Greetings again, traveller! It's been too long since we've had occasion to meet face-to-face. Mordent has become very tense of late--I have the feeling that Lord Godefroy is plotting something particularly savage. You'll recall Lord Godefroy: the premier restless dead within the realm, a master manipulator of events both near and far, and a particularly vile combination of elitist and sadist. If you weren't aware, Godefroy appears to be the principal resident, or 'Darklord' if you prefer, within Mordent. It is his history and character which shape the realm, a realm which answers to him in almost every way, while at the same time defying his ultimate ends. Godefroy is, at the end of the day, a bitter old man incapable of finding anyone worthy of taking on his legacy. Now the country is filled with commoners and peasantfolk, the noble families long passed away. No peasant, no matter how wise or judicious, will ever be good enough for Godefroy, of course. While the surviving Weathermays would be the natural choice, they are all avid monster hunters, and would give Godefroy the fight of his unlife if they became aware of his machinations. It would seem at first blush that he has little option beyond them. However, not all of the noble families are as extinct as it might appear. A few survivors escaped either the destruction of their kin, or the realm. As Jules Weathermay grows increasingly older, and Godefroy's options diminish, there must eventually come a time when rulership of Mordent passes to someone. Godefroy will undoubtedly choose the least repugnant option from his limited selection and endeavor to manipulate them into governance. To that end, I thought it might be beneficial to discuss what options have presented themselves so far. 1- Aubrecker It is strange that Vilhelm von Aubrecker never considered looking for illegitimate children issued by his son, Rudolph. The boy's carousing was legendary before his disappearance, and where one finds a lust-driven noble boy, one usually finds bastard children just around the corner. Fortunately, it only took a small amount of digging to unearth Stefan Clairemont: the son of a merchant noblewoman from Dementlieu (known for a rather egregious wild streak in her youth, and known to have attended several social events with the younger von Aubrecker during their teens). His parentage is not something which is often brought up, but which is painfully obvious: if he were ever to meet the boy, Vilhelm would recognize him as his grandson at once. It might come to pass that the best option for Godefroy is to infuse his realm with noble blood from another land. Although many nearby realms have 'noble' families scarcely worthy of the name, the von Aubreckers are distinguished enough that Godefroy can respect them, and an expatriate scion is even better, since he is certainly free of any familial influence. Stefan Clairemont is nice enough to converse with, if a bit dull and unimaginative, with no great ambitions beyond marrying well, investing his family fortunes with the help of sound financial counsel, and enjoying local art. He would make a wonderful tool for Godefroy to manipulate. Dread Possibility: Clairemont has only recently come under the sway of his older brother Rudolph. Although Godefroy is aware of Dominic's struggle with another mental manipulator, the old specter isn't as familiar with the Brain's handiwork, and wouldn't recognize the signs of it in Clairemont. This might give the Brain an alternate outlet to attempt to manipulate, and either a new place to call home, or a source of additional reinforcements for his battles with d'Honaire. 2- Halloway Aimee Mainrouge is a wealthy aristocrat from Dementlieu. She comes from money, and has never wanted for anything save for entertainment. Fortunately gifted with an athletic physique and a natural grace, Aimee has found great success at fencing. She frequently chooses to fight duels on behalf of other young women in Dementlieuse society, with her striking good looks belying her skill with a blade. Unfortunately, Aimee has no true altruism behind her actions, she merely enjoys the violence as well as the praise that comes with being a 'hero.' Recently, when her father passed away, Aimee discovered a trunk amidst his possessions containing a number of family heirlooms. Among them are several artifacts, including a signet ring and a docket of lineage showing that her ancestry can be traced to the Halloways of Mordent. She has been considering a return to 'her homeland.' If her family history were discovered by Godefroy, she would make an interesting candidate. Her gender is not what he would prefer, but any noble is better than no noble as far as the old man is concerned. Dread Possibility: Aimee Mainrouge is a victim of a long-forgotten con. She is not a Halloway at all, just the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of an enterprising fence with a surplus of stolen art and a gift for forgery. His claim to distant nobility enabled him to establish himself as a wealthy merchant, and he maintained the tools of his deception should he ever need them. Sometime within the past 200 years, the truth was lost to the family. Although Aimee is the only living member of the Mainrouge line, Godefroy may very well decide that a counterfeit Halloway is an acceptable temporary substitute for a real noble to rule Mordent. 3- Mournesworth Just north along the coast from Mordentshire sits the small coastal town of Drifthome. The mayor of this village is an outlander by the name of Joram Fallstar, a retired adventurer who has only recently discovered the truth about his ancestry. After many battles with the evils of the Mists, Joram came to wed a witch. Along with his adopted child, they retired to the village which he had come to call home. During his last adventure, he discovered with the aid of an artifact known as the Tome of the Compact that his parents had fled the Mists centuries before through means unknown, changing their name from Mournesworth to Fallstar to escape persecution in a strange land. Joram believes strongly in law and order, and would accept rulership of Mordent if forced, but would prefer not to. He knows full well the extent of Godefroy's power, and wishes nothing to do with the ancient spirit. Dread Possibility: Godefroy knows the truth about Joram's wife: she is not entirely human, but is instead a merwoman whom exchanged a portion of her soul to stay on land with her love. Joram himself might be acceptable to Godefroy, but accepting the Mournesworth would mean giving legitimacy to his children, one of whom would eventually inherit the regency of the land. Since Joram's eldest child is an adopted Falkovnian, while his younger, natural born child is equally repulsive in Godefroy's eyes: the boy isn't even fully human, his mother's foul sea-creature blood tainting him beyond Godefroy's ability to stomach. 4- Blackburn-Bruce Of all the families, the Blackburn-Bruces are the one family that absolutely survived their 'destruction.' Numerous heirs have cropped up over the years, only to be usually connected with some diabolic sorcery. While I scarcely would have believed such a thing, I was with Joram when he discovered the Tome of the Compact, a book which appears as gibberish to anyone not descended from one of the noble families of Mordent. To my amazement, I could read it as well! My father-in-law, a historian of rural folklore and a font of lost information, believes strongly that my sister and I descended from one of the scions of the Blackburn-Bruce. Although this information has been whispered about since then, I've been fortunate that the citizens of Carrinford-Halldon continue to accept me as mayor, my family's dark legacy not sufficient to sway them against me. I've no interest in becoming Godefroy's catspaw, of course! Both myself and Gwendolyn are ever-vigilant against incursions from the restless dead, lest the old man come for me or one of my children. Dread Possibility: Before she was Lady Drakeson, Gwendolyn was known as Gwendolyn Timothy, a surname whose significance is not lost on Godefroy. The old man has no interest in allowing Nathan Timothy's daughter or extended family a foothold within his realm. Even if he were able to look past the lycanthropy that runs in the family--and which Gwen has infected her husband with--he cannot overlook the family's loyalty to their patriarch, and especially cannot overlook Frankie Drakeson's coarse and vulgar nature, closer in demeanor to the citizens of Verbrek than the the men of power in Mordent. Conclusion Whatever Wilfred's got up his ectoplasmic sleeve, it's going to be unpleasant for someone. Whichever one of these unlucky sods he targets is going to be in for the fight of their lives. Once Godefroy sets his sights on something, it's almost impossible to shake him off. Even if you want nothing to do with the coming fight, I would be remiss if I didn't insist on hosting you here in Carinford-Halldon again. If you can stay a few weeks or even days, that would be delightful, but even if you can only spare us a single night, we'd love to have you for dinner. Safe travels and happy hunting, Frankie Drakeson, Lord Mayor of Carinford-Halldon. Jim Stearns is a deranged hermit from the swamps of Southern Illinois. In addition to writing for the Black Library, he puts pen to paper for High Level Games and Keep on the Heathlands. His mad scribblings can frequently be found in Quoth the Raven, as well as anthologies like Fitting In or Selfies from the End of the World, by Mad Scientist Journal. Follow him on Twitter @jcstearnswriter. I have to admit that I was never really drawn to the Paladin class in D&D. AD&D 2e was the second game I ever role-played in (the first being Marvel) and after a quick glance at the options I was pretty married to the bard. When I flipped through the Player’s Handbook, the idea of needing 17 charisma to play such a character was a bit too much for a newbie like me. The Paladin seemed like the pompous version of the fighter class. Which I was also not a big fan of at the time. Where I actually gained insight into the Paladin class was in a completely different game system. Palladium created a Cyber Knight and along with the cool name, it came with the Code of Chivalry. That document defined my character, it fleshed her out and gave her purpose. With D&D I was still learning and so delving into which god to serve and creating my own code or practice wasn’t even on my radar. So I propose you should use the Code of Chivalry for a jumping off point for your next paladin. Let’s look at the code: The Code of Chivalry from Palladium Rifts Coalition Wars Cyber Knights published Dec 2000 1. To Live "Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. Live for freedom, justice, and all that is good.” Amended D&D Style: To live to bring honor to my deity Each deity and world of religion brings its own essence to your game play. The pantheons are both diverse and thorough (and there is a quick glance feature on pages 293-299 of the Player's Handbook) from fantasy worlds to European gods from cultures like the Greeks and the Nordic peoples. Discover your choices to enhance these codes for your particular character. Some examples: If your campaign has Egyptian deities as the pantheon of choice then you might choose to worship and serve Hathor, goddess of love, music, and motherhood. So you could include things like: Live one’s life in devotion to those who bring forth life through childbearing. Live to share music with the world to help spread the message of Hathor. If you are rooted in the Greyhawk world, you may be a paladin of Ehlonna, goddess of woodlands. Your codes under this category may be: Live as though you may not upset the balance of nature. Live and treat all life as equals. Living for your deity is important to include in your personal code. 2. Fair Play "Never attack an unarmed foe. Never use a Psi-Sword on an opponent not equal to the attack. Never charge an unhorsed opponent. Never attack from behind. Avoid cheating. Avoid torture.” Amended D&D Style: Sportsmanship These may seem like innocuous ideals for Sportsmanship but -speaking from experience- when these rules are played out and they essentially take ambush off the table, it changes your game completely. When playing D&D paladins I would use some of these, and add amendments. Perhaps a dwarven paladin of Moradin, the dwarf god of creation, will never attack an unarmed dwarf from behind, but other races may be subject to their tactics. Or maybe your code would read: Never cheat those who follow the true way of Heironeous. Give these coded ideas life based on your deity, your race, or even your disposition towards other races. Your interpretations of the code can also add flavour. 3. Nobility "Exhibit self control. Show respect to authority. Obey the laws if they do not supersede the rights of life. Administer justice. Administer mercy. Protect the innocent. Respect women.” Amended D&D Style: Oath of _______ In 5th edition, there are 3 Oaths that can be taken once your paladin reaches level 3. Each is unique and comes with different benefits to your character. These oaths have several tenets of devotion that are very similar to the code you are creating. You should look through these tenets to cement your ideal paladin. Even before the 3rd level, your paladin should be striving to meet some of these requirements to flesh them out and give them a direction. To aid you in your code creation, the oaths are: Oath of Devotion: this encompasses your stereotypical knight in shining armour who tend to be idealist and paragons of virtue Oath of the Ancients: these paladins adhere to a long-standing ideal of light (rather than its counter darkness), life is of particular importance to these folks Oath of Vengeance: are those concerned with justice and punishing those who have done wrong and set things right. But the tenets laid out in each of the oath sections in the Player’s Handbook (pg 85-88) have verbatim some of the thing you need to include in your Character Code Creation (CCC: new acronym FTW.) Go forth, read, and inwardly digest. 4. Valor "Exhibit courage in word and deed. Defend the weak and innocent. Fight for an ideal, like freedom. Fight with honor. Avenge the wronged. Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause.” Amended D&D Style: Valor I wouldn’t change much, if anything, in this section. These are the courageous things that you read about in fiction and history. These are what make a paladin larger than life, better than you, and a formidable opponent. 5. Honor "Always keep one's word of honor. Always maintain one's principles. Never betray a confidence or comrade. Avoid deception. Respect life. Honor all life. Respect all views of life.” Amended D&D Style: Honor Honor is still an important factor, and I would suggest some thinking on what is honorable for your character. The deity worship, the world they live in, and what situations drew them to the class will all determine what honor is for them. Some questions to get you thinking about honor CCC (character code creation) are: Is your world at war? If so, with who? Has your character been through life-changing tragedy? Did this change them? How did they find their faith? Why that deity? Who were their role models? Who has betrayed them? I know that this CCC (Character Code Creation) may look daunting before you start playing, but this will make for a more fleshed out paladin. There is something wholly terrible about those paladins that are just played as religious-type fighters. Let’s let these behemoths of virtue stand tall on their own. Put in the work ahead of time and you won’t be disappointed. This article was written by Vanessa who is a sarcastic, 30-something wife and mother. She likes things and stuff, but not simultaneously. When she isn’t involved in things and stuff, she teaches middle school science, math, art, and other random subjects. She loves new teenagers in action. They make her laugh and shake her head and her world is much better with laughter. She thinks everyone should be roleplaying. She is also trying out this new twitter handle at @sarasma_nessa It's a standard trope of gaming that adventurers are hired by a wide variety of people in need to solve problems for them, but sometimes it's nice to have a standing relationship with a particular patron. This might be an individual, a corporation, a church, or some other entity that is the standard go-to when the party needs cash, information, training, social connection, perhaps even a purpose for adventuring. If you want your PC's to develop a long-lasting relationship with a patron, here are three factors to consider: 1. The Cash: When it comes to money, the rate at which it comes in is usually more important than the amount in reserve. For example, repentant miser Ezekiel Barckarl has a huge pile of coins he is eager to invest in a good cause, but the money may not flow back in fast enough for him to keep up with PC’s ongoing expenses. It may be a little better for old-fashioned aristocrats like Jules Weathermay and James Martigan*, but most landed nobility have investments tied up in entitlements and entailments, such that money flows in consistently, but not in large sums, and they are not eager to touch their reserves. For higher levels, consider more active rulers like the Reniers, or merchants like Hadron Marquit, the Carlyle Trading Company** or the Boritsi Trading Company, for whom the amount of money coming in every day exceeds the living expenses of any PC by several orders of magnitude. Churches and some secret societies fall into this category as well--the Syndicate of Enlightened Citizens is a group of old-money nobles with mercantile interests, playing such a long game they might theoretically finance anything. 2. The Cause: Obviously the quickest way to a PC's heart is through their coin purse, but the heart of the patron must be in the right place too. The critical element is whether they share enemies with the PC’s--a witchfinder society like the Brotherhood of Broken Blades might lose interest if the PC’s branch out into fighting werewolves. In your prospective patrons, include evil forces whose immediate goals appear benevolent: PC’s may become pawns of the Living Brain vs. Dominic, Malken vs. Bolshnik, even Inquisition vs. Fey. Eventually they will discover that their patron is as bad or worse than their enemy, but conflicts of interest make for good role-playing. Nor are such dangers exclusive to evil patrons--almost any good patron has skeletons in their closet, whether it’s Orinda Nahle’s vendetta against Gundar or Sasha Hiregaard’s family madness. 3. The Clout: Political legitimacy, introductions to important people, expert training, obscure secrets--clout is the stuff that can’t be bought easily, or at all. Magic is perhaps the most common kind of clout; the churches of Ezra, Hala and the Lawgiver make for good sponsors because of their healing magic. The best sponsors tend to have something unique that keeps PC’s coming back, such as Randall Marks’ arcane trivia or Philippe Delapont’s*** secrets of the dead. Although it’s one of the best features of a good sponsor, clout has limits; Falkfuhrer Calons Weir might be inclined to trade secrets with PC’s, but they risk dinner with Drakov if they say the wrong thing. Despite not being money, political or social clout may help meet financial needs: Lady Lara Vistin might provide a letter that entitles the bearer to room, board, and reasonable supplies (anything under 1gp) from any Nova Vaasans along the Volgis River. Finally, there are even a few patrons who might offer PC’s clout without cash, such as Cecil the Master Cat. So consider these three C’s when looking over your prospects for party patrons. Obviously not all patrons will excel in all three, but a little consideration for what they have and what they lack will prepare you for when the party looks for someone to pay the bills. *James Martigan and Orinda Nahle can be found in Andrew Cermak’s article “Lights in the Fog,” in the Book of Secrets, a netbook hosted by the Kargatane. **The Carlyle Trading Company can be found in the Van Richten Society Notes on Dopplegangers, a netbook hosted by the Fraternity of Shadows. ***Philippe Delapont can be found in the Undead Sea Scrolls 2003, a netbook hosted by the Fraternity of Shadows. Matthew Barrett has been playing and writing for Ravenloft for over twenty years, starting with the Kargatane's Book of S series (as Leyshon Campbell). He married his wife on Friday the 13th after proposing to her on Halloween. By tradition, the first story read at birth to each of their three children was The Barker’s Tour, from Ravenloft’s “Carnival” supplement. Does everyone remember the Tarrasque? The fabled Tarrasque is a unique monster from the D&D world: one of a kind, huge, a mindless force of destruction. It appears every couple of generations, has ten gazillion hit points, and wreaks utter havoc on everything in its path. It’s not something that anyone in their right mind would seek out. In the world of Game Mastering, there is another Tarrasque, a unique challenge that only the bravest survive: I’m talking about the mega-party. The mega-party is an ungainly group of eight, nine, ten player characters, a mixed bag of gaming noobs and veterans, bards and battle-turtles and min-maxers. It’s usually brought about by a mixture of poor decisions and good intentions (hey, my cousin Bob is in town, and he’s always wanted to play, so I brought him along!). To non-gamers, a mega-party sounds awesome: the more the merrier, right? To the Game Master, the mega party is a nightmare. Every burden, every clerical detail a GM faces is amplified when a group reaches a certain size. Combat becomes double-entry book-keeping, players get bored, challenging encounters become dice-rolling marathons, and no one ends up having any fun. The GM ends up frustrated and exhausted, and the players get disengaged and bored. I met my Tarrasque recently. My wife has a friend we’ll call Nice Debbie (she’s Nice Debbie because my wife knows several Debbies, and not all are nice), and Nice Debbie asked if I could run a game for her kids and some friends. I like Nice Debbie, so I agreed, and brought two of my players from my regular game along with me. Five players. Perfect. We started the introductory 5th Edition D&D adventure, Lost Mines of Phandelver, and had a blast. But word began to spread. Friends of the players got added, and suddenly we were at seven players. I decided that seven was my limit. I started prepping the next session, but then came Player Number Eight. Number Eight is a teacher at my kids’ school. He’s a very cool guy, and one of their favorite teachers. He’s been itching to play. He bought all the core books and then some. Worst of all, he’s the kind of guy that you meet and think, “damn, I bet he’d be fun to roll dice with”. He made us eight (nine if you count me), and, despite all expectations, we’ve ended up having a great time. I survived running a table of eight. It can be done, and it can be fun. But I learned some critical tricks along the way. I hope they prove useful if you ever find yourself fighting your own Mega-Party Tarrasque. 1 - Simplify Combat I can’t overstate this: combat is the bottleneck in almost every tabletop RPG I’ve played. It can bog down a normal-sized group, but when you get beyond six players, D&D-style combat can rapidly become an excruciating slog. Your only hope is to simplify and streamline combat in every possible way. 1 - Initiative Cards: I had all the players fill out standard 3” X 5” index cards before the game with some basic information: Armor Class, Hit Points, Character Name and Player Name, and all of their Stat Modifiers. Pre-game, I had all the NPCs and monsters statted out on cards as well. When combat starts, make a stack in initiative order of players and foes, and just flip through the stack. This prevents rolling over a combat round and having a player (who’s been noodling on their phone the whole time) complain that they didn’t get their turn. It also provides a handy place to scrawl down status effects, conditions and spell durations. 2 - Bring Back the Minions: 4th Edition D&D got a lot of hate, but it had some good ‘crunch’ mechanics. One of my favorites was the Minion. Minions were like any other low-level cannon fodder, but they had a single hit point. Basically, if they get hit, they’re dead. These are great for large-party combat because they simplify tracking monster damage, and they also let everyone feel like a hero as they mow through hordes of underlings. 3- Have Players Use Off-Time: this is hard, but it’s critical. When a player is waiting for their turn, they need to be planning. They need to be looking up special attacks, spells, whatever it is that they want to do on their turn. If a player’s turn rolls around and they start flipping pages, put their character on ‘defense’ or ‘hold action’, depending on the game system, and move to the next player. This is really hard, and it pisses people off; but, when you’re trying to manage eight players and sixteen goblins, you don’t have time for a player who waits until their turn to look up how Burning Hands actually works. 2- Small Spotlights Look, the worst part of running a large group isn’t the pain it causes the GM. It’s the simple fact that, when a group is too big, nobody gets any time in the spotlight. We all play RPG’s to be heroes, to be badasses, and when you’re one of eight, it’s hard to have any heroic moments. Hell, if the dice favor other players, a monster might be dead before your turn even comes up. This is a problem only you as GM can fix. Make a conscious effort to find a place for everybody to do their thing. If you have a Thief, toss in some locked chests or trapped doors, and ensure they get to find them, even if you have to fudge dice rolls. For arcane types, maybe include some ethereal monsters immune to physical attacks, or maybe a magically warded door. Divine players can save the day against undead, so, by God, throw some skeletons at them. For the Fighter types, give them a mob of 1HP minions to demolish or a door to kick in. Regardless of party make-up, you have to give everybody a chance to be badass. I know this goes against basic GM advice to “make a consistent world and let the players work their own way through it”. That’s generally good advice, but it sucks when you have a large group. Find places for your players to shine, even if it pushes (gently) against narrative plausibility. Please trust me on this: your players will remember the time they brandished their holy symbol to Turn Undead against the skeletons more than they’ll bitch about the narrative inconsistency of why there were skeletons in a goblin den in the first place. 3- Find a Home Figuring this out was pure serendipity, thanks to Wizards of the Coast and The Lost Mines of Phandelver. You need a base, a place like Phandalin, someplace where the adventurers can return to between adventurers. This is important, because, as GM of a large group, you’ll soon find that large groups are really damned hard to get together. Someone in the group will have a sick Aunt Edna, or a kid with the flu, or band practice, or a wicked hangover, and won’t be able to make a session. Missing players can really break immersion if suddenly Willow Cloverleaf the Druid disappears in the middle of dungeon; but if you can keep things episodic, plot-wise, they can start and end each session at ‘home’. This way, when Aunt Edna gets sick and Willow Cloverleaf won’t be with the party, it takes minimal hand-waving to explain that she had to go ‘commune with her druid circle’ for this session. Likewise, God forbid you have to add someone or get turn-over in your group, it’s really easy to narratively explain meeting Barfbreath the Barbarian at the Coloured Animal Inn and why he wants to join up with the group. 