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5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Arch Devils and Devils

Last week I delved into the Tome of Beats and the Rulers of the Fey Court.  You can check out that kobold press tome of beastsArticle here.  This week I have torn through the devils and lets see what we get.

Not only does Tome of Beast give us some new lower tier Devils to play with but some Upper tier Arch Devils that can be a source for an entire campaign arc.  If you have not pre-ordered you own copy you can do so here.

We get 4 new Arch Devils to inspire us in new ways.  Kobold press did an excellent job of creating foes with goals and agendas.  They also added a new format of damage requiring weapons to be silvered to damage certain foes.

Arbeyach is the first Arch Devil we get to explore and he is literally made of a swarm of insects.  His greatest weapons is to cause people to be poisoned and he removes resistance and immunities from those close to him.  Be warned.  Though his power wains through inaction he has many that serve him.

Ia’Affrat is actually the offspring of Arbeyach.  While his father is a swarm of insects, he is a swarm of fire.  He is composed of tiny elementals.  So removed from flesh and blood he is immune to weapon damage of any kind.  Do not get into a fight with him unless you are prepared.

“Fountain of Fortunes”- Out of the Box D&D Encounters #17

Introduction:
  Players and characters have a wide array of value sets and see value in many things. The vast majority statues out of the boxsee value in monetary things, but this may simply a pragmatic outlook and not greed. The reality is that things generally cost money. However, many others place value on the intangible. Some place value in concepts or ideals. Love, honour, faith, hope, justice, and freedom…, or even death, carnage, corruption and tyranny. Add to that a bit of flavor text I read in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, and we have an encounter.
  This encounter touches on that overarching theme of value in a small way. What do the players value or deem sacred?
Environment: Dungeon/Urban/Wilderness…anywhere you want a fountain.
Suggested level: variable. (1-6)
( The players will come upon an elaborate fountain with a floating statue above it. The fountain is 10’ in diameter, only two feet deep, and filled to a depth of 1’ with clear water. Above it floats an unusual and very striking statue. The 10’ tall statue is of two women in robes facing away from each other, but with their arms interlocked at the elbows. This statue floats five feet above the top of the pool. It is itself surrounded by stone statues of warriors in armor. which stand 6’ tall and float in an orbit around the main statues. This series of smaller statues, as well as the main statue, slowing spin in a circle, like a very slowly spinning top held aloft in the air.

5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Fey Lords and Ladies

last week we delved into the Tome of Beasts and touched on the Dragons.  Today we are going to talk tome of beastsabout the Fey Lords and Ladies. This is from the Tome of Beasts  that is coming out for 5th Edition.  You can pre-order your own copy here.  It is expected to be released on September 13th.

They divide the fey lords and ladies up into regions and tell you the power and political side of things.  if you wanted to run a game dealing with them there is the structure set up already.  Each of these mighty beings has the ability to alter the land around around them coming in with legendary actions, lair actions and regional effects.  These beings are not toppled easily and unless you have a DM set things up poorly or you set up machinations correctly you are never going to encounter them alone.

The mythological Cold Iron comes back into play with these might Fey Lords and Ladies.  There has been no previous mention, I am familiar with. There is a side bar for how to obtain them in the game but crafter beware.  These beings are powerful and live a long time.  They might kill you just for making them.  The reason cold iron is a thing as these mighty beings can’t be harmed with weapons that are not made of the stuff.  Only 2 of the Fey lords and Ladies are able to be hurt with just regular magic weapons.  The rest require you to have Cold Iron Weapons.

out of the box encounters

“Mirrors of The Soul”- Out of The Box D&D Encounters #16

Introduction:
  DMs everywhere will agree on one thing: players will meta-game, even if subconsciously. Because of out of the box mirrorthis, it can sometimes be hard to get players to try certain paths, enter portals, or take risks that are new. More experienced players tend to be guilty of this whereas brand new players are not.

 

  Sometimes, the trick to getting the players to get their characters to act in a more adventuresome manner is to use their own meta-gaming outlook to trick them into taking a new chance or trying a new thing.

 

In essence, you have to out-meta the meta. This encounter is one of those pieces of trickery, and all through the use of a D&D classic – “the secret note”.

 

  This encounter requires a little bit of preparation ahead of time. You will need to prepare two stacks of notes, one blank and one pre-written, all on identical paper. They need to be kept hidden behind your screen or in perhaps a box or other container so that the players have no foreknowledge. One stack will have the same message on all of them.

