Feathergale Society

I'm running Princes of Apocalypse with two groups at the moment. One is a group that only meets 3-4 times a year, another we're trying to meet more frequently.

Both groups are nearing or all ready achieved Level 3, so they're moving to the campaign proper. The book contains some hints for the PCs to investigate, but I'm not entirely sold on why they would ever go to Feathergale Spire for anything other then curiosity.

The members of the Society as written in the book are flamboyant, mostly rich and priviledged Waterdhavians. The first thought that comes to me is that they must be similar to a fraternity or sorority. Popped collars, lots of female skin, parties for the sake of partying, that whole deal.

If the knights of the Feathergale Society were truly going to celebrate their ten year anniversary, they would let the neighboring towns know of it. The more, the merrier!

I had these posted across Red Larch, irritating the locals:

Princes of Apocalypse Character Profile: Okk, the Half-Orc Monk

That D&D bug has bitten me again. It just happens to coincide with my miniature painting hobby as well. Here's this weeks mini and a level 1 character you could drop into any campaign, although the plot hooks below are mostly tied to Princes of Apocalypse.

Okk, the Calming Fist

The Mini

Gungor, Half-Orc Monk (ReaperMini), sculpted by James van Schaik. Other then installing it on a 1'' round base, no modifications were needed. Beautiful miniature!

The Character

"Make no mistake, my Calming Fist is not an orcish blade, yet the results are the same." - Okk, the Calming Fist

Okk is a chaotic nuetral half-orc monk. He wanders the world seeking enlightenment. The Calming Fist ideals focus on improving one self above all else. Okk frowns upon those who suffer yet do nothing to fix their suffering. While he feels great empathy for those who suffer, he believes that meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble. He enters combat only if there is to be a challenge and frowns on any person who relies on weapons in combat.

Traits

• I feel tremendous empathy for all who suffer.

Ideals

• Meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble.
• One's self is the most deadliest weapon.

Bonds

• I entered seclusion to hide from the Ice Shield orcs. I must someday confront them and my father who leads them.

Flaws

• I am dogmatic in my thoughts and philosophy.

Adventure Hooks

• Leosin Erlanthar (Hard of the Dragon Queen): Leosin helped train Okk, who considers him one of his mentors. Leosin sent urgent summons to Okk to meet him in a small town called Greenest.
• Hired Hand (Princes of Apocalypse): Seeking to prevent hardship on local farmsteaders (of which his mother was one long ago), Okk returns to Dessarin Valley to find the cause of the missing farmers and help with their survival.

The Background

Okk, the Calming Fist is a half-orc hermit of the Dessarin Valley. His mother was taken during an Ice Shield orc raid and gave birth while captive of the bandit group. Okk grew to be a strong child, proving to his peers at a young age that his human blood did not make him any less orcish then the rest.

His father, Warchief Traven, was a cruel tyrant who ruled the bandit group with an iron fist. A master at organizing hit and run tactics, Traven lead the Ice Shield orcs raids on farmsteads all around the Dessarin Valley. He always kept them on the move, never letting them settle lest they be found.

One night, when he was the age of 10, his mother attempted to escape. She gathered the boy and attempted to sneak out of the camp. Unfortunately, Traven knew of the planned escape. His warriors chased the mother and boy for miles. Exhausted, the mother hugged her son and told her to live. She had the boy hide in a hallowed tree in the High Forest. From his hiding place, Okk saw his mother skewered by Orcish iron.

Distraught, exhausted, with no where to go Okk wandered around the Dessarin Valley. He stumbled into a group of pilgrims. The pilgrims completed their voyage to the Calming Fist Monastary in a little over a year. It is there that Okk began the emotional and physical training that would become crucial to his life as an adventurer. It is at Calming Fist where he learned to harnass his life force to strengthen his body and harden his soul. He learned that fist and foot can be victorious over steel. He vowed never to wield a weapon of any kind in combat, for his fists are his blade and his spirit his armor.

Now 20, Okk left the monastery to learn about the world. He heard from some returning pilgrims of increase bandit activity in the Dessarin Valley. Homesteaders who were kind to itinerant hands have gone missing. Suspecting the Ice Shield orcs, Okk travels back to the valley of his birth to investigate. 

Low-Level Magic Weapons for 5E

Magic weapons in 5E are a rare. In most cases, even the magic items the party will find will equate to a +1 or +2 weapon, nothing close to the stuff you'd usually see in 3E or Pathfinder.

Reddit user woundedKnight created a small magic item generator for 5E. It uses a property table and came come up with some pretty amazing little weapons. I'm a big fan of the item names invoking some of the history of the weapon, which ultimately is up to the DM to provide!