4- Be the Dad if Necessary Look, this sucks. Trust me, I know: you’d be hard pressed to find a more conflict-avoidant person than me. But when it’s my responsibility to keep the game moving and maximize your fun, there have to be some ground rules: force players to be ready on their turn, ensure they minimize side-conversations during other people’s turn, and, man I know this sucks, maybe require people to turn off their frigging phones while they’re at the table. A lot of stuff that can slide at a normal sized table turns into a problem when the party becomes a crowd. It’s a fine line, and nobody can draw it or walk it but you; but be prepared to enforce things that normally aren’t an issue. Don’t worry about me and my Tarrasque: I’ve got a handle on this particular group, all eight of them. And the best part is that Number Eight, the guy who just seemed like a great gamer in the making? He’s itching to start running his own game, and I have a pain-in-the-ass Half-Elf Rogue already rolled up. It’ll be nice to roll dice without having to spend a week prepping monsters and herding cats beforehand. Jack Benner is the Renaissance Redneck and sole roustabout at Stick in the Mud Press http://stickinthemudgames.blogspot.com/ There’s a certain charm to the newest edition. It’s almost intangible. Although I find all of it very enjoyable, in a couple instances, it could be considered… lacking. Don’t get me wrong, it's just as easy to pour your heart and soul into a character as it’s always been. I just feel like there a few holes to fill. This is probably just my way of coping with the fact I can't take exotic weapon proficiencies and make everything strange for the party. Here are a few things I feel could be spiced up a bit. 1- Shields Who doesn’t like having an extra layer of steel between you and the creatures trying to kill you? No one. That's who. No one and that jerk at the table whose chaotic neutral to be genuinely evil without the official label. D&D 5e seems to be a little lacking in the shield department, this time around. Especially considering how useful they were in historical combat, and the plethora of styles and materials that have been used throughout history. Things like bucklers and tower shields would be great to see implemented. For example: bucklers could increase AC by a lower amount, say +1, but could have some sort of striking feature where you could make an attack with it for minimal damage. Tower shields could give +3 to AC but have a disadvantage if you’re carrying it without a certain strength, as well as the ability to plant it in the ground for cover. Hell, even them being made of wood or other metals could have an effect on the player. Sure this is something you could work out with your DM, but isn’t it nice to have the source material give actual stats and features for these types of things? 2- Maneuvers I’m not saying maneuvers are boring (although more of them would be beautiful). Quite the opposite. I think MORE classes should have maneuvers as an option. For those of you who are unsure of what maneuvers are, they are located on page 74 of the PHB, as part of the battlemaster subclass for fighters. Other than that, they never show up! They add a dynamic to the game that’s so intriguing and interesting. It just feels a little underdeveloped. I know there's a feat for extra maneuvers, but not everyone does feats and it's a rather miniscule amount of maneuvers instead of having a subclass built around them. Combat based rogues would benefit greatly from maneuvers. Sadly, there’s no subclass for the resident sneaky badass who fights as good as he steals. The monk falls victim to this too! The monk's martial arts feel like they could have been explored more. Maneuvers could have made the monk feel more, uh… “Whachaaaa,” if you catch my meaning. Long story short, maneuvers are glorious, why can’t they be everywhere? Paint the walls with maneuvers, even if it would make combat longer. 3- Subclasses (In certain instances) Yes yes, take my silly concerns and shove them up my (Upper management has reduced Jarod’s non-existent pay due to subject matter complaints in this sentence) because unearthed arcana already offers a billion and a half extra subclasses. If you ask me a few classes could use a little more variety in the base books. Such as sorcerers. They only have two subclasses and one might argue only one of those subclasses is worth playing, but that’s a subject for another day. This seems like a comparably low amount to the Cleric and Wizard’s cornucopia of subclasses. Other classes that suffer from this include the Ranger, Barbarian and Druid (the woodland people are getting the short end of the stick here) along with a few other classes. My major point here was supposed to be how race specific subclasses could come into play if you are using a class that compliments the race nicely. High Elf wizard subclass that lets you memorize extra spells or get extra spell slots. Mountain Dwarf fighters that can enter a battle frenzy-like thing where they get an extra attack per round for 5 rounds. Lightfoot Halfling rogues that get massive bonuses to their stealth rolls but have to sacrifice something… what? I can’t be charming and creative constantly. 4- Feats I don't mean to deFEAT (Editor's note: We take no responsibility for injuries due to extreme eye-rolling. -VP Quinn) the purpose of the unearthed arcana pages but I feel like it should’ve been released in the core books. Just more. I want more, damnit. Sorry. Reigning it back in, a few extra feats would bring a joyous tear to my eye. Something to give more unarmed attack bonuses like the Tavern Brawler feat. Maybe play around with the martial arts feature with the monks. Make tool proficiencies more interesting by playing around with that tinker ability for the Rock Gnome. In reality, it might be a little overwhelming to drop so many feats into the core books, so it's understandable. We all have limits and deadlines. I’m not harping on this too badly I hope. I mean, compared to the other points in this article, even I feel like this is a little ham-fisted. Which could actually be an awesome name for another feat dealing with unarmed attacks. 5- Weapons As stated earlier, I miss exotic weapons. Sure, they’re a little unrealistic but someone out there is probably flying around on a carpet with a magic blade you named “Kitten-slasher.” So you can get off my back about me missing a massive double-ended axe. From what I’ve seen in the community, I’m not the only one who misses having the massive array of weapons and gizmos attached to them in their armories. They were the backbone of some of my more interesting characters. You will be missed Rhagar. RIP. Exotic weapon proficiencies aren't the only way to spice up this category. Direct your attention to something actual blacksmiths always have to consider: Material. It may make things a little more tedious in shopping scenarios but the differences between an iron, steel or mithril blade were astounding. Although, mithril is not a real metal. If it were, it would probably break science. I like to think that Wizards of the Coast encourages us to play with the materials of our weapons. Things like adamantine and silver are things you can make weapons and armour out of, after all. Wouldn’t you like to take a little extra time to draw up a sword? With a special crossguard, a niftier handle and a certain blade shape? I feel like it would make the whole roleplaying experience just a little better. I happen to feel passionately about this point in particular because it’s freaking awesome to pounce on someone with a double-ended sword-spear. 6- Alignments “How dare you question how the gods have had mortal man exist since the dawn of time,” I hear you typing in the comment section, “Curse your blasphemy! Curse your children! Curse your dice” Now that everyone’s done being mad at me (for now), you should hear me out. The alignment system D&D has been used since the very first system (with the odd awkward stage I like to call D&D’s puberty period where everyone tried a new name on and joined Tumblr) but perhaps, after it being so long since things have started, we could try to mix things up? I know it’s hard to find fault in Gygax’s masterful creation that is the alignment system we know and love. Perhaps we shouldn’t look for faults as much as we should imperfections. True Neutral back in the day went all Isaac Newton on your ass. Essentially for every good action you have to commit an evil one, or at least you tried to live in an exact balance between good and evil as well as law and chaos. For a casual player, or even an experienced player, this sounds like a fresh hell in either definition. An example straight up given in the books, from what I can remember, was that a druid saving a village from gnolls might switch sides halfway through the fight to prevent the gnolls from being completely wiped out. Something like that could get you killed by your party if they don’t want to put up with that crap. If you consider that druids in AD&D were required to be neutral, you could see where restrictions and requirements could be a pain to any party. While it may be pointless to look back and say, “Things were bad,” especially in an article where I’m talking about 5e not older editions, I felt it was important to include to make the point for 5e. I feel like there’s no “selfish” alignment. I know, I know; chaotic neutral or neutral is the way to go, or even dip into the evils. However, with each “chaotic” or “lawful,” you place yourself into a more limited spectrum. You restrict your choices. You can’t kill the man who killed your father because as lawful good, you’re supposed to think deep down there's hope. You can’t save your own mother because there's nothing in it for you, you chaotic evil bastard. I know these are extreme and unlikely with an average DM but if there's even a chance that your alignment would prevent you from doing what is human (or elven or dwarven or…) for you then maybe we should consider expanding our options a little.. What comes naturally to the person you have carefully crafted and developed is what should be considered. Not some super-strict ancient system. Isn’t it worth considering that alignments could be changed? I just feel like describing who you’d want to be would be quicker. Chaotic Evil doesn’t always mean “Jerkish Dipwad.” Lawful Good doesn’t always mean “Stick Firmly Planted in Butt.” Maybe I’m just rambling crazily. After all I haven’t seen the sun in 72 hours after locking myself in the basement again. But things are as they are. I mean 5e is still really good. The extra material Wizards of the Coast has released has been good, great even, which, after 4e, is refreshing. Just remember, the Shardmind will always be there. Watching. Waiting for someone to open that book and say “I should adapt this.” Then, each and every individual circle of hell will unravel to make way for Psionics once again in this once-safe world. Jarod Lalonde is a young role-player and writer whose passion for both lead him here. He’s often sarcastic and has a +5 to insult. Dungeons and Dragons is his favorite platform. Although he’s not quite sure if it’s Call of Cthulhu whispering to him in the small hours of the night, or just persistent flashbacks to the Far Realm. Hello. My name is Landrew, and I’m a role-playing game junkie… “Hi, Landrew…” Hello fellow junkies! In an earlier article, I talked about some rewards that games give players to keep them hooked. After listening to the feedback I got on the article and giving it some more thought, I decided it might be nice to hook my readers up with some solid tips on where to get the rewards they want. In this article, I point out some games (we’ll call them ‘dealers’) that do a great job of providing players with the rewards they want (e.g. a ‘fix’). These recommendations are limited by word count (all hail the corporate leaders) and by my own experience - which is heavily based on Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, the original Rifts, Marvel Superheroes, Fate, and Shadowrun. If you have your own recommendations for reward mechanics, please post them in the comments! 1. “Uppers:” Levelling Up/Character Advancement There’s nothing like good old Dungeons and Dragons for enjoyable character advancement. Although there are definitely some cool things about 5th edition, I’ll take 3.5 any day to get a good high. Feats, skills, and base attack bonuses... the rules are crunchy, maybe, but that’s part of the fun! It’s like a tinker gnome assembling nifty trinkets into a deadly whole. While I prefer simplicity during gameplay, complexity during character creation and advancement is a heck of a lot of fun. Pass that rare, dangerous, and somewhat broken source book, please! Honourable mentions go out to cool combat tricks and spells that can be earned in Kevin Siembada’s Rifts, and the power stunts mechanic in Marvel Superheroes. 2. “Bling & Benjamins:” Gear and Money The nominees for the ‘best gear’ award are tied, in my mind. If you want cool gear with its own stats, you can’t get much better than the gear lists from Rifts and Shadowrun. The detailed weapon descriptions add an irreplaceable layer of realism to the game world in both settings. I would be remiss if I didn’t include the gear lists from Dungeons and Dragons, as well. Again, recent game design theory is often critical of gear lists, saying that gameplay gets bogged down in the details. “Do you have a ten-foot pole on your inventory list? Doesn’t that make you encumbered?” However, removing gear lists also removes the fun of neat equipment-specific tricks and having exactly the right piece of gear at the right time. There’s got to be a happy medium out there somewhere... 3. “Hallucinogens & Immersion:” Exploring Game World Settings Which games have the best settings to discover? With all due respect to the many worlds based on Dungeons and Dragons (or were they called realms? I’ve forgotten), this award goes to Shadowrun first, with Rifts as a close runner-up. In the funny world of game publishing, game mechanics are not considered intellectual property - check out the first two paragraphs of this handy pdf from the US Copyright Office. Given this, a lot of the effort that goes into game design is poured into things that can be copyrighted, like setting, supporting characters, and game history. Hands down, nobody does this better than Shadowrun. It is based on an alternate timeline beginning in the 1980s and winding up in a dystopian cyberpunk future where magic and dragons have returned. The history of this alternate timeline is compelling, detailed, and strangely realistic. It features complex interactions on both the geopolitical and local level. For example, the last will and testament of the great dragon Dunkelzahn, late president of the United Canadian and American States, features enough loose ends and just enough interesting detail to provide plenty of role-playing hooks, while also just being a great piece of fiction in its own right. Also, Rifts. Thank you Kevin, for successfully describing a world in which literally anything can happen. Because, magic. 