 

The other stack will be blank. Both sets of notes should be individually folded up so that any contents cannot be seen. When you produce these notes for the players it cannot be noticed that they come from two different piles from behind your screen. A good “poker face” would help here. 😉
Environment: Dungeon (*special)
Suggested level: any
tome of beasts

5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Dragons

Every Dungeon Master loves access to new monsters.  And what Dungeon Master does not like using Dragons.  With the Open Gaming License we are starting to see 3rd party publishers getting hardbound products out as options to, well give us more options.

Kobold Press has released a new product out for Pre-order.  You can preorder your copy here.  We did a review on Daves copy that he got early because he backed the kickstarter.

I was sad when I found out that missed getting my own early copy.  When we looked at the pdf we were not disappointed.  There are so many awesome monsters in this book as well as some new beasts and NPCs to easily add into your game.

Today I am just going to talk about the Dragons that are in this book. Next week I will touch on some dragonsother monster groups.  I will keep this series going until the book is released.

In this book you get 6 new Dragon types for your 5th edition game.  Kobold Press does not give you any carbon copy of dragons that exist in your 5th edition monster manual but 6 new whole cloth creations that stand out as unique.

Almost all of the dragons have 4 separate stat blocks for the 4 age categories of Dragons: ancient, adult, young and wyrmling. I make my notes below

The cave dragon is a fierce beast that constantly needs to eat.  It lives underground where its sensitivity to sunlight keeps it safe.  But sadly living underground is not a place abundant with food.  It is not mindless and is a true dragon.  I compare this one with a white dragon with lower stats and its desire for food out weighs its desire for any coin.  Sorry adventurers if you are looking to slay a dragon

“The Eyes Have It”- Out of The Box D&D Encounters #15

Introduction:
  Something that gets overlooked often are the relationships between monsters that exist naturally, and beholderwithout “homebrew” input from a DM. Using these relationships can be used to justify other interactions that can create a chain of encounters that are not only logical, but generate a build in excitement. Intellect Devourers and Illithids, Orcs and Ettins, Goblins, and Worgs…all are existing relationships where you can hint at what comes next and then scale up the danger. Even seeing one may not necessarily lead to another, but even the hint that it might could lead to some great tension or scene building.
  “The Eyes Have It” is one such case. It takes something relatively easy to deal with by remaining calm, a Gas Spore, and uses the existing flavour text in the Monster Manual to tie it in with Beholders. However, as Beholders are a top tier monster than many not be ready for, and Gas Spores generate from dead Beholders, a Zombie Beholder is not only fitting, but could be reasonable. What if the Gas Spores are not only the reason for the Beholder dying in the first place, but then spawn from it? Add in an undying will, and you have a great dual encounter.
Environment: Cavern/Underdark/Dungeon
Suggested level: 5-6
  Whether as part of a wilderness, Underdark, or existing dungeon exploration, the players will discover a cavern entrance that seems to have been dug away, and not natural. Tool marks and signs of excavation will mark a long, twisting tunnel that travels at least 100’, generally 5’ side, and about 7’ tall. A Dwarf with Stone Cunning, or someone proficient in Mining (Investigation DC 10) will note that the tunnel descends slightly. As the tunnel progresses, tiny fungi will start to appear at the mid point, growing off most surfaces. The further along the players travel, the larger the mushrooms get, becoming varied in colour and many of which are faintly bioluminescent. The whole tunnel will take on a dim light in a variety of colours. Upon reaching the end of this twisting tunnel, the rough digging will appear to have broken into a large constructed chamber, circular in shape with a domed roof. The entire area is filled with massive mushrooms and other fungi, as if the area were a secret mushroom forest or garden. The room initially appears to have no exit other than what the players of entered by, and is around 100’ in diameter, with a domed roof reaching to 40’ at it’s apex.

“The Argument”- Out of The Box D&D Encounters #14

Introduction:
  This is yet another concept based around a “what if”. When we look at the many magic items available ettin encountersin the Dungeon Master’s Guide, one that seems to be missing is the Helm of Alignment Change. This was a cursed magical item that, once worn, converted the wearer’s alignment to whatever was diametrically opposed. The only alignment that was unaffected was Neutral, as it had no opposite. Some old school players and DMs will remember this awful item, either as a victim or as the DM who seeded a treasure trove with this bad boy to see if a greedy player would take it.
  With that established, there are monsters out there for whom putting on a magic helmet would have a very unusual outcome for one main reason – they have more than one head.
  So here’s the “what if”…What if an Ettin put on a Helmet of Alignment Change….?