Check it out!

Princes of Apocalypse Character Profile: Grundle, the Genasi Druid

In my first post for the blog, we're going to profile my friend Chuck's Genassi druid, Grundle. I meet a few times a year with some old friends and run a 5E campaign. This last weekend we ran levels 1-3 of the Princes of Apocalypse book. It went remarkably well, even moreso that I havn't run a serious game since my late teens.

I decided to drop PoA into a world I was creating. It worked out decently, but if I run this for other groups I'll probably be sticking to the Forgotten Realms setting. The world we're running in is filled with islands, allowing unique backstories from any character. A major city dubbed Sanctuary, with a questing system akin to guilds (ala Fairy Tail and other MMOs) play a major part. Characters are introduced to the city of Sanctuary, asked to join a guild, then sent into the PoA adventure.

The Mini

Goldar, Male Barbarian (ReaperMini), sculpted by Matt Gubser. The axe was removed and replaced with a brass rod. A ReaperMini spear was added across the back. A fabulous mini even amongst the Bones line. Bones seems to be hit and miss for my painting style and skill level - either there's awesome detail that can be brought out or detail is lost compared to those of metal minis. This was my first time spending some time on muscle definition and I think it came out great. Was attempting to give off a stone/earthy vibe on the skin tone.

Paints used:

• Vallejo Game Color Plague Brown
• Vallejo Game Color Off White
• Vallejo Model Color Leather Brown
• Vallejo Game Color Sombre Grey
• Vallejo Game Color Brassy Brass
• Vallejo Model Color Gunmetal Grey
• Citadel Shade Nuln Oil
• Citadel Shade Agrax Earthshade
• Tamiya Surface Primer: Gray

The Character

Grundle is a Neutral Good Druid Earth Genasi who has a Quarterstaff and Spear, but most often he use nature to destroy his enemies. Grundle doesn't shape nature to his will, he more imagines himself as a conduit in which nature can express its fury through him. He is cheerful and loyal and eager to prove himself, but quick to destroy those that seek to do harm to nature. He wont ever shapeshift until he can become elemental as he sees animals more as food then anything else. He can use fire and he understands its necessary in nature but he wont use it if it can be avoided.

The Background

Born the son of an Earth Genesi mother and a human father, Grundle was born on the Plane of Earth. His mother was so disgusted by his appearance she cast him from her Plane to the Plane of his father, but that didn't dampen his young spirit. He found himself as a baby in the woods. His father never came for him yet that didn't dampen his spirits either because Grundle already had an adopted mother. 

The Earth was his new mother and she cared for him as any mother would. When he was hungry, Mother would bring him animals. When he thirsted, she gave him a river. Stone and earth was his bed and the stars and skies his blanket. The trees were his friends, the winds his lovers. For 12 years he lived happily as one with nature.Then one day he made a startling discovery, Society. 

On the mountainous island he called home he found a city. He observed from a distance the day to day activities of these strange beings. He watched them toil against and even battle his Mother Earth, but Grundle did not begrudge them this. Grundle understood that not everyone can be as close to Mother as he and he took pity on them. That was the day he decided to prove himself useful to society while at the same time protecting his Mother Earth who had given him so much.

Grundled ventured forth to the city and met a traveling mage called Ken. Ken helped Grundle integrate as best as possible with society, helping him learn Common in addition to teaching what social graces he could. Ken and Grundle travel the world.

Princes of Apocalypse

Grundle and Ken arrive in Sanctuary and ultimately join the Swift Crow guild. Their first mission is to work with other recruits from other guilds to meet a returning party/delegation. The delegation includes a member of the Swift Crow, who ultimately leads the delegation. She has in her hands magical seeds that the Crows think can help shift the tide in the current war against the elemental planes.

The duo receive their emblem pins, allowing them a higher chance of passing dexterity saving throws or skill checks once a day. They meet their party, which includes an elven ranger and a duo of dwarven brothers. The party arrives in Red Larch and as ordered begins to help the town, in order to clear a path of non-trouble for the returning delegation who are expected back within 3 tendays. 

Ken and Grundle send notices out to their guild contact at Goldenfields on their arrival, but ultimately do not have much contact with their guild since the Crows do not have an agent in Red Larch. 