4. “The Mind Job:” Problem Solving Again, not to play favourites, but Shadowrun is my favourite for built-in problem-solving opportunities. The many heist-style modules lend themselves well to sitting down with your buddies trying to figure out a way to beat the odds. I like it because, though it is frankly combat-heavy, there are still a very large number of non-linear possibilities. Oh, that powerful security team can outgun us? How about when the commander is persuaded to give just one poor order to his team because his cousin’s buddy has the BTL he wants? Now the security goons are in the wrong place at the right time for them to notice our distraction, while the mage hacker ghosts in undetected. There’s nothing like the satisfying click of an opening safe in a heist gone right. 5. “The Happy Ending:” Resolving Story Arcs Jumping off the Shadowrun train for a bit, the best story-based mechanic that I’ve encountered so far is Evil Hat’s Fate system. I say ‘so far’ because I know there’s a ton of games emerging that have built-in story mechanics… I just haven’t tried them yet. Fate has a lot of cool points. The use of descriptors, called aspects, as part of the mechanic means that conflict has a built-in narrative quality to it. More importantly, however, is that character advancement is tied to story development rather than arbitrary monster XP values. Gameplay is divided into chunks like a TV show: scenes, scenarios (think episodes), arcs (seasons), and campaigns. The characters advance by reaching different ‘milestones,’ which are reached at the end of each chunk of the story. Advancement happens because of the characters’ experiences, which makes a ton of sense and is super satisfying as a player. With this structure, it becomes very easy to enjoy the feeling of closure you get from finishing the latest season of your favourite show. As you can see, no single game has everything. There are enough great games out there, however, that it’s not too difficult to find the reward you’re looking for. I hope this article helps you put a handle on what you want out of your games as a player; or maybe it will help a gamemaster find out what to give his/her players to keep stringing them along. No matter what, post your ideas in the comments, and let’s take our games to the next level. Landrew is a full-time educator, part-time art enthusiast. He applies his background in literature and fine arts to his favourite hobby (role-playing games) because the market for a background in the Fine Arts is very limited. He writes this blog on company time under a pseudonym. Long live the Corporation! Reading Monster Manuals and supplemental materials has always been a favorite extension of this hobby for me, as it helps flesh out my campaign setting, and give me a greater sense of things outside of the party and their internal affairs. While meandering through the manuals, I always end up stumbling upon a creature or two that become a favorite, such as the Pseudodragon. I also find others which pique my curiosity, and urge me to read more about them and their world. Here’s a collection of some of my favorite ‘cute’ monsters. Our opinions may differ, and I hope my explanations bring levity and illumination beyond the stat block. 1. Kobolds: Noble In Their Own Minds - I’ve always had a hard time imagining Kobolds as anything more than low-level player fodder, until I finally took the time to read their myriad of Monster Manual entries throughout 3.5 and 5e. The iconic imagery of a Kobold, sniveling, cowering before a party of players and begging for its life is the standard tactic of a DM, and while tropes exist and persist, I wanted to read more on them, for my own curiosity. Religious, clever, and organized into formal societies, their physical weakness is usually the first trait most adventurers notice; I encourage DMs to look at their fondness for traps, their allies with their ‘ancestors’, dragons, and help flesh out their ‘small but mighty’ mental image each Kobold clings to, before encountering a group of armored pulverizing machines (your PCs). While not physically cute (unless the artist has a soft spot for them), I find their ideals endearing, and their traits charming. 2. Firenewts: Religious Militants With Slappy Feet - Imagine for a moment, the adorable type of newt or salamander you might find hiding under a rock in the forest. Make him 4 feet tall, bright orange, and religious. Now, keep in mind, those floppy hands and feet are proportionate to its now bipedal form, and try to envision those wibbly hands grasping a sword, defending their honor, or those floppy feet slapping down stone hallways, marching towards freedom. Are you giggling yet? Can you hear the “fwap fwap fwap” their little footsies make in a dungeon? Can you understand how much I giggle every time I hear them mentioned? Not yet? I’ll keep trying. They ride Giant Striders, which are basically chickens with no wings, or domesticated velociraptors. Now imagine our newt friend riding one in glorious battle, holding a banner for the Elemental Prince, Imix, in his webbed hands. 3. Grungs: Poison Dart Frog Warriors - Yet another incongruous mental image of a little tree frog, brightly colored, and poised to kill your party. Volo’s Entry on this particular creature: “Sentient, poisonous frogs that live in trees. Truly, the gods hate us.” Also, they’re slavers. Can you imagine a little three-foot-nothing bright green frog, cracking a whip and carrying you off in chains? Once again, the writers went above and beyond to try and divert away from that fact that these little ribbit rabble rousers with beefy forearms are hard to take seriously. 4. Korred: Magic Hair Fey - Stone shaping, cloven hoofed, gem sniffing, magical hair-possessing fey. A re-hash of the 2nd Edition creature, Volo’s strikes again by satisfying two distinct desires: more fey-based creatures, and magic hair. Okay, maybe not everyone wants to ally themselves with a creature that possesses magic hair, but I’m sure someone has an idea for a Samson-esque quest, and boy do I have the monster for you! Or, if you’d prefer, you could find a female Korred with snazzy glasses whose hair can whip you in combat. Korred’s hair can take on the physical properties of whatever kind of material was used to cut it. So, if you use steel (or gold) scissors to cut their hair, then the now dislodged strands become steel (or GOLD). They can also conjure elementals, and don’t really fancy people mining away at their homes, but if you can make a friend with a Korred, you can find new tunnels for adventure. 5. Vegepygmies: Fun Guy Fungi - I don’t know if it’s the woobly arms, the tribal nature, the lush jungle backdrop, or the nickname “Moldie”, but something tickles me about Vegepygmies. They’re plant people, with a basic intelligence, a Chieftain, and weird puppies called Thornies. I wholeheartedly recognize I might be alone in finding them cute, let alone endearing (especially if the Russet Mold tactic gives you flashbacks of Mia and a particular family of mold-infested Hillbillies), but I’d love to see a party encounter some Moldies and befriend them. Though, knowing the standard rule of “Kill first, ask questions later” that can surpass any curiosity players may hold towards these Fun Guys. ...I’m sorry, I used that joke twice. I’ll see myself out now. 6. Xvarts: Tiny Blue Thugs - Xvarts are the degenerate offspring of the demigod Raxivort, who was betrayed by Graz’zt the Dark Prince. ...What? Let me start again. Xvarts are tiny blue thugs that steal crops, domesticate bats and rats, and generally live in hills and caves, fearful of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves. The Xvart leader, known as a Speaker, can be found wearing stilts and long robes (to hide said stilts), in an effort to ‘elevate’ themselves within their society. Cowardly thugs, begotten by a cowardly demigod, all Xvarts look like their creator, replete with receding hairline, and orange eyes. I feel bad for Xvarts more than I find them cute, as their Volo’s entry goes out of it’s way to mention they cannot reproduce (I assume all Xvarts are male, as Raxivort was), and their demigod patron is known to appear before them and take all of their gold and treasure, and leaving nothing for the tribe. They definitely got the short end of the cosmic stick. No matter, the size, shape, floppy quality of their hands, or alignment, I hope the selection of creatures before you have piqued your own curiosity to read further into the fluff, and form the vast landscape that is your own campaign setting. Angela Daurio is now engaged to her favorite monster hunter, and has recently returned to the other side of the table as a player. She lives in New Jersey with her two cats, parental units, and four fish. Like it or not, a large part of being a fan of Ravenloft seems to be apologetics for parts of canon that you find...awkward. While some folks just toss the stuff they don't like, a lot of us like the challenge of re-envisioning cringe-y canon by applying one or more coats of interpretive "fanon." The Grim Harvest series got mixed reviews from fans, what with parts of it ignoring previous established material (Falkovnia awash with wizards and magic? A male Vistani reading the Tarokka?) and adding more stuff that some found cringe-worthy (Azalin's clones? The Eternal Order call to prayer?). While subsequent material has made this all a little more palatable, the part that many DM's and players have struggled with the most is the end result of the Requiem: a massive Shroud of negative energy over the entire city of Il Aluk, now known as Necropolis for the simple fact that anyone who crosses the border dies and reanimates as some kind of undead monster. Seriously, it's not hard to understand the frustration DM's face at incorporating Necropolis into any campaign that does not have an all-undead party. If the Shroud has sucked all the positive energy out of your storytelling, here are some suggestions on how to use it in a game which doesn’t start with a TPK. Note: These are in order by approximate power level of the party, and can build on each other, but these suggestions are not intended to build a campaign around the Shroud, only to make Necropolis more accessible in an existing campaign. 1. "Near at Hand" - If you have a low level party and want to do some foreshadowing for later expeditions to Il Aluk, consider this encounter from the Forgotten Children netbook (available for free at http://www.kargatane.com/). The crawling claw monster is appropriate for a low-level party, and hearing about how Dunkel Kralle lost his hand to the Shroud will do wonders for setting the mood for the future. That expository conversation is not written in the adventure, but it's easy to add regardless of how it ends, as long as at least one of the original witnesses survives to tell the tale. Best of all, you can relocate this mini-adventure almost anywhere with just a little adaptation, because it doesn't require the PC's to go near Necropolis at all. If you think a particular location is too far away to place the adventure, just imagine how far Dunkel might go to get away from what is chasing him.... 2. Racing the Dead - Once it's time for PC's to see the Shroud on the horizon, consider pitting them against a monster that would take refuge from them in the Necropolis. Make sure the stakes are high enough that the PC's must give chase: a fledgling vampire or golem kidnapping a beloved NPC should do the trick. The PC's know that once the creature reaches Il Aluk, the prisoner will perish and the creature will be forever beyond their reach. If the chase has the right amount of stop-and-go action, it should end with the creature duking it out with the PC's a few yards from the Shroud, with dark shapes watching from the shadows on the other side. Regardless of the result, the Shroud will live on forever in thoughts of what "might have happened." 3. Scrying - Various divination spells can be useful for probing the other side of the Shroud safely. Some spells cannot reach across domain borders (Find the Path, Locate Object), so those won't help unless you can find a place where the Shroud does not extend as far as the Darkonese border. Others (Clairaudience/Clairvoyance and Scrying), work within any Mist-bound region--which in this case means the entire Core. These spells usually create a visible sensor that resembles a ghostly eye or ear, and opens the caster up to attacks, such as the domination gaze of a vampire. While it's true that Necropolis has more than its share of vampires, it also probably has more than its share of disembodied ghostly bits floating around, such that the vampires might not even bother investigating. For the rest of the party, a 3D map of the target areas can be made using simple illusion magic. Between this and maps of Pre-Requiem Il Aluk, a party could plan a daring coup as the target of their scrying comes near the edge of the Shroud. This is also an excellent way to learn about the different means of circumventing the Shroud, such as Necropolitan Amaranth (see below). 