First Foray Into 5E

I'm just going to leave this here.

Illus: Andrew Hale, in Heroes of High Favor: Dwarves

And my wife wants to play as well....

Illus: Magnuson24 "Elven Ranger"  on DeviantArt

I'll see you all on the other side...

[Inktober 2016] Day 29—The Tombs of Jarra Cavernfire

The Tombs of Jarrra Cavernfire

(keyword: secret)

The tombs of this ancient Dwarven queen appear simple at first: three sarcophagi and three massive coffers,  emptied long ago . A secret door leads to an empty chamber; a priceless repeater hangs in the far wall. The floor is warded: any creature(s) that cross 3/4 of the floor fall through the floor 50' down to a floor of spikes. If the party contains a Dwarven priest (LG), the floor instead solidifies and tilts downward, revealing a surprise.

A series of rooms hold the remains of Jarra's Priestesses, piles of weapons, and coffers filed with treasure. Beware: other deadly traps and invasive vermin are in these lower halls.

A hardy and intrepid party will find its way to the grand hexagonal sarcophagus of Jarra herself. If she is disturbed, she will quickly rise to wreak her vengeance.

[Inktober 2016] Day 1—Mad King's War Fortress

I've never taken part in Inktober, Drawlowe'en, or whatever we're all calling it this year. I don't consider myself an artist. My last art class in school was somewhere around 34 years ago, and involved shading three-dimensional geometric objects and bowls of fruit.

That's probably why my few hand-drawn animals and people look like cartoons.

+matt jackson  and +Dyson Logos  inspired me yesterday. If they could try to do it every day, maybe I could as well. And Matt made a good point: my maps are in ink. So, lying in bed last night, I grabbed my pens (and a nifty new notebook I've discovered) and quickly sketched this one out.

Inktober #1: The War Fortress of the Mad King Halgrim Stonetower

(Key word: fast)

1. Massive doors lead to the entry hall.
2. Central hallway.
3. Throne room.
4. Barracks / Dining hall  (s) kitchen w/ storeroom underneath
5. Dungeon: Portcullis at top and bottom of stairway.
6. Stone guardians.
7. Clerics' quarters.
8. Temple of the Dwarven War-god, Mordrim: huge anvil & forge.
9. (s) Minor treasure room; door locked and trapped.
10 Halgrim's bedchamber. (s) Halgrim's treasure room: door locked & trapped.

I almost numbered the rooms for the key, but I didn't know whether my red ink would bleed through the page. I also, intentionally, left the walls of the dungeon thinner to denote the lower level. I'm not sure whether I like the effect, or whether it works.

The other thing I learned? Background fill is tough to do in bed.

[Random Booster Encounters] Roadside Ambush (#01)

This series is something experimental, at least for me. The concept: create an encounter based solely on the four miniatures found in any one single random booster. I had originally thought about calling this a Pathfinder project, but then I remembered that Wizards had re-started their random miniature production. They're not the greatest paint jobs in the world, but then...some of the early Pathfinder paint jobs weren't terrific either.

The attached character sheet was also something of an experiment, as it has been somewhere over 35 years since I truly worked with the AD&D First Edition ruleset. Please forgive any errors, and accept them as what they are: an effort to pay tribute to that set of rules. It's also a nod to my OSR friends and readers. [But if you have suggestions regarding the character stats or character sheet—also of my design—please feel free to let me know. I welcome correction; I want to learn.] It was intended to be used on a 4" x 6" card.

The 3.x statblock follows the AD&D character sheet.

So, the project begins... after the break

Dwarven Happiness--Sometimes it's the Little Things

Some of you may have already seen this.

I'm just going to leave this here, because it makes me happy.

[A to Z April] H is for Helzak, Darthen (npc)

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Darthen Helzak is named for the wasteland, his hearthland, translated roughtly into the Common tongue as “God’s Anvil” (known to most as the Ashwaste). They believe that the hardships imposed by the wasteland upon their people is a refining forge, the anvil upon which their God beats and shapes their souls into a divine form.

He was born in the Wasteland, in God’s Anvil. His grandfather, Huragram, was a water miner who discovered a subterranean river, becoming a wealthy individual and a powerful leader of the tribes of God’s Anvil. Huragram wielded a khopesh which he named “Beldorida” meaning, roughly, “Breath of the First Gem.” The sword is graceful and slender, crafted of steel, ivory, and gold. Sapphires and rubies are set in her hilt. First impressions leave the impression of a noble’s showpiece, something made for looks and attention rather than for utility. Those who have met Beldorida’s edge and tested the wielder’s mettle quickly learn that she is perfectly balanced and eminently deadly. Her grip is wrapped in copper and silver wire, providing a perfect grip even when the wielder’s hand is slick.

Darthen now wields the khopesh of his forefathers. The source of the blade is unknown, although she is rumored to have come from one of the great mythical cities in the east full of powerful magic. Huragram found the blade while on a personal vision quest out in the barren lands of God’s Anvil. She was entombed within a nodule of stone found deep within the sands; the nodule also contained a portal to the Plane of Earth. He took the discovery of Beldorida as a sign and returned to the stronghold, although he was weak, weary, and near death. He kept an unbreakable grip on Beldorida during the entire time of his recovery. Upon returning to health, he carved out for himself a powerful position among the tribes. He ruled the tribes of the Anvil for nearly a century; when he died of natural causes, his skaalds buried Beldorida with him.

After a century of ruling over chaos and hardship, Darthen’s father disinterred Beldorida after seers told him that the powers of the buried weapon of Fire and Air were being suppressed by the powers of Earth. He recovered Beldorida and wielded the blade with power as he strove to link the Anvil’s dwar together again. He was not as successful as Huragram at the task, and never as powerful. Darthen was raised on stories of Beldorida, a blade that practically thrummed with power, as if the steel was scarcely able to contain the sorceries placed upon it. Darthen’s father was never able to learn the secrets of the blade.

Darthen’s father and his seers feared that the spirits of Earth and Stone had, in fact, subsumed Beldorida’s power. Darthen has been entrusted with the blade and exiled from the Wastelands. Where Beldorida was once meant to be his hearth’s last line of defense, Darthen is now her only protection.

Darthen stands somewhat taller and leaner than a normal dwarf. His hair and beard are braided and matted, resembling dreadlocks. He wears simple leathers and cotton garments, his undertunic spun from subterranean spider silk, with his armored shirt composed of long bones tied together with plaited leather. Leather gauntlets protect his hands from the sand and sun; they double as weapons, with small metal spikes set above each knuckle.

Darthen Helzak, Ashwaste dwarf barbarian 3CR 3

XP 19, 200

CG Medium humanoid

Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60, Perception +7

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 armor)

hp 47

Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +3
Immune Fire
Damage Reduction 1/bludgeoning or slashing (spidersilk undertunic)
Weakness Acid

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee +1 khopesh +9 (1d8+7/19-20/x2) or Dagger +6 (1d3+5) or Gauntlet, spiked +6 (1d4+3)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

STATISTICS

Str 17, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 13

Base Atk +3; Grapple +6

Feats: Armor Proficiency (Heavy, Light, Medium), Cleave, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Power Attack, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency

Skills: Climb +9, Intimidate +7, Jump +9, Knowledge (History) +3, Knowledge (Nature) +4, Perception +7, Survival +7

Languages Common, Dwarven, Goblin

EQUIPMENT

Bonesplint Armor, Gauntlets, spiked, +1 khopesh, Dagger, Belt pouch, Sun Goggles, Acid, flask (1), Waterskin

Note:  As an Ashwaste Dwarf, Darthen does not receive a bonus to Appraise checks on metal-, gem- or stonework. Darthen also does not have the Stonecunning ability.

Please note: All my NPCs are free for you to use. Please, feel free to use them. All I ask is a note to let me know if, where, when, and how it was used.

**Many thanks to WotC's "PC Portraits" Archive for the image.

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Previous "H"s:
2014: H is for Heart Filth (poison)
2013: H is for Heth's Jeacky Fleter (beverage)
2012: H is for Happy Birthday!
2011: H is for Hargrim, the Soulhammer

[A to Z April] D is for Dwarves, Ashwaste (creature)

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

The Ashwastes are home to only a few hardy species who have survived through sheer tenacity and brutality, not to mention just a little bit of luck. Ashwaste goblins are one of those; Ashwaste dwarves are another.

Ashwaste dwarves are not all that different from normal dwarves, but the differences have a major influence on how they live among the desolation of the Ashwastes. To an Ashwaste dwarf, water and wood are as precious as gems and metals are to their normal cousins. The Ashwastes do not have much surface rock; the small islands of stone that exist among the ash desert serve as the entrances to the tunnels and caverns created by the dwarves in their search for water and wood. In some areas of the Ashwastes, piles of gems and precious metal ore are gathered and discarded, creating random treasure caches for the lucky wanderer. Most Ashwaste dwarves have never seen a body of water larger than a small brook or stream, and those only in underground caverns.

• Like their goblin counterparts, Ashwaste dwarves have developed a resistance to fire, but a susceptibility to acid attacks. Their eyes have evolved to allow a higher tolerance to sunlight and the glare from the Wastes, but most still require the use of goggles with colored lenses to see in full sunlight in the Wastes.
  
• Ashwaste dwarves, as they are not surrounded from birth by stone, have lost the usual stonecunning ability. They have also lost the usual affinity for the Appraise skill.
• Ashwaste dwarves have very little practical use for axes and hammers as tools. They have thus lost the racial familiarity with such as weapons. Instead, they may treat exotic weapons such as the khopesh and two-headed scimitar as martial weapons.
  
• Ashwaste dwarves count barbarian as their favored class. A multiclass Ashwaste dwarf 's barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
  
• Ashwaste dwarves count Ashwaste goblins as their default favored enemy.
  
• Ashwaste dwarves may last for three days before beginning to experience any ill effects from a lack of water.
  
• Hydrophobia: Ashwaste dwarves must make a Will save (DC 16) when they encounter any large body of water (river, lake, ocean) and a Will save (DC 20) when they are forced to travel upon any large body of water. The save must be made once per hour during normal water travel; failure of the save imposes a condition of cowering. During battle, the save must be made every 1d6 rounds; failure of this save causes the dwarf to become merely sickened, distracted as they are by the fight.

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Previous "D"s: 
2014: D is for Delightful Drink of Draconic Darkness (beverage) 
2013: D is for Duk (npc) 
2012: D is for D'leth Inemas 
2011: D is for Drake, Carrion

[A to Z April] C is for Cactus, Skull (item)

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

The skull cactus is a species of cactus indigenous only to the Ashwastes. To most, they have little to no value. Their skins are incredibly thick and hard and their spines are mildly poisonous; most creatures find the small amount of moisture within completely undrinkable. They are a subspecies of barrel cactus; when small, the dimpling and wrinkles make the plant resemble a humanoid skull--uncannily so.

One race has found a use for these succulents; the Ashwaste Dwarves carve these cacti and treat them with certain spells in order to create for themselves a type of spiked helm. The dwarves that wear these helms use them in conjunction with a wild, headlong charge at their targets. This special attack is only possible as part of a charge, as it requires the specific, directed force that results from this  maneuver.

The red, barbed spines on the crown of the skull cactus helm break off in their foes, causing 1d2 points of damage and injecting the mild hallucinogenic poisons into the target’s bloodstream. A failed save (DC 20) versus the poison causes an immediate 1 point of temporary (1d6 hours) Wisdom damage, thereafter confusing the target for the 10-round duration of the poison’s effect, or until a successful save.

Such an attack is possible 1d4 times per day, as a number of the colored spines magically re-grow each day.

Skull cactus helm
1d2 + poison (skull cactus sap, injury, DC 20 , 1/rd. for 10 rds. (Initial: 1 Wis, thereafter confused).)

Minor transmutation, Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, plant growth; Market Price: 6,000 gp; Cost to create: 3,155 gp +241 XP


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Previous "C"s:
2014: C is for Cradle, Exotic (spell)
2013: C is for Cleft Helm (item)
2012: C is for Charred Brimstone Mist (beverage)
2011: C is for Chiala Ereand

Mini-Map Monday: The Citadel of Nor-Von

Just a little something I threw together last night as I was suffering from insomnia. The Citadel of Nor-Von. The corridors are somewhat larger and wider than what the normal Dwarven citadel would contain. The reason for this--indeed, the reason behind the citadel's existence--is that the hallways were originally the shafts and corridors tracing the mithral deposits. They were eventually shaped, dressed, and decorated as the citadel aged and became the formal home and hearth for the Dwarves of Nor-Von.

I'll leave it to you to stock and key; just a few pointers from my own thoughts.

1. The large round oval is an open fighting arena/training area, ringed by a walkway.
   
2. To the immediate left of the arena are two throne rooms. These rooms are connected by a secret corridor. The smaller, oval-shaped throne room is reserved for meeting foreigners; the larger throne room is the formal, ceremonial throne room.
   
3. Three bridges cross the chasm that bisects the citadel. These bridges--and the open caverns to which they lead--are edged by a banister, otherwise open to the chasm.
   
4. To the right of the chasm is a formal statuary. Each of the fifteen previous Masters of the Citadel are represented here by stone golems.
   
5. The citadel is edged on the right side by an underground river.
   
6. All of the arrows designate a descending corridor.

The medium is the back of a 3"x5" card, using a fine point Sharpie grip pen. This map is smaller than the ones I typically draw on 3"x5" cards, primarily because I chose not to use the gridded side, but the plain, white side instead. This, combined with the fine point pen, freed me to draw smaller rooms, corridors, and features than I would have with the 0.25" grid. I'm actually pleased with how this turned out. I'm providing links to both a gridded and a non-gridded version. Contrary to my usual, all of the lines were hand-drawn; the only GIMP work I've done are some slight touch-ups, contrast/brightness, and adding the grid. Also atypically, the grid I've used is scaled to the image rather than using a 1" grid, so it may not be overly useful as a battle mat.

Feel free to use my maps in your home games. You can rename it, modify it, stock it, or abuse it in any manner legal in your particular jurisdiction. If you do use it, all I ask is that you let me know and tell me about it afterwards.