Avoiding any of the two quarries in Red Larch per Grundle's preference, the party investigates rumors from the townsfolk:

• Finding a place to stay, Grundle offers all his money to allow the characters to stay at Mother Yolanka's boarding house. She graciously accepts, to Ken's chagrin.
• The owner and manager of the Singing Sword inn is greatly concerned with the rumors around town. She offers the party a substantial reward to examine Lance Rock. The party finds the entrance to a cave-like complex swarming with undead. After struggling to kill 3 zombies the party leaves the cave in an effort to gain more experience and approach the Lord of Lance Rock later.
• The constable warns of bandits on the countryside. Upon closer investigation, the bandits are confirmed and holding a black bear hostage. Grundle falls to the attacking black bear but he wins the day due to a timely Thunderwave spell that cleared the bandit camp of caltrops and knocked half the bandits to the ground. Grundle is stabilized by the party, noticeably upset after the ranger remarks he had a bear trap. Returning to town, the party are shocked to see the guardsmen working an abandoned wagon case. A wagon showed up in town with all of the valuables still in tact, but no riders or drivers.
• A little girl remarked she saw a black skull and arrow lodged in a tree just outside of town. The party investigates and finds the artifact. Grundle wisely chooses not to touch any of the items. The item curses two of the party members allowing undead to treat them as undead. The party buries the artifacts in a lake and somewhere outside of town.
• Returning to Lance Rock, Grundle and his party cautiously try to draw out the master of the caves. Defacing signs leading up to the cave, the party tries to ambush only to find out that a single zombie exits each hour to fix the signs. Grundle takes out some frustration (and spells) defeating a zombie. It's worth noting however that the zombie was not fighting back, it was trying to fix the sign.
  
  The party continues through the complex, tirelessly fighting undead that just don't seem to die. Defeating zombies, zombies dressed as a theater troup, zombies dressed as wizards, crawling claws, skeleton swordsman and archers the party finally confronts the Lord of Lance Rock. In an epic battle that sees the party in heavy danger, they defeat the Lord of Lance Rock and lay claim to some jewels, his Wand of Magic Missiles and a Drift Globe. The party also encounters the Elemental Eye symbol.
• Labeled as heroes upon their return to Red Larch, the party is lead to investigate a cave and are ambushed by Stirges. Prior to leaving for the cave,  Grundle discovers a mask left at the boarding house eerily similar to the masks described by the miners during their night shifts. They see robed figures with masks such as the one found watching them as they work.
• The clothier's child informs the party about a two headed monster and ghosts at the cemetary. The party investigates and finds a goblin and ogre attempting to ambush or break into a tomb. Approaching in a friendly manner, the lead dwarf paladin tries to enter the tomb and causes a ruckus when pots and pans fall on him. Enraged (due to a similar event at Lance Rock), his brother charges the goblin and ogre. A fight ensues and is stopped by the paladin - restraining his brother. The ogre and goblin leave the area.
  
  Further investigation into the tomb yields a Spectre who is guarding a locked room. In the middle of the room is a stone table. The ghost asks for payment or honor and politely asks the party to leave. Correctly guessing the skull that with the black arrow as the spectre's skull, the party retrieves it and restores the pots and pans to the table. The spectre passes on.
  
  With no lockpicking within the party, Grundle shapeshifts and tears down the locked door. Inside a coffin and rotted wooden chest are seen. Grundle destroys the box then leaves the tomb, letting Ken and the rest of the party figure everything out.
• Upon returning to Red Larch, a giant sinkhole opens in the middle of the town. Tasked to help, the party comes together to save those who fell. They then venture into the sinkhole to investigate. Making their way through an ancient dwarven complex, they become trapped in a cage in a narrow passageway. The party struggles to lift the cages but ultimately is freed when everyone works together.
  
  Knowing they are more then likely going to be ambushed since the cages triggered an alarm and the cages are manually dropped, the party advances forward. Meeting a half-dead boy, they get some info from him before letting him go on his way. Knowing full well enemies are coming, the party decides to set up an ambush in the room they are in. They take care of the 6 cultists that attack them, revealing the identity that they are all cultists and were all staying at the same boarding house as the party.
  
  Advancing forward, interrogating an older gentlemen and learning the history of the place, Grundle puts two and two together and is convinced that the quarries in town are the root of all the problems. The party enters the final chamber of the complex to find a large area with floating Stonehenge like stones. Any large pressure on the floor will cause the stones to fall or hover accordingly. After a long fight the party wins the day (in which earth type spells seem drawn to target Grundle), only to discover an alternate exit that leads to the quarry!
  
  Proven correct, Grundle spends the next two weeks helping the town seal up the complex below town. With the quarries still operational, Grundle has current plans to somehow destroy each quarry in Red Larch.

The story continues this fall during our next gathering! Grundle was a great character and stood by his convictions. An absolutely charming character that I look forward to challenging in the future.