4. Eyes of the Undead - This spell from Gazetteer 2 deserves special attention because it allows someone to see through the eyes of an undead creature. The caster gets a few hours of spying around the interior of the city while safely outside the Shroud, up to a distance of one mile. As a Necromancy spell, it cannot be cast without a powers check unless the DM waives or reduces this when cast with good intentions. Nor does it allow the caster to control the undead, but a neutral or evil caster may have other means to do this. A good caster, on the other hand, would want to take full advantage of the fact that the spell can be cast from medium range at an unwilling creature who gets a single save to resist. With luck and planning, an unwitting enemy can become an excellent guide to the City of the Dead. 5. Milk Run - The undead of Necropolis are generally listless… but there are exceptions. Vampires, in particular, hunger for blood, and the blood of corpses will not sustain them for long, even among those who would deign to drink it. While this might drive many bloodsuckers to seek better feeding grounds, others might try to make the best of it, "dining out" at feeding houses just outside the border, "ordering in" through lackeys who deliver living victims protected by amaranth (see below), or coming up with other ways to satisfy their needs. This blackest of black markets could lead to some very creative solutions by those with the means to deliver the goods, many of which could be exploited by PC's. Cities far removed from Il Aluk, even other domains, might receive a traveler who lures the gullible into private settings, then pulls out a Ring Gate, through which billows a strange white vapor.... 6. Necropolitan Amaranth - Once the situation calls for PC's to actually enter, this simple grain from Gazetteer 2 is the obvious choice to protect them. As the only plant that grows in Necropolis, it ought to stand out when PC's notice it while spying and scrying, although it may take them a while to understand its significance. PC's should have developed a healthy respect for the Shroud by now, and might be reluctant to trust a few curious seeds with keeping them from death and undying damnation. If that's the case, allow them to discover that they are not the only ones investigating amaranth. Rival adventurer groups, unsavory mercenaries, or vampires seeking to keep their food "fresh" might demonstrate to fearful PC's the power within amaranth: it’s ability to protect mortals--and that the PC's need to use that power if they seek to stay in the game. 7. Strange Bedfellows - Not all the creatures who pass the Shroud are evil, and even among the evil there are those who can be...enterprising. If the PC's need help while in Necropolis, they might find themselves rescued by undead heroes such as Jander Sunstar or Andres Duvall. If they are less lucky, their saviors might be more along the lines of Kazandra or Ratik Ubel. Other creatures of the night might approach them with an offer to penetrate deeper than PC's can safely go using amaranth alone. Merilee Markuza, Lucre the Goin Colem, former Kargat leader Kristobal del Diego, or many other mercenary-minded monsters could easily make such a deal. While the PC's may not take the offer, or may come to regret it if they do, the treasures and secrets behind the Shroud will linger in their minds long after the individual offering them has departed. 8. Tempting Transformation - Once something within the City of the Dead has hold on a PC's heart, that character gets a delivery of two boxes and a set of detailed instructions on how to lock themselves in a sealed room, drink the sleeping draught in the smaller box, then open the other box to reveal a little puppet holding a half-dozen silver needles.... As constructs, carrionettes can enter the Shroud unharmed, and their ability to switch bodies with a PC grants a rare opportunity to explore Necropolis with impunity. Of course, staying in the form of a carrionette for too long has its own dangers, and they ought to wonder which of their grim sponsors (see #7) sent them the little horror in the first place. 9. Alchemical Allies - A PC with access to the alchemical feats of Van Richen’s Arsenal can make various forms of alchemical life that could penetrate the Shroud. Alchemical homunculi could be achieved at low-to-mid levels, creating a kind of “familiar” that would make an excellent companion to any carrionette PC’s (see above). At slightly higher levels, the PC could create alchemical duplicates of the entire party, albeit with none of their class levels. It might even be possible to transfer the psychic link from the creator to the original donor, allowing the entire party to direct their duplicates into Necropolis via active psychic link, leave them there wandering about in passive mode for days, then resuming active psychic link when needed. Of course, constructs fueled by positive “quintessence” might not be as immune to the Shroud as ordinary golems, but that’s up to the DM. 10. Shadow, Spirit and Shroud - It's unclear in canon whether or not the Shroud extends very far underground, into the Ether, or into the Plane of Shadow. The first option is available for low-level parties seeking to infiltrate the city from underneath, but higher level magic allows access to the other two. With so much death in the wake of the Requiem, it's expected that these border planes will be awash with powerful resonance--possibly distorted by the waves of positive and negative energy that created the Shroud--and disembodied spirits of all kinds may take refuge in them. Traveling through either of these border planes will allow PC's to penetrate deep within Necropolis and even engage with some of the inhabitants who walk in two worlds, such as Jadis Ranhertd, the former heir apparent to the baron, now an ambitious undead shadow.... 11. 'Mostly' Dead - The carrionette trick from #8 is hardly the only way to transform a PC into a monster. It's a time-honored tradition in Ravenloft to temporarily turn PC's into headless automatons (Roots of Evil), flesh golems (Adam's Wrath), ancient dead (Neither Man Nor Beast) or other things that might pass into Necropolis. For an especially reversible option, the Revenant spell from Dragon Magazine #252 can temporarily turn a living person into a powerful undead revenant. Obviously the spell and/or some of its required actions (cutting a person's beating heart out and replacing it with a lump of clay, squeezing it to cause the revenant pain) may require a powers check, but if the PC's are desperate enough, or are at the mercy of some awful mastermind, they just might make take that leap. 12. Wrinkles in the Land - Some reality wrinkles might actually subvert the constants of a domain, at the DM's discretion. A truly epic adventure might allow the PC's to enter Necropolis while the Shroud is compromised by the arrival of a powerful fiend. The basic rule for size is 2000' per hit die, which is enough space for a 10HD fiend to compromise the entire Shroud if it reaches the center of the city. The mysterious Carnival travels under the protection of such a reality wrinkle, and the serendipity that directs its movements has taken the Carnival into dangerous places before. Isolde of the Carnival stalks the mysterious Gentleman Caller, another fiend of truly epic scale, and don't forget that the darklord of Necropolis would certainly be roused to investigate any such disruption to his unholy order. Of course, a party capable of engaging with such titans might have a member with a small reality wrinkle--monks of 20th level or higher, or other classes who transform into some other kind of native outsider at high levels. 13. A Rift in the Shroud - Finally, special mention has to be given to one such outsider: Styrix the Night Hag, whose Rift Spanner is the one thing stated in Ravenloft canon that could undo the Shroud. Styrix has sworn that Azalin will witness her escape using the Rift Spanner, an oath which might make her reckless enough to avoid using the fully-charged device until she can get close enough to Avernus, which is is only a short distance due south of Necropolis. In a strange juxtaposition of suggestion #2, an enterprising group of powerful adventurers might seize the device and race to get to the City of the Dead, a frantic Night Hag on their heels. The PC's ambitions pit them against not only Styrix, but also Death and his Unholy Order, while the lich lord of Darkon could easily end up an ally, if only to spite Styrix and Death. Styrix's reality wrinkle may or may not be large enough to cover the entire domain of Necropolis, but it could easily extend a few miles ahead of her as she pursued them, causing her to unwittingly ease their passage into the heart of the City to detonate her device and destroy the Shroud forever. Matthew Barrett has been playing and writing for Ravenloft for over twenty years, starting with the Kargatane's Book of S series (as Leyshon Campbell). He married his wife on Friday the 13th after proposing to her on Halloween. By tradition, the first story read at birth to each of their three children was The Barker’s Tour, from Ravenloft’s “Carnival” supplement. I have to admit, sometimes I am a lazy role-player, and more recently I am the laziest role-player. I expect to turn up at the latest session -ready for fun- with little-to-no time in preparation. I haven’t always been this way. I have done the GMing stuff where there is more work involved, but at this point in my life I want a gaming experience that takes me away into the mythical world and away from the drudgery of laundry and lesson planning. However, my foray back into regular gaming was not my easy, comfortable sweater that I expected and wanted to slip on. No, it was shiny new settings and games, and I had a lot to learn. As lazy as I am, I am glad for it. 1 . New games make you read I know it sounds like a boring reading comprehension test, but with new systems and settings comes new ideas and ways of looking at role-playing. And every rule/adventure book has its own feel that you become immersed in. Now, I’m not talking about just skimming the pages until you see numbers underneath the class/race/occupation/skills that make your eyes light up (but you do need to do that as well). I am talking about reading about the world that has been lovingly crafted for you to explore or being consumed into a new culture through someone’s words. These can be the clearest depiction that gives each person the same sense of what is going on or they can be an outline that make you develop those places and people together. Often a completely new setting will spark your imagination and energise your play. Furthest to the south is the sandy and inhospitable lands of the Owl Clan, who share strange and arcane secrets with the emptiness of the desert. They are known for consorting with spirits that often spell ill to their "mistresses." From a stone-age fantasy D&D 5E setting created by VP Quinn 2 . New games make you think and role-play differently We all fall into a bit of a routine with role-playing. Even those with a streak of interesting, dynamic characters often use similar techniques to get information, to engage in combat, or even to interact with NPCs and PCs. There are vastly different games each with their own idea of these interactions. They force you to think differently. As an investigator in the Cthulhu world, I started by looking into one thing at a time at one place… like some sort of linear path. What I learned was that sometimes a scattershot of searching sometimes works best. It is a small thing, but it is a skill I will use in other games. Also, with my first jump into the Cthulhu world being just a few months ago, the simple words from the first handout are a callback to an unending exploration of how I role-play and how fear can motivate action. A landlord, Mr. Knott, asks you to examine an old house in central Boston, known as the Corbitt House. The former tenants, the Macario family, were involved in a tragedy and the owner wishes to understand the mysterious happenings at the house and set matters straight. Mr. Knott been unable to rent the house out since the tragedy and hopes that you can clear things up and restore its good name. He offers to reimburse you for your time and trouble. The landlord gives you the keys, the address and $25 cash in advance. Call of Cthulhu, The Haunting What could go wrong? 3 . New games remind you of some of the awesome things you used to do Remember that one time, you put that clever twist on your gaming experience. No, not that one, the other one. Nope, not that either. I think you did it around 2005…. What do you mean you don’t remember that far back? Often, we remember the epic battles and the clever encounters from years back. We have told and retold them with great fervor. But sometimes it was the little things that added more interest to the group and kept things going. Often a new game will remind you of such experiences and rekindle the love of the minute details. Though my jump into 13th Age was only one session, I was enamored with their idea of the “One Unique Thing.” Often, I had characters with that extra trait that set them apart, but often as time went on those clever ideas were left behind in the process. This forced me to look at that critically at the beginning of character creation. It is now in the forefront of my mind as I am in the midst of making a new character right now. 4 . You have a chance to use different dice Seriously, I have some under utilized dice in my pack. I look forward to dusting off some d6s for this wade into the Star Wars 3E universe.(Editor’s note, Star Wars’ games seem to like using odd or specific dice. The fantasy flight version of SW has its own dice which are cool, but it also requires you buy their specific dice. It’s a marketing ploy only a big game can get away with.) This article was written by Vanessa who is a sarcastic, 30-something wife and mother. She likes things and stuff, but not simultaneously. When she isn’t involved in things and stuff, she teaches middle school science, math, art, and other random subjects. She loves new teenagers in action. They make her laugh and shake her head and her world is much better with laughter. She thinks everyone should be roleplaying. She is also trying out this new twitter handle at @sarasma_nessa Hello again, dear traveller. While I normally don't goad you (or the other travelers who humor me by corresponding with an old man), I think you may wish to return to Carinford-Halldon with all due haste. An item has come into my possession that I think may be of interest to you. Last year, we encountered some small difficulty with an Outlander. He was a magic user with a flair for the dramatic. This flashy hothead caused a few stirs locally, with a tendency to use numerous magical spells which used children's toys as a unifying thematic element. What alerted us to the danger he represented was the disappearance of three children while he was in town. He disappeared before we could find him, but my father-in-law reliably tracked him to Odiare. Unfortunately, his trail seems to grow cold, but as Nathan was able to recover the young man's effects, I believe he may have met his end in that domain. What made this man particularly noteworthy was a number of unique spells at his command, all bearing his curious signature. I'd like you to return to peruse his spellbook. With any luck this grimoire can benefit you. I would endeavor to hurry, however, as my father-in-law is likely to believe the book is his by right, and may make a deal to barter it away within the near future. Here are descriptions of a few of the more curious spells, should you be interested. 