TTRPG

It was the guard in the kitchen with the turnip…

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FIGHT NIGHT! well, it’s Friday at least.

A bit of a different fight night today as we look at two concepts that, admittedly, I don’t employ enough. Non-combat or social encounters. These don’t only test our players abilities to handle social situations but also our own ability to handle non-stat block driven games and, hopefully, guide our players in refining who their character is outside of armour and away from their +2 sword of smiting.

The assumption

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As the party enter the inn, the owner rushes forward.

‘Thanks for coming so quickly. I don’t know what I would so without you.. I.. I.. I didn’t know if anyone would come for that sum of gold but praise be that you came. I need help that only your team can provide’

The party state in disbolief as the inkeep, in some form of shock surely, produces a bag of coins. There has to be atleast 500gp in the bag!

The first of the ‘encounters’ to explore is a simple one. The assumption that the Party are something that they are not. We have two real posibilities here I want to explore (despite it being a rather open situation) and we will focus on two sides of the same coin.

I’m here to help… Well not really

This is where we have an NPC assume that the party are here to progress the antagonists agenda.

Whether they party are treated poorly by the innkeep and/or the staff at the tavern – or contrastingly, treated well by the Rival tavern owner or the city guard (who are trying to get rid of the goblin run tavern for example). For this we have two approaches. The party is approached and confronted outright, or (my favourite approach) the party start to have things go differently for them.

  • The local Merchant increases their prices,
  • The town guard approach them at the market and start to offer to show them more favourable treatment
  • The Bartender serves them the worst quality drinks and food instead of what was paid for.
  • etc.

The second is more direct.

  • The party has the town guard/rival invite them to dinner who expresses their gratitude for coming to the town so quickly. They also express their point of view on the party, how the goblins, or magical Tavern is a blight that is corrupting the good townsfolk and that they are glad that the party is here to put a stop to it.

Regarding how the party navigate, with words or dice, they may find themselves in a situation where neither side trusts them. The bartender see’s them having dinner with the rival owner. Or the Goblin sees the guard treating the party more favourably. This small encounter and how the party navigate their way through the complexities in social situations can lead to some interesting moments that force the players to really think about the type of character they are role playing.

Clues…

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The party don’t remember much, but the wizard who has a knack for writing things down finds out that the entire sleeve of his robe has his, admittedly very expensive, spellbook ink scrawled in magical runes and text down the inside of it.

‘Not what it seems’ , ‘Potent charm’, ‘Floaty float face’

Unsure of what it means, their memories being what it is it appears as though part of the plan had worked. They knew that the goblins were charming people in their tavern but none of the party could work out what.. Floaty float face could even begin to mean. There was only one thing for it. The party had to go drinking again.

Puzzles

Not all encounters require a sword, in this case the quill was indeed mightier.

For this one we are looking at solving something, a murder mystery where people are mysteriously dying when going to the Deaths Door Inn or where people are losing all memories when going out for a night drinking. Well that one isn’t so uncommon…

Setting up a string of clues and a trigger for people to find, or just giving the players the freedom to creatively work something out may be the key to a successful social encounter. Maybe the occurances at the Goblin and Lute only affect memory and the money that is on the person, not their books, clothes, ink wells etc. Perhaps they could try and write down what they encounter and then role play their sober self trying to understand what the magically drunkened version of them was trying to tell them.

Or perhaps, the party has to work out where the inn they were staying in transported them, a handful of other patrons and the entire staff to a magically unstable location and they have to work out why it happened, where they are and ultimately what or who caused it.

Having creative solutions to magical or difficult situations can, once again, drive the players to consider a different depth of their characters in which they hadn’t explored before.

The two social encounters are challenging. That is to say that as a DM we are easily able to drop in the statblock of an animated scarecrow (see Wandering inn), or town guard and goblins (see goblin and lute) and have the party fight their way out of something – but in this case that is the easy way out. By giving the players something where the sharp end of a pointy stick isn’t the solution they may find character growth and explore a depth of what their character can do and the different ways of solving problems that is still fun and rewarding.

This concept isn’t new. Murder mystery games or problem solving games as just as popular as ever. Cluedo, ultimate werewolf or even Among Us all feature no stat blocks, no real enemy to fight head on – but a series of puzzles or clues in which they have to solve in order to succeed.

Thanks everyone for joining me for a, honestly, odd shift in gears. I tend to default to combat encounters as I find that my party after a long day of work (and dealing with social encounters where it’s.. probably the wrong move to punch your way out of a retail store checkout or meeting with executives) they just want to send their AXE OF WRATH through the face of some ghoul or cultist that was trying to break the seals that keep their deity bound to another plane.

But, we don’t just organise these games for our players do we. As DMs we either love to suffer (haha.. a joke.. right?) or we really love to help tell a story and watch our groups of friends, coworkers and families have a fun time and enjoy each others company. But I find that I have also grown as a person over these last.. carry the 3.. 24 years (almost?) of DMing games and I have the party and what I am willing to try in these adventures to thank for it. Changing my style of DMing, or adopting small changes that aim to incrementally improve the way that I play and that my players experience this game world that I create for them and with them has shown me that I am capable of growth and improvement.

Maybe everyone just needs to push themselves out of their comfort zone to gain meaningful experience so we can level up gaming and ourselves.

On that note, don’t forget that this is just one option for an adventure, you are the puppet master, you create the world and lay out the scene for the players to experience and enjoy. If you and your players don’t like something mix it up! But don’t be afraid to level up your gaming and don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

A room with a view…

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Thursday already, since beginning this blogging journey I can honestly say that the weeks go even quicker – hard to imagine that in a world with COVID and the longest lockdown.. worldwide now I think (as I am in Australia) but there you go.

Today we are looking at a few hand drawn maps that we can send out players to spend a comfortable night in filled with food, beer (or wine), and maybe a bar fight or two. Without too much more chatter let’s roll it up.

Two story Inn

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The concept of rooms for rent upstairs and a bar downstairs is a staple for most inns that are described to our players. This one here proudly sports 7 rooms with a combined total of 15 beds (2 queen sized beds) for any adventuring parties plteasure. Upstairs some rooms are furnished with a table or chairs or both with a centralised stairway going downstaris to the entrance of the inn.

Downstairs, the inn has 2 booths with a table and 4 tables with chairs while at the long bar there is 5 seats available. To the left of the stairs there is a bench where the patrons would checkin to get their room keys, maybe pay any fees or pickup some gear for the followign day. This area has a suitable amount of shelving and tablespace and to the right of this bench space (behind the stairs) there is a storage room where ‘fresh’ cooked food would be kept, perhaps a small hearth under shelving to cook small amounts of food for patrons. Outside there would be a small balcony to support the largest of rooms and to provide some shelter for patrons from the elements.

For a relaxed quite inn this would suit well enough – there is no facilities in here however so that could be a separate room elsewhere for bathing / cleaning purposes. Or perhaps an external room that leads to a cellar where the food is also cooked.

‘Traditional Tavern’

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This Tavern is semi-inspired by some of the artwork found in several D&D publications and has a second layer dedicated to drinking and eating. The ground floor has a lot of communal seating where people could share in platters of food, games of chance or other meriment and along the left wall there are some booths for quiter more private dealings. A large long bar demonstrates that this inn is for drinking and also services a rope basket system for perhaps pulling a smaller bartender (mayhaps a goblin..?) to the second story to service the patrons up there. Behind the bar is a dedicated food and beverage storage room with a double hearth cooks station in the room over.

Upstairs is several smaller tables for more intimate gatherings but the tables could be pushed together at a moments request to get the same vibe as down stairs. A small balcony hovers over the bar underneath so that food and beverages (and perhaps bartenders themselves) could be sent upwards to the second story as to not interupt the flow of drinks and enjoyment on the tavern floor.

There is no place for sleeping here but by increasing the landing along the right hand side of the building and removing the tables and chairs small, perhaps uncomfortably small, lodgings could be provided. Reminds me of times I have stayed in backpackers accomodation actually…

I looked at using some free web based applications to create tonights inns but felt like a personal touch was warranted to get my vision across. Hand drawn on grid paper; which I am almost sorry for – it was a long day at work…, both maps probably took around fifteen minutes to think of, measure and draw (half way through the second map I found my ruler! oops!) but it gave the full flexibility of size and design (and ease of use) that I couldn’t get using software such as inkarnate or one of the several generator applications out there.

Hopefully the maps will give a bit of undersanding into what the layout is for this weeks adventure and I am looking forward to trying to work out the potential encounters tomorrow night that utilise the maps and possible adventures planned.

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

Swill and Thrills…

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Wednesday already? After last night I wasn’t sure how much writing I would be up to doing tonight, but we made it! Looking at the taverns still, I would believe that any of these could be used for a session 0, level 1 or even a level 7 party. Taverns are versatile and everywhere so this weeks adventure, and its twists as we will shortly find out, will be able to be used in any campaign and with some tweaking any setting as well!

Tonight is all original Brazen Wolfe Tabletop content – but no images this time (sorry!). If you want a refresher after the essay from last night I suggest you have check out the ”01-Monday – Plot’ and ’02 – Tuesday – Who/What” category (link in the main landing page) so you can check out the other posts for this week as well as prior weeks. But lets get on with tonight’s content!

One foot at Death’s Door

Contact poison.

A highly effective and rare contact poison has been placed on the red darts in the tavern. Only by extensive searching can the poison be located and it takes a week for the poison to take effect. A rival tavern, run by a previous party meme of Percy before they became famous, had laced the darts as a way to run the tavern’s reputation. The antidote is hard to find and expensive but the rival innkeeper, Toren, has a vial that he keeps.

Toren has many friends, one of them, Hugh, basically resides at the Death’s Door and once the poison has been detected then a ransom note for the antidote will arrive on the bar one morning. The poison makes people appear as if dead within d4+3 days and they stay that way until given the antidote.

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If the party picks up the darts or play them one night then there is a 50% chance they picked up the red darts (>51 on %dice) and they come into the effect of the poison.

If the poison isn’t discovered the party will wake to find their party member cold and stiff to touch.

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The poison is magical in nature and for each person that falls victim to it looks to reopen the Death’s door portal. Toren found a way to dig up the necromancer’s bones and bring him to unlife. They work together to ruin the good name of Percy and finish what the necromancer started

I thought of the contact poison adventure hook last week but didn’t really have a way to use it while sticking with the theme or random and easy. So this week we have two motives for poisoning the patrons at Deaths Door. Both would make for a good adventure and it could be resolved by something we haven’t explored yet. Social skills instead of violence. I know, crazy stuff.

I don’t think we’re in the forgotten realms any more…

The wandering Inn.

The inn has transported itself to a pocket dimension not too unlike the feywilds. Mysterious magical.constructs will approach the inn and scream “closing time!” At the occupant’s. Any one who leaves the inn and gets lost in the magical mists will find themselves stumbling into the vacant lot where the Inn used to be. (Roll a d% every hour exploring. Roll above 10% first roll to stay in the pocket dimension. Then second hour 30% until it hits 70% then the mist becomes aggressive and will hunt them down. The mist doesn’t go anywhere within 40 feet of the Inm and the constructs don’t go inside but will get within 5ft of any door or window and continue to screech.

If a fight occurs and the construct downs a creature is teleported out of the dimension and back into the vacant lot.
This continues for 6 nights.

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The original owner of the Inn has found a way to escape the pocket dimension he banished himself to. Now insane he wants his Inn back and managed to corrupt the magic of the Inn to do so. But he can’t cause harm to anything living in this dimension or his control on the Inn will break. On the 6th night he appears before the inn and the remaining patrons and party members and offers a deal. Give him the inn and he will send them back with riches. Merl refuses outright and asks the party for help

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The inn is controlled by a crystal from the feywilds. The inn has slowly become sentient and created this dimension for it to remain in and grow to understand who and what it is. On the 6th night a particularly large construct would appear and parley with the humanoids.

Either the original mad owner or sentient Inn both have social, puzzle and combat elements involved. The idea with these twists is to tell why its happening. To have a “Ahhhhh. Of course” moment that is 1, believeable and 2, rewarding to the players.

Goblins wanted, pay is competitive.

The Goblins Boss

While it’s true that the Gobin and Lute tavern causes people to get exceeding drunk, become coinless and lose their memory of the night, the goblins run a tight shop and no one is ever injured or had anything of real value taken. Unless you are a member of the guard or under their employ.

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The goblins are employed to a sprite from the feywilds who feeds off happiness, not in a sick way. The happier the patrons the more magical power the fey has and the better the inn becomes. The fey creature, when not feeding, visits the people of the town and heals illness, increases growth in crops and ensures prosperity of the patrons of the tavern (firstly) and those around them.

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The Goblins are mind slaves to a underdark creature who controls all goblins like puppets. He removes memories of the patrons to create mindless constructs in a cellar under the tavern which it plans to unleash upon the town when the time is right.

I have had a lot of fun roleplaying traditional minion monsters. Kobolds (my favourites), goblins, imps and quasits all can bring something comical and nom threatening to an adventure. Which is why it is even more hilarious when they turn on the party and the noble paladin, pious cleric and angry, angry barbarian all get knocked unconcious by a group of cr 1/8 filler creatures.

The idea here is a comic relief. Serious Adventure/session after serious session can be draining. Having an adventure that is just there for Stein’s and giggles is a great way to give an enjoyable night but takes the pressure of, 1, the party to fight something life threatening and 2, you the DM. Sure the players may want to cut a goblin in half with the serving dish their potato’s came on. But add in a bad guy controlling them, or a do-gooder guard capitan who hates goblins and doesn’t care if they are making the town and it’s people truely happy, and your party has a punching bag to take their d20s out and hit.

I had a bit of fun tonight writing up the twists for these adventures and I hope you had at least as much fun reading it. I started typing (on my mobile as I do every second night – short story for another time) with only the contact poison and old owner wanting it’s Inn back twists in mind. As I started writing it out it just developed and went into what it is and I’m pretty happy with what came out of it

Not all adventures need to be about fighting or combat. Social encounters are likely harder to beat ( I mean.. Charisma is a dump stat.. right…?) And violent may make things worse or not solve it at all.

Don’t forget that if you like what you read feel free to use it. If you do drop us a comment on how the game session/short story/thing.. went!

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

A tale of three taverns

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Tuesday brings NPC day.. but today is one with a twist. Since this week is focusing on three taverns we are looking at fleshing them out and treating them like NPCs.

Today I wanted to really push the idea of Inns and Taverns being more than a spot to throw a party together into a quest. So I used The Copper Sanctum’s ‘not another tavern generator‘ to create some menus and look at some other aspects to add into a tavern or inn. I particularly like the names of the beers (being a craft beer drinker myself) and hope my players get a kick out of these later on.

I also experiment with Artbreeders Building maker (yup.. Artbreeder again) to create some images of taverns for this Tuesdays NPC write up.

Inns and Taverns

Deaths Door Inn

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The Bartender – Sam Bristlechin

An adult male halfling who is remotely attractive in a friendzone kind of way. Unlike other halflings that frequent the inn, he is brash and humorless but despite that he never gets an order wrong. His skin is warm, and he has messy black hair that he keeps short and neat. Physically, he is average.

The patrons

On a typical night, patrons can be described as calm. Normally there are between around ten and fifteen other people in the tavern. Some of them would be found singing a drinking song at the bar which brings Sam’s disposition to a dark state remarkably fast. Sitting at a secluded booth, there is an imposing looking figure. The figure will silently boast that they know of a griffon who is currently away from its nest, but they don’t know why or for how long it will be gone.

The Accommodations

The rooms for rent are small to the cramped side but notably clean. There are normally three rooms available for rent. The cost for a night’s stay is 7 sp, 5 cp.

Beverages

Wines

Wand and Staff Gewürztraminer
A locally produced white wine with flavors that are lean and rough.

Bottle price: 2 gp, 5 sp
Glass price: 8 sp, 6 cp

Lawless Eye Riesling
A famous vintage of white wine with a bouquet that is sweet and mellow.

Bottle price: 11 gp, 2 sp
Glass price: 3 gp, 7 sp

Blushing Bard Chardonnay
An imported white wine with a taste that is oaky and lean.

Bottle price: 4 gp, 5 sp
Glass price: 1 gp, 5 sp

Unlucky Tooth Merlot
A finely made red wine with a bouquet that is full and oaky.

Bottle price: 7 gp, 3 sp
Glass price: 2 gp, 4 sp

One bottle of this wine is contaminated with a strong poison that could blind anyone who drinks from it. There was a mix-up during the bottling process.

Lagers & Ales

Jumping Rapier Ale
6.73% ABV
An imported golden honey ale. Described as a mild honey ale with a creamy finish.

Gallon price: 5 sp, 3 cp
Pint price: 1 sp

Polished Pixie Fruit Ale
6.45% ABV
An imported reddish fruit ale. Described as a full-bodied fruit ale with a strong flavor of hops and a pleasant finish.

Gallon price: 5 sp, 8 cp
Pint price: 1 sp, 1 cp

Abyssal Elephant Pilsner
6.73% ABV
An imported amber pilsner. Described as a refreshing pilsner with an aftertaste of citrus and a pleasant finish.

Gallon price: 6 sp, 3 cp
Pint price: 1 sp, 2 cp

Demonic Triangle Fruit Ale
5.45% ABV
A microbrewed reddish fruit ale. Described as a spicy fruit ale with a strong flavor of hops and a bitter finish.

Gallon price: 4 sp, 4 cp
Pint price: 8 cp

Wolf and Dryad Porter
7.45% ABV
An imported dark amber porter. Described as a complex porter with a bitter finish.

Gallon price: 5 sp, 5 cp
Pint price: 1 sp, 1 cp

Liquors

House Gin
A house-made gin.
Bottle price: 1 gp, 8 sp
Shot price: 3 sp

House Whiskey
A house-made wheat whiskey.
Bottle price: 1 gp, 8 sp
Shot price: 3 sp

Happy Ram Gin
An imported gin.
Bottle price: 3 gp, 3 sp
Shot price: 5 sp, 5 cp

Fuchsia Tackle Brandy
An imported cherry brandy.
Bottle price: 3 gp, 4 sp
Shot price: 5 sp, 7 cp

Food Menu

Starters

Adventurers Board
2 sp, 3 cp
A plate of sharp cheese, a hunk of bread and some boiled meat (likely oxen) with some pickled carrots.

Deep-Fried Potato Wedges
3 sp, 8 cp
Potato wedges fried in lard. Served with a spicy red sauce.

Jam-Packed Baby Artichokes
4 sp, 4 cp
A platter of baby artichokes jam-packed with a medley of onion and cream cheese.

Entrees

Ham Stew
3 sp, 6 cp
A rich stew with cubes of ham, cubed potatoes, and onions.

Romaine Salad
3 sp, 5 cp
Leaves of romaine tossed with celery and onions.

Roasted Rabbit and Romaine Salad
3 sp, 5 cp
Leaves of romaine tossed with herbs. Topped with roasted rabbit.

Mains

Herb-crusted Rabbit
6 sp, 8 cp
Herb-crusted rabbit in white sauce served with noodles with a side of beets.

Braised Fish
6 sp, 9 cp
Braised slices of fish with a ginger marinade alongside rice and a helping of mushrooms.

Grilled Lamb
6 sp, 8 cp
Grilled lamb in white sauce served over noodles with a side of artichoke.

Blackened Chicken
6 sp, 7 cp
Blackened chicken in white sauce on a bed of quinoa with a serving of red beans and green peppers.

Herb-crusted Venison
7 sp, 1 cp
Herb-crusted bits of venison in white sauce alongside mashed potatoes with a serving of artichoke and carrots.

The Wandering Inn

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The Bartender – Mer Tingleton

The bartender and ‘owner’ at The wandering Inn is a weathered male halfling who is average looking. He is often uncommonly positive in disposition. His skin is lightly freckled, and he has dark hair, kept in a short but untamed style. Physically, he is terribly unfit.

The patrons

On a typical night, the patrons can be described as considerably friendly. On this occasion, there are a few other people currently in the tavern. A couple of them are playing a game of ante. Sitting at a secluded table, there is a nervous looking figure. They are in search of able-bodied adventurers to assist in the recovery of a kidnapped pet.

The Accommodations

The rooms for rent are small and impressively dingy. There is currently four rooms available for rent. The cost for a night’s stay is 5 sp, 1 cp. If the party spends the night in the tavern, shrieks of laughter can be heard over the low hum of magic that permeates the vicinity throughout the night

Beverages

Wines

Tiny Spellbook Pinot Noir
A poorly made red wine with a taste that is powerful and dry.

Bottle price: 1 gp, 5 sp
Glass price: 5 sp, 2 cp

Goat and Unicorn Riesling
A locally produced white wine with a taste that is full and flat.

Bottle price: 4 gp, 1 sp
Glass price: 1 gp, 3 sp

Lagers & Ales

Pious Worm Hard Cider
5.73% ABV
An imported light amber cider. Described as a fruity cider with a pleasant finish .

Gallon price: 8 sp, 8 cp
Pint price: 1 sp, 7 cp

House Ale
4.41% ABV
A house-brewed light brown ale. Described as a sweet ale with a pleasant finish.

Gallon price: 6 sp, 3 cp
Pint price: 1 sp, 2 cp

Liquors

Copper Cart Brandy
An imported elderberry brandy.
Bottle price: 4 gp, 5 sp
Shot price: 7 sp, 6 cp

Stuffy flute Gin
A localled produced Gin.
Bottle price: 2 gp, 9 sp
Shot price: 4 sp, 9cp

Food Menu

Starters

Deep fried onion rings
3 cp
Onion rings fried in lard, served with a honey creamy sauce.

Deep-Fried Potato Wedges
4 cp
Potato wedges fried in butter. Served with a fruity sauce.

Crammed Red Pepper
5 cp
A platter of red peppers crammed with a blend of garlic, cheese and potato.

Entrees

Ham Soup
3 cp
A savoury soup with chunks of ham, onions and cubed potatoes.

Lettuce Salad
3 cp
Leaves of mixed lettuce tossed with beets and chilli.

Mains

Roasted Frogs
8 cp
Roasted frogs served on a bed of mashed potato with a spicy red sauce.

Grilled Frog
9 cp
Grilled slices of frog with aside of potatos fried in lard and three large sized mushrooms.

Blackened Frog
6 cp
Blackened chicken in white sauce.

It’s not actually frog but the innkeep has a bad sense of humor..

The Goblin and Lute Tavern

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The Bartenders

No less than seven goblins run around the tavern serving drinks and food to the patrons. No one ever seems to remember their names. The bartenders can be seen taking money from the patrons, but no one would remember thats surely.

The patrons

On a typical night, the patrons can be described as almost friendly. On this occasion, there are a few other people currently in the tavern. A couple of them are arguing with the bartenders.

The Accommodations

There are no rooms for rent.

Beverages (no prices)

Wines

Thirsty Cleric Pinot Noir

A poorly made red wine that is described as cloying asnd smokey

House Riesling
A house-made white wine with a taste tht is rough and earthy.

Wicket Grape Pinot Noir
A finely made red wine that is described as fruity and smooth.

Lagers & Ales

Rose and Manticore Fruit ale
6.36% ABV
An imported light brown fruit ale. Described as a sweet fruit ale with a rich finish.

House Stout
8.73% ABV
An house-brewed dark brown stout. Described as a meaty with a creamy aftertaste.

House pale Ale
4.41% ABV
A house-brewed light golden ale. Described as a a lightly sour ale with a fruity finish.

Dancing Hobgoblin Ale
5.86% ABV
A locally brewed reddish red ale. Described as a nutty red ale with a rich finish.

Knotted Fungus Fruit Ale
4.45% ABV
A microbrewed light amber fruit ale. Described as a nutty fruit ale with a rich finish.

Liquors

Three Silvers Brandy
An imported raspberry brandy.

Strangled Lute Brandy
A localled produced brandy.

Spotless Crown Gin
A locally produced peach Gin.

House Whiskey
A house-made wheat whiskey.

Food Menu (no Prices)

Starters

Deep fried stuff

Onions, potatos, bits of meat and who knows what else is fried and served with house-ale.

Entrees

Potato Soup

A savoury potato based soup onions and cubed bacon.

Mains

Chunk of meat

Blackened meat served with potato and more house-ale.

Thanks for joining me today. I would love to say I had a lot of fun in writing up today’s content but it was a lot of writing today (even with the awesome content produced (randomly) at The Coppers Sanctum (not another tavern generator)) and it say me writing much later than what I would normally be doing so. But, I do sincerly hope that out there, there is a bar/pub that serves (some of) this food and almost all the beers listed!

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow where we look further at the twists and turns we can have with this weeks adventures and dont hesistate to comment and let us know if you would visit one of the inns or taverns above! If you have a If you do comment, dont forget to mention where you are from, what RPG systems you play with and what brought you here.. Oh and don’t forget to roll with Advantage!
The Brazen Wolfe

The trouble with taverns…

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Monday already and that means another selection of adventure plots is here. With this year going stupidly fast I barely noticed we are into our 6th week of writing these out so I am going to mix up a couple days this week (but still keep roughly the same format) so put a bigger twist on the challenge as a whole.

Credits and images tool blurb thing

Image from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net which can be found here Lnk to image

Taverns and Inns

Every DM would know of the session 0 hook “you meet in a tavern”. Players find NPCs to create bonds with, earn (or swindle) money, meet buyers of goods or simply get a good night rest on a bed instead of the forest floor. This week all paths lead to taverns and thats where our plot hooks start.

Deaths Door

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Deaths door is a cosy tavern famed for its garden salad, its inclusive policy and its well mannered proprietor Percy the humble.

Deaths door tavern got it’s name from an adventuring party who stopped a necromancer from opening a portal to a layer of hell and summoning forth a dark lord of undeath.

However, lately tavern patrons have been found dead with their limbs twisted in horrific ways. Six dead bodies have been found and the only link between them all is that they all visited Deaths Door at various times over the last week

Percy Merrywinkle has requested that someone step in to find the cause of these deaths as he believes there must be another cause to the patrons deaths.

Mer’s wandering Inn

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Mer’s wandering Inn is a thing of magical delight. Every few nights the Inn disappears from where it is and appears in a different city all together leaving the land it was located at empty with a sign displaying the number of days until it will relocate there.

By every second dawn the Inn has magically relocates to a predetermined place and has since it was created by Bryn, a dwarf wizard of some power who lived a mug of ale in a different location every few nights.

However as the party stay over on a non-transportation night the inn shakes, trembles and then on with a loudly sound like ripping paper or parchment all is still and quiet.

The inn has relocated, for the first time in a few hundred years, to a new place. Great discoloured clouds of magic and strange exotic animals and plants surround the Inn, it’s owner, the party and a few other patrons.

The Goblin and Lute

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The Goblin and Lute is a roudy establishment what people go to get utterly blind drunk.

The entire bar staff are all goblins and there is one rule. Drink, Pay and leave. Most of the patrons are regulars and the Inn is relatively famous for it’s business model. You drink what and goes much you want but you leave with only the clothes in your back. The last part is not shared much as the patrons like to see the bewildered looks on newcomers faces as they wake up from a big night of drinking with their purses as empty as their memories front the night before.

The city guard have tried to get their men inside for years but they always end up drunk, almost naked and confused in front of the houses of Lords and ladies.

The strangest thing is that as soon as the paying patrons who Harbour no ill will leave the tavern they are immediately sober and are extremely happy with their experience at the Goblin and Lute.

Thanks for joining me today to look at something that I, to be honest, generally overlook. I have a go to tavern that I use in most dnd sessions where the players find familiar comfort food, a familiar half-orc innkeeper and a relaxed attitude to a dnd session.

For me The Frisky Mare tavern is where most of my adventures start in some shape of form. It’s slightly rough looking Innkeeper, Tess the half-orc, looks after the party and keeps and eye on the ruffians. In the morning flat bread with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes and/or Glory rolls (double egg and double bacon with cheese rolls) is served for the hungry party and Tess offers advice and info into some leads for work or information.

The Frisky Mare is fundamentally my tavern. It’s my comfort zone and I am going to shake it up this week to give me, and you, some new taverns and Inns that could kick off your next adventure.

And thanks to my new followers. Welcome and thanks for clicking that button to read what I put out daily. I enjoy exploring this process I have done subconsciously for over a decade (maybe 2…) and recording it to be viewed and maybe used by many more.

I really look forward to each day I do this. I also look forward to the day that someone reaches out to tell me they used something I created here in their own adventure. I think that would feel like rolling two nat 20s. Don’t forget to have fun, rekindle that spark and as always don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Town of Sebluff

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Sunday here at last, this week even the town is randomly generated (with some notable landmarks) and then held together with gum and hope that my challenge to create something from randomly generated something’s works.

There are quite a few randomly generated things and I am not quite sure how big of a post this will be at the end of the writing session – but lets see how we go. The random traps, city ‘map’ etc. were generated in Donjon – go give them a look if you are interested!

The sleepy town of Sebluff

Map generated by DonJon Random Town generator. All rights and credit are provided to them.

The costal town of Sebluff is known for it’s farms and good natured townsfolk. Predominately humans and halflings Sebluff is governed by a council of 4 elders, the 4 oldest members of the town, who call themselves the Golden Few. Each of the councilmen and women dress ornately in purple cloaks that have a golden chain around their necks that holds a quarter of a disk of quarts decorated with wheat stalks made from gold.

The population of around 500 busy themselves with fishing, farming and most importantly trading with any who bring something to trade.

There are a smattering of houses in Sebluff, most of them contain families of a few generations and as the town is a peace loving trading and farming community they have long since torn down their walls as the nearby cities and walled settlements regularly patrol the roads to ensure that their rich trading hub (Sebluff) can continue to operate without a military.

When the day of farming and fishing is over the residence of the city turn to the local entertainment to spend their hard earned silver on. A Large theatre, The Bale and Flail, famous of it’s satire and halfling run acting company is a regular venue for people to relax and enjoy the food and plays that are dished out within its walls.

The Fat Goblin, a humble gnome run tavern is situated not far from the theatre and provides visitors a room to stay and have a quite (as much as gnomely possible) meal away from the bustle of the cities other delights.

The last notable building of some fame is the Temple of Lathander where the head Priest, Phames, runs a morning mass to greet the new day as the light from the morning lord reaches the Shrine of Hily Byne, the founder of the town and first cleric of Lathander (or so the stories go).

The plot

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Over the past few months the peaceful town has seen an influx of people from the outskirts claiming that their farm has been plagued by flying wyverns that seem to breathe blight in which no matter of crop or animal can flourish. The good people of Sebluff have taken these people into their community and provided work and accommodation for the refugees.

The arrival of those who seek shelter has also seen the rise in power of a mercenary guild who has begun to hunt these beasts and keep them away from the farms of the townsfolk, for a modest fee of course.

Not long after the mercenaries entered the City the head priests sacred amulet, the holy symbol of Lathander gifted down from Hily Byne, is missing and a people in the city are becoming discontent.

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The wyvern hunting mercenaries are pretending to be farmers from near by farms and they are extorting the town for protection money for something that isn’t there.. yet.

Brother Phames has a reason for completing his morning ritual using his particular amulet. It’s an ancient ritual said to keep dragons and their kin at bay from the local lands – he has merely hidden the amulet from the public eye whilst he waits for the prophecy to come true and a beast to come forth and test the mettle of the Hunters.

The people of the hills

Sarah Lune

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Sarah has come forward with a concern – she believes that the wyvern hunters are not who they say they are. She hasn’t said this publically and has talked to the brother Phames about her concerns. She is more than likely to approach the party if she believes that they are able to help as the brotherhood of Lathander seem to have their own problems.

(see It takes a village to raise a child for background info)

Ned Talksmuch

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Ned, the son of the gnome Tavern owners Mildred and Golwinkle, talks to much… He has heard rumours that the priest has been lying to the public and is hiding something. He believes that the holy symbol wasn’t taken or stolen but it’s relinquished by brother Phames due to his misconduct.

Ned is quite overt about his dislike about the clergy but is quick to back down and make apologies if questioned.

(See It takes a village to raise a child for background info)

The Encounters

As the party arrive at the town they can see that there are several well armed mecenaries taking money and goods from a few of the merchants tents. One of them, a farmer selling corn, refuses to pay and a heated argument breaks out. Seeing the party the mercenary threatens with the removal of the wyvern hunters protection if they refuse payment tomorrow and disapears. The farmer, Sarah Lune, explains to the party member what is going on – that the wyvern hunters keep taking more and more money to keep the beasts away but she has doubts if they are even there. She seems worried as her two elderly parents approach and break down in tears, fearful that their farm will fall to the flying monsters that plague the town – reportedly.

Sarah offers the protection money to the Party members if they could stay a few days and nights at her farm to look out for the farm in case of wyvern attack – or worse.

If the party does then see encounter 1, else see encounter 2

Encounter 1

As night falls on the second night the party notice a vision of a flying creature approaching them from a small forest to the north. As it gets closer it breathes out a torrent of fire that sets the corn crops alight – But something seems off in how the fire catches the stalks as small spot fires appear sporadically rather than in a line. When the party investigates (or if they investigate the Wyvern DC12) they recognise it as an illusion and can see several features running alone the ground setting fire to the crops.

4 men and women are running along the ground with a cloaked figure chanting not far behind them away from the crops with its back turned to the party – seemingly convinced that it’s illusion will keep it safe. Once they realise the party are aware of them they will try and silence the party (kill them or knock them out…). If the party members are still alive at the end of round 2 then they will spend round 3 retreating.

If the party member capture or kill any of them before they try and escape then they will recognise one of them from the wyvern hunting mercenaries. if the mercenaries Knock them out then the party wake up in their hideout in the forest. Or if they escape but the party track them then they will find their hideout in the forest to the north under a poorly hidden staircase amongst some carved stones in the trees.

The Ruins (Den of the Cabal)

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Floor 1.

As the party enter the well lit and clean ruins they can tell someone has put a fair bit of work in making this place hospitable. Flags showing a dedication to Talmora line the walls and there is not a spec of dust or dirt on the grounds. As the party walk forward they have no idea that the mercenaries are well versed in laying traps.

  • 1 – Rune of Paralyzation: DC 15 to find, DC 10 to disable; affects all targets within 10 ft., DC 10 Con save or become paralyzed for 1d4 minutes. There is a 10ft circular stone plate in the middle of this room. Anyone who steps on it will feel a jolt of lightning course through their bodies rendering them helpless.
  • 2 – Chain Flail: DC 10 to find, DC 15 to disable; initiative +4, 1 attack per round, +6 to hit against all targets within 5 ft., 2d10 bludgeoning damage. There is a panel just before the trap that can disable the trap. The room that this hallway leads to has several chests lined up and looks to hold the tribute and payment the townsfolk has been giving the mercenaries.
  • 3 – Falling Block (from side of wall): DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; affects all targets within a 10 ft long 5 ft wide rectangle, DC 14 Dex save (or strength save to stop the block) or take 2d10 damage. Either side of the walkway before you enter this hallway there are two reinforced banners that have a flat wide top. By using the tops of these the players can jam the block from closing the corridor. A DC15 Athletics check will stop the block from sealing the passage way (until forced back into its position in the wall and the trap reset). There is a pressure plate under the block that is recessed enough that the party can notice it easily enough. This can cause the block to remain hidden in the wall.

Floor 2

As the party descend the stairs they find themselves in a small hallway that has two rooms off it. There are no signs of life within these rooms just a writing desk in the room to the right and a statue to the room straight forward.

  • 1 – The writing desk has a Strange looking glass built into the wood. When sitting in the chair and looking through the glass they can see that the wall opposite them (1) is an illusion and they can see straight through to the hall on the other side. If they do this without setting off any alarms or traps in the floor above they would see a few mercenaries moving to and from the pillar down the hall and an open door half way down the passage.

    The statue in the room to the north (with a secret door) is a grotesque fish-person with a clawed three pronged trident. DC12 to notice that one of the tridents claws match an indent in the wall – which will cause the wall to swing inwards and surprise any mecenary on the other side of the wall.
  • 2 – This door is seriously locked. A really heavy locked door if the party members have alerted the mercenaries to their presence. DC20 strength check to break it down. AC20 to damage it with 20 hp. This iron banded door won’t give for many people at all. The Cultist Fanatic would have a key to this door however.
  • 3 – Concealed Pit: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; affects all targets entering a 10 ft. square area, DC 14 save or take 2d10 damage. The whole room is a pit trap. The lever to disable to pit trap is next to the secret door/passage to the south wall in the room and not reachable unless you skirt around a narrow (6inch lip) ledge to activate the lever. On the walls is several books and several small chests on shelves as well as wall mounted weapon and armor racks.

As for creatures. If the mercenaries were followed here (and all of them escaped or the party was captured) there should be 8 bandits, 1 cultist fantatic and 1 bandit leader in here. The bandit leader and half remaining bandits should be in the 1st floor in the large room near the chain trap and the fanatic and half bandits should be down past the locked door in the odd shaped room planning another raid.

Encounter 2

The ‘Wyvern’

On the 4th night the blight drake will appear and will be seen along the coastline near the town. IF they wyvern hunters are still alive they will flee with the loot (extorted tithes) and won’t be seen again. The party members will be requested to defend the city.

When (DM decide where) the party encounter the drake use the stat block below. The drake is likely to fight by flying over the party and breathing out acid before landing and taking to them with tooth and claw. It’s forearms also function as it’s wings.

The priest will reveal that he did not lose the holy symbol but wanted to prove the mercenaries as fake or try and lay the blame on the stolen artefact on the mercenaries. He did not anticipate the beast being as strong as it was or even real.

The outcome

The party can persue the wyvern hunters as they would set up camp in the forest hideout. The priest would offer a reward if they can retrieve the ill-gotten money and goods.

Thanks for joining for another weekend writeup, I hope you enjoyed what was thought up this week. I had a lot of fun taking the random elements and drawing inspiration from them to create an adventure that I don’t think I’ve run in the past.

As always don’t forget to have fun running your games and don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Traps…

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Now I tend to not use traps in my dungeons or my adventures and the reason is simple.

They either slow down the game with players checking every room or corridor for one or more traps or, the players start to suspect me of trying to kill them by including traps.

I will explain why I love traps but also why I fail to use them often in a simple write-up of a ‘random’ encounter I had with my current party.

The human Paladin, Tiefling Ranger and ‘Treefolk’ (homebrew race) Blood Hunter were escorting a caravan carrying an unholy relic from Eruva Osto; the great walled city, to Cthlaxiis where an order of knights would destroy the artefact and aid in preventing the second coming of a undead deity.

As the caravan and it’s escort made its way under the shadowed canopy of oak and pine trees they approached a fallen tree about 60 feet away. Next to this tree a familiar form of a mushroom loving Kobold they met the other day could be seen picking up some mushrooms. The Blood Hunter approached the Kobold, narrowing avoiding fine silken thread that had been placed at several places along the road. As the Treefolk questioned the Kobold a caravan guard stepped forward and was shot with poisoned darts, he began to hallucinate as several kobolds let off yipping battle cries and rushed towards the larger humanoids with the element of surprise in their favour. A few rounds of combat saw all the PCs unconcious and robbed, the strings of silk and threat of traps hampering their fighting prowess. As a npc guard ran forward to stabilise the fallen party members he accidentally set off a log trap that turned him to jelly when it pulverised him against a tree laden with hidden spikes.

From that adventure onwards they remembered Barry the guard and have a fear of kobolds. But more importantly it demonstrated how the puny kobold or semi-intelligent monster could work with traps and boost themselves from mere fodder and a way to wet the blades of your party, but to become something which the players remember forever.

I liked this encounter. The traps where very low difficulty and threat level which suited the three level 2 pcs but it challenged them to think out side of the hack and slash box.

What I didn’t like was the snowball affect that lands me with two or three players rolling perception and investigation checks every new room they walk into. Even when it’s very clear that there isn’t anything here they still love to check for traps. This paranoia means that for me utilising traps is a moot point, which I and drive with. But what it does do is slow down the game a bit.

When you have 80% of the party being working parents and your game time limited to Saturday night from 8pm til 11:45pm (we don’t play past 12am due to an effect we call the happening.. stuff gets weird after midnight) any delay in game time can really impact the enjoyment that the party get out of the session.

But with this week’s adventure having a dungeon full of traps I think it’s time to address that tool in the DMs toolbelt and see what this adventure can bring.

Start safe, play hard and don’t forget to roll with advantage,

The Brazen Wolfe

Chaos brings the dark ones forth…

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Fight night is here (Friday) and that means that we will look at a few encounters. Encounters, for me, doesn’t have to be sticking monsters with the sharp end of a sword they can also include puzzles, traps, social situations that require careful navigation or escaping from a mine in a mine cart down the various twists and turns before the roof collapses on you. Any of these situations is what can draw a group of players to the table and what makes them form an adventuring party.

With this week, following the theme of random I will draw to attention the DonJon PDF from yesterday (will linkt it again below to save you going back) as it has **a lot** of content in that PDF.

So there is some monsters to fight I will add in a few DnD 5e statblocks that I believe would be suitable in the maps provided. To compliment the stat block I will include some images of the models I kitbashed from some plastic kits (with wire and sculpting material) to try and represent what I was envisioning for the monster as well as a homebrew monster as part of a pseudo-boss encounter.

For the sake of encounter balancing I assume that we have a party of 4 level 3 characters.

Temple of the forgotten

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Shadows of the forgotten.

When those that worship the dark come back their new forms are as black as the shadows that they served in life.

Got to be careful with shadows. They are generally pretty fail but overlooked creatures but they add a sense of danger to anyone who knows anything about them, or those who don’t on that matter.

To balance out this encounter lets look at the above photo that comes in around 1300 (325 per player) adjusted XP (thanks kobold fightclub) due to the nature of the creatures, their danger this is a hard encounter (where I like to aim). To add in some randomness or some non-undead monsters to fight let’s use a mixture of the below 4 blocks to flesh out the rest of the adventure as any and all of them could fit in the spaces envisioned.

These stat blocks will balance out to having 1 CR2 creature (Cultist Fanatic or Bandit Capitan) and between 2 and 7 of the Cr 1/8 creatures (Cultist or Bandits) to give us a hard rating. I would err on the side of 2~4 of the bandits as these are meant to be backing up the capitan. If you want a boss fight where there is a high chance of PC death (or that high risk) then consider a Cultist Fantatic as well as a Shadow Swarm that they just summoned. Thematically this could be the bodies of his slain allies in the room where he rips out their corrupted souls from their dying bodies if you want the adventure to be dark.

File to download Temple of the forgotten PDF.


temple-of-the-forgotten-pdfDownload

Stat blocks are thanks to Tetra-Cube which has an extensive list of DnD5e statblocks (SRD as well as not..) and Kobold fight club also has provided the balancing tools. Check them out to make your game-night a bit easier.

As with the current theme it’s looking for ideas to make things a bit easier. With the exception of the shadows (and the bigger version of them) all of these creatures can be re-branded and skinned to be wyvern hunters, corrupt priests of traders and city guards.

As always, thanks for joining me to have a read through another fight-night and I don’t forget to make things a bit of fun!

What’s hidden under our feet…

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Thursday already and with it comes maps. Today following the theme of the week we have a look at random generated dungeons, crypts or cellars. Both of these maps were generated using web browser applications and have pros and cons to them.

Without talking too much more let’s have a look at what we are working with today.

The temple of the forgotten

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Perhaps high up in the mountains, or maybe underneath an new building lies a maze of old masonry and mystery. The Temple of the forgotten was generated in donjon and tailored (traps, complexity, etc.) with 4 level 3 party members in mind. However the layout and theme could also be used quite easily as any dungeon or crypt and the ability to download it as a friendly self contained HTML file OR as a PDF is a big win.

Generated in https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/dungeon/

Files for download

temple-of-the-forgotten-PDF fullDownload
temple-of-the-forgotten-player-packDownload

Den of the Cabal

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A hidden trap door, or secret passage way can hide a lot of things. Whether the crafted corridors and rooms are host to dark and vile acts or they are used by the innocent to seek shelter from the dangers above ground, hidden structures like this provide adventure and exploration for a dungeon master and their players.

Created in DunGen this doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles but does produce visually simple yet appealing maps for those wanting to add something a bit more to their game sessions.

Den of the Cabal – Top level. Created in https://dungen.app/dungen/
Den of the Cabal – Lower level. Created in https://dungen.app/dungen/

Files for download

dungen_seed(24953281)_top-level-1Download
dungen_Seed(86896314)_lower-levels-1Download

Both the Dungen app and Donjon are useful tools for those who want a quick nofuss map for their adveture. There are other generators out there and some of which can provide you with encounters as well as a plot hook for the adventure ahead however if I had to pick a favourite used today I can’t look past DonJon. I have used them for reference materials for a number of years and looking at their dungeon creator it’s really a wonderful tool that could save hours of drawing and calculating.

Or use either of these generators and add things in yourself. Treat the as a shell to hold your creative yolk inside until it’s ready to hatch. What ever the tool a map, on the table, or hidden behind the fog of war on the virtual tabletop can really bring a spark of joy and enjoyment to your players.

Don’t forget the weekend is approaching and with it comes, for most of us, the best times to sit down infront of a screen or a table and to play tabletop games. Have fun out there and as always..

Don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Pitchforks, hides, and holy symbols.

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Wednesday is here again and it brings today some plot twists to our quests or NPCs to add a depth to our games.

As with the previous two nights this week is about versatility and improvisation. Generic twists, any of the below have been written and thought up to be used with any NPC or any plot from this week or previous weeks adventures. The challenge is to like the path that a twist takes you back to the main road so that the party can still get closure with the adventure.

Disruption in the marketplace

The party arrives at the marketplace just as a fight breaks out. The city guard move to intervene but as more people’s join into the brawl it quickly gets out of hand.

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The group of traders were approached by a official who demanded gold in exchange for the protection of their stall. The black ail was not taken well by the noble tribe of traders and they challenged the official to a duel. As the official began to lose the ritualistic dual he drew a blade and killed his opponent causing the other traders to demand retribution for this dishonor.

Any marketplace could host this scene. It opens up a few options for subplots or side quests for the party if they choose to intervene.

As the fight breaks down the traders explain their side of the story, perhaps assisted by other traders wronged my the official or perhaps not.

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The words “Stop thief” seem yo reverberate around the stalls as everyone stands still. A darting figure in a tan coloured hood rushes towards the party as a stall owner shouts and points at the humanoid running away from the stall

A thief / chase twist can open up exciting plots or changes in the story. A patron wronged may be incorrectly held accountable as a thief if they take what is rightfully theirs, or people unaccustomed to a culture may not be aware what they are doing is stealing. Or perhaps, they just don’t care if it’s stealing if it furthers their goals or plans.

If the party catch up (see chases in the DM guide for dnd) then maybe a new twist on the quest happens, or a side quest that distracts them from the main issue.

I haven’t had a campaign or adventure on that matter where I mention a marketplace and the party are drawn to it. The proposition of games of chance, information or wealth (magic items, a new sword, reagents for spells) always draws people in and it’s a great way to further the plot or mix it up a bit.

The man who cried wyvern

Sometimes people get it wrong. But what happens if they aren’t wrong that one time and no one believes them..

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The reported sighting of a wyvern flight taking a farmer’s sheep got the village into a flurry of activity. The local stores sold out of weapons very quickly and “wyvern” hunters appeared in quickly and self their services to the village to keep the beasts away. However no further sightings were made and the village quickly found themselves indebted to these hunters who made a home for themselves in the inn.

If the village couldn’t pay for their services they took what they want as payment for keeping the flying monsters away.

These types of village guests can be the hardest to get out. Taking what they want and refusing to leave, or making it feel like what they provide is essential can create the illusion of indenture.

Maybe the wyverns are there. Or maybe they are not. Having someone from the wyvern hunters crew pretend to see a beast then the crew coming to the towns rescue is a tale as old as time. But, maybe the presence of these mercenaries would bring about such a beast and just as they think they are safe they find out they are a beasts next meal.

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When the local priest exclaimed that his connection to Lathander (or any other deity) had failed as his holy symbol had gone missing the town searched high and low, and found the party. The offer of gold and a blessing from the morning lord was enough to entice them to look.. but what if they found more than the missing amulet.

A hook to treat lightly, perhaps a false priest or a corruption in the order is the cause, whatever the case if you have religious players maybe add a disclaimer as corruption of a faith, or falsehoods can be a sensitive subect.

If the party is fine with it then you can have a lot of fun working out if the priest or whole town has turned from the light in favour for the delights of the dark. The pretence of a missing symbol or idol could cause conflict or attract rumours of the foul kind to a village as words and rumours have power.

We investigate the darkness of people in need, or who pretend to be in need in order to progress their own motives with this twist. The lie, white or not can be a turning point in an adventure and when mixed with the right plot or another twist it can make for a complex and deep mystery for the party to solve.

That’s it for tonight, a visit at a marketplace and a lie, white or otherwise. Twists and turns make for an exciting moment mid adventure that can create a deciding movement for the party in which way to go.

Now I’ll get around to explaining it one day but for now… Don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe