocks for many of my D&D creatures.

So I hope you enjoy this weeks adventure, Trusted Axe Cartel, and that all your rolls are made with advantage.

Trusted Axe Cartel

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Trusted Axe Cartel – Created in WordPress.

The Silver Ring Tavern had been brimming with cheer and comfort. Music played, patrons danced, meals were served, and drinks flowed freely. The adventuring party was enjoying a well-earned pause in their journey while soaking in the lively atmosphere. The back booth, occupied by stylish merchants throwing around gold, added to the merriment. That warmth vanished instantly when six furious dwarves stormed through the door, tattoos on their hands marking them as members of the Trusted Axe Cartel.

One younger dwarf shouted loud enough to quiet the entire room, demanding the whereabouts of Jeb and Tarnius, two merchants accused of passing off low-quality gear. As confusion spread, the dwarves searched for answers while the eldest among them paid the barkeep and approached quietly. A calmer dwarf engaged the party with questions about the missing merchants and explained that their guild had delivered finely crafted weapons and armour, yet had been accused of sending faulty goods. Garmanel, the cartel’s leader, arrived with tankards and offered a proposition. He believed the adventurers might uncover who had sabotaged the deal and recover their reputation.

The Cartel’s tale was troubling. Their contract with Jeb and Tarnius had been solid until someone swapped their dwarven wares with inferior items, clearly made by inexperienced human hands. Known for their honour and craftsmanship, the cartel was humiliated and determined to uncover the truth. Garmanel and his ward Gondanel appealed to the party for help. In return, they offered not only gold but a bond of trust and future support that would be worth more than coin.

Drinks helped ease the tension as Garmanel bought a round for the tavern, and Garabek – the fiery dwarf, left to chase a lead. The party now faced a choice: step into this growing conflict for honour and reward, or walk away and leave the mystery unresolved. The promise of dwarven loyalty was tempting, especially given the Cartel’s influence and steadfast nature.

Their first clue led them to a bustling marketplace thick with noise and smells. After navigating the chaos, they found a vendor selling dwarven goods. A mercenary elf tried to interfere, but the party managed to speak with the merchant, who hinted at access to more of the valuable equipment. He invited them to return at sunset when he could show them his best stock.

As the sun fell, the merchant led them to a warehouse where they encountered a dozen armed traders and likely more hidden away. He revealed that his group had taken advantage of careless deals to acquire high-quality gear. But when one man spotted the adventurers and recognized them from the Silver Ring Tavern, panic swept through the warehouse. The tone shifted instantly. What had begun as a quiet lead now felt more like a trap, one bound to unravel deeper secrets.

PDF adventure – Trusted Axe Cartel

Trusted Axe CartelDownload

Thanks for joining me today for another adventure. Please feel free to leave comments if you like what you see when you grab a copy of the PDF. Next time you get a party together consider running this adventure and I hope that you enjoy it. Don’t forget to come back daily so you don’t miss a thing in the coming weeks adventures. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Armele’s Other Environments

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Armele’s other environments help set the scene outside of the warehouse, where the final confrontation occurs, where we find the party trying to find information on the merchants who stole from the Trusted Axe Cartel.

So sit back, grab a coffee or other hot beverage and let’s roll into tonight’s adventure!

Armele’s Other Environments

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Armele’s Other Environments

The smell and sounds of the market place were overwhelming at first as the clash between goods raged on. Carts selling produce, stalls selling cooked food and the smell of hot iron mixed together to a confusing mix that left the party feeling heady. However, the market sprawled before them and after just a few moments they spotted a stall that interested one of them.

It didn’t take long for them to find another stall that sold something else of interest and soon they were getting the information they were after. There was a merchant at the market that was selling dwarven goods and despite the mercenary of the elf they asked attempting to intervene between the party and the baker who offered the information for a handful of gold.

The above Environment Stat blocks were created by me. Rules were adapted and inspired by adversaries and environments from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0 and any likeness is the copyright of DRP, Darrington Press, who are the creators of the material (Environment Stat Blocks). This content was modified/created is licensed under the DRP Community Gaming License which can be found here: Darrington Press CGL.

Thanks for joining me tonight for a little expansion for this weeks encounter where we look deeper at some of the environments for the Daggerheart RPG system. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the end of week Zine and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Griffin Trading Company

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It’s uncommon for a merchant company to not have guards or mercenaries but the Griffin Trading Company came prepared to fight off more than just an adventuring party.