1 - Trusted Companion 3rd Level Transmutation (Wiz, Sor, War, Bard) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M Duration: 1 round per caster level (5e) This spell targets a single child's toy, transforming it into a protector capable of fighting on its creator's behalf. It is capable of transforming a toy into any appropriate monster of CR 2 or less. (Transforming a stuffed lizard into a wyrmling dragon is appropriate, transforming a stuffed bear into a bulette is not.) The toy fights loyally for its creator until it is destroyed or the duration expires, at which point it transforms back into a toy. (3e) This spell transforms a single toy into an appropriate monster to fight on the creator's behalf. It can create any monster that could normally be summoned by Summon Monster III or Summon Nature's Ally III, but cannot create more than one creature per casting. In either version, the creature created is considered a construct. As such, it is not subject to critical hits or magical control that doesn't affect constructs. (A toy wolf animated by this spell could not be controlled by a Dark Lord that can control wolves.) Material Components: the toy to be transmuted. 2 - Lava Floor 2nd Level Conjuration (Sor, Wiz, Drd, Clr) Casting Time: 1 action Range: 20 ft emanation Components: V, S, M Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute (5e) This spell causes the ground to generate an intense heat (which only affects creatures, not objects). At the end of every round the spell is in effect, any creature in contact with the ground takes 1d8 fire damage. This damage increases by 1d8 per round, to a maximum of one half the caster's level. (3e) As above, but the damage is 1d6, and increases by 1d6 per round, to a maximum of one-half the caster's level. Material Components: A pinch of red sand. 3- The Quiet Game 4th Level Enchantment (Wiz, Brd, Clr) Casting Time: 1 action Range: 25 ft + 5 ft/lvl Targets: Up to 1 creature/level Duration: 1 round/level (3e) or Concentration (5e) (5e) Each affected creature is silenced, unable to make any sort of vocalization (including spellcasting). Each round, an affected creature may make a single Wisdom saving throw (at any time, not just their action) to break the effect. A creature who successfully vocalizes takes 1d8 psychic damage for each creature still affected by the spell. (3e) As above, but the damage is 1d6 per affected creature and is psionic damage. In either version, the caster may choose to be affected by the spell, in which case they may break their own silence without suffering damage. Material Components: A bell without a clapper. 4- Porcelain Doll 5th Level Enchantment (Sor, Wiz) Casting Time: 1 round Range: 50 ft Target: 1 living creature Duration: 1 minute/caster level Save: Will negates (3e) or Wisdom negates (5e) (5e) This horrific curse strikes the target with the visage of a delicate porcelain doll. Their skin takes on a glossy white sheen and is as brittle as delicate ceramic. While affected, the target is immune to acid and resistant to fire damage, but vulnerable to bludgeoning damage. (3e) As above. The target gains immunity to acid damage, fire resistance 10, and takes double damage from bludgeoning weapons. In either version, suffering any physical damage will cause the target to suffer hideous cracks across their body, which linger after the spell's duration. These unsightly scars will permanently lower the victim's Charisma by 1. (This loss can be restored by magical means.) Material Components: A scrap of silk and a pinch of porcelain dust. 5 - Time Out 2nd Level Transmutation (Sor, Wiz, War, Brd, Clr, Drd) Casting Time: 1 action Range: 5 ft/caster level Target: 1 living creature Duration: 5 rounds Save: Will negates (3e) or Charisma negates (5e) (5e) The affected character is shunted into a pocket dimension for a brief time out. During this time they are unable to act or sense anything. After the duration expires, they appear in the space they left (or the nearest space if occupied). They are treated as if they've just completed a short rest (including any healing or regaining of any abilities), and any magical effects influencing their minds or emotions are dispelled. (3e) During the time out, any mind influencing effects on the character are dispelled. They also regain 1d6 hit points for each round spent in the time out. Material Components: A flag or whistle. Conclusion Although part of me hopes he's dead, another part of me hopes that showy bastard is still being kept alive somewhere in Maligno's realm, subjected to all manner of dark torments. No matter his eventual fate, the fact remains that the fruits of his arcane knowledge are ours (and yours) to plunder should you so desire. If you will be returning, please messenger me with all due haste. Gwendolyn so looks forward to seeing you again, as do the children. As always, wishing you safe travels and happy hunting, Frankie "Farshot" Drakeson, Lord Mayor of Carinford-Halldon Jim Stearns is a deranged hermit from the swamps of Southern Illinois. In addition to writing for the Black Library, he puts pen to paper for High Level Games and Keep on the Heathlands. His mad scribblings can frequently be found in Quoth the Raven, as well as anthologies like Fitting In or Selfies from the End of the World, by Mad Scientist Journal. Follow him on Twitter @jcstearnswriter. I’ve been keeping tabs on the state of our peculiar little hobby for over three decades, and I have to say that I’ve never seen anything like the explosion of the last three years. Groups on various social media outlets are forming right and left, full of new and returning table-top gamers, ready to roll dice and make history… but a few of the gaming concepts many of us take for granted seem to be a little hard for new players to wrap their heads around. One common thread I’ve noticed among the new generation concerns the classical two-axis alignment system: Lawful versus Chaotic and Good versus Evil. It seems to be a hang-up for a lot of new players who are trying to juggle a ton of new concepts in character creation. Maybe they like the idea of the Drow, but don’t want the evil baggage that comes with playing them, or they want to play a character with an edgy, possible treacherous back-story. An assassin, but with a heart of gold. Perhaps most common is the idea that they can play Chaotic Neutral, and just do whatever the hell they want. Us old timers groan a little at some of these questions on the forums and group posts, but a little history would serve us well. Before we were know-it-alls, we had the same questions, but we played enough to get a practical feel for alignment and how it plays out in-game. We read enough R.A. Salvatore books to comfortably play good-hearted Drow without breaking immersion. But is all this hand-wringing and hand-waving really necessary? Is alignment better consigned to the past, along with THAC0 and Elf-as-a-class? As with anything else, alignment, in a strict ‘as-written’ sense, is a mixed bag. 1 - Do You Really Want to Torture That Kobold? At its most basic, alignment is a guide to roleplaying your character. In that sense, alignment serves an important purpose for the player and GM in keeping a character’s actions consistent. It can be easy to half-ass roleplay a character, especially coming from a video-game background where your character is the classic murder-hobo / loot-machine: if it’s in front of me, it’s bad, it needs to die, and it probably has loot commensurate with how hard it is to kill. In this case, a strict adherence to alignment can nudge players and GM’s into a more nuanced story, forcing them to find options other than violence and mayhem. Nobody is going to remember another night of kicking in doors and killing everything inside. But kicking in the door and finding the kobold nursery, with hatchlings playing who start screaming at the sight of the players, possible alerting the guards next door... that’s a wicket that gets really sticky when you’re trying to play something other than pure evil, and alignment can keep players on the right track. You don’t have to be a paladin to object to killing adorable little lizard-babies. Of course, the flip-side to this problem is the player who wants a Chaotic Neutral character, and then uses their alignment as an excuse to wreak havoc on the game. When a player is standing over another player’s character, bloody knife in hand, and says, “I’m just playing my alignment”, well, that’s a problem with the player, not their alignment. ‘Chaotic Neutral’ doesn’t mean ‘Pure Psycho’, no matter how you parse it out, and alignment is never an excuse to make the game miserable for other players (including the GM). 2 - Uh, Yeah...Maybe I Do But eventually you might hit a situation where alignment can be a constraint. It’s easy to look at alignment as a rigid code of conduct, and, for new players, maybe that’s a good thing. But as players get a feel for what’s possible in a table-top game, they might want to push some boundaries. In that case, sometimes it’s better to let strict alignment fall by the wayside. Sometimes good people have to do bad things. Sometimes, good people want to do bad things. These are the cases that really define a character as more than a set of stats and loot, where cardboard cut-outs become fleshed out characters. In situations where a character’s stated morals are put to the test, it would be a shame if the player or GM put a hard limit on the story based on what’s on a character record sheet. What does a Lawful character do when they come up against unjust laws? Whether they obey or disobey and, more importantly, how they justify their actions, should transcend words on a character sheet. 3- Straight Talk At its most basic level, alignment is a label. It makes everybody aware of how your character is going to fit in. And if you walk in with any alignment with the word evil in it, you are making a character decision that dramatically affects everyone else at the table. Honestly, we can talk all day about what works for a specific group or player and how there are no bad ideas in tabletop RPG’s. But, generally speaking, running a standard game with an evil-aligned player character is a recipe for disaster. Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it really hard work? Absolutely. Is it worth all that hard work? Eh, maybe. But that’s where the nuanced approach to alignment works best. Your character can have some maladaptive tendencies without resorting to the ‘back-stabbing bastard’ extreme. Maybe they struggle to fit in. Maybe they find redemption in fellowship. That’s your story to tell. But don’t use alignment as an excuse to be an ass. So, like every other aspect of gaming, alignment really comes down to what works best at your table, with your group. However you implement it, remember one last nugget of Straight Talk that you won’t find on Facebook: Most every RPG adventuring party ends up, for all intents and purposes, Neutral Good. One player might stick hard along one axis or another, but, in aggregate, you’re generally heroes. You might not be avatars of righteousness, but you’re mostly trying to right wrongs, punish evil, and help people. You might stray between lawful and chaotic means to get there, but, in the end, you’re the Good Guys. As long as everybody’s on board with that basic fact, maybe ‘alignment as written’ should stay more a suggestion than a commandment. Jack Benner is the head bottle-washer and sole roustabout at Stick in the Mud Press http://stickinthemudgames.blogspot.com/ The DM. Yes, he goes by many names in the table-top community and she may also have the most feared position at the table. Many a character has died by his hand. Many a player has wept at her feet. “Methinks the DM doth have too much power,” to paraphrase that part in Hamlet. While we may have limited tools to defend ourselves against this tyrant, we have the books, magic, and our intuition. Well, let your spite take over and use these brutal ways to break 5e (Which is typically really difficult to do which is why there's only 3 ways I could work up.) Please note I am using the optional feat rule and Volo’s Guide to Monsters, as well the optional multi-classing rule for some of these. 1- The Speedster “Well I’ve got a 50 ft speed,” Said the Barbarian to the party, “I can outrun all of you.” Imagine his surprise when you almost make a sonic boom and move from one side to the battlefield in less than a turn. While this build will require most likely require a merciful DM (ironic considering my rant, I know,) and some pretty solid rolls on loot, it is more than worth it in the long… run (One). In order to make this scary fast character you’re going to need to take the monk class, the Tabaxi race (Volos guide), the mobile feat, boots of speed, a haste spell and the dash action. When you put all of this together you come to a grand total of 1,120 feet in a turn. Allow me to break down the implications of this. If we look through the PHB they say a turn is roughly 6 seconds. If we do all of our calculations, you make a top speed of 205 KPH (127 MPH). Note: If this monk is made he is most certainly addicted to a very dangerous drug-speed. ( I’m not funny, also, two.) Maybe you don’t have boots of speed or the haste spell. Maybe you don’t even have the option to use feats. In that case, we still have the Tabaxi’s ability to double their speed for a turn, the dash action, and a max speed (at level 20) of 60 feet. Which means that at our worst we’re working with 240 feet maximum, which works out to 44 KPH (27 MPH). This speed is actually the fastest speed ever recorded by a human in real life, making it a bit better for a more realistic campaign. That really makes me want to BOLT (three) to the character sheets to whip up our fast feline. 