The D&D Corner (and other Pen & Paper - or virtual - RPGs!) <3

[Rath Darkblade]

As groups do! You don't want to hem them in so much that they accuse you of railroading. Just as long as they don't get as out of line as this. Otherwise, you might do this and think like this.

[Tawmis]

As groups do! You don't want to hem them in so much that they accuse you of railroading. Just as long as they don't get as out of line as this. Otherwise, you might do this and think like this.

Thankfully there's no Munchkin/PowerGamers in my group (since none of them, other than Anita - who had only played once before) ever played D&D - so they don't know how to mini/maximize their characters.

Sadly, the work group has one who is. But a good DM should be able to deal with it (every foe just targets them as "the biggest threat" - and creatures with pack tactics will take down the strongest characters).

[Tawmis]

And D&D last night was a success! <3

My D&D people _spoil_ me.

Anita bought me a leather dice holder; which doubles also as a dice container (the bottom) and the long part unrolls and buckles into a leather container to roll dice!

Anita bought me a leather dice holder; which doubles also as a dice container (the bottom) and the long part unrolls and buckles into a leather container to roll dice!

Dave bought me this roller for my D&D books rather than me struggling with the bags I used to carry them in! (And they all fit much nicer in here!)

And here's the recap I send (do these after every session) -

http://tawmis.com/kneurth/adventure-not ... e-notes-06

[Rath Darkblade]

Wow! Your players do spoil you, Tawm. Nice gifts. Although I initially thought (before I read the description) that the dice-holder was in fact a tankard of some kind for drinking beer...

[Rath Darkblade]

Here's a tiny "Knights of the Dinner Table" bit of silliness that I wrote a few years ago. It helps if you're familiar with KODT, or at least with The Tale of the Dreaded Gazebo. (Mwa ha ha.)

A quick note re: characters... B.A. is the game-master, and his players frequently drive him nuts.

Dave is a hack-and-slasher, specialising in combat (and not much else), and has a Plus-12 Hackmaster (aka the BIG SWORD OF DOOM(TM)).

Bob is a fellow hack-and-slasher who always plays a thief (often a dwarf) with a short temper and a lethal crossbow. Finally,

Brian (aka the Big Guy) is the Rules Lawyer who knows all the rules, and who often plays a mage (with a catch-phrase: "Fire-balls coming on-line!"). But when things don't go his way, he sometimes flips the table and leaves in a huff.

Anyway...

"Gazebo Gallivanting"
(to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas")

B.A.: As you stroll through the clearing, gazebo you do see...

DAVE: Plus-12 Hackmaster!

BOB: 'Leven Bolts of Slaying!

DAVE: Smash it to pieces!

B.A.: Guys, it's a GAZEBO!

DAVE: Man, it's a tough bastard!

BOB: I will Hide in Shadows!

B.A.: It's just flavour text here... *whimpers*

BRIAN: Fire-balls online!!!
We have killed that thing -
What's that you say?!
Zero eee-pees?!?
I will flip the table right now!!!!!

THE END

[Tawmis]

Here's a tiny "Knights of the Dinner Table" bit of silliness that I wrote a few years ago. It helps if you're familiar with KODT, or at least with The Tale of the Dreaded Gazebo. (Mwa ha ha.)

As for myself, I am very familiar with KODT, since I used their comic strip to make my own (obviously for fun) since I lacked artistic skill: http://neverendingnights.com/archives/1014

[Tawmis]

So I did a Work D&D Session I DM for some work peeps (See "Last Time on D&D for the party's previous stuff) - but in short, the ravaged town of Spire's Edge had miners (not to be confused with minors) who were attacked and killed when they accidentally broke through a wall and exposed unknown insects that rapidly killed the miners. So the party was hired to simply go in, dispatch any of these insects if they were still in the cave, and collapse the cavern to prevent the insects from re-entering the mines, so that the mines can finally be reclaimed...

Well, in the time that the mines have been abandoned, other humanoids have taken up residence in the mines... including gnolls, bugbears, and Cultists of Razataun, who is the God of Slime, and believes all humanoids should be single celled organisms; because it's the complexity of the body and mind that gives people free choice, which leads to war, greed, murder - ... although, because said god is rather insane, he technically falls to the evil alignment, because of what he demands of his followers ("attempt to convert everyone you encounter to single celled organisms - even if it's something they don't want - they simply don't know the glory of Razataun!")

Well, they fought a gibbering mouther (a weak one - see here for what they look like: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/for ... 1010155207) - in my campaign gibbering mouthers are created when fanatics of Razataun try to "convert" someone through their dark ritual to turn them into single celled organisms, and the god "rejects" the person (it's just the spell going wrong; but the fanatics believe that Razataun found the person unworthy and cursed them to a gibbering mouther)... as the gibbering mouther kills people it absorbs them into themselves, becoming more powerful, and a monstrosity.

They did manage to defeat the cultists fanatics and the wizard acquired a new dagger from the leader - and it's cursed (with an EGO inside of it, which will attempt to convert the wizard slowly to the ways of Razataun unless he can get the curse removed).

They also encountered a cockatrice (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Cockatrice#content) which turned the bard to stone...

[Rath Darkblade]

Yep, I know what a cockatrice is and what it looks like. Poor old bard. Can he turn back into flesh?

I'm not sure if Razataun is an evil deity. Being insane, wouldn't that make him chaotic? He could be CN rather than CE - perhaps an otherworldly spirit trapped for centuries and sent insane by the endless chittering prayers of the gnolls and bugbears? - and the task of the players would be to rescue him from his imprisonment and give him the oblivion he craves. Along the way, of course, they could fight gnolls etc.

Oh, no - gnolls! Here's a twist: the gnoll leader worships Obad-Hai, god of nature (among other things). Due to the gnoll leader's prayers and entreaties, Obad-Hai covers the floor of the gnoll leader's chamber with grass. So now he is, of course ... a grassy gnoll.

*Baddum-tish!*

[Tawmis]

Yep, I know what a cockatrice is and what it looks like. Poor old bard. Can he turn back into flesh?

Yes. 24 hours, stone will revert to flesh, so long as the statued form is not destroyed.

I'm not sure if Razataun is an evil deity. Being insane, wouldn't that make him chaotic? He could be CN rather than CE - perhaps an otherworldly spirit trapped for centuries and sent insane by the endless chittering prayers of the gnolls and bugbears? - and the task of the players would be to rescue him from his imprisonment and give him the oblivion he craves. Along the way, of course, they could fight gnolls etc.
Oh, no - gnolls! Here's a twist: the gnoll leader worships Obad-Hai, god of nature (among other things). Due to the gnoll leader's prayers and entreaties, Obad-Hai covers the floor of the gnoll leader's chamber with grass. So now he is, of course ... a grassy gnoll.
*Baddum-tish!*

Heh - Razataun forcing his will on others (resulting in their death/demise), is indeed chaotic - but chaotic evil. In his madness he thinks he's doing the right thing - but a god who tells his followers to poison water supply to turn a town into single celled organisms isn't just Chaotic Neutral.

As for the gnolls, they worship Yeegowhen - who ironically is nicknamed "The Mad God" (no relation to Razataun, who isn't nicknamed the mad god, the insane god, etc - it's just everyone who isn't a Razataun fanatic considers him and his followers insane due to their rituals), where as Yeegowhen, god of the gnolls has an origin based in bloodlust - so the "Mad" is not for insanity, but for cruelty.

More info than you ever wanted to know... (although I realize I said jackals, when it's supposed to be hyenas, so I need to go back and edit my site... no idea why I said jackals...)

http://tawmis.com/kneurth/deities-demigods

YEEGOWHEN – God of Gnolls
Intermediate Deity
Domain: Madness (Primary), Hatred, Spite
Alias: The Mad God
Plane: Garengrand, The Lower Plane.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Worshipers: Gnolls
Symbol: A jackal skull with glowing red eyes

Yeegowhen is known as “The Mad God.” Having originally been nothing more than a jackal that supposedly fed on the fallen arm of Skortaurian (God of Venom, Poison, Disease and Spite) after Valingard (God of Honor, War) had severed it with his father’s Honor Sword; Yeegowhen rapidly evolved as the most savage of the jackal pack, changed by the dark magic that flowed through the severed arm. Yeegowhen was driven insane by the magic that changed him. The spite that flowed through him, carried over by Skortaurian’s own spite, filled Yeegowhen. Yeegowhen cut his palm and let the other jackals of his pack drink from him, and found that their bodies began to change too, evolving into gnolls.

The hatred and spite, and need to devour flesh, carried over into the gnolls. Adopting the worse possible traits of jackals, gnolls became a destructive force unleashed on the world, with the sole purpose of killing and devouring. Their hatred and spite, as well as their need to devour flesh, runs so deep that gnolls do not even align themselves with other evil races, such as Orcs, Goblins, or Trolls – preferring instead, to go to war with them, and devour their flesh; because Yeegowhen evolved from devouring the flesh of Skortaurian’s arm; gnolls believe that devouring people grants them their powers and strength as well.

Furious that Urnevar’s (God Of Necromancy) symbol bares a close resembles to his own, Yeegowhen sought to destroy Urnevar. In the battle, he had caused enough damage that Urnevar was forced to flee from his tower; and it was there that Yeegowhen learned the dark arts of necromancy; but his madness would not allow him to maintain the knowledge; so during one of his attempts to work necromancy, he unwillingly created ghouls, who like him and the gnolls, shares an insatiable desire to devour flesh with voraciousness. As such, gnoll shamans frequently summon up ghouls, if the gnolls have quenched their hunger after a recent kill, to have the ghouls serve them.

[Rath Darkblade]

Ummm...? I have a few questions about this, but here's something I was able to find through some quick googling...

Jackals are omnivores and like to eat both meat and vegetation. Their diet consists of leftovers from other animals' kills, ground-dwelling birds, reptiles, antelopes, fruits, insects, berries and grass. They're not picky, though - jackals will even eat human trash, or even decomposing or diseased flesh, according to Animal Planet and LiveScience. But they generally don't attack humans.

Hyenas - at least spotted hyenas - are famously scavengers, and often dine on the leftovers of other predators. But these hardy beasts are also skilled hunters that will take down wildebeest or antelope. They also kill and eat birds, lizards, snakes, and insects.

The smaller striped hyena, common to North Africa and the Middle East as far as India, is quite capable of killing adult humans, but are not known attack people unless other food is scarce.

The spotted hyena, native to Sub-Saharan Africa, is the more dangerous of the two species, being larger, more predatory, and more aggressive than the striped hyena.

The brown hyena is only found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. It primarily survives on carcasses killed by larger predators, but sometimes eats rodents, insects, eggs, fruit and fungi too. It doesn't attack humans.

Finally, there is the small, shy and nocturnal aardwolf, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It primarily eats insects, but sometimes also eggs; rarely - very rarely - it might eat small mammals or birds. Unlike other hyenas, it does not eat carrion. Like the brown hyena, the aardwolf does not prey on humans.

Sorry to go on like this, but I didn't know much about hyenas before. It's fun to learn new things.

Yeegowhen cut his palm and let the other jackals of his pack drink from him, and found that their bodies began to change too, evolving into gnolls.

If Yeegowhen was an ordinary hyena when this happens, how did he do this? Hyenas don't use tools - or have palms, for that matter. (Maybe paws)?

...during one of his attempts to work necromancy, he unwillingly created ghouls...

Do you mean that he created ghouls against his own wishes (unwillingly), or that that it was an accident (unwittingly)? Sorry, but I've been writing and editing for a long, long time.

[Tawmis]

Ummm...? I have a few questions about this, but here's something I was able to find through some quick googling...

Yeegowhen cut his palm and let the other jackals of his pack drink from him, and found that their bodies began to change too, evolving into gnolls.

If Yeegowhen was an ordinary hyena when this happens, how did he do this? Hyenas don't use tools - or have palms, for that matter. (Maybe paws)?

It's perhaps not clear, but when the Hyena that would become Yeegowhen drank from the god's severed hand/arm - it evolved him into the gnoll form.

...during one of his attempts to work necromancy, he unwillingly created ghouls...

Do you mean that he created ghouls against his own wishes (unwillingly), or that that it was an accident (unwittingly)? Sorry, but I've been writing and editing for a long, long time.

Indeed, unwittingly. But that's just one of the many mistakes on my site, I am sure - as at times, I get an idea at 3am - and just log on and scribble down whatever's in my head, before the thought passes.

As I noted, it was supposed to be hyenas that Yeegowhen came from and helped evolve into gnolls, not jackals.

[Tawmis]

I am looking forward to D&D this weekend...

Jessica (our resident cleric) said her husband may be joining us! So I told her to have him roll up a Level 3 character, and he will be a part of the caravan that the party is escorting.

This is going to be a pretty big party if he remains...

1. Dragonborn Barbarain
2. Dwarf Wizard
3. Elf Ranger
4. Halfling Bard
5. Elf Cleric
6. Gnome Ranger/Rogue

Normally 5 to 6 is my biggest group (that way combat isn't too long before it's their turn again)...

I am not sure what he's rolling up...!

But I am genuinely looking forward to the challenge of 7 players, if he decides to come out - and more importantly - decides to keep playing after!

(He's fortunate - perhaps? - because this weekend the party will be encountering a young [Black] dragon who will be giving them a quest... and a promise to help them, if they help him first...)

But can you really trust a Black Dragon? (All Chromatic Dragons - Red, Blue, Black, Green, White - and naturally of evil alignment)....

[Rath Darkblade]

Never trust a Red, Black or White dragon (in D&D, anyway). They are invariably schemers who will betray you whenever they get a chance.

Blue or Green - either run the hell away from (if you can't plausibly beat them in battle) or engage (if you can or think you can). They will inevitably turn on you. Run away! Run away!!!

I wonder what character Jessica's husband will roll up?

[Tawmis]

Never trust a Red, Black or White dragon (in D&D, anyway). They are invariably schemers who will betray you whenever they get a chance.
Blue or Green - either run the hell away from (if you can't plausibly beat them in battle) or engage (if you can or think you can). They will inevitably turn on you. Run away! Run away!!!
I wonder what character Jessica's husband will roll up?

I am very curious to see what he rolls up!
Hoping to snag him into the game on a permanent basis. (Because that makes me feel like I'm doing a good job as a DM).

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm, re: dragons... are my instincts right? Can Reds, Blacks, Whites, Blues or Greens be trusted - ever?