OUT OF THE BOX ENCOUNTERS – 

Environment: Wilderness
Suggested level: 4
  While the players are traveling a winding road through a forest, the echoes of shouting and crashing can be heard in the distance. Before they can react, two draft horses, still in full tack, drag torn harnesses as they charge past the party in the opposite direction. As they close toward the noises of conflict, more might (Perception DC 10) become apparent. The sounds loud shouting are broken up with occasional cries of fear, mixed with the sounds of crashing….and then a guttural plea.
  Exiting the forest and entering grasslands, what greets the party is an odd sight. A large two headed giant, perhaps 10’ tall, is both overturning…and then righting…wagons, carts and other caravan vehicles. All the while, the heads argue with each other. One head on the right, long-haired and shaggy, roars and creates the carnage. The other head on the left, wearing a decorative iron pot helm, cries out and tries to stop the other, and immediately rights any overturned vehicle. Two draft horses lie dead on the side of the road, butchered by a large bladed weapon. A mule stands nearby the caravan, seemingly either unaware or uncaring of the carnage. The occupants of the caravan are hiding in a nearby ditch; their heads popping up like groundhogs to witness and then hide from the bizarre sight. Every time the giant roars and overturns a wagon, they scream and duck down..only to pop up one at a time out of morbid curiosity to witness the ongoing drama.

Ducknapping, Nanny Nibbling and the Governor’s Goods- A D&D 5e, SRD compatible adventure

Written with thanks to Scott Garibay for his Five Page Tabletop RPG Adventure Design

 

Ducknapping, Nanny Nibbling and the Governor’s Goods

D&D 5e, SRD compatible adventure.

A D&D game session in progress perception

A D&D game session in progress (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Launch and Locations

In the aftermath of a raid on the town by strange cultists with giant lizards and kobolds, the characters scouted the raiders camp. After returning from scouting the raiders’ camp, where the characters freed several enslaved townsfolk, their breakfast the following morning is interrupted.

 

 

 

 

  • Green Rest Inn (Where the characters are eating breakfast after a long rest)
  • Featherend Farm (Duck Farm of small repute for winning ribbons in the fair)
  • Swardheart Farm (Goat Farm run by two halfling females)
  • The Governor’s Manor (The Governor has retired here, delegating oversight to proper carpenters)
  • Snoutslap Sties (Pastured swine farm, the furthest of the three farms from the Governor’s Manor)

“Coin Flip”- Out of The Box D&D Encounters #13

Introduction:
 Sometimes a DM is at a loss for how to run an encounter, or that DM may have a party that either coin flipcannot nor desire to use tactics or think through solutions. This has often been raised as an issue, and DMs can find it frustrating to build an encounter involving complex layers only to have their players charge through and then blame the DM for any failures. I’ve seen this myself several times. The key is to embrace your party’s chaotic nature from time to time. Engaging the players whom have this “random” outlook at least periodically can only improve rapport at the table. A DM might even find this can lighten the mood at the table, and satisfy the needs of the “chaotic” player so that they might be open to more involved or thought-provoking encounters later on.
This is where and encounter like “Coin Flip” comes into play. Also, since this is the 13th in the series of “Out of The Box Encounters”, I thought some “luck” should be involved in the success of this encounter.
Environment: Dungeon
Suggested level: Any

  Somewhere within a dungeon, the party will enter what looks like an empty room. Once everybody is inside, the floor will appear to fall away, with the exception of a ledge on their side and a similar one on the far side. into clouds below. A “new floor” will appear occupying this empty space between the two ledges. What will appear will be an interlocking pattern of giant coins laid flat floating like an interlocking floor, square in shape, with a solid ledge on the far side. Each giant coin is large enough for one player to stand upon, and since they touch each other like circular floor tile, it appears that the floating floor can be crossed. Each “coin” piece is a 10’ diameter tile.

Heroforge – Custom Miniatures for your Tabletop RPG

There is a wide variety of miniature lines out there.  D&D and Pathfinder both have their fully painted Heroforge custom miniature ready to go miniatures and for many hero choices they work just fine of you can find a reasonable facsimile.  And then you have several other lines that make miniatures including Reaper Miniatures and their Bones line.  They are great but they come unpainted and in some cases un-assembled.

For those of you that are unaware Heroforge offers fully customized minis that are 3D printed made to your exact specifications.  And they are not limited to designs just for your D&D game.  Heroforge offer Custom Miniatures for your tabletop RPGs for fantasy, western, sci-fi, modern and East-Asian themes.

Not only that but you can fully customize it in a way that blends these elements together should your specific character need that.  When you go to their site: www.heroforge.com you are presented with a body that you can change the race, make it male or female and dress/equip it with all manner of gear and accessories.

The detail on your choices is amazing.  you have the ability to alter on a sliding scale the facial expressions, the muscle tone and every body dimension you might want, height, weight, curves, booty, bust, waist and build.   These choices alone make your model more custom than anything else that I have seen. 

“Island In The Storm”- Out of The Box D&D Encounter #12

For those with access to one, the Dungeon Master’s Guide has a tone of great encounter tables. Chapter female_ghost_by_jubjubjedi-d56evvb5, pages 108 and 109 have two great ones. Each item on these tables can generate a good encounter. Mixing them can generate a great one.
  The following idea combines Monuments #19 (circle of standing stones), and Weird Locales #16 (skeletal ferry captain) and #20 (floating earth mote). Next, it’s important to note either the special abilities of monsters or NPCs, and pay special attention to any flavor text. When all the pieces fall into place, you can really have an encounter with depth. The intent is to give your players something unusual and thought provoking.
  Now your encounter will create a moment where your players will ask more questions than receive answers. They’ll struggle with how to proceed socially and may even have moral or ethical questions. This will add depth to the player character dynamic. That’s the basis for this whole encounter. You might even use something like this to start an adventure, or expose character background features. How you fully utilize it is up to you.
Environment: Any.
Suggested level: Any
One evening as the players are settling in for a night, they will witness an unusual event. Fog will build all around. In the distance, they will witness a green flash. They will then see a small bobbing green light slowly approaching, no bigger than a lantern.

“Rube’s Cube”- Out of the box D&D Encounters #11

Out of the box D&D Encounters Introduction:out of the box

Sometimes an encounter occurs because fo a single “what if”. It can lead in all sorts of unexpected directions. Imagine an illusionist’s castle, dungeon, or other lair. Imagine an environment filed with puzzles, tricks, and other dangers. Within such a confine, “Rube’s Cube” can exist.
For this encounter, I wanted to use an under-apprecited monster (ooze) in a way other than a hit point sponge or ambush predator. What followed was a series of “what if” questions.
What if a normally non-spellcasting creature had access to a spell or spell-like effect? In this case, I thought of Mirror Image.
No item to my knowledge creates such an effect outside of a ring of spell storing with the correct spell, so a little extra creativity was called for. What if you made such an item? In the end, you take what would normally be an ambush predator who may not survive more than three rounds, and you’ve created a mystical shell game with one ooze and one item. What if you take that creature, and that magic item, and place them in a room that is custom made for both in a fun way? Hmmm…
And so “Rube’s Cube” was born.

Environment: Dungeon
Suggested level: 2-3

“A Standing Warning”- Out of the Box D&D Encounters #10

Introduction:
 Many experienced DMs will know that the key to tension is the right touch of paranoia. The right out of the box encountersdescription and setting can establish the right mood and put the players on edge. This can allow the DM to set up other encounters or drop hints from their campaign setting. Such encounters may just be red herrings intended to throw characters of the trail or to make them think.
  Coupling these descriptive moments with non-combat skills and a group puzzle might challenge the players in a way that they were not expecting.
Environment: Wilderness/Any
Suggested level: Any
Along a lonesome path that the characters are traveling, they will discover two black obelisks on either side of the path. One is still standing. The other has been broken at the base and lay on it’s side. Both are constructed of a smooth black stone that defies identification. The standing obelisk is engraved with markings in an exotic language (Infernal, Abyssal, Draconic, Deep Speech, etc) that perhaps only one character in the party might speak. It’s important that this be difficult to translate. The markings on the standing obelisk are divided by deep horizontal grooves which break up the obelisk into even sections, each containing roughly the same number of markings. That fallen obelisk has the same horizontal sections, but no markings apart from these grooves can be seen.