2- See all, Know all If you’re like me and didn’t realize passive perception was a thing for the first while of playing 5e, then you were probably kicking yourself constantly asking your players to roll perception for everything under the sun, or asking to roll for perception constantly. Might as well try to redeem yourself with this build. (Please note I actually stumbled upon this build and was inspired to write this article through Nerdarchy, find their youtube channel here find their webpage here.) For this character you’re going to need the Observant feat, multiclassing as a ranger/rogue, putting your expertise (from the rogue class) into perception and investigation, high wisdom and intelligence, the Alert feat, and a robe of eyes. Allow me to show you the full power of this build; As you should know the highest DC in game 30, at level 10 (5 ranger/ 5 rogue) your total passive perception score is 28 (with a 20 WIS). At level 20, (again half and half) your total passive perception would be 32. Capped at 30 obviously. With the robe, you gain an advantage, darkvision (if you don't already have it), the ability to see invisibility (with 30 passive perception you’re pretty much already doing that) and the ability to see into the ethereal plane. Essentially you’re not going to miss much. EYE(four) think this is a pretty impressive build.(P.S. Might as well throw in a ring of x-ray vision because why not?) 3-Thick-Skinned Fish Swim speeds sure are handy. They may not be something you utilize constantly, but in a campaign where you’re always on the high seas or consistently around water, it becomes almost a necessity. With Volo’s guide, we received a few new races playing around with the many speeds in D&D. To me the Lizardfolk have a certain charm in comparison to the other three races that offer new speed types and even though the Tabaxi can SCALE(five) things with relative ease, the Lizardfolk have a bonus to AC that has lead me to find a most interesting combination. To perform this little trick the Lizardfolk race needs to be selected, as well as the barbarian class,a damn good CON and DEX, a ring of protection, a cloak of protection, and might as well grab a shield +3 (Note: During the rest of this article I tried to limit the amount of magical items to two when whipping up a game break, but without the maxed out shield, it couldn’t really be considered “game breaking,” also I assumed the Lizardfolk’s 13 base would apply to the unarmoured defence.) So, let's go this route; Lets operate under the assumption that you’re a level 20, and that your CON is 24 and your DEX is a respectable 18. At this point I’m really sick of math so I’m just going to blatantly say that your AC would be 31. Which as you know is completely insane. If we go to the absolute extreme with the rest of this and say that you have also read the Manual of Bodily Health and the Manual of Quickness of Action (Put the DEX at a cool 22 max and the CON a mighty 26 max) your total AC would be a grand total of 34. Which puts you in a CLASS(six) of your own, as the Tarrasque(highest AC in 5e) has an AC of 25. Long story short any game you try to break will break. However that does kind of suck the fun out of it doesn’t it? Although, every now and then everyone wants to sit back and relax in “god mode” for a while. No back BREAKING(a forced seventh) carry weight can stop you, no dirty CON(I’m really hating myself at eight) on a corner can fool you and no blade can SLICE(wait that’s not a pun) your thick skin. When it comes to basic characters, try to optimise, but keep in mind, there is a thing as “too” powerful, especially in games where balance is such a key aspect, and a part of the multiplayer aspect of D&D. If you want something where you’re good at everything and have powers of a god, go play an Elder Scrolls game. Jarod Lalonde is a young role-player and writer whose passion for both lead him here. He’s often sarcastic and has a +5 to insult. Dungeons and Dragons is his favorite platform. Although he’s not quite sure if it’s Call of Cthulhu whispering to him in the small hours of the night, or just persistent flashbacks to the Far Realm. First let me say two things: I love Sir Volo; I've read all his books. My copy of Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast was so well used that it was held together with scotch tape and Cheeto dust. Second, I've been a DM for three quarters of my life so when I buy a new supplement I judge it on what it will add to my games. I recently got Volo's Guide to Monsters as a Christmas present and I promptly ignored my family to read it through. Given my preoccupation with building campaigns I was excited for the possibilities of this new supplement for 5e D&D. I wanted to pass on my first impressions to other gamers and DMs. Here are some of the things that I am most excited about and some of my disappointment. First, my disappointment: 1) A missed opportunity for sub races. The introduction of 13 new playable races is great. That being said a supplement of this size surely could have spared some room for sub races. When I opened the book I went straight to the new playable races. Number 1, Aasimar: three sub races! Let me tell you how excited this got me, only to be let down hard. I know Aasimar are sexy and everyone and their drake wanted a fully fleshed out and playable Aasimar blessed by the good folk at WotC. But there are some of us, I bet a good number, who are just as excited about playing Hobgoblins and Lizardfolk. The complete lack of sub races for every other playable race was disheartening and I don't understand why. Take Hobgoblins, an advanced race with culture, art (if you disagree just look at the artwork in the monsters manual and tell me their armour isn't artistic), advanced education in magic and warfare, and a strong caste system. I can't imagine a race that evolved without sub races. If you don't accept that argument then look at the Yuan-ti, a race that has three distinct entries in the Monster Manual but only one is playable. If any of the entries deserved sub races it was them. 2) The entire Monstrous Adventurers section. Don't get me wrong, I wanted these stats bad and I'm happy to have them. There are six races in this section, Bugbear, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Kobold, Orc, and Tuan-ti; each with only a quarter page of information. To me, it is a bit confusing why these specific races are singled out as monstrous while the other races that appear in the Monster Manual (Kenku and Lizardfolk) get their own section. I hate to throw around the “R” word, but I’m pretty sure Sir Volo segregated the races here based on perceived alignment. And we all know that not every Drow is Evil… I would have prefered to see more racial information on these six entries for those of us who are inclined to play them. 3) Goliath? I was a little confused as to why the Goliath race was even in this supplement when it exists verbatim in the Elemental Evil supplement, and then why only Goliath, why not Aarakocra, Deep Gnomes, and Genasi as well? The one and a half pages that were used to regurgitate this information to us could have been put to better use, and as a customer I feel very slightly ripped-off. These three things are rank with laziness and I expected more from such an esteemed scholar as Volo. Then again I shouldn't be completely surprised as the depth of his research into some of the more interesting cities on the Sword Coast was also lacking. But let's talk about the exciting bits now. 1) Kenku, Hobgoblins, and Lizardfolk. I don't think I really need to say much more. I've always liked them as a playable race and was happy to finally have the stats. 2) Three Sub Races of Aasimar. So sexy. I was impressed with the thought and creativity of the sub races, they are: Protector, Scourge, and Fallen. Given the diversity of mythology around celestial creatures (i.e. Angels) I was pleased to learn that not all Aasimar are equal. What I like most about the subraces are that they lead to a deeper understanding of Aasimar as creatures overflowing with energy threatening to burst out of them. It adds a touch of tortured soul to a player that, if used well in role-playing, can bring a lot to the game aside from the immediate benefits that unleashing this energy provides. 3) Additional role-playing tips. Specifically: "Roleplaying a Kenku," "Lizardfolk speech," and Tabaxi Obsessions and Quirks. These little sidebars will add a lot to the many players who will inevitably play one of these three races. 4) The entire Monster Lore chapter is flavour town for a DM. You can make entire campaigns based around the cultural knowledge found in these sections. Some of my favourites are: The "Outside Combat" entry in the beholder section is great for a DM like me. When I create the villain and their lair I like to know how they would have built or acquired it and then build my encounter(s) appropriately. This small section allows for a richly developed beholder boss and its lair. As a note I generally start from the end and build my campaigns backwards using the villain’s motivations and methods to construct a story with continuity. "Beholder Variants." For those well seasoned adventuring parties who know exactly what to expect and plan for when fighting a beholder… not anymore (insert evil chuckle here). The "Giant Tongue" section. I love this not just because it can add a lot of flavour text for DM’s to use when building a campaign around giants but it will also add tiny moments of fun (and continuity) around encounters with giants. Imagine the PCs are spying on giants and you deliver an entire sentence in giant speech while giving the player who speaks giant Volo’s Guide to decipher it. Pure gold! Oh yeah, and Goliaths speak giant and any Goliath PC can use this to create their own interesting role-playing moments. The "Roleplaying a Giant" section is long and full of great stuff to add to giant campaigns and adventures. Including the specific sections on each giant race's Ordening. I enjoyed reading it and will enjoy weaving it into my next campaign. 5) Goblin Love. I've always felt that not enough attention is paid to the humble Goblin. Not only can you now play them but you also have detailed cultural knowledge for deeper stories. If you’ve got no love for goblins and you just use them as fodder for your PCs you can now create individual and detailed War Bands for smaller encounters or as part of a broader story line. 6) Cultural Lore for Monstrous Adventurers. This is where Volo redeemed himself to me, regarding the short and disappointing Monstrous Adventurers section. Each of the races that can be a Monstrous Adventurer has a corresponding section in the Monster Lore chapter. So for those of us who want to play a Hobgoblin, Lizardfolk, or Yuan-ti, we have a tonne of additional cultural information for a truly deep character, even if you don't get a separate sub race. If you were hoping for a recommendation to purchase or not, I won’t give you that. For my games, this supplement will add a lot. I have found in its pages more than enough information to build entire campaigns and add a lot of memorable moments to specific encounters and side quests. For my players, they get 13 new races to play and advice on playing most of them. I hope this helps to inform your decision on if you should buy it or not. Either way I wish you good gaming. Bryan is a 30 something coach and gamer in Edmonton, AB Canada. All he wanted for Christmas was more games. He is looking forward to playing his newest board game, Evolution, with his friends and wife as soon as humanly possible. But maybe, just a few notes on the next side quest, maybe warring Goblin tribes, or a beholder…. yeah a beholder will do the trick. I’ve played Dungeons and Dragons for 12 years, DM’ed various campaigns for the last 8, and while I’ve heard of alluring storylines and tested the waters of other systems (specifically, Classic WoD and Star Wars d20), I’ve always come back to D&D. I cut my teeth on D&D 3.5, with a party of 3 players, and a library of about 50 books between us (including all 5 Monster Manuals, and the Draconomicon). During the days of 3.5, there was so much reading material (in the form of splatbooks) that I grew to appreciate any rule book which helped to develop the narrative, state of the world, or flesh out a particular region. “Volo’s Guide to Monsters” is like a 5e narrative dream come true. 1. Cheeky Sidenotes Break up the Sections - Between the competing narratives of Volo and Elminster, it’s hard to not chuckle to yourself while perusing the pages of this manual-cum-Grimm-Tale. That’s not really a word, or a portmanteau, I just made it up. Anyway. Starting at the beginning (as all good stories do), you are introduced to two competing, slightly egotistical guides who help color what can otherwise be a procedural book for DM’s. Their notes, like stray fragments of parchment shoved between the pages, lend either a word of warning to adventurers, a funny tale, or a different perspective on the beast currently being discussed. It makes the whole book feel more like reading an adventure, than a rule book. 2. It Is So Much More Than a Monster Manual – In addition to the Bestiary – a fabulous collection of macabre species, some new, some old, some resurrected from previous editions – there are two other sections to the book. Volo, Elminster, and Wizards of the Coast, took their time to really delve boots-first into the history, society, inner workings, and motivations of some of the most iconic creatures (and end-boss options) D&D has to offer. In the Monster Manual proper, only Dragons truly got the “full work up” with ecosystems, motivations, and more than just the stat block and standard 3-6 paragraph write up. I live in those paragraph write-ups. They help fuel my curiosity and creativity to uncover new ways to blend creature alliances, shape story hooks and future plot lines, and really enrich the world that my PC’s really live in. 3. New Playable Races - I can neither confirm nor deny if I squealed loudly at the discovery of entire pages dedicated to new playable races, with their societies, quirks, and history all mapped out and ready to use in character creation. WoTC has been releasing a steady stream of Unearthed Arcana, monthly PDF’s with races, classes, and class sub-types, with the distinct disclaimer that they had not been play-tested, might not yet be balanced, and are to be used at the DM’s discretion. There were no repeats of any of the Unearthed Arcana races in Volo’s Guide, and while there was a small disclaimer regarding balance, I’m no stranger to making odd things work. (Did I ever mention the flying Halfling PC I gamed with, Flitz?) These races may not be for the faint of heart, or cautious DM, but I’ve already used a Firbolg Druid as an NPC, because OMG CUTE GIANT NATURE GUY. Okay, end squee. 4. More Artwork for Existing Monsters - If you are a visual-centric person, sometimes a tome heavy in text and light on illuminations can feel like a chore. Stat blocks are easy to pick up, and plunk down into an adventure wherever you need it. But stat blocks all on their own don’t carry the gravitas that a professional picture can. I am a fan of obscuring most of the page, save the image, and showing it to my players, simply stating “This is what you see” and allowing their reactions to fuel the encounter (I don’t need a hype-man, they bring their own hype, man). I’m usually met with sounds of dread, horror, and the occasional shaking of boots. I have grown to appreciate, even enjoy, the temporary dismay of my players, as I know it’ll mean the victory will be all the sweeter for them. 5. New Monsters, Re-Skins, and Resurrections - Originally, I was going to use my final point to mention one monster that truly got me excited to use them in my next session. Maybe Redcaps, tiny Evil Fey in all of their shin-kicking glory? Or Cave Fishers, the Underdark’s wolf spider/scorpion lovechild, with moonshine for blood. Or CAT PEOPLE. Because that’s OFFICIALLY a THING that I ENJOY. A LOT. (No, I did not exclusively play Khajit in Skyrim… I don’t know what you’re talking about…) There are a slew of monsters from previous editions, including some that haven’t seen the light of day since Second Edition, enough to get any fan fired up. But, I don’t have another 797 words available to truly touch on all my favorites, so this sampling will have to suffice. Ultimately, I think Wizards of the Coast have been cranking out incredible supplemental materials since D&D 5e was first released, and I can absolutely appreciate the over-arching narrative they have created through their modules. However, all of those previous purchases were useful to me for the appendices, those little footnotes about new creatures, new items, and ways to help shape my own setting. They were crumbs cast from the loaf I was yearning for. Volo’s Guide to Monsters gave me the full course, with the trimmings, and I can contentedly say that I am satisfied. I can continue to hope, however, that this new narrative direction continues, as I’m bound to hunger for more knowledge again. Angela Daurio has run out of words to type up a more complete biography. She is a Dungeons and Dragons 5e DM and player, with a soft spot for weird creatures, including her cats and her friends. I get it. Reading the player’s handbook is uninteresting. The rule stuff is for the DM to know. You just want to sit down and play already. Well, suck it up! In order to be a competent role-player, you have to be at least somewhat familiar with the game’s basic mechanics. This means reading at least some of the rules. Too many times have I played with people who have relied on others to tell them how to take even the simplest of actions. I’m not talking about knowing how to do every last thing; leave that to the freaks like me who are obsessed with such rules (shout out to my fellow freaks!). And by all means, if you don’t know how to do something, ask. I fully understand that our hobby is a vast and complicated one. However, you should at least have a rudimentary familiarity with the basics of how to play your character without needing to frequently ask for rules clarification. All material in all RPG core books can be broken down into two categories: reference and reading. Reference material represents the core statistics that make up everything in the role-playing universe and commonly appears in the form of tables, charts, diagrams, lists, or figures. Reference material is not meant to be memorized and players only need to know how to find the relevant chart when looking up certain information (such as how much damage a longsword does, the cone’s radius for burning hands, etc.). Most players are proficient in their use of reference material (5E pun!); indeed, character sheets are just a handy sheet of reference material commonly used by the player. It’s the reading material where some players have issues. These sections make up the majority of most core books (monster manuals excluded) and contain valuable information of which every player should be aware. I’m not saying that you must memorize the reading sections, for that is an absurdly tall order. However, a basic understanding, supplemented by having core books readily accessible while playing, will go a long way in improving everyone’s session. Thankfully for you, in the following sections, I will present three small sections of any player’s handbook that every player should read which will greatly improve their role-playing. I will also reference the page numbers for the D&D 5E Player’s Handbook for anyone currently playing with 5E. 1. Character development [Pages 17-112]. Hold up, I know that looks like a lot of pages, but all you need to read is the 1-2 pages describing your character’s race and the 5-7 pages describing your class. You made it through my first few laborious paragraphs, so 6-9 pages of actually interesting reading shouldn’t prove too difficult. It is vital to know the special traits unique to your race for building and playing your character. Not only does it affect the game’s mechanics but it should also inform how you play your character’s personality. The class description is of even greater importance. It will often contain class-specific actions that you will need to know how to perform as well as background information that will guide your character’s creation and can inform on how you bring their personality to life. I also strongly suggest reading how your character will progress through future levels. Not only does this allow for quicker levelling-up, but it provides players a frame of reference (I’ve got to stop using the word ‘reference’ so much) for how to play your character. Do you want your rogue to take the thief or the assassin archetype? If it’s the former, you could play your character as a happy-go-lucky gold-hog while if it’s the latter you could play them as dark, cunning, and dangerous. Will your ranger be a hunter or a beast master? Such a decision should inform on how he or she views animals. Such knowledge of your class and race not only instructs the player on how to play their character according to the game’s mechanics but also how to think and act like their character would in their fictional world. 2. Using ability scores and skills [pages 173-179]. All RPG systems have character stats, be they Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha or something similar. Players need to be aware what each represents and how they can use them. As this is fairly straightforward, most players understand this sufficiently. However, most players lack the knowledge of how to properly use their non-combat skills. For a D&D 5E example, do you know how and when to use investigation vs. insight vs. perception? Yes? Then skip to the next point because you and I are on the same page (handbook pun!). Non-combat skills are definitely not as glamorous as their combat brethren but they are of equal, if not more, importance. I cannot recall how many times members in my group have asked to do something and then, when prompted by the DM for a relevant skill with which to roll, they begin guessing skills which sound potentially relevant (history? Arcana? Survival?). This is especially important in simulationist systems like D&D 3.5 or Shadowrun which provide players with billions of non-combat skills to master (huzzah for Use Rope!). Don’t rely on the DM to tell you which skills you should use in each situation. Be proactive and know what your character can do. 3. Combat actions [pages 189-198]. The mechanics of combat are essential in every role playing system. Understanding the turn order and game mechanics surrounding combat will make the experience of everyone at your game table more fluid and fun. Learning the details of combat can change players from asking ‘can I do such and such?’ to declaring ‘I will do such and such!’ You see the difference there? Such and such is so much more epic in the latter than in the former. Be an exclamation, not a question. Having to frequently break character to ask whether or not you can do something slows down the game for everyone and distracts from the grand saga that is unfolding. Furthermore, characters have many different actions available to them in combat; being aware of everything your character can do makes for much more varied and enjoyable combat situations. For example, isn’t taking the ‘Shove’ action to force your opponent off a 1,000 foot cliff into a shark infested moat of lava alight with hellfire and damnation much more satisfying than just stabbing him to death like you did all those other guys? (Alright, I may have gotten a little bit carried away there). In addition, learning the available actions will also prepare you for anything your foes might do. The DM is often more learned in the rules than the average player, which can give them an edge in combat; take away that advantage! Learn your rules! Goodness knows they can kill us all in more ways than by merely being better at the game than us. Also, there other details important to combat located in this section, such as the importance of creature size, movement and positioning, holding actions, cover mechanics, and hit points to name but a few. Don’t just rely on the DM to notify you of those which apply to you. Bonus reading for spellcasters and other advanced classes- sophisticated mechanics [pages 201-205]. Bonus reading for all you mages and riggers out there! Don’t blame me: you brought this on yourself in choosing a complicated character. Don’t misunderstand me though, it’s the best choice you could have made. I always find myself drawn towards these classes when creating characters; the greater diversity in mechanics supports a character which can be much more adaptable and varied than a ‘hit-it-if-it-moves’ sort of character (not that I’m hating on barbarians, it’s just much more fun to be able to hit it if it moves using fire, ice, steel, lightning, or acid at my leisure, or, even better, to be able to force it to hit itself if it moves). If you play one of these classes, you need to understand how to use their advanced mechanics (i.e. spellcasting in D&D 5E). These will often have important mechanics that can cause these classes to become unbalanced if played incorrectly; these are often very specific mechanics which will only apply to your character. It is not the responsibility of the DM to know how to play your specific class. Again, IT IS NOT THE RESPONSBILITY OF THE DM TO KNOW HOW TO PLAY YOUR SPECIFIC CLASS. If a spell requires components, know what they are and know how to use them. You need to understand the saving throws required by your spells, their area of effect, duration, range, etc., and provide them to the DM as required. Spellcasters from all different games also need to be well-read when it comes their individual spells. I realize there are dozens of pages of different spells (78 pages in the 5E Player’s Handbook, to be exact) and one cannot possibly memorize all of them (unless you have, then kudos to you and could I interest you in going possibly outside once in a while?), but memorize those which you use regularly and keep a reference sheet handy with all those that you are able to cast. Look up spells which you are interested in attaining ahead of time so that you don’t slow the game down trying to figure out what you’ll take upon level up; it can also lead to character development as you experiment towards such goals. In short, what I’m trying to tell you is: READ YOUR PLAYER’S HANDBOOK (or any relevant core rulebook). Your role-playing, as well as the experience of everyone with whom you play, will improve as a direct result. Jake is an avid board gamer, outdoorsman, and low level role-player who lives in College Station, Texas. You can read his latest article about how board games can improve your role-playing here. So it looks as though Ravenloft is going to be returning to production with the announcement of “Curse of Strahd” as written by Chris Perkins. It looks like they have involved Tracy and Laura Hickman in its production and are continuing in what looks like a generous reverence for the source material that 5th Edition has produced thus far.
Ravenloft is possibly my favourite published setting, and I am currently running a 3.5 campaign that has lasted north of three years and used several 2nd Edition modules that I have converted. The fact that I want to continue running the Grand Conjunction line of modules is the main reason that our group is still using 3.5, because though I love and respect that edition, I am completely sold on 5th. I am also running an online 5th Edition game using the Roll20.net platform and just love it. So when after what I think was a pretty disappointing “Sword Coast” release they decided to step to the side of Forgotten Realms and into the Demiplane of Dread, I was ecstatic. I very much look forward to it, even if I understand that this still means we can’t produce our own published content for Ravenloft. -VP Quinn |
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April 2023
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