Bilingual Stronghold

Just sitting here, typing away at my desk, when my e-mail buzzes at me. It's an e-mail from my 13-year-old son, who rarely messages or e-mails me so I dropped everything to see what it was. Now I want to share it with all of you.

Apparently, it says "The Dwarven Stronghold" in Elvish. Now, I have to take his word for it, as I have not sullied my pure, Dwarven mind or tongue with anything Elvish (except that one half-Elvish ranger lass that once, but that's another story for another time). I need to find out from him how and what he used to translate and write it, but it looks like it may have been by hand. No matter. I still wanted to share his handiwork.

It warms a Gamer Dad's heart, y'know?

[D&D 40th Anniversary Bloghop] Day Ten

Day Ten: First gaming magazine you ever bought (Dragon, Dungeon, White Dwarf, etc.)

Technically speaking, the first gaming magazine I ever bought was the Dragon Magazine Archive CD-ROM. I lucked into finding this in early 2000, shortly after it was released. I say "lucked" because it's quickly become a highly sought-after piece of gamerabilia. I still have these and now use Adobe to read them, as the interface is a little buggy on these new-fangled computers. But hey, I still have the first 250 issues for reference, right? I've even used them since changing over to 3.x edition, so they're still useful and helpful. Plus, they're fun to read.

Then there was this, the first actual hardcopy Dragon Magazine that I purchased was this one: Issue #278. Why, you ask?

Because DWARVES, that's why.

I stumbled across this one day walking through one of the (then) local game shops, saw the "Dwarves" headline and I was sold. Yeah, I was still playing 2nd Edition D&D at the time and most of the 3E stuff in the issue wouldn't come in handy for another couple of years. But the issue contained Dwarven language information and sample battle cries. This was the one that prompted me to collect--ultimately--the other 108 issues. Yup. I have all the others. At least, I purchased/subscribed all the others, from 251 on. Double copies on some issues.

Of course, at last count I'm missing about 8 issues somewhere. I suspect a former GM still has some mixed in with his packed-up 3.x stuff. So, now I'm stuck trying to fill holes. Of course, the missing issues are also some of the most popular issues and replacing them is proving to be more than difficult. But it will happen. Oh yes, it will happen.

And it all started with #278.

Prepare to be Jealous

A couple weeks ago, Tim Shorts over at Gothridge Manor showed off some artwork he'd received in the mail. The name of his post was "Prepare to be Jealous." Seeing how his post inspired this one, and the sentiment fits, I've co-opted his post title for my own today.

Thanks, Tim.

If you're a long-time reader of my blog, or have been around the OSR for a while, you've no doubt heard of Jay Penn or have seen his work. He was the artist for Christian Walker's Loviatar 'zine. Jay's been generous enough in the past to allow me to purchase some pieces from him, pieces awaiting framing for my home office. Well, Jay recently completed an artistic challenge "100 Heads in 100 Days"; he put these works up for grabs and I grabbed several.

Here's what I found when I opened the envelope:

I'm currently looking for a frame for this one. I loved the idea and the colors in this.

I actually received two of these from Jay. He graciously sent a second print that I delivered to my FLGS, Hastur Games and Comics. The owner calls himself "Cthulhu Bob" and the managers of this store have been good friends of mine for over three decades. They all loved this piece; I understand it's getting framed and put in the manager's office.

These were pieces from Jay's "100 Days"; The one on the upper right, titled "Nanna Orc" was Day #5 and is in pencil. Kiddy-corner to that, the one-eyed dwarf, is an ink piece for Day #7, appropriately named "Left-Eye the Dwarf." The piece on the far right is Day #18, an ink/watercolor rendition of Tolkien's Gimli, son of Gloin. The upper-left hand pieces is another ink/watercolor for Day #36 and is what Jay titles, "A Stonehead Waymarker."

[Aside: I had to share Jay's explanation of the piece here.... "Faerie is ribboned with paths, roads, trails, passages and the likes. They go in every which way, over mountains, under hills, around lakes, through streams. On some of the ancient and seldom used paths, one may come across a Stonehead Waymarker. These talking stones will only give directions if asked the correct question. The catch being that they will not tell you what that question is or how to discover it. To further annoy passing travelers, the 'right' question is never the same one twice, it always changes. Stonehead Waymarkers are, thus, entirely useless in every way except as a cautionary tale of the importance of a good map on a journey. Perhaps that is why the Stonehead Waymarkers exist in the first place..." End aside.]

Finally, the one in the bottom center is Mr. Tolkien himself, a pencil sketch for Day #42.

To tell the truth, there were LOTS more that I wanted. I didn't want to be greedy, however. Tim actually got one that I really wanted. I guess I'll let him keep it. Although, I should add a disclaimer: if it comes up missing, Tim, it wasn't me. Honest.

If you haven't seen Jay's work, or haven't picked up something from him, head on over to his Realm of Faerie blog and take a look around. He's always got something new up his sleeve. And don't let my pictures fool you or dissuade you: they DO NOT do the artwork justice. Not at all.

September Blog Meme Challenge Day 6

DAY SIX

What  it's your favorite deity?

Anyone want to take a guess?

OK, that may have been too hard of a question. I'll give you a hint:

His name is Moradin All-Father, the Soulforger.

September Blog Meme Challenge Day 2

DAY TWO

What is your favorite playable race?

Umm...

Have you seen the name of this blog? The graphic up top? Yeah, my favorite race is actually the kender.

--deadpan mode--

No, but seriously, it's the dwarves. I relate to them on many levels. I like their solid-ness, their hardiness. I like the traditional values and even the stereotypical gruffness (at least to outsiders). About the only thing I don't like is the ubiquitous Scottish accents and a penchant for writers to turn dwarves into the buffoons of the story. (**I'm looking at you, Salvatore, and your Cleric Quintet!**)

Really, though. Scottish accents? This LONG pre-dates Peter Jackson. Back in 2000 I wrote up a quick campaign journal for some extra RP for our campaign. My dwarf character had a unique vocabulary. The DM's response to it? "I had a hard time reading it because I couldn't reconcile his vocabulary with a Scottish accent." I'm sorry? Did I ever ONCE speak in a brogue when playing this character? NO. And yet the DM automatically assumed that he had one. Sigh. Yeah, it's a pet peeve.

I really do identify with them, though, in many ways. I love caves, rocks, jewels and semi-precious stones. I love to craft things with my hands. I would, someday, dearly love to learn ironmongery and blacksmithing. I'm gruff and impatient at times. Strong convictions and morals. The list could go on and on; suffice it to say, people who know me well are not surprised to learn I have an affection for dwarves.

[A to Z April] X is for Xal's Dire Brown (Beverage)

Xal’s Dire Brown

This brew is the insane creation of a dwarven brewer known only as “Xal.” His name does not translate into any known language, so it is rumored that he changed his name after being cast out from his Clanhold. There are also those who say it was actually created by a well-known dwarven brewer who changed his name for the original brew so that he would not be blamed for its horrible and unappetizing appearance. The recipe has been handed down through the generations, but is believed to be identical to that originally created by Xal. The brew is not common, but can be found here and there across the realm, usually on dusty back shelves in finer drinking establishments. Only a true connoisseur knows that the ugly and dingy bottles contain a truly magnificent treasure.

The brew itself is a murky brown color that has a thick, viscous texture. It smells of wax and sulpher but tastes of grapes with a hint of citrus and spice. After drinking, it has been known to cause momentary giddiness and dizziness. These are side effects from which a drinker will recover in 1d6 rounds. Although safe to drink, if spilled on an object or a creature, the brew will melt or burn similar to the effects of acid. When spilled, it will cause 1 hp damage, regardless of amount spilled. This damage is not incurred when the liquid is consumed.

The typical bottle is an iron flask with a metal cap. The label is fastened to the bottle by a silk ribbon tied around the neck. The label itself is written in an ancient dwarven dialect, not commonly spoken. These bottles, when new, each contain ten servings of the brew.

Xal’s Dire Brown, 50 gp/bottle

**Many thanks to Dyson Logos and his Random Table of Potion Containers, used to create the bottle for this particular brew.

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Previous "X"-es:
2012: X is for Xouvyus (New NPC)
2011: X is for X'rr

[A to Z April] C is for Cleft Helm (item)

Aura: Faint abjuration; CL: 12th
Slot: Head; Weight: 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

When newly forged, this helm was a simple domed, steel helm including a nose guard. Bands of reinforcing mithral run around the base of the helm and from the top down on the cardinal positions. Heavy rivets appear around the mithral bands holding the bands to the steel. There is a crack that bisects the helm at the top with the right side of the crack bent slightly higher and away from the rest of the helm. The helm is crafted to fit tightly to a dwarven head and lacks any straps or fasteners, relying instead upon common dwarven physiological features to stay on the head.

When worn, the helm grants damage resistance (DR 5/piercing) to its wearer. If the wearer has damage resistance from another source, the amounts do not stack; instead, the source that grants the greater resistance applies.

If a creature other than a dwarf attempts to wear the helm the resistance applies. However, during combat such a wearer must make a Dexterity check (DL 12) every round after any successful attack(s) upon the wearer. On a failed check, the helm slips from the wearer's head to clatter upon the ground.

BACKGROUND

Centuries ago, this helm was owned by the great dwarf, Urthen Kilmalk, a paladin of the dwarven war goddess, Norlydd. During a great battle against an invasion of dark elves from the Undercity of Eryndaedrauth, Urthen led the dwarven forces in a spectacular defense of their home of Therduum. Eventually only the dark elves' champion remained, Berglin'inyon of House Everharn. He strode forward, stepping over the dead and dying bodies of his fellow dark elves, and lashed out at Urthen. The paladin valiantly blocked the elf's blows time after time, but was unable to bring his own waraxe to bear in more than defense. After a lengthy battle, the elf slipped; seeing his chance Urthen swung his mighty blade, slicing the elf's abdomen open. Holding his entrails in one hand, the dark elf retaliated and speared Urthen through the helm with his sword, piercing the dwarf's brain even as the elf slipped to the ground to die in a pool of his own blood.

With his dying breath, Urthen uttered a final prayer to Norlydd. In her mercy, and in recognition of his years of faithful service, Norlydd imbued the helm with a part of his still-living spirit. Urthen's brethren carried his remains behind the gates of Therduum, where he was entombed, still wearing his armor and bearing his axe. At some point, a thief or group of thieves were able to penetrate Therduum's defenses and made off with several sacred artifacts, including the cleft helm of Urthen Kilmalk. It is believed that the helm still glows with Urthen's spirit and that Norlyyd's boon will be granted to the wearer of the helm. However, it is also likely that the divine protection can be bypassed by an attack similar to that of Berglin'inyon's, as it would penetrate through the damaged helm.


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Previous "C"s:
2012: C is for Charred Brimstone Mist
2011: C is for Chiala Ereand

Reborn...with Miniatures!

Well, I'm back at the office today after a well-deserved and well-used ten days off. Those days were spent in a borrowed cabin up in the mountains, away from the cell phone and internet, and spent lying around, watching movies, and sitting in a hot tub while watching the kids swim in the pool.

I fully intended to get some gaming done with the kids, but whoops! Time just zoomed by, so that didn't happen.

I did have the time to peruse a couple new items to my collection. The first was the first issue of the Pathfinder comic book. Review coming soon on that one.

The second was an old 3.x module I picked up second-hand and cheap: The Forge of Fury. I don't know why I never picked this one up before. It didn't even sound familiar, but was apparently published in 2000. Hmm... I had to pick it up, though, because my kids are almost at 3d-level. Also: abandoned Dwarven stronghold? Hello? Is there really a question here? Seriously, I needed a good module to throw at my kids, a proven product. I've started another page here at the Stronghold for the game reports (also a way to review the module as we go).

But now I'm back to the grind. A bit refreshed, but also a bit under the weather. I suppose that's what I get for enjoying myself too much. The only highlight of being back is the fact that I have a truly wonderful, understanding wife.

"Why?" I hear you ask.... Well, for my birthday she "dragged" me to the FLGS, pulled out some cash that she had saved up, and allowed me to purchase an entire brick of the new Rise of the Runelords Pathfinder minis...as well as the Gargantuan Runegiant miniature. Needless to say, she bought a lot of goodwill and "honey-dos" with that gift.

The unboxing was a blast, although I'm quickly approaching the point at which my miniature storage needs to expand somehow. There were quite a few points at which I confess I squealed like a little girl when I opened a booster, particularly when I encountered the Warchief Ripnugget. He was one of the rare figures that I've wanted ever since the previews from Paizo. True, I've heard others express a reserved appreciation for this figure...saying that it's a great looking piece, but "how often will I need a goblin on a gecko?" Excuse me? My answer: I now have a great cavalry officer to LEAD my goblin attacks from now on. I'm going to LOOK for an opportunity to place this guy on the field. In fact, I may have to seek out a few more singles of this miniature, just so I can field a cavalry force.

Anyway: reviews of some of the other afore-mentioned products coming soon, I hope. I have to live through this infection first.

Ugh.

Anyone in the party have a spare Potion of cure moderate wounds they can spare?

[From the Mailbag] Minis, eh?

Today I received a little picker-upper in the mail, direct from the Great White North.

A while back, Aaron over at A Paladin in Citadel posted up some Pathfinder mini pictures and offered some of his extras up for sale. Well, we bargained and bartered and came to an agreement. Then he waited patiently while my children got fed. Then he sent them off and endured my panicked reaction when I forgot they were coming from Canada and was worried about our terrific US Postal Service having possibly lost the package.

I am not joking. I am telling on myself here and offering myself up on the Altar of Ridicule.

But for all my impatience and imagined travail, a nice little package arrived on my office desk today. Filled with pre-painted plastic goodness! And he even threw in some unexpected extras! Here's what he sent:

• Watch Guard, #8 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x1)
  
• Watch Officer, #9 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x1)
  
• Half-elf Cleric, #19 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x1)
  
• Dwarf Fighter, #20 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x1)
  
• Gnome Fighter, #22 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x1)
  
• Dire Rat, #23 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x2)
  
• Spectre, #26 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x1)
  
• Seelah, Human Paladin, #27 Heroes and Monsters Pathfinder Battles (x1)

*My apologies for the "eh?" and "Great White North" comments. I realize that this is perpetrating a stereotype. I realize that Canada is no more filled with the Mackenzie family than Utah is filled with buggy-driving Amish polygamists. I did not mean to offend.

**Funny story about Canada.... My office has recently discovered that our phone number somehow has been printed on the letterhead for a phone company up in Canada. We receive at least a phone call a week now from Canadian residents about their phone service. We received one this past week from an elderly woman who said she was "calling about her phone bill." My secretary suspected this was another Canada-call and to verify, asked the lady if she was from Canada. "NO!" was the vehement response. "I'm from Ontario!" We were all a bit confused by this response, as well as entertained. Maybe I'm missing something upon which my friends up North could enlighten me.

Now, my Joesky Tax:
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The Altar of Ridicule

Most outsiders do not know that there are a small number of dwarves who actually worship Garl Glittergold, typically a Gnomish deity. These dwarves are usually gemsmiths and miners of precious stones who revere the stones above precious metals, forge craft, stonework, and other revered Dwarven works.

Within these communities of Garl Glittergold's Dwarven followers are secret shrines in which uniquely Dwarven rites of worship are performed. One such rite involves the use of the Altar of Ridicule. Each Altar is a simple affair made of stone blocks forming a 5' cube, offset so that the four corners face the cardinal directions with the congregation at the south. On three of the four upper corners are rounded stone spikes pointing upward; the south corner is unadorned.

Garl Glittergold appreciates wit and a good sense of humor. Among these gem-loving dwarves, the art of "the Roast" has been perfected. Pointing out one another's foibles in a humorous way is an art form. However, in order to preserve the comraderie and closeness within the Stronghold as a whole it is preferred that dwarf-on-dwarf ridicule be avoided.

To that end were these enchanted Altars constructed and ensorcelled. The subject of the ritual -- the guest of honor, a.k.a., the Honored Soul (or "Cracked Diamond" as he is commonly referred) -- stands upon the Altar. The Altar itself then begins hurling insults at the subject, in full view and hearing of the congregation. (See HERE for inspiration.) Five insults in all are hurled; with each insult the subject is required to make an increasingly difficult Will Save, beginning with a DC 15 Save and increasing by 1, up to a DC 19 Save. For each successful Save, the subject is imbued with an increasing aura of confidence and others look upon him with a more favorable eye. This aura acts as inspire courage for all allies within line of sight of the subject; each successful Will Save counts as an additional +1 modifier to inspire courage effect, up to a maximum of +5. This effect lasts for 10 rounds per +1 bonus (maximum 50 consecutive rounds), so long as the ally remains within line of sight of the subject (or vice versa).

For each failed Will Save, the individual suffers a temporary -1 modifier to his Charisma score (maximum -5). That negative modifier lasts for 10 rounds per -1 bonus (maximum 50 consecutive rounds).

Once an individual has been subjected to the Altar of Ridicule, he cannot receive further benefit of any sort from the Altar for a period of at least one month.

What D&D Character Am I?

Courtesy of this site:

I Am A: Lawful Good Dwarven Cleric/Paladin (3rd/2nd Level)
Ability Scores:
Strength-16
Dexterity-13
Constitution-18
Intelligence-14
Wisdom-15
Charisma-11
Alignment:
Lawful Good

Interestingly, that is exactly what Boric is: A lawful good dwarven Cleric with a house-ruled flavor paladin. He's a bit higher level, though. Considerably higher.


Detailed results below, for those who are sick and twisted about such things care.

Post 100: The Namesake

It's taken 1 year, 6 months, and 11 days to reach, but today I can celebrate 100 posts at the Dwarven Stronghold!

I could have made it an even 1 year, 6 months if I hadn't suffered a couple bouts of the gomboo and some work-related issues, but that's beside the point. The point is we've reached 100 posts!

To commemorate this day, I've decided to dig into my miniatures and give a sneak peek at my namesake, Boric.

I won't waste time spinning tales about my character--I know that becomes all too dreary to outsiders. Suffice it to say that I had a DM who wanted to get a gaming group together years post-high school. I had been out of the gaming scene for roughly fifteen years and was eager to jump back in. I knew him through our wives; I wasn't a high school buddy.... He'd already gotten commitments from all his high school group and a co-worker and the group needed one more: the cleric. This was where Boric was born.

Yeah, I was shoe-horned into filling a party need. But I made the best of it and rolled up a dwarf. For one thing, I hadn't played in a LONG time, and certainly had never played 2nd Edition AD&D; I was a NOOB for all intents and purposes. The DM was willing to work with me, though. He and I had a killer backstory woven into the entire campaign. Yeah, it was full of the usual tropes: exiled royalty, stronghold-stolen-by-dragon, magic weapons, etc. You know the type.

But it was fun. This was in early 2000 and we jumped into 2nd Edition AD&D with both feet. Splat books and Player Options everywhere; the DM didn't care so long as everyone had fun. He ran a wicked-cool game. I became the "prop-master" for the campaign and painted nearly all of the miniatures used in the game. All was well with the world.

And then, shortly after we started the campaign, Wizards of the Coast came rudely into our lives. Third Edition was announced. We researched it, the DM and I (mostly through Dragon Magazine) and decided we didn't need it at this time.

We resisted "The Change" for about two years. Finally we started seeing some things we liked and picking up books. Slowly but surely we started figuring out ways of converting the still-ongoing campaign (we were playing, on average, twice per month so game-time hadn't been all that long). We took the plunge, bought the books, and started the conversion. There were some things that had to be changed on all of our characters. Some ret-conning took place; there was a bit of the same thing that the world of the Forgotten Realms would suffer in a few years with the Spell Plague and 4E. It was a convenient time in the campaign because our mage had just taken some steps that led to a royally pissed-off Mystra in our non-canon Realms. The result of those acts changed the landscape enough that Third Edition was possible.


Hey, let's be honest: it also gave me a chance to paint another miniature.

The change-over, as you could probably predict, was not that smooth or easy. The first problem came when we realized that we were running technically epic characters and that had its whole separate set of rules. The second problem came when we thought we could just use the Epic Level Handbook and call it good.

Stop laughing.

You see, to those who may not know, the Epic Level Handbook is widely considered to be the worst and most broken rulebook Wizards of the Coast ever produced. Those who don't consider it #1 surely have it in their top 5, possibly top 3. I consider it the worst, so I can't even offer 2 or 3 others that may be worse.

Our third problem? We had not waited quite long enough to make the switchover: here came 3.5E. And a whole new round of book-buying occurred. Once again we were retro-fitting characters and rules that simply were no longer possible under the existing ruleset. Yeah, we had that mindset, to my hindsight-induced dismay. We limped into a good place to end the campaign--or at least suspend it. Playing these characters, at the end, just wasn't fun any longer. Everyone agreed.

We rolled up new Third Edition--OK, 3.5E--characters. Life went on. Fast forward five years. Same group, but the old DM's departure from the group necessitated a new DM, and a new campaign. He needed some high-powered NPCs to help out as a shadow organization. He called me up and queried about the possibility of using my dwarf and his elf from the old campaign as these high-powered NPCs. We quickly statted up 23rd level characters, agreeing NOT to use the Epic Level Handbook this time. Problem was, we needed new miniatures for both of us.

Both Boric and the new DM's elf got a makeover (I'll post pics of the elf sometime soon). We added on to the backstories of our old characters, and by now were well-enough versed in Third/3.5 Edition that we made better choices with the characters. They made some great cameo appearances in the then-current campaign. In fact, it may have been the best use of DM NPCs I've ever seen: they were used for information sources and interaction. Nothing more. They weren't called upon to slay the mighty dragon while the PCs watched. They also didn't give away the answers sought--we had to work at it. Masterfully done, I still say to this day.

Now we're in 2011. The old DM came back. He had an idea to pick up threads of the original campaign, again epic level without the use of the "Epic" rules. The idea was to run a quick campaign to wrap up the original campaign once and for all. (The BBEG got away all those years ago, after all.)

This, of course, meant we had to update the miniatures. OK, we didn't need to, but I wanted to take another stab at Boric. This was the result.

I hadn't painted in about a year and I was a bit rusty. But I'd had this miniature sitting around for a while and he seemed to fit the new attitude. I now had a chance to use it. I also had a chance to play around with the figure itself and went out on a kit-bashing limb: I added magnets. I'd wanted to try it out for years since reading about it in White Dwarf in the early 2000s. I'd just never had a miniature that called for it. Now I did. Both his pack and his shield are, as shown below, removable.

I'm pleased with how it turned out. Both paint-wise and magnet-wise. [Although looking at these pictures tells me that I forgot to seal the figure. D'oh.]

The new DM allowed us to once again retro-fit all our old, original characters. I had several years' more experience with the rule system and started from scratch; I used none of the previous "updated" characters' information, except maybe the backstory.

Although there were some things that still could not be duplicated in 3.5, I'm fairly happy with the new incarnation. There is enough out there between WotC and third-party publishers that we got dang close.

How close, you ask? Close enough that he was able to stand toe-to-toe with a gargantuan black dragon and win (although the fact that my miniature was not, at the time, wearing his pack almost caused his demise).

How close? Frankly, he's close enough to make playing him fun once again. He's about as close as possible to the High Old one of Moradin, the Sonnlinor of old, that could call down the fires of heaven upon his foes, the dwarf that I first came to know and love. My namesake.

Happy 100th, my friends.