So grab a coffee, find a spot to sit and watch the spectacle in tonight’s encounter!

Griffin Trading Company

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Griffin Trading Company – created in copilot.

For D&D Systems

D&D Statblocks for Noble, Thug, Gladiator, Mage and Mercenary Mage – created in Tetra-cube.

The secret to having a good warehouse clash is having the right balance of enemies to fight. Some lower level thugs guarding our nobles, the merchants, make up the bulk of the fodder here coming in waves until the party can either escape with proof or the nobles alive.

The Gladiator, Mage and Mercenary Mage fill out the other roles which is the shock troops, the hired mercenaries that were paid in good coin to protect the warehouse, its good and their employers and that’s what they will do.

For Daggerheart Systems

The above Adversary Stat blocks were sourced from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0 and are the copyright of DRP, Darrington Press, who are the creators of the material (Adversary Stat Blocks). This content was not modified is licensed under the DRP Community Gaming License which can be found here: Darrington Press CGL.

Based on the balancing section of the Daggerheart books we can have twelve sellsword’s as they have the minion tag and will die very easily, a single spell blade will command the lower level troops to cause distractions while the two merchants and two petty nobles, the target of this encounter, will try to remain protected as possible by getting their guards where they are. For the sake of this encounter I would change ‘Guards, seize them!’ to summon sellsword’s rather than bladed guards.

The Master Assassin will look to cut off the party and get in as a last resort while eight apprentice assassins follow the lead and jump out to stop vital information from being found, or, from their employers from being taken. This scene has two leaders, a few social adversary who may try to bribe or plead their way out (or stop the party from doing so) and quite a few minions to give a feeling of power and accomplishment to the party as they are able to dispatch many minions at once.

LayerRolePurpose
Minion FrontlineSellswordsCrowd control and visual momentum
Tactical ControllerSpellbladeBattlefield Manipulation
Assassination EliteMaster AssassinClimatic Threat
Target NPCsNobles/MerchantsSocial intrigue and leverage
InfiltrationApprentice AssassinsDisruption, sabotage, targeting key players

Thanks for visiting tonight for another set of updates for this weeks adventure featuring some additional Daggerheart content. Don’t forget to come back over the weekend for more updates and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Griffin Trading Warehouse

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The Griffin Trading warehouse is where we find our party this week and while I make no effort to conceal my dislike of battle maps that are under a roof or in a city this week is… no different! This week I have a few things to help us get an idea of what the environment and area could be like when we run this encounter in the theatre of the mind.

So grab a coffee, some snacks as we look at a cinematic turn of events in tonight’s environment and theatre setup!

Griffin Trading Warehouse

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Griffin Trading Warehouse – Created in WordPress.

The warehouse was large going back easily 60 feet wide and much deeper with several rows of shelves, rooms tables and crates. Stairs led up the left hand side of the wide room to a balcony that overlooked the floor space where a room had been built with a large double door that was securely locked shut. Under the balcony more rooms had been built out of the same cheap looking wood with a single wide door that lay open, invitingly so with chests visible from the floor outside of the rooms.

The sound of guards could be heard from the deeper recesses behind the walls of goods, crates and few barrels that were stacked high on shelves. While the guards moved about several workers in the warehouse were moving goods from shelves to crates and barrels as the sound or horses could be heard from outside – a large order was being made ready.

Two windows could be seen on the roof looking at the dark night sky that was speckled with stars which was the only way in or out other than the large double doors behind them. Despite the volume of merchandise that occupied this room there were several tables that had weapons, maps, notes and other gear that would be associated more with mercenary work than the sale of goods.

The immediate space that the party found themselves in a small clearing of about twenty feet wide by thirty feet deep where two wagons lay side by side filled with sacks, crates and loose goods that look like they were already ready for immediate delivery.

Game Mechanics – Daggerheart.

Taking a leap into this a bit further into the rules of Daggerheart this week I wanted to spend some time building up some additional Enviroments that can be used. While not all Encounters will be confrontational I find that these rules give a basis and some guidelines to help put guiderails around what we can expect from a non-combat encounter.

While this one, and the others I have planned, can lead to combat it doesn’t mean that we have to start there and several party members I have had over the years have attempted to ‘win an encounter’ with something that is left field or non-combative which having Environments can assist in.

Merchants Warehouse – Environment

The above Environment Stat blocks were created by me. Rules were adapted and inspired by adversaries and environments from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0 and any likeness is the copyright of DRP, Darrington Press, who are the creators of the material (Environment Stat Blocks). This content was modified/created is licensed under the DRP Community Gaming License which can be found here: Darrington Press CGL.

Thanks for joining for another map night this week. Don’t forget that we have a few more nights left this week so make sure to come back each day to see what I add to this adventure. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

New Kids on the Block

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Tonight we find our party meeting the new kids on the block, a plucky group of merchants who have the gold and the ambition to try to overthrow the Trusted Axe Cartel. They also stole from the dwarves, swapped out their high quality wares for their own inferior quality goods and orchestrated the closure of the contract between the dwarves and the Five Spokes.

So grab a coffee, take a seat as we get to the bottom of this broken transaction in tonight’s adventure!

New Kids on the Block

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New Kids on the Block – created in WordPress.

The party had found the dwarven wares quite easily really. The men selling the dwarven shields, axes, chain and other goods were looking for members of the cartel to appear. So when the party appeared and asked about it while flashing some coin the young merchant asked if they’d be interested in getting a lot more of it.

‘So you’re adventurers looking to get into the trading business. Well I have a supplier who has a whole wagon load of this stuff. Real quality Dwarven steel.’ the man said with a knowing grin. ‘Tell ya what. Meet me back here when the sun sets and I’ll show ya so you can make the call yourselves.’

The party came back as the sun was setting and found the man packing up. This time he had a bunch of lower quality wares on display but recognised the party and waved them over. ‘Some other merchants got a bit jealous so we had to hide the good stuff.’ he said as he packed up the last of his wares onto a cart and beckoned the party to follow. There was a few other merchants heading back and packing up this time of night but as they packed up others moved in and started to set up their own wares and tables.

Following the man back he explained a bit more. They were a newer smaller group that had seen an opportunity to get some high quality wares from out dated fools while also opening up opportunities. As they arrived at the large double doors of a large warehouse the man knocked a short pattern before the party heard bolts, beams and even a lock be removed.

As the doors opened the party were greeted by a group of a dozen well equipped men and women with what sounded like many more elsewhere in the warehouse. One man stopped and looked at them before calling out. ‘Wait. They were at the Silver Ring Tavern the other night when the Cartel came snooping about. Why’d you bring them here you idiot!’ It was a matter of moments, a few blinks of the mans eyes before he realised what had been said.

Thanks for dropping by for another night at my tabletop. Don’t forget as we passed the midway point we have maps and monsters, well creature stat blocks left for this week. So make sure you don’t forget to come back the last few remaining days this week to stay up to date with what’s happening at my tabletop. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Trusted Axe’s Daughter

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Tonight we learn more about the Trusted Axe’s Daughter – the ward of the cartels leader, Garmanel, Gondanel is considered the rose of the cartel, the soft hand at hard business. But that’s what she specialises in, hard business.

So fill up a tankard of coffee as we kick off into tonight’s adventure!

Trusted Axe’s Daughter

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Trusted Axe’s Daughter – Created in WordPress.

The party had a long chat with Garmanel and Gondanel and learnt a what the current problem was. Their long term contract with two well renown merchants had fallen through but the causation appeared to be something that was not their doing. The Trusted Axe Cartel was made up from a group of what was once struggling smiths who were banded together to forge dwarven goods inside the city of Armele.

The cartel had made a good name for themselves and they were exceedingly proud in the quality of their armour, weapons and other goods that they sold to larger merchants who would take it from there. They claimed they kept their investments secure and always paid their debts and left nothing outstanding with client or supplier but this time it was different.

Jeb and Tarnius had taken over the Armele branch of the Five Spokes which was the largest merchant company on the continent. The early engagements and contract negotiations had gone well with nothing changing so the same trust and set up had applied to the already established contract. Goods first with a deposit then the rest of the gold upon final shipment.

Yet they had broken the deal, the goods that they claimed they had been given to them were not what the Trusted Axe Cartel had sent them and had obviously been made by human hands, inexperienced hands at that. The party looked at the information that had been given to them but something stood out. They’d have to find where the dwarven goods had truly gone to if they were to help the Cartel. The gold offered for finding information was good but being friends or even partners the Trusted Axe Cartel would last them a long time as the only thing that outlasted their grudges was their loyalty.

Gondanel finished asking them for help and Garmanel had mentioned the reward, including the long term standings with the Cartel, and as the party thought it over they seemed to relax. The Tavern had attempted to get back to normality and after the old dwarf bought a round of dinks for the tavern it seemed to kick off more. The hothead Garabek left following the trail that he believed would take him to the suspicious humans who were spending big in the tavern just before which also helped the mood of the tavern substantially.

The young female dwarf Gondanel had a short high ponytail of dark black hair that made her skin look a bit darker than it was. Tanned from the heat of a forge she had a lean muscular build but a friendly face. Garmanel on the other hand showed his age and despite still having a broad build of a dwarf their was almost no hair that wasn’t white or grey either on his short cropped head or is long braided beard.

Giving them the night to think on it the dwarves let them know where they could find them in the morning once they made a decision and they left. The party now had a tough decision to make. Potential financial stability for as long as a dwarfs memory is came with a price. Finding those who had besmirched their honour and bringing them to the Cartel for justice instead of to the local guard.

Thanks for visiting tonight for another update for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back the last few nights this week to make sure that you don’t miss anything that happens with this adventure. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Cold Contract

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The concept of a cold contract may not be something that many are familiar with but for the dwarves of the Trusted Axe Cartel its given to the few contracts that are broken before the metal has had a chance to cool down. And this contract is a rather big deal for these dwarves.

So set aside the coffee for now and grab a tankard for something a bit harder as we pay a visit to some dwarves in tonight’s adventure!

The sound of metal striking metal and the hiss of tempering steel is the sound that can be expected from the Trusted Axe cartel’s workshop. But when the sound has stopped and only furious yelling and the breaking of furniture can be heard from one of the adjacent rooms it is a sign that something has gone wrong.

A brokered deal, regular and pay held in good faith goes south and when the deposit is requested the money goes missing. Evidence points to foul play by the once clients, but there is more to this story than clients that want to skip out on the bill. Rivals, spies and even a take over are setting the forge cold and the anvils gathering dust.

Cold Contract

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Cold Contract – Created in Copilot.

The upbeat merry song that caused the patrons at the Silver Ring Tavern to dance and sing along to the rather trashy and raunchy song continued to play as meals were brought out, tankards were brokered and the patrons not dancing engaged in games of chance. A gathering of well dressed men had taken over the largest booth near the back door and were spending gold seemingly as fast as they could while barmen and barmaids rushed back and forth with more ale, wine and food.

The song came to the end and the sound of applause and merriment rang out. This had been the norm at the Silver Ring Tavern from the party’s experience as they sat and enjoyed a few hours of joviality and good food while preparing for the next leg of their journey by cart and wagon. The sound of a door slamming open heralded the end to the good mood as half a dozen broad, angry dwarves pushed in. Each of them had the same tattoos on their right hand that marked them as the Trusted Axe Cartel – a group of merchants and well known smiths.

‘Where the bloody hell is the bastards?’ a young fiery dwarf called out causing the last moments of merriment to stop completely. ‘Where is Jeb and that long eared elf Tarnius or the pricks who sold them shite gear?’

When those in question didn’t come forth the dwarves started to walk amongst the tavern looking for them. The oldest dwarf, much less angry and more solemn limped up towards the barkeep and placed a bag of coin on the bar before whispering some hushed words. Soon one of the dwarves were at the party’s table and was looking them up as she was about to ask them some questions when the angry one from before roared out. ‘Who was sitting ere’?’

The corner where the well dressed, and wealthy, men and women were sitting lay vacant with a dusting of snow from the door that had not yet melted from the warmth of the hearth. ‘You adventurers don’t know anything about a group of merchants do ye?’ the woman asked them. She was much more calm talking than her counterpart who had now left the building to check outside with two of his companions.

‘Ye see we had a contract with Jeb and Tarnius to provide weapons, gear and armour to them for their guild for the next year – it is an ongoing contract and so the goods have been taken but the payment was to be in full once we provided the last of the kit. But we got a messenger this morn’ who came with the contract cancelled claiming that the merchandise delivered was trash. Upon inspecting what arrived at our doors it was not even dwarven make – no dwarf would ever sell what lay in the back of that wagon.’ there was a proud fire behind her steely eyes and soon the old dwarf had come to the same table followed by half a dozen tankards of ale. \

‘Well met travellers. Don’t be alarmed as we know who you are. Fil,’ he flicked a thumb at the barkeep, ‘he recommended you may be able to help if you have the time. He remembers seeing the group at the table spending big and harassing his boys and girls but he is not in a position to do anything about it. I am Garmanel, the leader of the Trusted Axe Cartel and this is Gondanel my ward. I have a proposition if you would share a tankard with me and listen to what I have to say. My grandson Garabek is the fiery one who you met before, he is intense like the forge but you won’t meet another as proud or skilled with hammer and tong. Or axe for that matter.’ he paused with a grin.

Thanks for visiting for another start of the week adventure kick off night. Don’t forget to come around for more adventure crafting tomorrow and the rest of the week as we continue to grow and expand this adventure into something memorable for our parties. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Streets of Felkirk’s Environments

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Tonight I give a sneak peak of what I am working on as part of this three week adventure where tonight we look at the streets of Felkirk’s environments. Now if that’s confusing don’t fear as I will go through it momentarily as I cover some of the GMing mechanics for Daggerheart.

So sit back, grab a coffee or other hot beverage and let’s roll into tonight’s adventure!

The Streets of Felkirk’s Environments

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Creating Environments – Created in WordPress.

The streets of Felkirk’s Environments can be varied depending on the time of the day. For my adventure that takes place over three larger scenes I wanted the setting to be a dark, tense and anxiety charged atmosphere to help fuel the feeling of an invasion going on. But before I get too far into that let’s take a step back.

In Daggerheart its not just Adversaries; the critters, creatures, monsters and hostile humanoids, that the Game Master, GM, can use to create tense atmospheric moments for the PCs its also the Environments that can change, evolve or manipulate the flow of the adventure. For the sake of this quick post tonight let’s treat an Environment as an Adversary as they have a tier, a type, something akin to Motives & Tactics in the form of Impulses as well as a Difficulty and Features.

Like Adversaries some Environments will have passives which alter the area in which the party are in. Examples might be Oppressive Heat where parties who travel through their Traversal environment mark an additional stress on all failed rolls due to the oppressive heat. Or like in my examples it gives a set of actions that he party may be able to take, or impede certain actions that the party may want to take.

The other type of feature that the Environment shares with Adversaries is actions (many do actually) which is an action. Whether this is a spout of burning hot lava erupting from the ground at the Fire-marsh where the Oppressive heat sometimes erupts form the ground causing PCs to make an Agility reaction roll or suffer burns from the boiling water and steam. Or where the GM can activate the Environments natural residence to make an appearance – summoning fire toads to leap from the boiling water to attack with blistering tongues – triggering an encounter. This may or may not cost a Fear, the GMs resource that they get from around 40% of dice rolls, but if it does then it may be a more powerful creature, or set of creatures, that are being summoned.

So treating Environments like Adversaries also comes down to how they look. Environments also have stat blocks and that is precisely what I wanted to show off tonight! So have a look below at some of the Environments for the scene of Felkirk’s Foot Traffic.

The above Environment Stat blocks were created by me. Rules were adapted and inspired by adversaries and environments from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0 and any likeness is the copyright of DRP, Darrington Press, who are the creators of the material (Environment Stat Blocks). This content was modified/created is licensed under the DRP Community Gaming License which can be found here: Darrington Press CGL.

Now while these Environments aren’t going to be game changing they add a bit of depth and structure onto what the adventure will do. If you read The Night of Silent Feet the scene plays out pretty closely. The Party are at the Lost Anchor Inn and they can perform some actions there while a timer ticks down – 1 action per player with the Countdown being the number of players. Once the countdown reaches 0 then the door opens and a guard falls in. The party leave the Inn to immediately get ambushed – the Ambush Encounter event. This is a small easy encounter to ease people in and once its over then they run through the streets.

This may trigger another encounter but it will get the party used to the mechanics of rolling dice to try and get a few successes before failure – and it shows consequence. Afterwards we move onto other smaller scenes (Social encounter at the Makeshift Barracks for scene two. Followed by another Felkirk Streets that moves to Market Street and then Forward Base.) By treating the travel like an adversary then it becomes less prone to becoming dull and the least favourite part of the journey. Many DMs / GMs have covered this type of travel before so I won’t go into it – but I do recommend that you look into it!

Thanks for joining me tonight for a little introduction into Environments for the Daggerheart RPG system. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the start of a new week and new adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe