TTRPG

Hunters in the Mill

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Tonight we look at the Hunters in the Mill with out instalment of Friday fightnight! These creatures are generally not used in many adventures but they would make a great addition to any wilderness or rural encounter. Or urban for that matter, where ever you may have a need for someone to buy exotic pets. But enough of this and let’s roll into tonight’s encounter.

Hunters in the Mill

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As the squeaking intensified so did the unease in the cherpa hens. What ever was hunting them was close, somewhere in the gloom of the mill. A flurry of fur and a long bushy tail gave away the creature as it moved, it was big, the size of an average dog perhaps but it was sleep and slender. Across the other side of the room the same rustle, the same glimpse of a tail and brown fur, then another on the rafters above their head. It was either fast, or with a sickening thought, there were many of them.

Giant weasel – sourced in Tetra-cube!

The leader

No sooner than they had started to let the large birds out of the mill the sounds of scratching could be heard. It was at first faint, then it grew in intensity. Slowly the urgency continued until a frantic pace was achieve then the largest weasel that any one had seen in recent memory burst forth. It tackled the last hen that was leaving the mill and brought dagger like fangs into the neck of the foul. The birds were strong though and it managed to thrash the weasel off its back and fly to the rafters. But that’s also when it noticed the party. It’s slain pack laying at their feat and the smell of their musk and blood drenched into their clothes. With a squeal of rage it launched itself at the party, its sharp claws, sharper teeth and thick hide ready for a fight.

Dire weasel – created in Tetra-cube!

Tonight is a nice easy two part encounter. Creatures with keen senses (hearing) would detect the dire weasel pack alpha before it attacks. But if they don’t then it ambushes them as they are weary after fighting its kin.!

This weekend we will expand a bit more on some of the content I want to include in this weeks adventure without going too in depth. This is meant to be a nice intro into the system and new world that we are spinning up this year and its meant to be simple at first. So don’t forget to come back tomorrow and Sunday as we wrap this week up. Don’t forget to keep some time aside for your own adventures in life and don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Warhammer map – The hilly clearing

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As I was creating the Cherpa Hill map today I also created a larger Warhammer sized map to be used in tabletop games.

Created in Inkarnate and then scaled to be 60″ x 44″ this gives a few options for the battleplan being symmetrical with the hills being about an even distance away from the centre. The other great thing about this map is that it could easily be used for RPGs as well if a large open space is what the adventure called for. So I will leave the image below.

Created in Inkarnate

Happy wargaming and don’t forget to roll more dice,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Cherpa Mill

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Thursday night has come and with it brings the map for the Cherpa Mill at night. Fireflies flitter across the tall grass and amongst the trees from this long abandoned building and despite the light it does indeed look haunted as the people of Cherpa warned the party.

The Cherpa Mill

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As the cold mist of the evening starts to settle down upon the long grass flickering pinpoints of light can be seen from the large, old window of the Mill. As fireflies flitter through the sprint night sky the unmistakeable apprehension of the outcome of the little boy in the mill starts to weigh on the party.

The mill is old with many of the boards and planks of wood having come loose and fallen down over the years. The tattered vanes of the windmill lay motionless as their damage renders them unable to move. But despite this there is a soft noise coming from inside the mill which draws the party in closer.

Broken barrels and crates surround the walls of the mill and a broken stairway leads to a second story where goods would have once been stored. However both the goods, the flooring and the stairs are broken and unreliable making passage across them dangerous at best.

Cherpa Mill – created in Inkarnate

Thoughts on the Cherpa Mill

Normally beneath the Mezzanine lies empty space and the remnants of old hay and straw bales. However presently it hosts dozens of cherpa hens as they huddle around the muffled cries of a young boy. The torches that were lit to guide the children in their mischief send dancing lights across the lower story of the mill. But there is a scratching and movement in the shadows that unnerves the hens and humans alike.

Thanks for visiting tonight to join me in looking over the two storied mill. I had a lot of fun with the map tonight as there is something soothing and fun when playing with light orbs. The Fireflies and trees help breakup the stagnant and plain outside of the mill and add more depth for the party. I hope you enjoy the map as much as I enjoyed creating it. Don’t forget to let me know how you go using it and if you do tweak it in Inkarnate please share!

Don’t forget to come back and visit me tomorrow. I will have more exciting encounters and a non-standard creature to reveal. I hope to see you back for the encounter tomorrow and for this weekend when I wrap the first adventure of the year up. Also, don’t forget that this year will be primarily focusing on one shots. I hope to bring one or more oneshots a month so you will just have to come back to find your favourites. And as always I will leave you with wishing you the best luck in your endeavours and remind you to not forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Cherpa Hen

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Welcome to Wednesday night where we expand the plot and look at secondary hooks and tonight, we look into the cherpa hen. The Cherpa hen is the centrepiece of this week where the town of Cherpa have lost their famous birds, all of them (seemingly) have disappeared overnight. With the festival approaching that celebrates these creatures and their bond with their partnered humanoids finding them is a top priority for the townsfolk. So to avoid leading you down this long road let’s roll on with tonight’s content.

The Cherpa Hen

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Two figures scurried through the darkness whilst the town of Cherpa lay quiet behind them. Pushing through the tall grass and reed they made their way towards the old mill, a place that was thought as haunted and cursed by the townsfolk of Cherpa.

As they approached the large, old double doors that lead to the interior of the mill they skipped with glee. They were about to pull off the greatest prank in the history of the sleepy little town. Pushing on the door they snuck inwards, the bags they were carrying bursting with grain, lake weed and vegetables.

‘Now don’t fret. Stop it. Calm down!’ the two humans shouted as dozens of large birds fluttered and called out as the mill was suddenly invaded. ‘Come get it!’ the other called as the bags were upended and the food within was scattered amongst the room. The birds calmed down some degree and waddled forward to pick at the food scraps. However they were on edge, alarmed and spooked easily.

This wasn’t like the birds they knew. Each bird was intelligent beyond normal birds. In fact the birds had followed them to the mill at the promise of mischief. But their feathers were puffed out and their large flat beaks were bent down threateningly. Normally these beaks were used at snapping and severing plants at the bottom of the lake as these birds were peaceful. However now they were waving threateningly in front of the youngsters.

Trouble

‘I don’t know what’s wrong with them. They aren’t acting normal. Daisy isn’t even eating!’ called the younger of the two who was trying to coax a particularly large cherpa hen to eat. The hen suddenly rushed forward, the smaller wings on its back beating in an effort to gain speed as it crashed into the boy. The beak darted forward and snapped several times, the boy cried out before the bird landed down on the boy.

‘Help me sister! It bit me. There’s blood, soo much blood!’ a panicked voice cried out from under the feathers of the hissing bird. The opening and rapid closing of the mill door were the answer to his cries as Casey rushed from the mill back towards Cherpa.

‘The adventurers. The ones old Gerald was talking to. They can help I am sure of it.’ she said to herself under strained breath as she raced down the road. Meanwhile in the mill the lifeless body of a furred predator lay meters away from the hissing hen as the large birds moved around the one called Daisy. Their large bodies covered with dense plumage creating a barrier between the youngster and the other predators that had dug their way into the mill. Concealed under their feathers of the large bird the boy wept and promised any of the gods that would listen that his days of trickery were over.

Thoughts

Being young and brought up by a community of calm, collected folk would drive any child to boredom if not tickery. Corey and Casey are products of this and I have tried to stress the intent of their actions of a prank rather than malice. However malice doesn’t need to come from the ones at fault or those who cause mischief and in this case it comes from the outside. There are several predators of water birds and the larger the bird the larger the predator has to be.

Being a low level encounter and adventure I wanted to try and both bring something familiar to all low level adventures but keep it a bit fresher. Avoiding the normal kobolds and goblins that I favour for low level encounters this week I thought of natural predators that we can use. I also wanted to avoid rats.

Now I love rats, skaven are still my favourite race in most of fantasy settings but in this case I felt like the cliché giant rat adventure was a bit over done. So tonight we are looking at something else. Curious? Well you’ll just have to come back later this week to fine out what’s in the shadows of the mill.

Thanks for dropping in tonight to check in our hens. Tonight we uncovered the not-rats as well as the location of the hens and the antagonists of the story. Now I love a redemption story as much as the next person but let’s find out what the Murlay siblings can do to redeem their actions.

I have decided to keep it natural and nature based so far. But that doesn’t mean that the end of week will be natural. Still curious?. Well you better not forget forget to come back for the rest of the week to look at the town, the mill and other content that adds to the adventure. I also have a new creature to reveal Friday night as well as giving some love to a perhaps under-used creature from the core book.

And as always I will leave you with wishing you the best luck in your endeavours and remind you to not forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The People of Cherpa

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Hello and welcome to Tuesday night where we look at the people of Cherpa and become a bit more acquainted with them. This week we look at two halflings and the children they watch out for in this town as they try and keep the traditions afloat. So sit back, have a coffee and let’s roll on with it.

The People of Cherpa

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In Cherpa there is no real hierarchy or leader system in Cherpa nor is their regular guard. Everyone in the town is expected to be a member of the militia and called upon when in need. The people of Cherpa are generally known for being cheerful and happy and the halflings are the primary race in the town.

Gerald Plumton

Gerald Plumton; created in Artbreeder

Short, strong and friendly are all words that would describe Gerald Plumton, one of the oldest halflings in Cherpa. Despite his age he is an extremely social and active member in the community and is charged with running the fairs and events for the people of Cherpa. Gerald is the one that is actively seeking help and offering a reward for anyone who can assist the town in finding the cherpa hens.

Doris Tender

Doris Tender; created in Artbreeder

The halfling Doris Tender is the long time friend, sometimes more, of Gerald. Doris has been a successful handler of her cherpa hen partners for many years and is the only townsfolk to have more than one bird bonded with her. She owns the local general store that provides equipment and goods to travellers but is known for her charitable nature.

Casey and Corey Murlay

Casey Murlay; created in Artbreeder
Corey Murlay; created in Artbreeder

Casey is the older sister of Corey Murlay. They both moved here when their father went to war and mother became a chambermaid for a nobleman’s daughter in the city. They lived with their uncle for some time before he got sick and passed away but the townsfolk, particularly Doris and Gerald have looked after them like they were family.

Prone to bouts of cheekiness and trickery these children are as fun loving as the halflings they have spent most of their lives with.

Tonight we met some of the people of Cherpa. Tomorrow we will expand on the issue at hand, the missing birds, and look for answers. Don’t forget to come back for the rest of the week as we expand and create this adventure and lastly, don’t forget to roll it with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Grass Roots

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Hello and welcome to another night at Brazen Wolfe Tabletop where we start at our grass roots. This year we are going back to looking at one-shot style adventures each week as opposed to a single long-term campaign like last year. As much fun as it was to explore Ryokughan and follow a single story the whole year I did miss the freedom to have a single new adventure each week. So this week starts a new adventure, like all the future weeks, and we start on the shores of a lake.

Grass Roots

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The Town of Cherpa

Created in Artbreeder

The Town of Cherpa was famous for a few things but its lake was probably the most primary reason for its fame. The large lake to the north of the village provides all that the city requires. Fresh water, food and a mode of transporting away from the dangerous roads. But what makes this lake most famous is the unique bird that nests on its shore line, the Cherpa hen.

The Cherpa Hen

The cherpa hen is a large bird that is big enough to carry a moderately weighted human in its webbed feed. It has a small secondary pair of wings growing from just above and behind its primary wings which make it not only a strong flier but a strong diver. The people of Cherpa, named after these great birds, bond from the chicks from a young age and train them to fly and fish with them. The large size of these birds means that they can reach the bottom of the deep lake to feed on the lake grass roots which is where the second most valuable commodity of Cherpa lies. The iron-shelled fish.

However, it’s the time of the year where a great competition is held for the Cherpa handlers where their partners are tested to retrieve these shellfish. But there is a small problem.

The Cherpa have disappeared from the roosts and the village lies quiet except for the calls of their handlers trying to find their partners.

The call for aid has gone out to help find these beloved birds and to save the festival. The reward is substantial but time is running out. Are there any heroes that will answer the call?

Thoughts…

This week I want to start with grass roots and see where it goes from here. I always find that the early levels of any RPG can be the most rewarding and tend to start new adventures are low levels. But don’t worry we will remediate this lack of experience quickly.

Thanks for visiting me for the first adventure of the new year. Don’t forget to come back this week as we expand upon the town of Cherpa and its urgent problem and, don’t forget to roll it with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Soulbound Zones

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Welcome to the first post of 2023 and I wanted to start off with some Soulbound content, exploring the concept of Zones. The concept of a Zone is in its simplest terms the different phases of range for movement, sight and ranged combat. So for tonight I created a desert style map with a little oasis in it to try and get down pat two things. 1, the zones in a typical map and 2, me creating them in Inkarnate.

Soulbound Zones

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Desert Map

The slope downhill towards the oasis is a welcome sight for sore eyes, however the step gaps in the craggy hills makes it difficult to move down to the refreshing water below. However as the Soulbound approach their destination the bestial cry of war sounds from down below and the screech of large birds fills the air. It looks like the party will have to fight for their right to fill their canteens today.

Desert with zones

Zones in Soulbound are generally areas that are broken up by natural formations in the land (as per this example), barricades, bar tables, walls, buildings and so on. This makes it quite easy with a transparent tool on Inkarnate to map out your zones to highlight where movement is possible quickly or when it takes longer.

This also can help stress the lay of the land a bit more. Perhaps its not distance as such and maybe to shoot from 3 zones away (blue to red) it is harder to be more accurate due to trees or weather. Maybe the steep descent and unstable footing makes it hard to move down to engage the Beastmen who have made this oasis’s their camp. What ever the reason the concept of zones helps control the flow and pace of the battle – two important things for us Game Masters.

As we move into the new year and a new set of challenges and adventures I wanted to start off with something simply just fun before we get back into the weekly adventures. Helping myself re-look at some of the basics of a RPG system that I will start to get more involved with this year is just the icing on this cake. If you are interested in trying a TTRPG this year I can recommend D&D (yes there is some changes going on this year), Openlegends RPG and, of course, Soulbound. Each one uses a different system for their mechanics and each is refreshing and rewarding to get involved with.

So come back to check in on this coming weeks content and lets roll into this year with a solid foundation. And with the start of a new year why don’t you look at rolling a luck check and don’t forget to roll it with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Adventure: The Snowman of Snowtown

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Welcome to the last night of 2022 and the close of December. This year we looked at the adventure to Ryokughan and also the dice-ember adventure: The Snowman of Snowtown. It’s been a big year and I am happy to provide the first adventure booklet that I have worked on this past month. You can find the PDF of this Zine-style booklet attached and if you want to re-cap on the journey here you can read up on it all here.

As with all my adventures art is a mixture between Artbreeder, Inkarnate and now Nightcafe.studio. D&D stuff is tetra-cube, D&D Beyond and Kobold fight club.

The Snowman of Snowtown; a Dungeons & Dragons 5e adventure. Download

Now that I have worked out the format for these documents I hope to be able to release a few of them in the coming year. I also hope to also encourage local Dungeon and Game Masters to pick them up and run these adventures with their parties.

Thanks for joining me tonight, this month and this year and, as always, thanks for your continual support.
The Brazen Wolfe

Encounters in the Frozen Wilds

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Tonight I wanted to share some stat blocks that can be used for encounters in the frozen wilds. When looking at wildlife encounters in naturally cold places you can expect bears, wolves, big cats and the like to be hunters. It will be no different in D&D and especially the wilds near and around Snowtown. As much of a threat the Enchantress and her snowman army is there will always be the chance of natural predators stalking our party. Tonight we can look at that a bit more.

Encounters in the Frozen Wilds

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Ambush

The ambush predators, such as big cats, are likely our first encounter. Leopards, tigers and even sabre tooth tigers can all provide a moment of panic for our party. These cats generally hunt alone (unlike lions) and will attack the party from ambush. This makes them fun little random encounters for the wilds.

Pack hunters

The next category is easy, pack hunters. Primarily wolves will be our focus here but there are a plethora of wolf types (and subtypes) in D&D. One or two or a dozen just make sure that its about half what the party’s max is to just give them a sense of danger without being actually dangerous.

Created in Inkarnate

Solo hunters

Solo hunters as also relatively easy. Bears. Brown bears, black bears, polar bears and the dreaded owlbear. These creatures generally have a close knit family unit or hunt solo. They are generally an apex predator and they know it so they wont mingle with other creature and may even hunt the other predators nearby.

These creatures can throw something a bit more towards our party and make the time between travel a bit more enjoyable. Some people find Travel boring but if you throw in a few random encounters where they are the prey and not the hunters it can spice it up a bit.

I think it’s only fitting that my 365th day writing in a row finishes with one of my favourite creatures of all time. The Owlbear. Ever since I discovered them, quite some time ago, I have had a fascination for them and even wanted a ranger character of mine to find a chick and raise it as a companion. Thank’s for joining me again tonight and don’t forget to come back for more content in the coming days. Thanks to those who have joined me recently and those who have been with me for some time. Your support and attention to my creative hobby here has truly made it worth while. Don’t forget to spend a bit of time for your own hobbies this new-year period and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Frosted Forest

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Tonight I wanted to share some more maps for the dice-ember adventure where we look back at the snowmen within the Frosted Forest. Two maps were created, well one created and the second had the snowmen removed.

Frosted Forest

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Snowfields without Snowmen

The slope of the snowy fields from Snowtown heading towards the forest impedes movement. Small mounds of snow are littered with rocks that have rolled to near the surface. Some rocks have stayed there for longer than most of the townsfolk lives. Normally the forest is a cheerful place where birds and animals seek refuge from the day. But lately its been quiet and even the game that used to call the forest home have been found out in the snowy fields or further away from the town.

Created in Inkarnate

Snowman in the Forest Encounter

The same map but with snowmen hiding in wait. Although not hiding that well its hard to tell if they are the animated ones that have been seen in Snowtown or if someone has a sick sense of humour and has decided to create the festive creations amongst the shade of the trees.

Created in Inkarnate

Thanks for joining me tonight for some more snow maps. The Frosted Forest was a fun map to make and I think I managed to get the colouration of the snow pretty good this week. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow night for some statblock’s and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe