One-shot

Captain of the Skipping Sailfish

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Managing a ship isn’t easy, let alone the Skipping Sailfish as it crosses the seas to take well paying, or well sponsored, clients abroad. The Captain of the Skipping Sailfish is no ordinary captain and that is a testament to his time on and off the seas. Steadfast and strong wills Jorn Buckler is a canny sailor and renown leader across the White Gull Islands and beyond.

But before we get into that let’s grab a coffee, sit back and roll into tonight’s adventure!

Captain of the Skipping Sailfish

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Captain Jorn Buckler- Created in Artbreeder.

As the fire on the beach crackled and feasted upon the dried drift wood and leaves from the large palm trees the party sat next to the sailors and watched the moonlight caress the top of the waves. As they watched a trail of lights appeared and moved under the water, through the shallows and towards the old tower.

“Ah the lights have returned, on clockwork,” the old sailor, John Buckler, added noting the party’s gaze. “Those lights are the reason we warn people from exploring the waters late at night as we can never be sure of what they might find. Lost a few passengers, and the crew mates that went to save them one night as they chased after the lights. Nothing good from lights in the dark I can assure you of that.” The captain added as he had a swig from a flask.

Vensella Ibiki – Created in Artbreeder.

“What that captain says is true,” Vensella said, one of the islanders who had come to greet them, “We have lost many people from our village from chasing lights in the dark. Those belong to monstrous fish that use the lights to lure prey into the waters before they are ripped apart with vicious teeth. They are one of the reasons that we forbid our people from going to the Tower, Mellandra’s Keep as you call it.” she paused as she snapped open a crabs claw and chewed on the exposed meat.

“The other reason is the curse.” she began again.

“Now the curse is just a myth.” Jorn Buckler replied as he laughed. “To scare people from going near the tower. That’s all. All can be explained by the nature of the isle and the creatures in the water.” he finished as he threw the half of a clam shell into the fire. 

“Whatever you think, our people know it to be a curse. Those whose greed consumes them surrender their soul to the lady of greed. She is a greedy deity who takes more than she gives and in her pact, her bargain, she takes your soul and leaves you empty.” Vensella continued as she leaned closer to the fire, sticking the other end of a crab leg into the flames. 

“Whoever dies in search of their greed, of the greedy pirates treasure, has their soul lost and they are cursed to wander the isle in search of gold to sate their deities hunger.” Vensella punctuated her story with the slurp of more crab meat. 

“And they have three tentacles from each armpit, they howl at the moon like mad men and they run on their hands not their feet. We have heard the stories young Vensella.” Jorn laughed as she shot him a mirthful smirk. “But whatever the reason, fish, spook or curse don’t go chasing the dead man’s chest regardless of how many hundreds of pounds of gold lay within.”

Now hopefully the story and promise of gold is enough for the party to go and investigate. But don’t fret if they are wise as we have a backup plan, something to reveal two halves of tomorrow night. So don’t forget to come back tomorrow for that, and the other nights of this week on that matter. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Sunken Treasure

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Welcome again to yet another week here at my tabletop and we are kicking this one on the coat tails of a nautical work planning with sunken treasure. Sunken Treasure is the goal this week with the party exploring a long forgotten keep that has fallen into the sea. But what challenges will this see the parties having, will there be creatures, elements and greedy NPCs that covet what the party seek? Yes, yes to all three.

So let’s set sail for this weeks adventure by grabbing a coffee, sitting down and rolling into tonight’s adventure!

With the sea breeze in their face the party set sail to a chain of long forgotten islands on the way to something bigger and greater. Setting down anchor near a string of islands the captain and crew go ashore to get supplies for the rest of the journey from the locals, however the party are not interested in such things. Down the coast there lies a lone tall tower that juts from the sea defiantly as waves crash against its stony barricade.

The Tower of Mellandra – a famous crusader turned pirate who raided, pillaged and stole in the name of her greedy god lies in half ruins, the sea having swallowed up most of the gold and jewels from an age ago. However just because something was lost long ago doesn’t mean it cant be found again and the tales of its treasure, its sheer wealth is enough to even the party to be set for the foreseeable future.

But others covet the treasure and see the opportunity in the visitors to the island. Will the party make it to the tower in time before the sea swallows the treasure of an age or will those who covet the treasure beat the party to the biggest haul in the islands history?

Sunken Treasure

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Mellandra’s Keep – Created in Nightcafe.

Not that the party didn’t have enough work in the land that they had come from but it was becoming evident that their skills were being wasted. Greater adventure, tests and treasure lay across the sea and the Skipping Sailfish was just the vessel to take them to where they need to go. The captain and crew were recommended heavily from the guilds and dock master alike as no finer sea farers could be found.

The journey was promised to be long, tiring journey with a stop half way for supplies of fresh fruit and water. The White Gull islands got their names from the large birds that called the islands home and provided food those that called the white beaches home. As the ship moored out to sea near the calmer bays of the islands the party first caught glimpse of the sunken tower out to sea.

“Ah, that be Mellandra’s keep.” the captain said as he followed their gaze. “Many people have lost their lives in seeking the so called treasure held in its vault over the years.” He continued as he waved to the locals who came to greet them. After calling out to the locals on the beach he looked back to the party. “We will be here two or three days, explore and relax a bit. Its another week or so on the waves after this so take your time.”

Thanks for joining me for another week of adventuring. But don’t forget to come back again each day this week as we expand this adventure. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Sand Queens Lair

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Tonight we wrap up one of the several encounter maps I have planned for this Zine with the Sand Queens Lair. Tonight is the, well, “last map” of the adventure this week. This gives us quite a few maps for a one-shot but that’s for a very good reason, we will see this in the Zine for this adventure.

So without any further waiting, let’s sit back, grab a hot coffee and roll into tonight’s content.

Sand Queens Lair

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The sand underfoot shifted as they walked through a mixture of tunnels dug through sandstone walls and ancient carved hallways. The latter is what they had just been exploring before they entered what could only be described as a cavern. The light flittered through holes in the roof that shifted as the sand above them gradually fell through these holes.

This created pockets of darkness and steep walls of sand against the rocky walls that reached dozens of feet to the cavern roof. The sand had been pushed against the wall, or flattened to the wall with a rough solid path in the middle of a few halls. The signs of the Ant-like humanoids were everywhere and as they moved deeper into the cavern it was revealed why.

In a pillar of light sat a huge monstrosity that watched them with eagre eyes. A giant antoid with a swollen egg sack that took up most of the back of this cavern. The queen regarded them with almost a regal presence, watching them with an intelligence that was not yet seen amongst all of the antoids that they had seen thus far.

Sand Queens Lair – Created in Inkarnate

That’s it for tonight. I hope you enjoyed the secondary map tonight. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Empire Beneath the Sands

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The Empire beneath the sands is in focus today as we have the party either avoiding being dragged below or actively seeking it out. The potential treasure in the caverns below the dunes is too desirable but there is already one so magnificent and militant that she commands the respect of the desert itself. But I wont reveal too much now, save that for below and the Zine!

So let’s not wait any longer, grab a coffee, sit down and let’s roll into tonight’s adventure!

Empire Beneath the Sands

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Giant Ant – Created in Tetra-cube

All kids have to have Pets and where the entire colony is the children of the one, then there must be a lot of pets. These pets, the Giant Ant, just so happen to be hard working, strong and easily controlled by their queen.

Antoid Worker – Created in Tetra-cube.

The lowest form of the Antoid caste the Antoid Worker is a humble creature. Strong yet not overly smart they rely on being told what to do and how to do it. Natural thick hide acts like armour for these creatures but they don’t really have any real weapons other than the jaws that they were born with.

Antoid Warrior – created in Tetra-cube.

Now extremely dangerous in swarms, and nearly no less deadly by themselves these creatures are a menace to all desert dwellers. Smarter and stronger the warrior caste of the Antoids are vicious and unrelenting when defending their nest or acting out their orders. Thicker armour, a stronger bite, sharpened claws and a deadly stinger these creatures are a threat for all parties.

Antoid Queen – created in Tetra-cube.

The one of the many, the Mother of the colony, the strongest, biggest and most powerful of them all. All nests have one queen who has, potentially, grown too big to leave her chambers. But she knows all, sees all and commands all. There are none of her people that resist her command and she will see to it that her will be done.

And there we have it for tonight. The Antoid race and even the queen itself! Don’t forget to come back this weekend as we plan to get some Zines out and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Dead Sands Tomb

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As we face a scorcher here in my home town today what could be more suitable than the blistering desert and the entrance to the Dead Sands Tomb. But this isn’t all for this weeks adventure as we line up for a bi of a bigger one again.

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

Dead Sands Tomb

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Entrance to the Dead Sands Tomb – Created in Inkarnate.

The shifting sands twist across the desert without much hope for shade of comfort. The moderate dunes are quick to shift and change as they are chaotic as the ancient magic that birthed the desert itself. This means that maps that rely on the topography of the land, or land marks are nearly useless as you need to navigate by the stars and distance rather than locations.

These sands however are host to a great variety of hardy wildlife. Beetles, snakes, some mammals and birds as well as snakes and other insects call this place home. Some of them are even large enough to regard the party as prey rather than fellow survivors of the sands.

As normal a few overlapping widgets with some light blending of different paint textures. Not as much blending today as I wanted to give the desert and ‘endless parch’ feel and the images within are rather simple. But I do have something else planned so watch this space for that part.

Thanks for joining me the map making night. A quick and easy one without many complications which shouldn’t distract from the party or the goal of this week. But we’re not done yet so don’t forget tomorrow we reveal some critters, some thieves and maybe more in which we are encountering this week. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Queen under the Sands

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Another night here at my table top where we get a glimpse at the Queen under the sands. This lady of stature sits above all and commands her people to do what needs to be done – which happens to be to attack and capture those who dwell on the surface of her sands. But before we get carried away let’s take a back-step and watch what happens, for now, as opportunity is a mistress that appears just once.

So before we loose ours heads, let’s grab a coffee sit down and roll into tonight’s adventure.

Queen under the Sands

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The ground appeared to rumble and shake as the sand disappeared through some rents in the crust below. As the sand pooling down into nothingness slowed Norturi watched on with awe as she pawed over the maps she held in front of her.

“This is it. All my notes led to here and behold I was right. A kingdom below the sands where the wares, goods and treasure of a hundred caravans lay!” Norturi could barely contain her excitement as she pointed and bounced next to what was being revealed. A great archway, door and stairs now was slowly appearing as the sand had moved to the side and the door lay waiting before the. Inscribed beautifully and crafted exceedingly well the stonework looked to be made by a skilled set of hands.

However, before the Norturi or the party could investigate further the sounds of laughter could be heard from behind them, at the top of a sand dune. “Well it was pretty easy to track you, harder to stay hidden but here we are. We’ll be taking that treasure if you would be so kind.” one of the men from the Den of Thieves, the tavern from a few nights back. Except it was more than just four that were at the bar, there were over a dozen men this time and several looked like they could handle themselves in combat.

“We got here first, I’ve been searching for this treasure for years and we did all the work in finding it.” Norturi began “Besides you don’t even know how to open the door.” she continued as she started to look around at the men that outnumbered her and the party.

“Sure we do. Tim, that’s your queue.” the man at front said as a man stepped forward from the crowd as the others strode forward. The sheer number of them was enough for Norturi to sigh but give the signal to the party to let them through. The party was surrounded and not disarmed as the group of thieves and thugs stood between them and the door. Time passed as Tim read the door, or attempted to, as he looked for a lock to pick.

“What’s taking so long!” the bigger man yelled out.

“I can’t find the lock boss!” Tim called out, but as he did the sound of clicking and grinding stone could be heard from the archway.

“Great work Tim, knew we kept ya around for a reason!” the boss called out, to the cheering of many people.

“That wasn’t me boss. I didn’t do nothin’ ” Tim responded as the door opened and several large imposing figures loomed forward from the portal. The laughing of all the thieves stopped immediately as the large ant-like humanoids stepped up the steps to stand just above several of the thieves and party.

“what the…” was all that one of the thieves managed to get out before he was grabbed by large claw-like hands and dragged backwards, down the steps and into the yawning passageway below. Chaos erupted with some thieves rushing forward to attack, some being grabbed and taken, and several trying to run through the party to get away from the large insectoid race. However a scream on the other side of the dune quickly indicated that something was not right.

Thanks for joining me for another night at the tabletop. Don’t forget that we will continue to drive out more content each night this week. So don’t forget to come back each day and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Norturi of the Dead Sands

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As the sun sets across the desert, Norturi of the Dead Sands makes her way to a bar. And that’s where the punchline of this joke would start however we have the encounter with the party instead. A tavern at the edge of the desert and a Tabaxi looking for some help in making it rich – what can go wrong?

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

Norturi of the Dead Sands

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Norturi – Created in Artbreeder.

Norturi walked through the mudbrick buildings as she headed towards the bright building simply known as the “Den of Thieves”. Not the friendliest of names for a tavern but the food was good, the iced ale was better. Striding to the door and ignoring the drunks outside she slipped a few coppers to the guard out front. With a nod the Guard didn’t bother checking her for weapons as she entered the building that thrummed with noise.

The alcohol, smoke and aroma of grilled food mixed together a heady smell that made her mouth water immediately. Finding what she was looking for, a table of tough looking mercenaries, she strode over. Her feline reflexes made it easy to avoid the items and feet that lay on the ground. As she pulled up a chair she started with her normal introduction, her name, her profession and what she was looking for. After a few moments of discussion the group of rough individuals asked if they could confer alone. She stood up and noticed another group of adventures; outsiders from the look of it, were watching her intently from a booth nearby.

Talking to the bar she got an iced ale, a speciality from this bar where the innkeeper grabbed a nearly-frozen tankard and filled it with ale that was cooled by large copper pipes which was crusted by frost – a gnomish invention she was sure. After grabbing her cold beverage she strode back to the group and watched as they finished talking – her instincts told her that there was something funny going on. They had never been wrong before so before she sat down she announced that she had changed her mind. The group, surprisingly, smiled and agreed that the job wasn’t for them before standing up, and leaving.

The adventurers nearby however felt more safe, more trustworthy. “Hi, I’m Norturi – a studier of ancient lore and I find myself in need of an escort to where I think a lost treasure is. What say you? Are you looking for some quick and maybe easy work?”

Thanks for visiting tonight as we find out two things at once, one that the Den of Thieves has chilled ale and that Norturi has, allegedly, some killer instincts. But to find out how good or bad they are you’ll have to come back daily this week to see where we go with this adventure. So don’t forget that tomorrow we look at the hook and twist of this adventure and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Desert of the Lost

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Welcome to another week at my tabletop and this Monday kicks off with looking at the Desert of the Lost. This large expanse of sand dunes is home to a growing number of tribes and outposts. Why you might ask? Well its simple. Trade and the promise of treasure. Over the number of years a great number of merchants have tried to cross the desert and have failed, their wares, goods and gold lost beneath the sands. Or has it?

So let’s explore the blistering days and chilling nights by grabbing a coffee, sitting down and rolling into tonight’s adventure!

With the desert holding a bounty of dozens of caravans and adventurers going missing the temptation to look for the lost treasure of the sands was overwhelming. But for a young Tabaxi scholar and adventurer it was a dream that promised her an easy retirement for her family and fame that would spearhead the other adventures she had planned for. But will she be able to find the right people to trust in taking her to the lost treasure or will she just be another nameless soul beneath the hot sands.

Beneath the waves of sand dunes there was something ever stirring. The growing city was getting greedier and the need to appease the queen was growing. However the sound of boots on sand, the smell of camels and horses was enough to bring them out of hiding and to begin the hunt.

Desert of the Lost

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Desert of The Lost – Created in Nightcafe.

Norturi looked across the endless dunes and watched the sun as it started to set down across the dunes. Looking at the scraps of parchment, books and scraps of cloth in front of her. These were the merchant logs of several caravans that had gone missing in the desert as they were heading off to fulfil a big contact and she was just the Tabaxi to find the cache.

The desert itself was broad and harsh. Very few rocky outcrops, nearly no oasis’s and enough man eating creatures that even the experienced hunters would avoid it. But Norturi had a suspicion that all the merchants that had disappeared had followed the same path, and that somewhere beneath the sand the collective hoard of all their wealth and goods was located. She just didn’t know why, which made her hesitate to go alone. 

Dusting off the articles she folded them into her backpack before jumping onto the back of her camel. She thought she knew where they were, but didn’t know why. So she had to get herself some mercs to get her there and more importantly back safely with the loot.

Thanks for joining me for the start of a new week of adventuring. This one like a few others of mine has a bit more to the start of it than presented here but you’ll just have to wait for the zine to see what I mean. So don’t forget to come back each day this week and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Inns, Taverns and Stores

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After a busy afternoon and spending a bit too long adding more details to the Avermeet adventure I ended up settling on a few different concepts involving Inns, Taverns and Stores. These are the birthplace of adventures, hooks and sometimes plots so its only natural to have a few up ones sleeve. So in my journey to find the best kick-off point for this adventure I got lost amongst the art, the possibilities and so we will have to settle on what I discovered (and had AI create for me) for this weeks content.

So grab a coffee, sit back and let’s walk down a street that may be all too familiar.

Inns, Taverns and Stores

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Inns – created in Nightcafe.

The humble inn. A place where jobs are posted, party members can rest and thieves can attempt to steal special items from said parties. A place where the adventure can be born, escalate or conclude or all three and it’s found in nearly every single campaign.

They provide an opportunity for any number of NPCs to legitimately have a reason to bump into or simply be near the party at the right time and place of our choosing.

Stores – Created in Nightcafe.

The general store, or store in general can be host to any number of things which can provide our parties with a means to spend their gold. It also provides us, the DM, with a way to introduce a MacGuffin into the parties hands. A conveinent plot development, an item, a NPC, knowledge or tools can be gained from the general store – so its not just for rations, rope, 10ft poles and torches never mind… Everyone always has darkvision.

But Stores can provide points of plot too. An illegal storefront that is selling stolen wares (much like my first adventure-zine.) or it could be the focal point of the adventure where the suspect works at a store. Or knows who did it, or was a victim of the villain. There are nearly too many options here for us to investigate but that just shows how versatile these key buildings can be.

Taverns – Created in Nightcafe.

And lastly the Tavern. A place for food, drink, gambling, song, dance and murder. That’s right another building for stories to take flight, take a sudden unexpected twist or end with is Taverns. They can be blended with an Inn but I would expect the clientele of a tavern to be detrimental to a good nights sleep. Taverns can also have the most fun with their names too. Five Fat Ravens Tavern, The Fatty Pheasant, or my personal all-time favourite, the Frisky Mare. Taverns just need an adjective and a noun and you got yourself a tavern name. Nearly fool-proof and your parties will remember it for ages to come.

Thanks for visiting tonight. Not quite the zine I was hoping to get published tonight, or two of them in fact, but it was still a fun write-up and night of art discovery for myself. Don’t forget to come back next week as we continue on this path and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Hazards of Mountaineering

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As we prepare for another end of week write-up we look to the old 5e DMG where we can find some hazards of mountaineering within. We would all be well aware now that there are other things that we can throw at our party other than creatures to fight. Hazards can be rewarding to overcome just like an encounter with a particularly strong creature, or solving a hard puzzle. Tonight we look at some such things and how we can weave them into this weeks adventure.

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

Hazards of Mountaineering

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The hazards for the Dusty Crag mountains are quite common place across many mountains and other environments. The first being weather.

Strong Wind

Now a particularly strong wind in the right circumstance or situation can be deadly. Trying to climb a shale filled cliff for example could lead to a fatal slip if one is trying to climb in strong winds. A strong wind however also carries other hindrances such as imposing disadvantage on all ranged weapon attack rolls and also perception checks (wisdom) that rely on hearing as the sound is carried away. A strong wind will also extinguish open flames (camp fires or torches) and it will disperse gases (cloud kill, fog, etc.). It will also mean that flying, via non-magical means is now impossible – so I hope you have a wizard with fly or magic broomsticks. Flying creatures also must land at the end of its turn or it will fall out of the sky – not a good result for the aarakocra ranger.

Heavy precipitation (or dust)

Much like the strong wind, heavy precipitation, or dust storms, can impose disadvantage on perception checks, but in this case it’s for those requiring sight not hearing. It will also extinguish open flames if it’s raining (or dust if there is enough of it) and depending on how violent the wind is it will also carry the same penalties as that.

Shale or slippery cliffs

Walking on shale is a dangerous hobby and for many it results in a painful fall onto one’s rump. However when coupled with vertical movement it can be devastating. When a creature attempts to walk across or climb onto a section of loose shale or simply slippery cliffs for the first time in their turn they must make a DC10 dexterity (acrobatics) check or fall prone. If you’re on the ground this isn’t such a bad thing but if you’re forty feet in the air that’s 4d6 bludgeoning damage. Now having climbing tools, a mountaineering kit or simply spider climb would either completely negate this or provide a bonus (Advantage) on the skill check.

Razor sharp stones

Now instead of being loose shale what about shards of obsidian, or blade like shards of rock, shattered volcanic stone or even glass. For this we can simply look at the spell spike stones. This results in the area being difficult terrain and anyone through the terrain suffers 1d8 piercing damage for every 5 feet they move. Now for climbing I would also have them roll for Shale/slippery cliffs as the pain could cause them to slip and fall. However, this could simply block the party from moving forward. Rewarding creative thinking such as binding hands, feet or padding them or simply taking longer to progress through the area, plotting a safe course through could be enough.

Nesting ground for nasties

Now inspired from a variety of childhood movies this one is a fun one. Have the hand hold or foot hold be the home for a lizard, snake, spider, centipede or scorpion who doesn’t like being intruded against. Having them being poisonous may be good for higher level parties but just the bite, shock, slip and fall may be enough to warrant a challenging trek for other level parties.

Now there is a few hazards we can include in our mountaineering adventures. But don’t forget that tomorrow is the fated zine day so don’t forget to come back for that and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe