Tabletop

Garthunks Amber

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This week I continued with the creating a shortened Zine, something that fits on a single A4 sheet of paper with just enough information to set the scene, plot and hook with some NPCs sprinkled through that it could be used in any system.

I think its still working well so without any further waiting I present Garthunks Amber, in the short format, as a fun one-shot to assist GMs when they need a night out of the books whether you run Pathfinder, Open Legends RPG, D&D or any other RPG System.

There is references to the blog nights which are D&D centric (regarding Friday night’s Stat-blocks) but this adventure can be used system agnostic more so than my regular Zines. 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, Garthunks Amber, and that your rolls are made with advantage.

Garkthunks Amber

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Garthunks Amber – Created in Nightcafe.

Borfook organised speedy transport to the ruins of a human village a few days out of the city. On the way he explains his plans, why he knows that the village is important and while gloating he managed to insult just about everyone including the driver of the wagon he had organised to carry them this far. The driver takes the comments on the chin well and discusses how there must be a lot of sight-seers heading towards the old ruins. “There’s at least a dozen sets of horse tracks heading up towards the ruins.”

“Bah, no one would come here. I’m surprised humans are the dominant species considering specimens like this exist” the gnome scholar laughed at his own malicious joke. However when the wagon stopped and the gnome was thrown out with his hirelings the outcome was clear. They would have to walk the rest of the way to the ruins.

As they move from one rock to the next the party notices occasional ripples in the water as if large fish are breaching the surface. However as they get closer to the vault they begin to see that it’s not a school of fish but in fact a rather large singular creature. The closer they get to the vault the quicker it swims with Borfook calling out from dozens of feet behind them “That would be the Guardian. Once you defeat it we can claim our rewards and return home legends!”. 

The water is very deep with the lake floor unable to be seen through the water, but it could be twenty feet deep at points. As they near the vault the guardian emerges from the water, placing itself between the party and the vault door. A six legged lizard constructed in dark black, glistening stone and bright orange amber watches them with intelligent eyes. A construct, a golem that was likely created by Garthunk to ensure that his powerful artefact was never used again. It rushes towards them, bounding across the stone platforms before diving under the water to attack them in much as a beast that was constructed to guard a water-bound vault would.

PDF adventure – Garthunks Amber

Garthunks AmberDownload

Thanks for joining me today for another Zine this year. This is a condensed version of the Zine, but I hope the format works and is good to look at! Please feel free to leave comments if this format is appealing – so make sure to grab a copy of the PDF.

Next time you get a party together consider running this adventure and I hope that you enjoy it.
I hope you don’t miss a thing so come back daily in the coming week and year. This is so you can experience the creation of the next adventure as it evolves and shapes out. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Loyal to Queen V

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Those Loyal to Queen V are particularly hard to charm. She believes this is because they would do anything for her but as we have investigated already the Stained Cup is likely the cause of such devotion. However this does not make those enthralled by her any less dangerous in their pursuit to make her happy or obey her every command.

So let’s take a knee and grab a coffee as we roll into another encounter!

Loyal to Queen V.

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The bandits loyal to Queen V, Vanessa Von Shchnaps, are near-zealous in the way they fight for the bandit queen and in their never ending attempt to meet her demands. These bandits are naturally harder to charm, as they are already charmed, but are not really anything more dangerous than the random highwayman or street thug.

Von Shchnaps Bandit- created in Tetra-cube

Vanessa has risen to a point, thanks to the Stained Cup, to a station where she can have many groups of followers undertaking her orders. Those that show a particular nastiness or those who demonstrate that they are more loyal to Queen V are made captains of these little brigands.

Von Shchnaps Bandit Captain – created in Tetra-cube

And the other re-skin for this week. The underlings who are truly loyal to Queen V, thanks to a certain cup. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to complete this weekend and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Vanessa Von Shchnaps

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Vanessa Von Schnaps is a particularly mean woman and she will do anything to get her hand on the missing artefact again. The minions she commands fight with a particular brand of fervour that people would mistake for loyalty however, the stained cup is likely at play.

So let’s sit down, grab a coffee (but check the cup…) as we roll into tonight’s encounter!

Vanessa Von Shchnaps

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Vanessa is a particularly ruthless bandit lord who prides herself in the unwavering loyalty of her minions. Acting like a queen she strides through the battlefield using her staff as a cudgel to beat people into submission.

Vanessa Von Shchnaps- created in Tetra-cube

Thanks for dropping by for a short night tonight. Reskinning an existing stat block can be all that it takes to turn a good encounter into something truly memorably. Come back tomorrow for some more stat-blocks as I continue to wrap-up this adventure. Don’t forget to come back this weekend for the end of week Zine and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

City Slum Park

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Tonight’s a bit of an experimentation night where I had a look at crafting a city slump park using the watercolour assets from Inkarnate this week. Although not necessarily the place for combat this week it could be depending on where the party move to.

So without waiting any longer let’s sit back, grab a coffee and roll into tonight’s map!

City Slum Park

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City Slum Park – Created in Inkarnate

The few houses that are present are falling apart and not looked after. Holes in the roof provide access to the interior and many people live in the cavities between roof and ceiling. These also provide great places to plan ambushes and to lay a trap for people. There are a few tents in the small ‘park’ where people have set up a small community of homeless near a small animal pen. A pile of wood, likely from houses, fuels a camp fire that burns defiantly against the dingy backdrop.

A few layers here blended together create the muddy-grass of the park. Layering the tree art assets creates the feel of a taller tree than the others whilst not overtaking the field. The watercolours instead of more distinct art assets add a softness and more whimsical nature to the battlefield which surprised me in how much I liked it. Many of the assets blend well with the texture brushes and overall my time using the watercolour map was rewarding and I will experiment with my other normal preferred battlemaps to see how they look in watercolour.

Thanks for joining me tonight while I experimented with watercolour assets in Inkarnate. Don’t forget to come back the last few days of the week to keep on top of what’s happening here and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Stained Cup

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There are few magical items that are as sought after in criminal organisations as the Stained Cup. This artefact is fiendishly good at bringing about the goals of would be crime-bosses and lords of the underground movements within cities. Able to bend the will of any who take a sip after the owner of the goblet this quickly can create an army of willing martyrs or thugs to do ones bidding. So it’s easy to see who so many people are after it this week.

So let’s grab a coffee, just not from this cup though, and roll into tonight’s adventure!

The Stained Cup

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The Stained Cup – Created in Nightcafe.

As Alistare got back to the barracks he unstrapped the pauldrons that they wore when on patrol and went to the mess hall. Passing one of the cells he could see one of the officers asking some questions of an elf that had been caught last night trying to sneak into the barracks, likely also after the Stained Cup, he thought to himself as he went to go grab a drink and some food.

The hall was nearly empty apart from some of the members of his patrol as they ate and spoked in hushed tones. There had a been a series of attempted break-ins and robberies as word got out that they had taken custody of the Stained Cup. Alistare had been informed by the high cleric of Tyr that the artefact was magical in nature and that they would be sending over member of their order to collect it to be destroyed, if possible, or stored away where it wont see the light of day again.

Frankly Alistare could not wait until it was taken and buried somewhere deep. From what he had heard it had the power to enslave an entire city to be under the control over its owner. He shuddered at the thought of one of the crime bosses in the city, these Kings and Queens of the slums, who would have the power, influence and man-power to overthrow the nobility.

“Alistare, there you are,” a voice said from his left. Turning he was greeted by the bright eyes of Sylvana, one of the other captains. “The church sent over their priest and they picked up the package that you had organised.” she smiled as she sat next to him and clanked his cup against hers.

Alistare sighed with relief. “Praise Tyr. It’s been nothing but trouble since it got here. Glad to see the last of it.” he raised his cup and finished it off. After the news that his little problem was gone he could relax a bit more. After he was done he went to the front of the guard barracks where he saw the high cleric standing there with one of his clergy.

“Welcome Brother Pyrius. I bet you are pleased to have the package in your custody.” Alistare asked smiling.

“I will be Captain. Myself and Brother Mikale are here to retrieve it…” Pyrius replied with a smile.

“Retrieve it. I was told it was picked up this morning.” Alistare replied, his brain whirring. As he watched the face of the priest his heart dropped into his stomach. “If you did not recover it earlier today then.. who did…” he asked more to himself as he watched the high cleric quickly converse with the other member of his order before they both left in haste. It looked like Alistare had some questions to ask and a cup to find.

Thanks for joining me tonight for another addition to this weeks adventure. Don’t forget that we still have some nights remaining for this weeks adventure. So don’t forget to come back each day this week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Guardian and Guttersnipe

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This week we have a trinket that the party need to get for their old colleague, Mims, and the guardian and guttersnipe standing in their way. One will prevent the party from getting the item because it is wrong to do so and the other wants to prevent the party because they want to be the one that acquires the item.

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

Guardian and Guttersnipe

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Alistare Guzo – Created in Nightcafe.

Alistare strode through the streets and nodded politely at those he passed. He had worked his way up the guards from being a merchants boy and had made a reputation for himself as being a hard worker who looked out for the people as well as the crown. He waved off a lady as she offered him a loaf of bread and smiled politely as he refused the offering. It wasn’t that he considered it a bribery or that he wasn’t hungry it was that he wanted to earn his way in life and receiving something for free normally meant someone went without.

As he turned down the final street he caught sight of his fellow guards of the quarter on their own patrol. Meeting up with them he caught the end of the last of the conversation. “So I caught him red handed, this mud covered urchin trying to slip past me into the locked room. You’ve never seen someone squeal as loudly a this lad when he realised he was sprung. Of course he had an excuse but he opened up once we fed him. Poor bastards are starved when they join the crews in the city.” the guardsman, Harlo, smiled as Alistare appeared.

“Alistare, captain, I was just telling the lads that we had someone try and break into the storage room. Slip in when we were moving some more seized goods in. You’ll never guess what he was after though.” Harlo began.

“The Stained cup.” Alistare finished for him.

“Yeah. You sure you don’t have magic in your blood boss?” Harlo smiled and the other guard chuckled in response as they moved through the streets towards the barracks.

“Very sure. I just came from the Pale Rose Inn where I heard that there was a new group in town who may be trying to make a move on it. You’d best believe that the original owner won’t be too pleased if its taken before she can get it back.” Alistare replied.

Peter Horngrave – Created in Nightcafe.

Peter wasn’t one for honest means of work and this one was about as dishonourable as they come. As the guards moved on talking about the news they had received he stumbled upright and in a half-performance-half-real stumble he drunkenly moved down the road so he could overheard the last part of the news the guards were bringing him.

He had been employed to get to The Stained Cup for his boss before anyone else and had foolishly agreed to do it. But the urchins he had persuaded to get it for him had failed and through threats of bribery they had sewn misinformation about who he was working for. So he had to get the item himself before the owner, that blasted merchant who owed a great deal of money to the wrong people and now a new group. He signed as he leaned against a wall, half-pretending reeling from a hangover as he overheard the last bits of the guards before they would become aware of him trailing them.

“… So we’re going to move the item.” was all he managed to glean as they were talking softly and they turned down the final street towards the barracks. “So they are moving it eh?” he asked himself as he leant upwards reaching for his water skin. “I guess that gives me what I need…”

Thanks for visiting tonight to meet Alistare and Peter, our Guardian and Guttersnipe for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget that we will be expanding this adventure daily as we continue towards the weekend. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Honour Bound

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This week the party find themselves Honour bound to an oath they gave out long ago. A pledge of loyalty and assistance that has come around to haunt them in their new-found fame. But will they go ahead with the request or will they break their oath and weather the consequences.

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

There is very little that can hold the sway over people quite as much as being Honour Bound to another. But not all pleas for assistance are righteous and pure of intention and so the bargaining begins. Where does honour and a committal of aid finish and betrayal of oath begin.

The party need to weigh up the consequences of an oath sworn long ago, theft and even murder so that they can balance the books and still wind up ahead.

Honour Bound

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The Keeper – created in Nightcafe.

The party pushed though the doors at the Red Robin Tavern, a place they had visited several times before they started to really start setting out on adventurers. They had just entered when a a familiar voice carried out from across the room.

A man danced on the table, ale in hand and surrounded by a chorus of applause and laughter. A bard summoned a catchy jig on a nearby lute which caused the familiar, and drunk, man to dance harder until he fell off the table to another round of applause and laughter.

“I’m all good,” the man said as he pulled himself up. Mims was his name, well his nickname at least as his real name was Mike and he had gotten the a few of the party out of trouble earl in their careers. As he dusted himself off and sculled the last of his ale he looked up at the group, stared for a moment before a large toothy, and drunk, smile spread across his face.

“My friends!” he called as he walked over. “What brings you back to the Red Robin. I thought you’d be off wrestling dragons and saving princesses and he normal stuff that you heroes of legend do. Please sit,” he pointed to a table where one man was already unconscious with his hand still on a goblet of red wine. “Barman, a round for my friends!” he called.

After a few moments of laughter and discussing the old antics they used to get up to, and the times that Mims had saved the day came up more than once in the stories. Mims looked thoughtful for a moment. “Say, you’re not here for work are ye?” after the reply he grinned. “Well my prayers have been answered. You see I need a favour. I have a job. I don’t have the coin to flash at the adventurers guild for registration and I need help rather urgently. I think you’ve come back here just at the right time, as I need help you appear and I know you can pull off what I need.”

“I helped you when you needed it the most, you made me an oath that one day you would repay the favour and todays the day. Old Mims really needs this job to go well.” he said nervously. “So what say you? Can you help an old friend, like we used to back in the good days?”

Thanks for joining me for another night at my tabletop as I set up a bit of a tricky week. As usual I plan to grow this adventure into something much larger with a few twists and turns as the party try to fulfil their oath and stay out of trouble themselves. Don’t forget to come back daily to stay up to date with the adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Shemet Forest Ablaze

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This week I continued with the creating a shortened Zine, something that fits on a single A4 sheet of paper with just enough information to set the scene, plot and hook with some NPCs sprinkled through that it could be used in any system.

I think it worked out well so without any further waiting I present, Shemet Forest Ablaze, in the short format, as a fun one-shot to assist GMs when they need a night out of the books whether you run pathfinder, Open Legends RPG, D&D or any other RPG System.

There is references to the blog nights which are D&D centric (regarding Friday night’s Stat-blocks) but this adventure can be used system agnostic more so than my regular Zines. 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, Shemet Forest Ablaze, and that your rolls are made with advantage.

Shemet Forest Ablaze

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Shemet Forest Ablaze – Created in Nightcafe.

The party had not exactly chosen the path through Shemet forest as their first path however the roads that they had intended to travel across had become inoperable with a bridge collapsing that linked the two parts of the road together.
The more direct path to their destination was over the mountains, and despite not being recommended for commoners and merchants for an adventuring party it was more than suitable.
By the end of the first day into their travel they had made good progress and had found a place to set up camp.

The adventurers raced towards the mountain peak as their efforts to prevent the elementals in hindering their advancement to their dark master were rewarded with a clear path towards the peak. The thunderous dark voice resonated down the mountain. A roar of rage or excitement came down from the mountain peak which immediately caused several of the small elementals that had been harassing the party ceased feebly attacking them and starting to create more fires in the trees, bushes and fallen vegetation. As they scrambled up the rocky path a surge of air raced towards the peak as a maelstrom of fire gathered at the peak. A cry of pain and despair rang out as the heat got intense. After a few moments of hugging the cold stone of a rocky overhang the torrent of fire simply ceased.

A dark voice boomed out once more “It is no use hiding. I will find you and burn you to a crisp like the dogs you are!” It took a few moments for the party to realise that the elementals in the forest had disappeared, Fires still raged and the smoke that was billowing into the sky was causing gusts of hot wind and ash to rain upon the party. The sound of crashing timber came from above them as a tree thundered down the slope. They would have to make it to the top to stop the mage from burning the forest down around them and so the last dash up to the peak was all that was between them and the source of the elemental fire.

PDF adventure – Shemet Forest Ablaze

Shemet Forest AblazeDownload

Thanks for joining me today for another Zine this year. This is a condensed version of the Zine, but I hope the format works and is good to look at! Please feel free to leave comments if this format is appealing – so make sure to grab a copy of the PDF.

Next time you get a party together consider running this adventure and I hope that you enjoy it.
I hope you don’t miss a thing so come back daily in the coming week and year. This is so you can experience the creation of the next adventure as it evolves and shapes out. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Husk Zombies

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Tonight we have a bit of a spin on the zombie. Husk Zombies are frail and unstable as the chaotic arcane energy that bore life to them. These creatures are hard to control but easy to kill if met with magic that disrupts the flow of their own arcane energy.

So tonight there is no time to sit back as we need to run to avoid being eaten!

Husk Zombies

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Husk Zombies Rising – Created in Nightcafe.

The first signs that something was wrong came when a body was pulled from the rubble of the inn. Its broken form tinged with a rainbow tapestry just beneath its skin as the evidence of magic shone through the cold flesh. As they watched and another one was dug from more rubble the body started to twitch and convulse as a pulsating light ran through the humans veins and along its muscles.

The once-humans shaking stirred with their rescuers praising what ever deity had chosen to grant them the miracle of these people being alive. However the praises turned quickly to screams as the freshly risen dead attacked those around them. As the first few were quickly dealt with by the city guard more began to dig themselves out of the rubble.

Husk Zombie – Created in tetra-cube.

At first it was just those unfortunately crushed under the sudden collapse of the inn and temple but then a dishevelled, husk like zombie pulled itself from the walls of the temple. Its ancient form was dry and flaking dust as it moved slowly towards those alive around it. Not fresh and meaty like the freshly risen, these zombies were husks, empty apart from the chaotic rainbow of colours that bore their withered lifeless forms.

As the husks engaged they were cut down quickly as their bodies were more frail than the freshly departed, however they were all still dangerous and as they were re-released to the void beyond a cloud of magical energy was released from the dry, empty vessels.

Thanks for visiting tonight to explore gross zombies with me. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow night for more content and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Destruction in Desmodus

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The level of destruction in Desmodus has seen chaos spread through the city like a roaring fire. But something else stirs in the soot, dust and splinters of the Market Quarter.

So let’s sit down, grab a coffee as we tred carefully into tonight’s encounter!

Destruction in Desmodus

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Zombies are an age old favourite for a reason. Sturdy, steady and they can just about appear anywhere. Especially from the ruins of a temple that collapsed from powerful arcane energy.

Although they aren’t the only thing on the menu for an encounter this week they may be the most numerous of creatures and in a packed environment with many innocents nearby targeted and specific spells may be best to deal with them all.

Zombie – created in Tetra-cube

Thanks for dropping by for a short night tonight. This weekend we will expand the adventure a bit kore and even have a zine from the vault make an appearance. So don’t forget to come back this weekend and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe