One-shot

Stonebridge Fort

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A simple map tonight with quite a few overlapping textures and some stamps that were blown up to be gigantic proportions – but what to expect for Stonebridge Fort. This massive, somewhat abandoned fort looms over the country side and dominates the landscape.

So sit back, grab a coffee and let’s roll into tonight’s map.

Stonebridge Fort

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Stonebridge Fort – Created in Inkarnate

The massive stone blocks and, surprisingly intact slabs of stone that make up the shingles for this roof are a testament to the size of the inhabitants. Blocks of stone easily 10ft in length and 5ft in height and depth make up some of the stairs leading to the large gate and door. The landscape itself is rocky and treacherous with beasts hunting around its edges to make a meal out of the lost or desperate.

About five layers of blended paint make up the background with some of spilling over to the foreground to blend in the stonework. The stairs and walls come from the same art pack with the roof and doorway coming from another which… gives it a bit of a disjointed appearance which I don’t overly hate – but not a super fan of. The stone under the walls had to be colour adjusted to get somewhat close – it will do but I would’ve preferred a closer colour match to the background.

As this is in the mountains away from people splashes of grass would appear amongst he rock – taking inspiration from rocky-mountainous hikes I have gone through where plant life finds a way to survive.

Thanks for coming to check the map tonight. It’s a rather big one this week and I think it will make for some interesting encounters. The weeks not over so don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more content and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Leading the Game

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This week we have the Blackwater crew leading the game, controlling the situation and inevitably manoeuvring the party to where they want them to be. But not all of it is bad as its a means to and end and success is measured in many ways. So what’s so bad with leading the game?.

So let’s sit down, look for the clues, analyse these rascals and roll into tonight’s adventure!

Leading the Game

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Jayke paused and looked deeply at the ground before mumbling something that the party didn’t quite catch to Daruden. Nodding and pointing further ahead through the forest they called back to the others. “Well I can see why the mayor wanted us to come along as well. Lucky for you we found the way that they went with the people and the rest of the wagon” Jayke said with a smile beckoning over the party.

The party had searched there already and were sure that there was nothing there. When they approached there were a few gold and silver pieces that head off into the forest away from the site where the wagon hung from the tree. However as plain as the coins sat amongst the grass and pine needles now when they looked before they had not seen them.

Following Jayke and Daruden they encountered similar occasions where the party would search the area or look for the path or clues to the next area but the expert scouting skills of Jayke and Daruden always revealed something that was nearly impossible to see, or, something that the party had missed. Over the course of the day they had travelled to the base of a mountain where the setting sun cast a large shadow and the calls of, something, echoed through the trees.

“That there be the source of these problems” Daruden said as they watched the flickering fire light. “Sounds like it’s coming from above us in the mountains above us. You know they say that there is a castle up there, made by giants.”

“Now Daru, no need to frighten these adventurers off. That curse is nonsense any way” Jayke replied, shooting Daruden a glare from across the room.

“My ancestors have told the tales of the giants in these mountains for generations. The curse is real just like the treasure behind those walls.” Daruden replied.

“Well I won’t blame them if they have a change of mind. They’ve been mighty brave to come with us this far into the forest and towards the mountain. Tomorrow we climb the cliffs and will see if the castle is real and find out what’s causing trouble for these nice people.” Jayke replied as he stood to head to his tent. Daruden grunting in response but clasped one of the adventurers on the shoulder.

“We won’t blame ye lad if you don’t follow us. Jayke has led us astray before but he hasn’t gotten us killed, yet.” he said before joining Jayke in turning in for the night.

Thanks for joining me for another night. Tomorrow we look at a map, or two, and the beginning of something more. So don’t forget to come back for the next, and last few days day and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Blackwater Crew

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Another night has come and tonight we meet the Blackwater Crew. These merchants are more than what they seem with each one of them being seasons adventurers and some thing a bit more. But what they choose to reveal to the party is what makes them the biggest asset or threat.

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

The Blackwater Crew

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Daruden Hillcleft – Created in nightcafe.
Daruden Hillcleft – created in nightcafe.

As the party waited for the township of Swans Reprieve to settle down after the discovery of the wagon suspended in the tree the town looked to them to assist. “Please, you are all we have. We are no warriors and the guards we have are busy defending against goblins, orcs and gnolls that hunt the forests.” The mayor asked as he waited for the total sum of the job offer to be collected.

The inn was the current staging ground for the mission and it was nearly empty this time of day – except for the party, the mayor and a drunk at the table. The door opened causing a bell to chime to announce the new visitors. “I will ensure that you are paid. We don’t have another choice…” he began once more.

“Well lad, that isn’t quite the case.” a gruff and strong voice said from the door as a rough, burly dwarf walked towards them. “We heard about the little problem you have at the moment and myself and my partner, Jayke, are here wanting to help you.” The dwarf said thumbing towards the tall human.

Jayke Bowson – Created in Nightcafe.
Jayke Bowson – Created in Nightcafe.

“Daruden is right. We are willing to look into it for you with or without these adventurers.” Jayke said, flashing a smile. “We are merchants and adventurers and it’s in our best interest if we are able to do business with Swans Reprieve. So if there is trouble here then we want to ensure that we can remove the problem then it solves our problem too.” Jayke ordered two ales at the bar and leant against the table near the party.

“Tell you what, we can even do it without these adventurers so they can continue onwards their way.” Jayke said, looking into the tankard as he swirled it around. “If they aren’t willing to help out the town unless it fills their pockets then we can take care of it for you.”

Daruden grunted and practically inhaled his tankard of ale. “Aye, there is none better than the Blackwater crew. We are the best hunters, trackers and problem solvers in the land.” he clapped the human on the shoulder “Just make sure your guards protect the town and we can handle what lies in the woods, our way,” he paused for a moment as he looked at the party members, “the right way.”

That’s all we have for tonight. I am pretty happy with the NPC portraits tonight and I think its going to be a fun one this week. But don’t forget we still have another three or four nights of content this week so don’t forget to come back daily to stay in touch. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Stone Bridge Keep

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This week we meet the protagonist of this weeks adventure, the Hero of Verone and the adventurers who rose to support him. But there is more this week than a simple escort mission as we will quickly see it divulges into something more more.

So suit up, grab a drink and a seat and let’s hunt down tonight’s adventure!

The mountains have always been a focal point for tales of legendary battles, gruesome enemies and towers that reached into the skies above. However, the Stone Bridge Keep could very well be the birthplace for all of these stories combined. Created centuries ago by a clan of Giants the keep was left to crumble into ruin with its large stone doors that were nearly too heavy for any mortal to shift and imposing walls.

High above the towns below the fort appears to have come alive again and booming voices, rockslides and figures in the woods at night have the people spooked. The party paid and the promise of long forgotten gold and riches see’s our adventure take to the mountain tops this week as the Stone Bridge Keeps mysteries become reality as a darkness threatens to swallow up the valley below.

Stone Bridge Keep

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Stone Bridge Keep- created in Nightcafe.

Swans Reprieve lay between several peaks of the Jasworl mountains in the valley the series of mountains had made. Several centuries ago it had been ruled by a vicious stone giant warlord who had raided the people of the valley and beyond to the brink of their extinction. However the Warlord and his giants had left the valley, and all that remained was the occasional unearthed weapon, armour and skeleton. That and the crumbling fort that still cast a shadow down on the valley below.

However despite being quiet for years the mountains above Swans Reprieve had become alive once more with reports coming in of things heard, seen and felt in the surrounding area. The latest incidents were of rockslides and the sound like thunder coming down from the mountains where no storms were to be seen.

Very near to the township was the site of the last rockslide. A few cottages, mainly used for hunting and storing supplies for logging had been crushed but so far no lives had been taken. However that was beginning to change and shift and the threat of lives being lost was becoming dangerously close to being a reality.

Several traders who travelled through the woods had also reported seeing figures amongst the trees moving several feet taller than even their wagons. They had also reported strange calls and echoes through the valley at night that sounding mournful, angry and like a beast in pain. However despite what they had seen and heard the traders who told these tales had yet to be attacked.

The party had travelled for a few days and were approaching the township of Swans Reprieve. The woods had been relatively quiet with the largest animal they had seen being a wolf that had quickly scampered off as soon as it had seen the party. After rounding a part of the path that looked as though one or two trees had fallen over, but cleared from the road.

Travelling past the torn up earth a glint in the grass caught their eye. Investigating they found a silver piece resting on top of the grass and searching further they found more and more silvers. The trail of silvers left began to include copper pieces and a few gold coins before finishing at the base of a large tree. Looking around for the source it wasn’t long until they looked up and saw a wagon, half ripped open suspended from the branches and trunk of the large tree.

Something either large or incredibly powerful would have had to lift or throw the wagon into the tree and not to mention, where were the people who owned the wagon or the beasts that would have had to pull it.

Taking their discovery to the town it wasn’t long until the townsfolk were buzzing with rumours coming forward and the town guard, the merchants and mayor were searching for not only answers but someone, or some people to investigate what was going on.

Thanks for joining me tonight to investigate another instance of ‘All roads lead to Rome’ where we have multiple rumours that point in one direction. Investigating them will lead the party on this weeks adventure and they will be able to discover what menace has moved into the valley. But don’t forget that this is just the beginning and we will expand the adventure daily this week. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Playing Catch!

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A few weeks back the party bet the boss and found a small horde of magic items including one that helps them in playing catch! But its not the kind of catch that people would want. Discovering other tools such as Card generator and merging that with some of my art on nightcafe I have a small horde of work to do for the party! Tonight I want to catch people up on the adventures we have had and showcase the Ring of Magnetism.

So sit back, grab a coffee and let’s find people who want to see a magic trick.

Playing Catch!

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So a common thing you see with magical thrown weapons is the ability to throw and have them return. This ring is that concept where the power level of it is based on it taking up an attunement slot if people want to harness the power of the ring. Considering nearly all thrown weapons have a range of 20/60 this isn’t overly strong as it just gives a dramatic flair to the attacks of a traditional melee character.

Ring of Magnetism – Created in Tetra-cube using my AI Generated Art.

However there are a bunch of niche uses that this could instil and I, for one, am excited to see what the party can do with it. I believe having a physical card that captured magical items or effects enhances the magic behind it. Being able to describe it and having a physical representation of what it looks like is another addition that I believe makes all the difference.

Stay tuned for a lot more to come as I ramp up the magical escapades that the party encounter. Don’t forget that tomorrow is Zine day and I will be releasing another PDF adventure. So don’t forget to come back and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Black Throne

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The Black Throne sits within the Black Tower and waits for the ritual that invigorates the corrupted Deva that calls the hallowed halls home. That is what a wise prophet once said about such a cursed place but many know it as the birth place as the righteous power of the Hero of Verone. This is where we find our final battle and encounter this week and there was a bit of fun in making this map tonight.

So sit back, grab a coffee and let’s roll into tonight’s map.

The Black Throne

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The Black Tower Throne – Created in Inkarnate

The Black throne sits resplendently bathed in angelic light in the middle of the platform at the tallest part of the tower. The seals and symbols that surround it only allow the hero of Verone to sit within. But this in itself is the trap of the week.

Sharp glasslike walls make up most of the towers interior giving it a cursed and somewhat organic look. The crumbling metal and stone walls are studded with spikes, some intentional and some from the metal baring rusting and snapping inwardly that snare and impale the unweary. The smooth obsidian-black marble stairs are slippery when wet – which is an issue when fighting things that bleed. But there are mysterious wyrdlights that cast a blue, red and purple glow through the tower.

A few overlapping textures here, dark stone, stone tiles and a shadow make up the majority of the background art assets where overlapping and layered stone makes up for the edge of the void. Pockets of light, a throne, two magical seals and then walls makes up the rest which, I think, gives the rest of the room a forbidden and foreboding vibe.

Thanks for visiting tonight but don’t think the Black Throne will let you get away that easily. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to meet the foes for this week and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Top of the Tower

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The Black tower is an imposing place made from towering black stone but the top of the tower is where this weeks quest lies. Climbing the stairs and fighting the creatures that guard it is challenging enough but what lies at the top will truly test their bonds and their metal.

So let’s sit down, catch our breath and try to ascend these damn stairs!

Top of the Tower

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The last few steps were both a relief and filled with dread. The tower had taken most of their energy and sanity to climb between the broken steps, the creatures that swooped at them from the cavernous ceiling above and the very tower itself coming alive at points to impede or assault them.

But they had made it to the top with Samaeth and as they gazed upon what would be their final test they were puzzled. Ahead of them a resplendent throne bathed in radiant energy sat behind a barrier of golden light. The barrier seemed to buzz when Samaeth approached and shimmered with a blue light that matched the energy that she gave off herself.

As Samaeth approached the barrier the shadows stirred around them, avoiding the glow from the barrier and throne but they waited as if expecting something. The faint sound of winds could be heard from above as a figure descended on smoking wings.

“Ah a new Hero has arisen. We have been expecting you to arrive and to complete the task set before you. I see you have the companions as well, good we can begin.” The deva spoke huskily as if starved.

“What do I have to do?” Samaeth asked as she nervously looked at the beasts gathering around the throne.

“A simple task. Sit upon the throne and you shall be protected by the barrier as I empower you with Angelic might.” the deva responded.

“What about my companions?” Samaeth asked.

“The barrier will protect you, but you yourself are the hero – not the others. Make your choice as these creatures will only hold back so long.”

Thanks for joining back tonight for a glimpse into the final part of this weeks adventure. Don’t forget that we will continue to expand this weeks adventure each day. So don’t forget to come back each day and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Samaeth of Verone

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Tonight we get a glimpse at Samaeth of Verone, the unexpected hero being the first female to be born into the line of heroes that have guarded the city. However she is not alone this week as she travels with the party in an attempt at fulfilling the ancient ritual of challenging the Black Tower.

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

Samaeth of Verone

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Samaeth of Verone – Created in nightcafe.

“Heroes come in all shapes and sizes” Samaeth said as she polished her sword, the blue light within the blade making the sword look like it vibrated in the air. “That’s what my mother used to say after dad left on his last quest. I think she was trying to reassure me that even though I was the first daughter to be born into the line of the Heroes of Verone it wouldn’t matter.”

As she stared deeper into the blade, the blood from the creatures earlier that day having been wiped clean the a log rolled from the fire and spread burning embers around her. The dry tinder caught not even after a moment’s thought and a foul wind caught the fire and threw it up around her. But Samaeth’s eyes flashed blue, matching the same internal light as her sword and the fire began to bend and twist away from the trees and fuel that they had prepared for the fire. The flames licked at her clothes trying to catch her alight but the malicious blaze was bending to her will.

The fire danced upon itself again, travelling from burning logs and scorched ground across to the campfire. The sound of crackling wood and burning leaves retreated until it was contained within the burning pile. She looked up at the party and smiled. “I feel a runaway fire and some beasts attacking during the day are child play to you also, I don’t consider myself any different from you adventurers who have stories and mighty deeds already etched into your name. After I complete this test that the Order of Heroes has given me and I purge the black tower again I hope to start earning my title, like you have.”

After the fire had died down and the party fell into silence animals would be seen coming to the edge of the fire light and staring at Samaeth, inclining their heads and necks towards her as if bowing to the queen of the forest.

Despite initial reactions and assessments not all heroes are arrogant and believe themselves to be above all others. This week Samaeth reveals herself to the party and they get a view of who she is under the helmet, but this is just the beginning and a fouler adventure awaits. So don’t forget to come back tomorrow and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Protagonist

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This week we meet the protagonist of this weeks adventure, the Hero of Verone and the adventurers who rose to support him. But there is more this week than a simple escort mission as we will quickly see it divulges into something more more.

So suit up, grab a drink and a seat and let’s hunt down tonight’s adventure!

The fair city of Verone has a long history of Tyranny, revolts and suffering for it’s people, that was until the Hero of Verone. The hero rose against the Tyranny and liberated the people of the city and fought for the lasting peace that the city has experienced for hundreds of years. However, not is all that it seems and as the descendent of the Hero of Verone comes of age a darkness is revealed.

A party of adventurers are thrown head first into the grinder this week as they are asked to escort the Hero of Verone on the quest to inherit the full powers of the old Hero of Verone. But there is more to the story than meets the eye and the final test for the young hero is more than the job description.

The Protagonist

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The Hero of Verone – created in Nightcafe.

Verone was once a city of tragedy and conflict where the old king ruled with an iron fist. But when the hero of Verone, a smith that was brought up in the city rose up to protect the people of the city there city has always had a hero of his line imbued with the same strength, power and conviction as the original. The latest in line has just come of age and the final quest has been given. Reach the black tower where the original hero and four of his allies ascended the tower to confront a great evil and as such the Hero was gifted with a great power.

The order has been given, the young descendent from the Hero of Verone is to ascend the same tower and that the original Hero had to. But instead of the four warriors being friends, family or chosen by the king this time four adventurers, heroes in their own right, have been selected and approached to accompany the hero.

The Streets swell with people as the Hero of Verone to be strides through in polished brass and golden armour, shining long sword in hand and cape flourishing in the breeze. As people cheered for the hero the party wait and watch from the gates. The Gold was paid upfront and in large supply but the details of the job were simple – too simple. Get the Hero to the tower, assist them in the trials and ensure that they are successful in their ordeal as Verone must always have a hero to watch over the people.

Thanks for joining me for another start of the night. This week the party are charged with minding a hero-to-be on their journey to empowerment. However I have a feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye. So don’t forget to come back daily to stay in the know of this adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

A Mixed bag on Saturday

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Last week we had a look at different initiative systems and while I have additional content to add this week I decided to have both which has led to a mixed bag on Saturday. So first lets propose another creature to potentially take to the field this week opposite our ensnared party before we look at some results of mixing up initiative this week.

So sit back and let’s explore how else we can roll initiative.

A Mixed bag on Saturday

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So before we look at some notes on last weeks update – A different Initiative I want to add another contender to the adventure. It’s not a strange occurrence of even for adventurers to have knowledge that black dragons spit acid and have a thick scaly hide. These adversaries are tough, smart and deadly let alone being trapped in an arena with one.

But as they are stronger than the average creature you wouldn’t want to fight these after a long day of fighting other creatures in the arena.

Young Black Dragon – Created in Tetra-cube.

Trying out Playing cards

Last weekend I had the opportunity to be able to try out the initiative system of using paying cards. By assigning everyone a playing card and then randomly drawing a card to determine order. For the party members who had a high modifier (feats or high dexterity) I gave an extra card and put it into the deck.

So for the four players I had 5 cards in total, 1 base card each (a suit card) and then an additional card that was for the higher dexterity of the character. For each creature I assigned a different colour suit and for minions I had just numbers (2-10) and for bosses I used a suit card. This meant that generally I had around 7 or 8 cards at play at any one time and every round I had a different initiative order that represented the chaos on the battlefield.

For lair actions or special actions from bosses I used the joker cards which meant something happened but it wasn’t the full suite of attacks that it could used. When a creature died, or when the lair action/special action could not be used any more then I removed the card.

The Pros.

The randomness was enjoyable for myself and the party. The concept was simple and there was no rolling of dice or punishing the strength based martial classes who may have a lower initiative than normal.

This flowed on into the lair actions which felt thematic in a chaotic battlefield and meant that the encounters felt more intense than when the party would just steam roll through the creatures. In this instance where the lair action was tremors in a slippery ice cavern and could (and did) result in half the party falling prone it meant that the party members who went last in the turn order weren’t getting prone-locked and would have chances to break out of being on the ground constantly.

Having a simple visual aid (and I know other initiative trackers like pegs and character portraits / names on the screen work too) helped people realise it was their turn – however not knowing what their turn would look like next round was one of the cons.

The Cons.

The Randomness made it hard to plan for and implement turn-to-turn strategy as the party couldn’t reliably work out if their next turn would appear early or late in the next turns order. This meant de-buffs could have less usefulness when they resulted in something ending on the start of the party members next turn. This could be mitigated by saying “for x number of cards” but this was discussed later.

The lack of guaranteed order also impacted what people decided to do during the round but it did have some great moments where the character got one or two turns off before the boss could retaliate.

The time between rounds shuffling the cards did also loose some of the time efficiencies that was gained by not rolling initiative and recording the order at the start of combat. So this would be seen as a Con in the long term.

Closing notes.

The party enjoyed the change up and spent the next day discussing other ways of tracking or managing initiative. This was overall healthy and led to some great discussions which all led to moving away from Dungeons and Dragons combat AND exploring what other RPGs did. OR, tantalisingly so, exploring the creation of a new RPG system.

Regardless of what system we use the party had fun and enjoyed the change of pace of initiative. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more tabletop content and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe