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wheeler-things · 2 years

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Mike Wheeler, the Hand and Eye of Vecna, and D&D as Foreshadowing

I'm about to say something unhinged.

It's going to take a fair amount of words to unpack (sorry about that) because I need to give context before I just come out and say it. And I'm fully aware that it's just one of hundreds of possible options for s5, so I'm really not trying to convince anybody of anything just... I was thinking about foreshadowing and analogies again, and something occurred to me and then it snowballed and.... hm.

Okay, so, I talked about it a lot more in this post, but the key point for what I'm talking about here is my belief that the Party's first D&D game in s1 actually foreshadows all of the main Upside Down antagonists from seasons 1-4, with the D&D Demogorgon actually representing Henry. Essentially, my breakdown came down to this:

"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood." -> s1 -> the Demogorgon. "A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness." -> s2 -> the shadow monster. "An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber!" -> s3 -> the Mind Flayer and the Flayed. "The Demogorgon!" -> s4 -> Henry Creel.

So, the remaining unaccounted for villains (assuming that the way the characters use D&D enemies as analogies is not necessarily representative of/accurate to what they actually foreshadow within the narrative) are:

Mike's Thessalhydra

Will's Juju hoard

Eddie's Vecna

I have some speculation on the first two, but it's the third that I'm going to do a deep dive into my thoughts on.

Since this is pretty long and it takes a bit of time to get through the contextualizing, let me clarify up front that this ties into the "Mike has a connection to the Upside Down" theories which I love, but which I know are not to everyone's tastes.

Who IS Vecna (in Stranger Things)?

From the campaign in s4e1, we learn:

Vecna is hiding in plain sight among his own cultists

"His skin is shrivelled. Desiccated. And [...] he is not only missing his left arm, but his left eye"

Vecna was believed to be dead/killed by Kas

An 11 isn't enough to defeat him, but a 20 is (notably, we don't actually hear what Dustin and Erica were trying to roll to do-- based on the context of the scene, we assume that it was combat-based, but it is not explicitly laid out)

Later, in s4e2, Vecna is described (in terms that the characters start to tie to the entity we later learn is Henry, in an effort to theorize about what's going on) as:

An undead creature of great power

A spellcaster

A dark wizard

Note: In the context of Eddie's description of what happened to Chrissy, the term "Vecna's curse" is brought up. This leads into the description of Vecna's characteristics listed above, but no further details (as far as I can find or remember) are given about what Vecna's curse is like in Eddie's game. Which leads me to...

Who IS Vecna (in D&D)?

Alright, I have to admit-- I've played D&D before, but my friends have a tendency to prefer MotW/PbtA-based games, and even when we HAVE done D&D, the storylines and characters have been entirely from the DM's mind/not from anything official. As a result, everything I'm about to say here is based on what Google can tell me (I'm aware others have talked about this before, but I think it gives some useful context for where I'm going to go in this analysis, if I make sure we’re all on the same page about the background D&D lore).

The main websites that I used to get information for this part can be found here, here, and here.

So! The long and short of it seems to be that in life, Vecna was a wizard who built a "terrible empire". In order to avoid death, he turned himself into a lich, and in undeath, he continued to grow his empire. He had a lieutenant named Kas, who Vecna gifted a sword to. For unknown (though the speculation does not paint him in a positive light) reasons, Kas murdered Vecna, leaving behind only Vecna's eye and left hand along with a pile of ash. However, his spirit survived the attack and he spent "eons" regaining his former power. In the meantime, his artifacts, cults, and "dark secrets" continued corrupting others/pushing them towards evil.

It may also be notable that Vecna was known to have a "formidable and hideous" temper.

And... that's the short version of everything that I could find about Vecna in D&D.

Henry Creel as Vecna

So, this is the obvious conclusion, because the characters call Henry "Vecna", which seems to have largely lead to the audience assumption that the Vecna in Eddie's campaign definitely foreshadows Henry. And I want to start out by acknowledging that I do think this is absolutely a possibility! I could 100% be wrong about the Demogorgon in Mike's campaign representing Henry, and even if I'm not, there's nothing that says there can't be two moments of foreshadowing for the same antagonist.

If Henry is Vecna, I know there are a lot of theories about who Kas is, and I'm not interested in getting too deep into the weeds on that particular debate. With that being said, I will say that when I first watched s4 I personally thought it was obvious that, if Henry was actually the person foreshadowed by Eddie's Vecna, then El was clearly Kas and had already fulfilled her part in that role?

I mean, Henry didn't have any real power in the lab so obviously El wasn't his lieutenant. But she was clearly his favourite (or, depending on how you read his character, he at least did a good job of pretending that she was his favourite). He gave her a weapon (in that he taught her to use her anger to weaponize her powers). At first she helped him with things (ie. getting Soteria out of his neck), but later she turned against him and used the "weapon" he "gave" her in order to, as far as she understood at the time, kill him (literally turned him to ash, and he appears when we see him next in the Upside Down). But, of course, he wasn't actually dead, and in line with Eddie's campaign, he came back. El tried to face him alone, but it failed/missed just like the eleven roll.

You may or may not agree with me on that, but I personally think it's the most likely scenario. I just... can't see them recreating everyone thinking Henry has been killed for a THIRD time only to bring him back AGAIN. And in my opinion, El-as-Kas (but she's already fulfilled the role) does fit very well with what we know about Vecna from Eddie's campaign/with a number of the details from D&D.

I will also concede that you could make the case that Henry was hiding in plain sight among his cultists during the time when he was interacting with baby!El (as in, he was disguised as a lab assistant, and obviously the whole Lab is dedicated to, essentially, recreating Henry's powers so that's sort of like a cult to him, I suppose), and that he is certainly, as of the present timeline in s4, something like an undead creature as well was being very powerful and functionally a dark wizard. His flesh is even shrivelled and desiccated after his time in the Upside Down.

All of which is to say, without speculating heavily about the potential events of s5, Henry does look incredibly appealing as the thing foreshadowed by Eddie's campaign.

But…

The Case for Someone Else as Vecna

There are a few main reasons why I think that Henry is a red herring as the thing Vecna was foreshadowing.

Firstly, and least compellingly (I have to mention it, but it's not evidence that stands on its own), if Mike's Demogorgon foreshadows Henry, but the Party mis-used its name for the UD's Demogorgon because it was the monster they happened to be fighting at the time, then it stands to reason that it's possible that they may have mis-used Vecna's name to apply it to Henry for the same reason-- it was the most recent/most superficially relevant enemy the Party had fought in D&D and, as such, made for a decent enough analogy to the current situation.

Secondly, just on a narrative scale, if El has already played the Kas role in the s4 flashbacks and then has also already made her failed roll in present day s4... then literally all that's left is to roll a 20 and win? It's too smooth/too easy to take up a whole season. Obviously, the writers can throw in extra drama and struggle and tension, but if we're already past the failed 11 roll, then... it can't be too intense or else the foreshadowing loses its tight 1:1 dynamic with what's happening in the plot. And “not too intense” is very rarely what people are going for when they write a finale season.

Thirdly... despite how well Henry aligns with almost all of the descriptions of Eddie's Vecna, he does not align with what I would argue are the two most emphasized descriptors (the two that Eddie puts the most passion and physicality into describing, and the two which seem to actually make it clear to the Club that the unknown cultist is Vecna). Namely: Henry very much is not missing an eye or an arm. His left arm is odd looking, but that's not because he ever lost it and had to replace it. It appears to just be part of whatever the Upside down is doing to him/turning him into (God, I hope he's turning into a Demogorgon-- I saw someone suggest that at one point and I wish I could find the post to link it here, because I think it would be the funniest and most fitting option). And Henry's eyes both look kind of odd/cloudy now, but not only does he have both of them, but the flashback to him wandering the Upside Down after El threw him in there make it explicitly clear that his injured/initially damaged eye was his right eye. It would have been just as easy, and changed nothing about the overall narrative, if they had made Henry’s left eye blind instead/to subtly align with the Vecna analogy, so the fact that they so pointedly didn’t suggests to me that, in terms of foreshadowing, Henry may not actually be Vecna at all. In fact, there is nothing at all that I can remember connecting Henry to the idea of left eyes, except that the characters call him Vecna, and Eddie's Vecna is described as being devoid of one.

Also (and this is just a small point), I do think that it's interesting that in D&D, Vecna's backstory includes him creating a dark empire, and there are a lot of theories abounding about the idea that someone in the main cast created or significantly altered the Upside Down (I've mostly seen them about Will and Mike, but I imagine there are other similar theories for other characters). Because what we know for sure is that Henry absolutely did not create it, and likely did not significantly alter it either (at least not until he met the shadow monster), I do think that it's worth noting that this is another way in which Henry's character diverges from at least the D&D version of Vecna.

Detour: How do Superpowers Work in Stranger Things?

I may or may not have driven myself mad trying to figure this out. And I also may or may not have spent a long time resigned to the idea that Kali had been retconned by s4 showing that all the other numbers seem to have basically the same powers as Henry and El (with the possible exception of El's ability to open portals into the UD-- unless Henry had this ability as well before the Mind Flayer took a chunk out of El in s3... we simply don't know yet).

I feel like I maybe heard something, at one point, that suggested that all of the kids in the lab had telekinesis and then also at least one other power. However, I can't find a source on that? Also, I don't believe there's any direct evidence of this shown in s4 (and Kali's powers outright contradict it), given that the only non-telekinetic power that we were shown by anybody but Henry and El was 010 who was able to see what others were doing in his mind (which seemed to be very similar to El's mind void abilities, if maybe a little stronger or more well-practised).

Either way, I think the evidence given in the show suggests that there are three possible ways to develop or obtain supernatural abilities in the Stranger Things universe.

Via experimentation. This was the case for El, and very likely also most of the other kids in the Lab. It also seems to have been the case for El's mother, who we see being able to flicker the lights and change the channels on her television with her mind.

Through infiltration by and/or extended exposure to the Upside Down. I'm a little more tentative on this one, because my main example of this is Will, and we all know that there are a LOT of theories about Will's abilities. And I want to stress that I cannot definitively say they're wrong. All I can say is that, as the show exists right now, one of many possible readings is that Will's abilities, such as sensing the Mind Flayer, seem to be a result of his experiences with the Upside Down. If this is accurate, then it represents a method of obtaining powers that is distinct from how El got hers. I’m not at all trying to discount the possibility that Will could have other powers that he was born with or developed due to experimentation (I love a good Will-born-with-powers theory!), I just want to consider the possibility that Will’s powers could be a result of his experiences with the Upside Down.

Being born with them/developing them spontaneously. Henry is the obvious example of this, but I also believe that Kali is another example. Her powers are completely different than those of the other numbers. Moreover, Kali was abducted when she was five, unlike El who was abducted as an infant. To me, this suggests that Kali was likely not the result of Brenner's experimentation, but rather, more similar to Henry in that she spontaneously developed powers, and Brenner took advantage of that fact. If this is the case, it would explain why Kali's powers are so different from those of everybody else that we've seen-- because it is likely that Brenner used Henry Creel as the basis upon which his experiments were developed, explaining why they largely seem to have powers very similar to Henry.

If this assessment is correct (and I cannot stress enough how speculative I am being here because this is still a huge mystery in the show itself), then I do think it's interesting that Henry (who is almost certainly going to be the main/active antagonist for the vast majority of s4, even if he doesn't turn out to be "Vecna" from Eddie's campaign in the end) represents 3/3 of these points (he was experimented on by Brenner, he has been changed by the Upside Down, and he developed his powers spontaneously), and yet, out of our protagonists, only 2/3 of those points are currently represented (El who developed her powers via experimentation, and Will who likely/possibly-- I know everyone has their own strong opinions on this developed them via exposure to the Upside Down)?

In reality, I think that if my interpretation of how getting superpowers works in this universe is accurate, then it seems to me that we will very likely have a character with powers that developed naturally to complement El and Will.

However, both for narrative reasons (it would feel too shoehorned in/too Deus ex Machina) and for fitting in with the other established characters who seem to have spontaneously developed powers reasons, it would not make sense for any of our protagonists to all of a sudden start moving things with their minds. Narratively, it would just seem like it was being added in at the last minute and, anyway, it seems like Kali developed her powers/showed clear signs of them before the age of five, and Henry developed his around the age of twelve, so it’s likely that if any of our characters were going to develop powers, it would start before their teenage years.

So, assuming we're not getting Erica (God, I wish) or Holly (...I mean, I wouldn't complain) suddenly developing powers of their own, it seems likely that if any of our characters are going to have spontaneous powers, they likely already have them/are already using them. However, I don't think any of our beloved ensemble cast would know they have powers and not share that with the class. They all want to beat the Upside Down, and El and Will have already more than shown how useful superpowers are in that effort.

And... on a narrative level, let's be real. If this is the direction things are going, the reveal of these powers/abilities cannot be a joyous occasion. It has to hurt. Because if it doesn't hurt, we're back to the Deus ex Machina issue. But if it hurts-- if the reveal causes severe conflict for the character in question and with the people around them, if it breaks them down and reveals new things about them, if the reveal feels like a loss, in the moment when it comes about, rather than a win for the cast... then it might work.

For that to happen, the repressed/extant but unknown powers have to connect to the Upside Down. They have to have had a significant hand in all the pain that our characters have gone through. Possibly via either creating the Upside Down or the shadow monster, or else through some other connection. But the connection has to be there, because the reveal needs to cause fear, pain, and conflict for the characters.

Detour Cont'd: So... Who Is It?

So... if my wild speculation above is in any way accurate, I think it's worth taking a look at our established characters to see who could have done it.

So, Henry was wandering the Upside Down from 1979 onwards, El opened her first gate in that same year, so I suspect that if any of our characters did accidentally create/influence the Upside Down it likely happened starting around this time. In '79 (dangerously assuming my math is correct), Nancy (also Jonathan and Robin) would have been 11-12, and the Party would have been 7-8, making them the primary possibilities. - I think it's fair to assume that if they're doing this, it would be a major character that we've known since s1, so that discounts Robin and Max. - Additionally, given the composition of the final shot of s4, I think it's reasonable to assume that this character would be in that final shot, because they would have a significant role to play in s5. That cuts out Lucas and Dustin as well. - I'll also say that we can cut out El and Will, since their powers are (under this specific interpretation) already accounted for. - That leaves the remaining options as: Nancy, Jonathan, and Mike. - And, I mean... Mike's the one who's in the middle of that final shot, just as much as Will is. Mike's the one who always knows weird random stuff about the Upside Down and about El's powers. Mike's the one whose plans always work out. Mike's the only one who has never managed to land a punch/at least not managed to land a punch in the A plot of a season climax. Mike's the one whose emotions are a total mystery to the audience (outside of those who engage in intense rewatching and analysis to pick it apart lol). And… Mike’s the one who’s always depicted in a trio with El and Will (I know this is love triangle imagery, but it could potentially have a double meaning). - My point being-- if all of my previous reasoning/interpreting is accurate, then Mike is the only character who makes any sense in this role.

Also, just talking about logistics here-- in order to be comprehensible to audience members who are not about to sit down and rewatch the show a million times in order to pick up on subtle clues and hints, there are a few issues that are going to require a decent amount of screen time in order to explain/develop in s5. To my mind, (outside of ship dynamics) those are:

Where is Max? Why can't El find her?

What is Will's connection to the Upside Down? Did the Demogorgon really take Will in s1? Why is Henry/the Mind Flayer so focused on him?

Why is the Upside Down stuck in time/why and how did it start looking like Hawkins?

What the hell is going on in Mike Wheeler's head?

How will everybody react to the Upside Down and its monsters now that they're bound to start becoming common knowledge around Hawkins?

How are they going to deal with the military? What is going to happen to El if her location is compromised? How will this impact the fight against Henry/the Upside Down?

What is the relationship between Henry and the shadow monster/Mind Flayer? Is it possible for the gang to kill/destroy/incapacitate both? How will they do that?

My point is, there's one question on this list that doesn't seem to be connected into the Upside Down plot in any way-- and that's point 4. The question about Mike. Because realistically speaking, Stranger Things has a Mike Wheeler-shaped problem. He's a protagonist every season, and he's literally equally sharing the centre of the screen with Will in the final shot of s4, so if we're getting a Will Byers protagonist moment in s5, I think it's safe to suggest that we're also getting a Mike Wheeler protagonist moment.

But generally speaking, people don't want a Mike Wheeler protagonist moment, because people don't like him. And obviously that's because the underlying issues that he's going through have been hidden from plain view, but, like... you don't do that for no reason. Narratively speaking, you only do that if you're amping up for a big reveal.

And, yes. Mike and Will getting together would absolutely be a massive reveal and I can fully understand why they wouldn't want to spoil it... but. To get people to care about Mike again, and to believe that he "deserves" Will, they need to devote time and narrative space to explaining Mike's emotional state, both regarding his sexuality, and regarding whatever mental health issues he's struggling with. And they could have put more of this in s4! Mike and Will had FOUR heart to hearts, discounting the van scene. They very much could have had Mike express some of his (likely) experiences with depression and/or PTSD, without having to show their hand about his sexuality/feelings for Will. Doing so would have helped the audience have more sympathy for/understanding of Mike, AND would have significantly cut down on the ground they have to cover with his character in s5.

Because... they're going to need to take up a fair amount of time in s5 to show all of the stuff they need to cover with Mike if they actually are intending to follow through with him being queer and also, like, not beloathed by a large swath of the audience, they're going to need to connect his emotional issues to the Upside Down/A plot somehow. Which they can absolutely do! Henry's whole thing is perfect for that. And it worked with Max-- but there's a difference.

Because, with Max, her experiences with Henry/Vecna's curse were used to give the audience new information to help solve the mystery of the season. But we don't need that again. And... sure, Mike could get cursed/attacked and learn something useful in the fight against Henry, in addition to showcasing all the stuff that's going on inside his head, but given that Will's back in town and is already psychically linked with Henry/the Mind Flayer... I mean, it seems more natural to have that dynamic fall to Will?

This is a lot of talking, but my POINT is... they did not have to hold Mike's emotional state so close to their chests. Let's be real-- they could have at least started to outline the idea that Mike might be struggling with mental health issues, and nobody who isn't already reading the writing on the wall for Mike/Will would be jumping to assume it meant he was struggling with any gay feelings. Like, let's be absolutely real here: they could have had Mike outright say "I don't know, it's like you left and all of a sudden I didn't have the energy to do anything all I could do was sit around and miss you" to Will and people would have understood it as "ohhhh he was depressed because he missed El/has trauma about El disappearing on him/leaving him".

So, if we're reading Mike correctly-- if he's struggling with mental health issues and they're putting in all the little clues and hints to it that we're picking up on/that will be obvious on a rewatch after some huge reveal... then whatever he's going through has to tie into the supernatural plot in a big way. And, more than that, it needs to be linked to it in a way that is surprising enough/enough of a twist to warrant all this secrecy about it.

AND (and this is a hill I am prepared to die on)... Will and El are both main characters, but so is Mike. The plot would not have started without Will. The plot would not have started without El. But also... the plot would not have started without Mike. Without Mike things are totally different, because whoever found El instead would not have been the exact combination of nurturing and feral that made s1 Mike hide her in his basement/believe her the instant she implied she even maybe knew how to find Will. And that's just the first thing that he did which unquestionably pushed the plot in the direction it's going. There's a reason he shares centre screen with Will at the end of s4 (after El had her extended closeup because I'm sure she's going to continue having her protagonist moment in s5, AS SHE SHOULD). Mike isn't just a love interest. He's a protagonist in his own right-- this is his coming of age story, just as much as it is Will's and El's. And, while it's entirely possible that they might have a plan that includes him being the only one of the trio without any particular personal connection to the supernatural plot, I do think it's worth considering that, just as is the case for Will and El, it's at least possible that Mike might have a plotline outside of his romantic relationships, and that, as the third protagonist/third leg of the protagonist trio... it's at least possible that said plotline might have direct ties to the supernatural A plot.

(Also, yes, the ending shot does also suggest that Hop, Joyce, Nancy, and Jonathan are also protagonists for s5-- I feel like this tracks with their roles in s1, and I fully expect them to play major roles in s5, but if this is actually a coming of age story, then it's the Party who are, really, the ones spending this whole time coming of age. That's why I'm making the distinction.)

I bring all of this up, because I believe that it lends context to why I think it is possible that Eddie's Vecna actually references/foreshadows Mike, in particular's, s5 role.

Mike as Vecna

So, here's the thing. If Mike did create the Upside Down, or at least the shadow monster, then he (or at least his repressed emotions and/or dark thoughts) is an antagonistic force in the show. That doesn't mean he's bad or evil (Will was an antagonistic force in s2, and he's sort of the exact opposite of bad or evil). Meaning that it would make sense to foreshadow him as an antagonist, even if ultimately he is a protagonist/on the side of the rest of the gang.

Returning to what we know about Vecna from the show, I'd like to combine it with some of the common theories/ideas that I've seen floating around regarding Mike's potential plot/future in s5.

First of all, Eddie's Vecna is shown hiding among the cultists. Mike obviously doesn't have a cult, although, if he is (unintentionally) the cause of all the Upside Down business, he is hiding in plain sight, both to the other characters and to the audience.

^ Bringing back this screenshot for absolutely no reason at all

I would also point out that Mike is the only character, of the viable list (even expanded back out to include Will and El) of those who could even maybe have played the role in creating/influencing the Upside Down, who is also a member of the Hellfire Club. By which I mean, Mike might not actually be in a cult, but Hawkins at large sure thinks he is.

Now, obviously, Mike isn't dead/hasn't been killed by anybody. But everybody is always talking about all of he death flags around Mike coming into s5, and I, at least, am of the opinion that he can't die permanently (for the same reason that Will and El can't perma-die-- all of them are way too self-sacrificial and willing to throw their lives away for everyone else, so killing them would literally just be them... doing what they always do, which is not ideal for a death scene, especially in a show where the death of major characters is used as infrequently as it is in Stranger Things). If he dies and then comes back to life, or at least seems to have died, this might fulfill the "undead" requirement.

Obviously, how the issue of Kas would come up in this storyline, would be much more questionable than in Henry's. If I'm on the right track here, though, I wouldn't really expect us to know at this point, because it would likely come up in s5 anyway. What I will say is that, if I were to speculate about s5... since Mike is the leader of the Party, and Kas was Vecna's lieutenant, if this is the direction they're going, then I would expect one of the Party members (probably not Will or El because I have some... thoughts about them in the context of the Vecna analogy) to play the role. However, I really can't see any of them intentionally killing/betraying Mike, so my best guess is that if this is happening, it's going to be more a thing of Mike self-sacrificing/endangering himself in order to protect one of the Party members, rather than them intentionally/personally striking the blow. That's SUPER speculative, though, and not founded in very much except... Mike's character as a whole. Also, in D&D's lore, all that was left of Vecna after Kas had killed him, besides the Hand and the Eye, was a pile of ashes-- which fits really seamlessly into Mike's narration of his D&D character dying a fiery, self-sacrificial death at the end of Will's campaign.

Eddie's Vecna is a spellcaster/dark wizard, which are terms that would fit anyone, Mike included, in the scenario where they created/significantly influenced the Upside Down/shadow monster.

In terms of Mike's appearance, obviously he does not appear shrivelled and desiccated (though we'll have to see what s5 brings on that front), but I will note that there are a LOT of theories about Mike losing an arm and possibly an eye as well. Additionally, Mike's left eye, in particular, is often shrouded in shadow. I've already written a different post about that, so I won't go too into detail, but you can look at it here.

^ A sample of some of the left eye shadows

If the theories about Mike creating the Upside Down or at least the shadow monster are accurate, then that fulfills the D&D Vecna's backstory of having built a dark empire before his undeath.

In the context of Mike, I also think it's interesting that one of the things D&D's Vecna is known for is his "dark secrets". Like... I mean, we all know Mike is full of secrets. And it's very likely that they're "dark"-- not necessarily in the way that D&D Vecna's secrets are dark, but more so in the way of, like, mental health issues can be very dark when you're living through them. I mean... Max had "dark secrets" this season, too (though, obviously, totally different in nature and context than Mike's), but the narrative difference (outside of all the cool character stuff they were doing with Max-- this is not a Max post so I won't get too into it, but I just want to make it super clear that Max has a LOT of interesting stuff going on in s4 in her own right) is that those came to light, while Mike's stayed hidden.

Also... okay let me just put this here:

(Link to the site I got that from is in the Vecna in D&D section)

"The godlike supremacy they crave". Does that... not sound like Henry? I mentioned Henry turning into a Demogorgon back in the Henry as Vecna section of this post, but... I think I'm just saying that it could legitimately be happening? I don't know. Maybe I'm just being overly enticed by the idea of Henry's hubris making him believe that he's the one in control of the Upside Down/the shadow monster/Mind Flayer when, in reality, the truth is that he's simply blinded to what's happening to him by his own arrogance and ambition.

Anyway... finally, I'll point out that D&D's Vecna is also known for his "formidable temper". And, like... I just... okay, so a lot of characters in Stranger Things have tempers and anger issues. But the thing with Mike's is that it's portrayed... kind of differently? Like, if you push Jonathan or Steve hard enough on the right pressure points, they'll snap and physically fight you (we've seen it), and El's basically the same except that she generally has the psychic force to skip the fight and simply toss you aside like a ragdoll. If you push Will or Nancy or Hopper hard enough on the right pressure points, they'll get sarcastic and frustrated and snippy (and depending on who you are, Hopper and maybe also Nancy might also punch you lbr-- here's hoping for Nancy punching someone out in s5). But Mike?

a) Mike's kind of constantly on the verge of getting mad (except, typically, when he's alone with Will and usually also El pre-s4). He's annoyed by everything, prickly towards basically everyone unless he knows them very well, and easily upset if he doesn't get his way/doesn't feel consulted about what's happening. None of which erases his positive qualities, and all of which are explainable, but it's undeniable that there's an angry element to his character.

b) When Mike does actually get properly mad, he shoots to kill. "What is WRONG with you?" "It's not MY fault you don't like girls!" "She didn't LOOK fine...", like. Every season, he says something so harsh it leaves the other person/people speechless. And that's NOT to say that Mike's a bad kid. He's a child who has suffered a lot of trauma, and who was already prone to fits of annoyance before all the bad stuff started happening. Of course he lashes out. AND it does seem like he's making an attempt to improve especially as of s4 (probably because the rain fight really scared him tbh). I'm not saying he's bad, I'm just saying that one of his flaws, which he does seem to be working on, is that he has a tendency to get angry and say things that he might mean in the moment, but which are more hurtful than he wants them to be.

c) I find the scene where Mike breaks down in Hopper's arms in s2 incredibly telling. Obviously, this was Mike under extreme circumstances. I'm not suggesting that level of rage and pain is Mike's typical baseline level. But what I am saying is... that breakdown did not develop overnight. That was something Mike was building towards since s1e1. And then he lets it out with fists and screams and sobs. And then he boxes it away and gets back to plotting how to stop the Mind Flayer and save Will like nothing happened. And nobody brings it up ever again (I mean... let's be honest... the only person who WOULD 100% have brought it up later was passed out in a drug-induced nap at the time, so it's very likely that Will doesn't know about that breakdown... just like he probably doesn't know about the quarry). And just like every other character, Mike keeps getting traumatized on top of all the pain that caused that original breakdown. And...

I don't know. I guess I'm just saying that it's undeniable that Mike has a temper, though he's not the only character who does. And that Mike's inevitable s5 breakdown will probably involve rage as well as tears. Does Mike have a "formidable and hideous temper"? I don't know. I think that sort of depends on who is judging. I am pretty sure that Mike thinks he does, though.

And... lastly... this is just a parallel that I thought was interesting, which probably doesn't mean anything, probably it's just a coincidence, but I'm already deep enough into this analysis that I've lost my mind so...

^ s1 Mike covers his left eye while indicating/faking a headache

^ s4 Eddie covers his left eye with an upside down hand to mimic being Vecna

The Eye and Hand of Vecna in This Context

Something that has been bothering me is this:

Mike, Will, and El are obviously paralleled to two trios from other franchises, with Will and El, respectively, as the "head"/primary character in the trio.

They're paralleled to Harry/Ron/Hermione (no, I don't like talking about HP parallels very much because //gestures at everything about JKR with my very trans hands, but I don't think that discomfort on my end negates the obvious parallels), with Will generally functioning as Harry (although I'm aware that Will and Mike get the Ron/Hermione treatment in the airport), with everything to do with his connection with Henry.

They're also paralleled to Luke/Leia/Han, with El generally functioning as Luke.

So, the thing that has been bothering me is: if Mike is just as much a protagonist as Will and El are, and not just a romantic interest for the two of them, why isn't there also a trio in which Mike gets to play the leading role? And, uh... so... I have a thought about that, but it requires me to dig a bit deeper into the lore behind the artifacts left after Kas (nominally) killed Vecna in D&D lore: the Hand and the Eye.

The Hand of Vecna:

The Eye of Vecna:

(link to the site where I took these screenshots from is included in the section about Vecna in D&D)

So... if (and I'm very aware that it's a big if) Mike is going to turn out to have been foreshadowed by Eddie's Vecna, then I believe that this is the trio he's at the head of. Vecna/Eye of Vecna/Hand of Vecna, with El as the Hand and Will as the Eye.

I mean, the Hand's thing is strength (El's telekinesis lends strength to her/anybody she is helping use it for-- ie. flipping the car in s3, where flipping it back over requires multiple people and Mike's lever system). It improves attacks during combat (again... El's telekinesis sort of makes her the gang's heavy hitter). It can apparently also freeze creatures (we see El do this at least twice in s1-- she freezes Troy in place after he tries to attack Mike, and freezes the Demogorgon in place when it's trying to attack the Party). And it can be used to cast a number of different spells including Teleport (El can't exactly teleport, but she can use the mind void to travel anywhere a given person is in her mind) and some necromantic spells.

Interestingly, although they're not spells the Hand can provide according to screenshot above, bringing back the dead, like El does to Max at the end of s4, can be done using a necromantic spell in D&D.

And the Eye... I mean. Truesight is right there. But in general, it's a lot about being able to see through just about everything (including time, which is pretty interesting), with fits pretty well with Will as the spy/Will as the sensor of all things Upside Down. The spells it can cast are pretty interesting as well, and do make me wonder if the fact that Will was (or possibly still ever so slightly is?) part of the hivemind might give him some ability to control what the hivemind does? I don't know, but it's a thought.

Also, the effect of using the Eye is really interesting, given the fact that Will was infected by the shadow monster/Mind Flayer right at the moment when he tried to order it to "go away" (failed Dominate Monster?), and then the whole possession got worse/his soul was almost consumed leaving him essentially a puppet under the control of the shadow monster/Mind Flayer after he attempted to spy back (possibly failed Clairvoyance?). Also, fun fact: Disintegrate causes a "thin green ray" to "spring from your finger" in order to turn a target to dust. I can't help but think about Will the Wise's green fireballs.

I don't know… I just think the parallels are worth thinking about.

To be 100% clear, I'm not saying that Will and El's powers/abilities come from Mike (just like in the HP parallel, Will paralleling Harry/the Chosen One doesn't take away from El or Mike's positions as co-protagonists with him, or in the SW parallel, El paralleling Luke doesn't mean that she's the only protagonist/Chosen One in ST). Nor am I suggesting that Mike in any way owns Will or El. I'm only pointing out that there are some striking similarities between their powers/experiences and the effects of Hand and Eye in D&D, so if the theories about Mike creating the Upside Down/shadow monster are correct, then... those similarities are interesting.

(But, hey, I mean, fun fact-- if this is actually the intended read, then all three are paralleling powerful wizards in popular culture, which is fun.)

Also also... something I've always found super weird is that Will's eyes go brown when he's possessed, never black. Which... is odd, because black is traditional for possessions, and it would look more unnatural, it would align more with the shadow monster's colours, and it would be a really clear signal to the audience that there's something wrong with the colour of his eyes because as it stands, unless you already know that Will has hazel eyes, nothing seems off (especially because the characters never mention the change either). I mean, the shadow monster is black/dark grey. Henry's eyes are blue and never go darker than that. But Mike's eyes are just about that same shade of brown that Will's were when they were at their darkest...

I mean, if nothing else, Mike as Vecna and Will and El as the Eye and Hand would explain why Mike keeps losing (being cut off from) both of them.

And, I mean... we all know Will tends to hang out on Mike's left, but so does El (it's just less obvious with El, because she also has a motif of facing Mike head on). Largely (though not always-- if there's a true pattern, I can't tell what it is), when they're not in this alignment is when they're disagreeing/not on the same page/not pretending to be on the same page with Mike. I mean... you know. Something something, Vecna's left hand and left eye?

No, Seriously, Will and El are So Often on Mike's Left

^ Just a sample of the relevant shots

The Good News

Now that I've gotten through all of this, I do want to say that, even if Eddie's Vecna is foreshadowing something about Mike's role in the supernatural plot of s5, I don't believe they're setting him up to be a true villain. Like... if Mike did actually create the Upside Down/the shadow monster/in some way impact them, I very much do not believe that he is aware of it as of s4, nor do I believe that he would ever intentionally hurt any of the people that the Upside Down has tormented all these years. Well, except himself [gunshot]

Obviously he would be absolutely ripped open if he learned any of what happened was in any way his fault. He'd be absolutely gutted. If you're a "Mike needs to have a sobbing, screaming breakdown in s5" kind of person, man would you get your wish and then some.

My point is, even if they're setting up a twist where Mike('s repressed emotions) have been an antagonistic force all along, I very much do not believe that Mike is being set up as an antagonist, in his own right.

This is where I'm going to bring it back to the fact that we don't actually know what Dustin or Erica were rolling to do. Most likely, in the game itself, they were rolling for various attacks. But we don't hear that. And we don't actually hear Eddie ever say that Vecna was killed, it's just implied from the context of the scene. Which to me means that the ending is not set in even analogous stone. If Vecna does foreshadow Mike's role in the supernatural plot, then all we know is that an Eleven alone can't defeat/solve whatever's going wrong with him, but a twenty (whatever is defined as a twenty) can.

By which I mean, I don't think Mike has to die in the end in order to fit with the analogy.

Also! I think it's really important that Eddie's D&D session is the only one that we see Mike participating in, where he doesn't do any active narrating. Obviously he narrates for the Demogorgon and Thessalhydra campaigns. However, he also takes over narrating for Will's campaign, when he decides to light a fire and sacrifice himself to destroy the Juju hoard.

In Eddie's campaign, though, he follows along. His PC 0's out (which could reference a future physical injury, or an inability on his part to keep fighting for some other reason), and they call a time out to discuss. During that conversation, Dustin specifically asks Mike for his opinion on what they should do (which I have some Thoughts about in the broader context of Dustin's characterization in s4, but those are so wildly outside the bounds of this post-- I'll make a different post later), and Mike really does act like a good leader. He asks Dustin and Erica for context on their HP, and assesses that if they keep fighting it will be difficult, but in the end he tells them that the call is up to them, because their characters are the only ones left on the battle field. That's all he says about the game. And I think the fact that all he says is that the fight will be "difficult" is really good news, because it means that the ending is more open.

Finally, it's possible that if Mike is actually the person being foreshadowed by the use of Vecna in Eddie's campaign, and if Will and El are intentionally paralleled to the Eye and the Hand respectively, then Mike's lost hand/eye signals may not necessarily literally mean that he's going to lose his body parts, but rather that he's going to lose or feel like he's lost both Will and El one more time before everything is over.

The Bad News

IF any of this is correct-- specifically, IF Mike did create the shadow monster or the Upside Down or even just influenced it in some way... even if Henry was somehow exercising power over it to make it more dangerous than necessary... I'm just not convinced that everybody would be able to forgive him.

I mean... Will, obviously would. That's kind of a foregone conclusion, especially since at least in the scenario I'm speculating about, none of what happened would be anything Mike knew he was in any way complicit in until after the fact.

I also think El would probably be able to understand pretty quickly given that she knows what it's like to do something without knowing you can do it, and to have to come to terms with the fact that others have suffered as a result. That being said, if we DO get Mike in the scenario I've been outlining, and then we DON'T get a parallel to the s1 "I'm the monster" "no you're not the monster-- you saved me" scene, except with Mike saying that he's the monster, and El assuring him that he's not because there's no such thing as being a monster or a superhero, but he was her first ever friend so she could never consider him a monster? I'll sue.

A lot of the others I'm way more up in the air about, because I really think it would come down to a lot of context in how it was portrayed, whether the others could manage to get into a somewhat normal groove with him ever again (though I highly doubt they'd have the Party end the show broken up, so I suspect they, at least, would find a way to come to terms with what happened).

But really... it's Nancy that concerns me? In literally any scenario where Mike might have had ANYTHING to do with the Upside Down in any capacity outside of what we've explicitly seen in the show. Whether he knew what he was doing or not. Whether Henry was the one orchestrating things in s1-s4/presumably at least early s5 or not. I just...

I can see a path where she could forgive him, right? Though I'm really worried that's a path where she would forgive him and take all that blame and put it onto herself because he was he little brother and she didn't notice.

But I just... I don't know.

I just know how horribly she's raked herself over the coals over Barb's death ever since s1, and I just worry about whether she would be able to accept that, in the scenario I've been outlining, Mike didn't actually mean to do anything/couldn't actually have stopped it because he didn't know it was happening. Because I suspect that in order for Nancy to get to that place, she'd have to confront the fact that SHE isn't at fault for what happened to Barb, either. That she did not do anything wrong (at least, not wrong enough that she deserves to be still agonizing over it four years later) by telling Barb to go home that night. That there was no way Nancy could have known that something bad was happening to Barb, and that the fact that she didn't stop what was happening BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS ANYTHING FOR HER TO STOP, doesn't mean she's in any way at fault.

And... I REALLY hope we're going to get to see Nancy confronting that head on in s5. But it just.... concerns me in the context of these theories about Mike's potential supernatural role.

#mike wheeler #byler #my analysis #I feel like there HAS to be a tag for all this Mike-and-the-Upside-Down stuff?#but I legitimately don't know what it is #long post #<- as always //sigh #I don't know what brevity is I guess #also #if Mike DOES have literally any sort of supernatural abilities #I fully believe that Karen knows/suspects somehow #100% because of that super coded “I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me” conversation #which YEAH does read like she's encouraging him that he can tell her if he's queer #but like #I've always thought she picked a SUPER weird time to have that conversation??#“oh your best friend who I suspect you might have feelings for is missing? Okay well just so you know it's okay if you're gay”#like #just a really weird time when Mike isn't even a little volunteering that info #but if she knew somehow that Mike had supernatural abilities + knew somehow that something supernaturally fishy had gone down with Will #I feel like yeah no that would be the exact RIGHT time to try and assure him he could tell her “anything” lol #which now I'm thinking about this the context of Troy's “killed by some other queer” comment #idk idk idk I'm just thinking thoughts at this point

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tendermiasma · 2 years

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Quick one of a friend's Tarnished and Radahn because they're actually my otp

Full spicy here on my twitter 👁✨

#elden ring #radahn #tarnished #myart #the way we have built an empire in dms

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sun-critrole · 3 years

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Friends, I can finally post about how much I love the Heroic Chronicle system from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. Spoilers for that book!

Over a YEAR ago, way back in May of 2020, I sat down to DM my very first longform campaign. EGTW was pretty new, and I had been reading it voraciously in preparation. I knew I loved the Heroic Chronicle already, and had made a sample character testing the system: Thaego, a tortle from the Menagerie Coast and currently running a bar in the small town of Icehaven. Thaego is now a beloved NPC.

The Heroic Chronicle system provides players with everything from race to background by rolling on a table of options. It also provides allies and rivals to players, people they've met before the game started that are friends or enemies with reasons behind it.

One of my players (@veththelucky) rolled the Augen Trust Spy background - I encouraged her to stick with it, even though it was out of her comfort zone. The background required a Spy contact, a touch point with home base from which to get orders and, sometimes, benefits from the purse of the Crown.

Then. A thing of beauty happened.

Another player (@fictional-artist) was making a fighter who had been to war for the Empire. They rolled to have an Ally that was part of a spy network, and used his connections to keep protective yet overbearing tabs on all his friends.

I had two roles to fill, and both needed to be a spy. Why not make them the same person?

And so, my second favorite NPC of this campaign was born: Durem Tanodur, a half-orc from Rexxentrum and a handler of some of the Empire's most valuable sources of intelligence. He served boots on the ground in the war, side by side with fictional-artist's PC, and was veththelucky's current boss. He asked the spy to spy on another member of the party to fulfill his protective nature, and suddenly a web of betrayal was made before the players even introduced their characters.

Today's session, over a year later, the news finally broke that one PC had been spying on another, that the fighter's friend was deeper in the spy network that she thought, and that these friends and companions who had been traveling across the continent together had questionable motives.

This is a storyline I couldn't have contrived on my own, or at least not easily. The players rolled for those choices, and they chose to be invested in their own stories - writing letters to off screen NPCs and keeping in touch with the Augen Trust, sometimes every session. To have this build for so long and have only a passing part in it - it's every DM's dream. These players have built a better story with luck and commitment to the game than I ever could with just me.

I'm so excited to see what we all are able to create together next.

#explorer’s guide to wildemount #dnd #sun the dm #veththelucky #fictional-artist

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noncombativednd · 3 years

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What Does a good D&D game.. look like?

“Those Lost Shall Not Be Forgotten” is what the flag says. That’s the Flag to the city of New Hope. It’s written in Infernal, and it’s about the previous city “Last Hope” that was destroyed by a powerful ritual that wasn’t stopped in time. Last Hope was the only Tiefling run city and when it was destroyed, the survivors were kicked off their “borrowed” Elven lands and forced to create a new city on new lands.

The flames and the colors on the “compass“ represent the 8 major families and the common colors of their houses. Those families are suppose to be direct bloodlines from powerful devils who’s powers they used to help keep the city in control. Those houses where not spared from the powerful ritual that destroyed most of the old city; and new young upstarts to these houses are starting to learn the powers their bloodline has, as they struggle to built up a whole new city on foreign lands.

Now here’s the kicker. That’s not Lore. That was the GAME. What started up as a joke with all three of us saying “Ha! Let’s all just play Tieflings! Oh, they have high Charisma? Why not make them all part of a traveling Band!” turned into a powerful story about a tiny nation struggling to survive against those who would rather see it destroyed; with us, the players, at the center of it. Each of us started as just children of the leaders of a powerful Tiefling house, but due to our own incompetence and inability to see the real threat.. We went from wanting to run away from home.. to being 3 of the 8 council members of the only Tiefling Nation! We would die to keep this nation afloat.

We would not forget those the died that day.

Now I’m not saying a game is only good if your players decide to make a fricken flag! Or even (and yes we DID do this,too) write a song to inspire the survivors of a tragedy... but it goes to show how engaged with the game we were by the fact that we did all this because we cared. We were invested! Now, how did we do this? How did we get so invested in the game we were taking time out of our life to slap together flags, songs, and business plans for our game? I’ll tell you how. We, the players, helped create everything.

The DM didn’t write a whole lore dump we had to create our characters against, she worked with us on the spot to write up the whole things about Us, our powerful bloodline families, and what it meant for us, why the city was the way it was. We, the players, were creating it; she just helped glue all the pieces together so it all made sense. It wasn’t just that though. Last Hope, the old city. We started there!

That’s right, we started level 1 in Last Hope. We were kids of the powerful adults, just starting to grow up enough to want to get the hell out of that city and out of the shadows of our parents we didn’t like. We wanted to, but.. then we heard rumors. That whole Ritual? We are the ones that failed to stop it in time. We were distracted, we were misunderstood, and not trusted. One of our parents died and we couldn’t figure out if the Half-Elf that told us that something worse would go down meant “assassinate all the powerful families” at the funeral, or “do some strange ritual” at the park that would damage the city. We split up, and failed to think that the ritual itself was what would kill our parents, our people, our... city. Half the city was erased from the world in a moment. Then the game kept going.

See, this was why it was so good. Everything was just part of the game. Our rolls, our choices, our story. We decided to get boats, and take all the survivors away when the Elves, who’s “land” the city was built on, decided that the giant explosion was our fault. Fuck em! We’d rebuild the city elsewhere, and we’d use the help of their enemies, a Dragon/Dragonborn empire. We took whatever we could and found a new island that wasn’t on the charts. There, we started to rebuild. More rolls, using an updated kingdom system to build a city, setting up defense armies using an updated army warfare system, and setting up a council of the 8 houses that made up the strongest and.. well richest of the Tieflings choose what resources would be spent on what. Our rolls, our choices, our story. The DM had never planned on this, she just.. changed things after every roll.

Now if not obvious enough, there was plenty of combat. We fought to stop the ritual, as my character who is affectionately called “En”, the fighter of the group, was knocked out in the fight, only to be woken up by Chant, the bard of our group, that had finished the fight, but too late to stop the ritual. Monsters poured out of the portal, and our parents arrived in time to tell us to help evacuate the city. Beaten, but not broken, we decided to do just that. As we fought monsters to buy time for the citizens to get to safety, En lost consciousness again as she once again jumped in the way of the blow targeting another, and was impaled by it’s horns. Tresse, the sorceress of the group, was able to finish off the monster, but En was in no shape to wake up anymore. En would have to be told what the explosion that left a giant crater in the city looked like.

En would have to be told what she had failed to stop.

The combat was just the backdrop, though. Our decision to not leave the city, our decision to investigate our cities problems, our decision to try and stop a dangerous ritual on our own; That was the story. It all added up to our story, where we now are trying to help our flegling new city grow and thrive on a large island that we found out once was home to a large empire once before. Nothing was prewritten problems, nothing was just about one player’s character, nothing was about our long elaborate backgrounds, and nothing was about the NPCs. It was all about us.

So when I talk about the game, I talk about what we all did together at the table. Not our character’s backgrounds. Not the grand lore of the world. Not just one small moment in the battle where ZOMG I Crit. No, the game was good because the DM let the players help guide the story. She took our ideas and built on them, not around them. It still ongoing, too. We had to take a break, but we’re in the middle of a tense situation as we later found the “old” empire actually still existed on the island. They had their own “magical” problems hundreds of years ago, and they had finally recovered enough to try and reclaim their old lands... our lands. Needless to say, we are not giving them up. We’ve learned what horrible things they did that killed off their own people, and we’re not letting them get back that horrible power. We will not let a tragedy like that happen again. We will not lose hope again.

We will not lose our city again.

TLDR; The DM of the game asked me to add this. At the end of the day, this is the player's game. They improvise and deliver lines for the main cast of characters, decide who they are, where they go, and what they do. They make up a majority of the game even! The campaign doesn't belong to the DM, though their job is important. They still have to manage background characters, keeping the pacing right, throw problems at the players, but the editor doesn't write the book, the authors do. The Players are the Author, the DM is the Editor.

#D&D #DnD #Dungeons and Dragons #5e #ttrpg #ttrpgs #Those lost shall not be forgotten #Are you? Are you? Fleeing this city? They murdered our own in a great conspiracy.#Strange things did happen here but not stranger would it be #If we fought for our own in Last Hope our city.

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probablyottrpgideas · 4 years

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Tabletop Asks

In reference to the previous post: 1.) Game Master, Player or both? Why?

I am currently lucky enough to be player in one game and DM in another (both 5e D&D), however ordinarily I am overwhelmingly the DM/GM.

2.) When did you start role playing? How old were you?

My first start with published tabletop adventures was actually quite late, in my second year of university when I was about 19, so 11 years ago now, with D&D 4e. However, I think my first freeform roleplaying experiences were with a mate of mine all the way back in primary school, where we had this quite extensive worldbuilding and characters. It was my first introduction to the idea that I wanted to be a writer.

3.) What was the first role playing book you ever owned?

The 4e PHB, DMG and MM all at the same time. I had a job then, missed playing, decided “fuck it, I’ll start my own” and dived in.

4.) Describe the first game you ever ran or played in.

A 4e Starters Box run on Keep on the Borderlands. I played a Dwarf Fighter out of the box, which I named Xzienne (which some of you know is my regular online handle). He was fun; in my oh-so-extra way, I kept my game notes as In-Character journal entries.

5.) Which system did you grow up with?

D&D, all the way. Fourth edition and then Fifth, with a look at Third in between. But I’ve played about a dozen or two different systems all up.

6.) Which system do you play now?

Predominantly 5e

7.) Longest campaign you’ve run or played in?

My D&D “Empires Intelligence Services” campaign ran from 2016-2020.

8.) Where did you meet your current gaming group?

I tend to throw my groups together from among various people I know from all over. My favourite group ever was the one formed entirely of cast members from our local theatre company production of Wicked.

9.) Strategic combat or dramatic plotlines?

Does it need to be either/or? I feel like good drama gets you invested in the character’s outcomes, good combat (or puzzles or traps or whatever) gets you invested in the character’s actions. You want people to achieve their goals with emotional satisfaction but without just narrating to them; they need to feel involved in the process of making those goals come about. Challenges are not just there for the Power Gamers and the Slayers, they make the plotlines feel satisfying for everyone.

10.) Favorite RPG genre?

I love Science Fiction and I love Fantasy, and my own work so often smashes the two together. I write a lot of Contemporary/Urban Fantasy, and my D&D world is a magepunk magitech setting with spacefaring aircraft and so forth.

PLAYER CHARACTERS - Describe:

11.) Your first character.

Xzienne the Dwarven Fighter, mentioned above. My first character I made though, on the other hand, not including NPCs, was much later. I think it was probably Tetsuo, my Shin-jin from a Dragonball RPG

12.) Your favorite character.

Definitely Ortlinde. An Aasimar Witch who was the granddaughter of a Valkyrie, and was mad that the gods would be so callous as to bar her mother from Valhalla just because she wasn’t a warrior, and so tried to stage a coup against Asgard. Fuck she was cool.

13.) Your most ridiculous character.

If not Ortlinde, then possibly Parian, my 13th Age Bard whose “One Unique Thing” (a 13th Age mechanic that I love) was that he could modify his spells on the fly by casting the verbal components as full poems, which I would write and perform in-session. I once got to add a Fear effect to a Thunderwave because I made it sound like the trumpets of judgement day, and I managed to cast Charm Person but with an allied player as the focus of the target’s charm by making the poem about their character.

14.) The best in-character line you’ve ever had.

Not a lot of what other players have said have stuck with me, really. Possibly my favourite was Alice’s ranger in Castles and Crusades who said a whole lot of buckwild shit until my halfling begged her not to talk.

Whereupon she shortly thereafter discovered a secret Dryad home inside a tree, and didn’t mention it to the party. When asked why?

“You told me not to talk.”

15.) Your most epic death.

I haven’t died that often, to be honest. Probably the most memorable death was Parian, who got crushed in a moving wall trap and had to be scooped up in a bag and carried around as “bard soup” until a True Resurrection could be cast.

16.) Your most disappointing death.

See above.

17.) Something that shouldn’t have worked, but did.

Meliorn Metcalfe, Tiefling Spellbinder, orchestrating an ambush in a town square against the people who had been sending thugs to attack the party in their beds and stealing shit from the townsfolk. I set up traps (clay pots filled with caltrops and poison), used sunrods to blind the attackers while we had our backs to the light, and we greased the buildings around the area so that they couldn’t climb to safety. It went perfectly, even after they rocked up with a gargoyle.

18.) Something that went hilariously awry.

Just recently I was playing in a Wildemount game which saw the party running Benny Hill style around an ancient lab from a Wight. In the process I got nearly killed by both flying knives and a very angry carpet.

19.) Your most memorable in-character moment.

Ortlinde’s speech to Frigg, lambasting the Gods for their mistreatment of mortals.

20.) The coolest item you ever got and how you came to possess it.

The Masque of Clavicus Vile, from the Elder Scrolls games, pulled from Niddhogr’s treasure hoard and buffing my Spell Save DC to 27 (including other stuff like class features for the Witch and another item which synergised with those).

GAME MASTERS - Describe:

21.) Your favorite NPC and how the party reacted to him/her

By far Celia Sapienza, Eladrin Kensai, who became the party Mum even though she was younger than a few of them. She’s now the head of the Empires Intelligence Services Northern Branch.

22.) A game you wish you could run or want to run someday.

I’ve been eyeing off Dread, Skullduggery and Leverage for years, but I also recently got the Dishonoured game which looks sick as, and Blades in the Dark, and...

23.) Something you made up on the spot.

So so much, but most recently I had a Marid sailor NPC who I had to improvise and entire story of his previous voyages. I did it in a Brian Blessed voice and the players, no shit, fucking applauded.

24.) Your most successful game.

The Wild Huntresses, finally figuring out who had killed the town alchemist and facing off against her and her pet Water Elemental in the caves beneath the hills. Such an epic game. God I miss that group.

25.) Your least successful game.

Paranoia, but that’s just built into the premise.

26.) The craziest thing your players have ever done, and how it affected your plans.

I had a player walk straight out the front doors of a castle under siege. I hit him with 2 dozen crossbow bolts. That guy was an asshole.

27.) Your favorite setting or game location.

I massively love the idea of Eberron, and I love the MTG crossover settings like Ravnica and Theros.

28.) Your creative process when you plan a game.

Typically write about a page of notes for every 2-10 hours of gameplay, depending on the amount of combat expected. Things like important NPCs and what they want, where the party are expected to go in general terms and some ideas for things to throw at them when they inevitably wander off the path, that sort of thing. If it’s really plot important, though, I’ve been known to write pages and pages of lore and character info to hopefully seed into conversations. I also once wrote a full script that we did as a table read for a big conversation between a bunch of NPCs that the party were there to listen to but not be involved in.

29.) The best / worst character concept you’ve ever heard.

No character concept that fits within the rules is ever really bad, although sometimes the execution isn’t great. Some are very, very dumb, like say every character ever built or played by the asshole player I mentioned a few entries back.

30.) What makes GMing fun for you.

Players getting invested in the world and in each other’s stories. Nothing makes me feel better as a GM than being able to sit back while the players have a full in-character conversation with each other.

#tabletop #asks

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notyourfathersdungeonmaster · 4 years

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How to Make Powerful NPCs Interesting Again

We all know the trope: the powerful wizard hires the party to go run some minor errand, which inevitably leads to them stumbling onto the World-Ending Plot, which they have to solve, alone, with only the occasional advice from their wizened mentor. It's a trope as old as time; even Hercules got occasional boons from godly beings to help him on his quests. It's a great narrative device, until some player stops and asks, "If this wizard is able to stop time with a snap of his fingers, why doesn't he just stride into the field and shove a ninth-level fireball into the Lich's cranial cavity?"

This simple bit of cognitive dissonance can really ruin the fun and undermine the urgency of an otherwise great adventure. If the party knows that the only reason they're on this quest is because Randalf the Off-White can't be bothered to deal with the horde of undead outside his tower, it can make them feel like chumps or patsies, and undermine any sense of gratitude that comes later during the campaign's denouement.

There's a few simple ways to fix this, though: tricks that can help you, the DM, keep your high level NPCs while also explaining why the great powers of the world are relying on this band of scrappy adventurers to solve all their problems. Below are just a few.

The Balance of Powers

This principle is a great one, but is often sadly overlooked in many campaigns. Simply put, in the above example, the wizard mentor doesn't get involved not because he can't, but because doing so would bring in a whole host of other powerful beings that would complicate the conflict. Perhaps there's a council of archmages who have all agreed, for the sake of maintaining the fabric of reality, that they should keep their Ninth-level spells in their pockets unless they all agree it's necessary. Perhaps the BBEG has a patron on the Council, and the mentor can't interfere on his own without dragging his evil opposite into the campaign. This can actually make for a great part of the climactic battle: the mentor decides he can't stay on the sidelines anymore, and joins the fray, participating in an epic wizard's duel.

This can also be used with deities bestowing boons on the party: they can act indirectly by helping the party, perhaps because one of their rival deities is already helping the BBEG. Thus, the conflict of the campaign turns into a proxy war for a larger divine conflict that can't be fought, because it would annihilate all of existence. If you do take this path, make sure your NPC stresses to the party how essential it is that they solve this issue, because if the major players themselves join the fight, no one will survive.

The Protector of Reality

Similar to the Balance of Powers, this rationale places the Epic NPC in a conflict from which they cannot afford to divert their attention or resources, even for a moment. Perhaps there is a constant threat of otherworldly incursion for which they need all (or almost all) of their capabilities; after all, you don't want to be caught with your pants down and your spell slots expended when Tiamat bursts through the material plane like an alien parasite from a man's stomach. Even the threat of such an apocalyptic event would mean that, like a missile in a silo, an epic level NPC would have to sit dormant, never expending his magical capabilities because he never knows when they may be required. This is actually a great archetype to use for the Wizard in the Tower trope; they may have built themselves a convenient magical retreat at great cost because they couldn't afford the spell slot to cast Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion everyday, not while that same spell slot may be needed to banish an archduke of the Nine Hells. So, they sit in the tower, separated from the affairs of the world by necessity - but, still caring about the world and wanting to make sure it's not a shit place to live, they can find and recruit adventurers to handle the more mundane threats that don't shake the foundations of the universe. This is also a great twist finale to use on the party: perhaps the Wizard in the Tower joins them in the final boss battle, expending all his magical power -- only for, at that moment, the threat he's been guarding against for centuries to finally arrive, and now it's up to the party to stand against them where he cannot.

The Otherworldly Being

This works especially well with warlock patrons, but it can work similarly well with questgivers and friendly NPCs that have an otherworldly or spiritual bent. The key idea is that the force recruiting, motivating, and rewarding the players is not located on the material plane itself and is therefore unable to act on it; they need to find a local agent to handle the problem. There is plenty of inspiration throughout myth and folklore; dream visitations, whether by angels, fiends, fey, or Lovecraftian horrors, are particularly common as an impetus to get an uncooperative character to fall into line. There are more tangible methods of communication as well; perhaps they are a being of immense power that is trapped in every mirror in the world and needs an agent to eventually get them free, or perhaps they can only manifest through signs and omens that require interpretation. If you want to pull from Greek mythology, there's also the possibility of a dedicated oracle who acts as the voice of the gods, but gives only vague, ominous prophecies that won't reveal their true weight until later. In all cases, a clear distinction is established between the power of the questgiver and the limitations of their abilities to influence the mortal realm, making the party the ones with agency in the situation.

The Hidden BBEG

You'll want to be careful how you use this one, because you only get one shot to pull it off with a given group, and once the players suspect something it is really, really hard to recover from it. The basic premise is that the powerful NPC who recruited them, who sent them off to fight against the Big Bad Evil Guy, was secretly a villain themselves, trying to bring down their rival or clear the way for their own scheme. Think of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, sending the Jedi across the galaxy to deal with the Sith and the CIS, only to betray them all. Unfortunately this has become a major trope, and given how paranoid players typically are, it's very hard to pull off. There's a couple of tricks to making it work, and some of them may seem counterintuitive.

Do not make the Hidden BBEG perfect or flawless. Establish a set of motives for their actions, ones that may seem prosaic but also have a selfish bent. The high priest wants to rid the land of the evil king who is oppressing the population, but who is also stifling the priest's ability to build his church. The noble ruler wants to defeat the opposing empire that threatens the peace and stability of his lands, but also is motivated by revenge for the war crimes committed in the past. Create a pretext that puts them on the same side as the party, but a subtext that leaves the party slightly uneasy. If the party is concerned about their ally having selfish motives, they'll be expecting selfishness, even recklessness, but not duplicity and betrayal.

Do not reveal the full capabilities of the Hidden BBEG. If anything, they should appear to be about mid-level; capable, but not able to handle world-shaking threats. Most often they are hiding their capabilities until some final piece is brought into their grasp. One excellent example would be Fraz-Urb'luu, one of the demon princes of the Abyss, who is obsessed with recovering his staff of power; as a Hidden BBEG, he might pose as a friend to the party, waiting until they recover all the pieces and bring them to him before he strikes, showing his true might. Another excellent example is the Heirophant from the classic geek movie The Gamers: Dorkness Rising.

Show genuine conflict in the Hidden BBEG. Let them display passion and inner conflict, moments where they are troubled by the methods the party uses and the methods they and their followers are forced to use. There's an old adage that every villain is the hero of their own story; if you can make that ring true for your Hidden BBEG, to make the party invested in not just their cause but in maintaining their moral character, then the betrayal will hurt even more.

The Common Crowd

This might seem counterintuitive, but sometimes the best Epic NPC isn't epic at all, but just a collection of ordinary folk. If your campaign originates in a specific village or town, especially one full of colorful, memorable NPCs with personal ties to the party, then the collective needs and will of that settlement can become a questgiver NPC in its own right. The town is suffering from an unnatural drought? Send the party to seek out aid or a magical cure. The town is displaced following an invasion? Keeping the town safe and finding them a new home becomes a priority. This can also become a source of individualized side quests for the PCs; they're likely to be far more concerned about seeking out the rare medicine required to save the orphan girl who the rogue took under wing than they are about exploring a random tomb for loot drops. Plus, if the PCs invest their time and effort into protecting the town, it can make for an amazing final battle when the townsfolk come to support the party in battle, armed with everything they can get their hands on, ready to die for their heroes (a.k.a. The 'Mass Effect' Effect).

I hope these provide some good inspiration for your campaign! Let me know if there's any tricks you've used on your campaigns that worked particularly well, or any that you think should be added.

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raeynbowboi · 5 years

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The Character Forge: How to Play as a Pokemon Trainer in DnD 5e

Pokemon Sword and Shield comes out today, so to hop aboard the exploitation train, I’ll be building a garden variety Pokemon Trainer.

The Makings of a Hero

Race is easy, you’re a Human. Nice and simple.

For alignment, it can vary, but trainers in the games are a bit chaotic good. They take down criminal empires, but they do it through vigilante dog fighting instead of reporting to the police.

For background, there are a few good options. Outlanders are survivalists who can rough it in the wilderness and find their way around without a map, Folk Heroes get Animal Handling and can always find a place to rest up free of charge, and Far Travelers venture to other lands, like Ash who only returns to Kanto for a new set of clothes and to get his mom to pay his bills.

Ranger: Beast Master

Ordinarily, I’d list out a character’s abilities and possible subclass options, but this one is pretty clear cut. The trainers themselves don’t have powers, they cast spells through animal summons. So to kick things off, we’ll pick up Beast Master Ranger so we can forge a really strong bond with one particular animal. This will be your Starter Pokemon.

Druid: Shepherd

With the latest update to come out, Druids no longer are forced to Wild Shape. They can also instead opt to summon animals to fight on their behalf. As a Shepherd, the animals you call upon are stronger, tougher, and more loyal. Druid is also a great pick because Druid gets one of the widest arrays of elemental spells.

While it’s not intrinsically necessary, if you want to link certain spell options to particular summons, speak with your DM about this as an option.

There are a lot of Pokemon, a lot of moves, and a lot of ways this character could be built. So, I’ll just leave the build here, as from here, there’s not really any right or wrong way to build this character. Probably go for a Ranger 4/Druid 16 split. Level 5 rangers get Extra Attack, but Pokemon is pretty strictly a one-attack-per-turn game, so better to go for extra stat boosts or feats. I’d recommend the Folk Hero for animal handling, but as a Ranger/Druid, Animal Handling will also be an option for class proficiencies, so do whatever you feel is best for your build. Aside from that, get creative and see what your DM will allow.

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theworldbrewery · 5 years

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Plot Build: Murder Mystery

This is a plotline built to be adapted to your own own campaign or for use as a oneshot. Feel free to change names, NPC races, etc., or adapt by adding or removing enemies, traps, etc. to increase or decrease the difficulty of the adventure. This build assumes a 4-person party at 8th level.

Want a customized plot build for your party? $15 Ko-Fi supporters can leave a private message with their tumblr or email contact information to request a personalized outline.

One-sentence hook:

The war with the Republic has decimated Empire forces and left the Crown Prince desperate for more troops; this could be a profitable business move for your adventuring company--assuming that something or someone doesn’t sabotage negotiations.

The outline will be available under the cut at the end of the post, just in case your players follow your blog 👉😎👉 (pro-tip: if you’re not a DM or prepping to be one, don’t look!)

Groundwork to lay before the plotline begins:

You’ve been assigned to protect Guildmaster Ryker as he negotiates a contract with the Ellywick Empire to supply relief forces for the war effort.

Conflict between the Empire and the Republic of Drexia has been going on for decades, but exploded into war after the late Queen Donella passed a few years ago.

Recently there’ve been attempts on the life of Crown Prince Theodore and so Ryker has been pressured into taking bodyguards to make sure the negotiations aren’t compromised.

See the rest of the build below the cut.

Whodunit - All The Answers -

What: An attempted assassination of the Crown Prince of the Ellywick Empire

Who: A local weapons manufacturer, Antaeus Cloudstrider

Where: During the announcement of the Empire’s contract with the party’s adventuring company

How: Antaeus casts dominate person on Guildmaster Ryker, forcing him to kill the Crown Prince

Why: Antaeus has been ordered to sabotage the Empire by a cloud-giant who has made a bet on the outcome of the war

Major Locations + NPCs:

Antaeus Cloudstrider, the big bad

Cloud-Giant/Rakshasa

An emissary for the Cloudstrider clan of Cloud Giants who has been posing as a wealthy and eccentric weapons manufacturer for the past few years. He plans on getting Guildmaster Ryker to assassinate Crown Prince Theodore through mind magic. Half cloud-giant and half-rakshasa, Antaeus has inherited both illusion magics and hearty strength. His parent in the Cloudstrider clan has made a bet on the outcome of the war, and is not above mobilizing Antaeus to tip the scales in his favor. See Anateus’ stats under encounter 5.

Guildmaster Ryker, the gruff merc

Half-Orc Rogue

Gruff leader and founder of the adventuring guild. He’s been contacted by the crown and is headed to the capital to negotiate a contract. He wants the political grandstanding over and done with, and is weary of the number of recent attempts on the Crown Prince’s life. His low wisdom and relative renown makes him the perfect target for Antaeus’ manipulations.

Guard Captain Katya Hauss, the loyal watchdog

Half-Elf Fighter

A veteran of The Ash Guard (also known as Slaggers or Dust Devils) who served the Crown Prince’s late mother Donella before him. She is on the fence about mercenaries, but convinced that Ryker is not a spy from the Republic. After the assassination attempt, she will try to delay Ryker’s execution but presents the party with a timeline for their investigation to uncover the real culprit. She is suspicious of Magistrate Tossletock’s overt critique of the Crown Prince.

Magistrate Nyx Tossletock, arcane advisor

Gnome Wizard

A sour faced advisor on the arcane to the empire. She is against hiring mercenaries and thinks that the crown prince’s brother, Fredrick, should rule instead of Theodore. She doesn’t have many friends in court, but she is powerful and has allies among both the mages and nobility. She should be a potential suspect for the party to investigate, is innocent.

Heid the “Servant”....*cough* spy *cough*

Human Rogue

Heid, if that is her real name, has been sent by the Republic to spy on the Crown Prince and the negotiations. She’s been posing as a servant for the past few weeks to gain more information. She should be another suspect, but will provide the party information if they can track her down and convince her.

Theodore Ellywick, Crown Prince of the Ellywick Empire

Gnome...just a regular gnome

In charge of the dynasty while his twin Fredrick leads armies against the Republic. He’s a young gnome with prematurely receding hairline and touches of grey from the stress of the war. His main purpose is to get stabbed a lot.

Cloudstrider Estate - an elegant Victorian style mansion surrounded by luscious and immaculately groomed gardens owned by Antaeus Cloudstrider. The gardens are patrolled by 3 Griffons and 2 Goliath Berserkers. Inside the mansion’s library is a secret passageway leading down towards Antaeus’ lair.

The Cracked Flagon - a ramshackle bar in Old Town where a spy for the Republic, Heid, has set up base. She was sent to gather intelligence, and since the attempted assassination has begun her own investigation into the culprit.

Ashguard Prison aka The Black Peaks - Twin towers which hover over the castle and city like a watchful hawk. The prison holds the most important of the Empire’s enemies and doubles as a guard garrison. The party will be led here after the assassination attempt and held for a time before meeting with Guardcaptain Hauss.

The Castle - is a castle...its impressive but generic

The Guildhall - the base of operations for your adventuring party. This is where they meet before leaving on missions, and can restock their potions/equipment if necessary.

Encounter 1 @ The Guildhall w/ Guildmaster Ryker:

Purpose - EXPOSITION - Provide the PCs with a chance to familiarize themselves with their skills and lay the groudwork for the plot

You enter the guildhall and see Ryker there, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. “Finally! Well, come-on. Out to the training yard with ya. What, did you expect me to take you on a job as important as this without seeing what you’re made of first?”

This is the Tutorial section of the one-shot

Start off with either a one-on-one combat or free for all with the party members fighting each other. This will allow them to get familiar with their skills and meet the rest of the team.

Afterwards, on the road, they will be able to ask Ryker questions about the world and their job. They can learn the groundwork points in character here.

Encounter 2 @ The Castle w/ Guildmaster Ryker, Guardcaptain Hauss, Antaeus, Heid, Magistrate Tostletock, & Crown Prince Theodore

Purpose - COMPLICATION - To foreshadow potential culprits, introduce all the characters, execute the “murder”

You arrive at the castle gates, and are greeted by a hand-full of guards in grey chainmail and shields adorned with the Royal crest. One of the guards--a tall half-elven women with sharp cheekbones and a no-nonsense look about her--steps forward, her black cloak and shining plate armor adorned with golden trim. “We have been expecting you.”

The party is greeted by Guardcaptain Hauss at the gates, who shows them to their room. Ryker will insist on beginning negotiations right away while the party settles in, forcing Hauss to lead him off and leaving the party a chance to explore the castle if they’d like.

There are several ways you can foreshadow the events of this evening and present suspects before the assassination takes place:

The party overhears a conversation between guards, or questions someone to learn (depending on the success of their ability check):

The spy master was just fired, as the amount of information leaking to the Republic is atrocious and there keep being assassination attempts against the prince

There’s open hostility towards hiring mercenaries for the war effort and Magistrate Tossletock has suggested that Theodore be replaced by his brother

The party explores the castle and spots a servant (Heid) leaving a hidden passageway from behind a tapestry

They can question her, finding suspicious but plausible deniability in taking shortcuts on her deliveries

They can investigate the passage themselves to find that it leads inside the wall of the Crown Prince’s study where negotiations are happening between him and Ryker

After exploring, the party will be called back to attend the feast tonight where the Crown Prince will announce their contract and provide a general update on the war effort. At the party, Antaeus will approach and present himself as an ally, making small talk. Additionally, with a high enough perception check, the party can spot Heid serving food and drink with a concealed dagger hidden in her belt. After a period of chat, Tossletock will approach and make a poor impression, letting it be known that she disapproves of mercs.

Eventually, the Crown Prince will begin to make a statement. In the middle, those with a high enough passive perception should notice Ryker disappear (stealth check 30--damn rogues). Ryker stabs the Crown Prince twice, rendering him unconscious, before Guardcaptain Hauss has him subdued on the ground. He doesn’t struggle, as dominate person only lasts a minute and he’s now come out of it.

It doesn’t matter if the Crown Prince dies--the party and Ryker will be in trouble regardless. In fact, I would encourage you to let the party try to save the Crown Prince, as that will provide even more reason for why they’re allowed free to investigate while Ryker is imprisoned.

The party will be escorted to Ashguard Prison by guards to await questioning.

If they resist and escape, have Guardcaptain Hauss approach them in disguise/a hooded cloak after a few hours to begin the following conversation about Ryker’s execution

If only some of them escape, add some pressure on that the ones who ran away will be considered guilty with Ryker if they don’t find the real culprit

Encounter 3 @ Ashguard Prison w/ Guardcaptain Hauss

Purpose - MOTIVATION - To present the party with a timeline for their investigation and consequences should they fail (Ryker’s execution and their own trial)

The guards march you through the castle hallways until you reach a doorway, watched by more soldiers. You pass through, and for a brief moment you see the night sky, stars shining above before your view is obstructed by a pair of hulking, charcoal-grey behemoths of towers directly in front of you. Behind their jagged peaks, storm-topped mountains crackle with lightning. Welcome to The Black Peaks, Ashguard Prison.

After spending the night in the prison, Guardcaptain Hauss meets the party and explains that the Council wants to execute Ryker, but she thinks he was manipulated. Since the room was warded from outside interference, the culprit must have been in the room, and she suspects that Tostletock has conspired with the Crown Prince’s brother. Ryker is set to be executed quickly as a show of force. The party has 24 hours before Ryker’s execution. There is also pressure to hold the party for investigation, but Hauss has been able to fend that off for now. It’s uncertain how long that will last.

The party should have two leads after talking with Guardcaptain Hauss: The Magistrate, and The Spy. You don’t want Antaeus to be too suspicious yet or that will spoil the big reveal.

Encounters 4a/4b

Purpose - INVESTIGATION - To provide additional information that will eventually lead the party to Antaeus

These are intermediary steps which should lead the party to the final encounter. They can do both or either in any order.

4a. The Magistrate’s Chambers

The magistrate’s chambers are in suite style. There is a main sitting area which seems to double as a study. An ornately woven rug and plush deep burgundy sofas compliment a dark mahogany desk and tall bookshelves. To the side is a workbench with various arcane contraptions and papers on it. The bedroom is fairly standard. There’s a tall four poster bed with a wooden chest at the foot of it. Off to the side is a vanity and dressing table, as well as a partition that separates the bathing and washroom area. The entire suite bleeds lavish opulence and high society comforts.

There is a trapped chest in the bedroom that holds gold and magic items

A poisoned needle is hidden within the chest’s lock. Opening the chest without the proper key causes the needle to spring out, delivering a dose of poison.

When the trap is triggered, the needle extends 3 in. straight out from the lock. A creature within range takes 1 piercing damage and 11 (2d10) poison damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour.

A successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows a character to deduce the trap’s presence from alterations made to the lock to accommodate the needle. A successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools disarms the trap, removing the needle from the lock. Unsuccessfully attempting to pick the lock triggers the trap.

There’s a desk with a letter inside from the Crown Prince’s brother Fredrick explaining that he too is suspicious of Antaeus trying to push Theodore towards mercenaries and his sudden appearance at the start of the war, but they can’t do anything about it and Tossletock should simply bide her time.

If the party wont enter the rooms, then consider having Tossletock approach and allow them to convince her of their good intentions

The party should leave here convinced that Tossletock is innocent but Antaeus is suspicious.

4b. The Cracked Flagon

You make your way through the city, passing from the more affluent areas to those more working class. Old Town lives up to its name. The buildings are a bit ramshackle, with patchwork repairs--a melding of different stonework and timbers. Eventually, you see a building--lights on, and a bit of music coming from slightly cracked windows--with a sign hanging out front of a mug that’s been cracked down the middle.

When the party enters the tavern, Heid will attempt to slip out the back. If the party can catch her and convince her to talk, she can reveal she’s already investigated Magistrate Tossletock and found no evidence of any plots. Instead she’s begun to be suspicious of Antaeus, who isn’t a Republic agent but seems to be working against the crown.

The party should leave here convinced that Heid is innocent but Antaeus is suspicious.

OPTIONAL Encounter 4c @ Back Alleyway

If you’re really having trouble getting your party to latch onto Antaeus as the big bad, then add in an ambush encounter while they’re in the city. They will face 2 Berserkers who were sent by Antaeus to either kill or scare the party away from investigating the assassination attempt. The berserkers will either flee when bested--running back to the Cloudstrider Estate--or carry a note on them with Antaeus’ signature and seal. This will serve to confirm their suspicions and lead towards the final battle.

Encounter 5 @ The Cloudstrider Estate w/ Antaeus

Purpose - RESOLUTION - The climax and battle where Antaeus will reveal his motivations and the party will defeat him, clearing the name of Ryker and themselves.

The Cloudstrider Estate is in the Sunset ward, closer to the castle. You pass by numerous shops and businesses, houses that border on mansions. A lot of them have hedges and fences that remove the main house from the street. One of these such estates is protected by stone walls about 8 ft tall. You can see on the entrance-way besides the front gate is an engraved placard that reads Cloudstrider in fancy letters with the crest of a sword piercing a cumulonimbus beneath it. The interior of the walls is big. You’d estimate almost an acre worth of land, most of which is taken up by a beautiful garden. The house itself is a two story classic Victorian style with dark blues contrasting white masonry.

The exterior gardens are guarded by 3 Griffons and 2 Berserkers. If the party find the estate by chasing after the barbarians sent to attack them, the barbarians will raise an alarm and the guards will be more alert. Also feel free to adjust the number of guards based on how many they fought/killed in the optional alleyway encounter. There should be several options for dealing with the guards:

Sneak past them

Distract them

Fight them

Negotiate with them

Unless the party convinces the guards to lead them inside peacefully for a conversation with Antaeus, they will have to investigate to find Antaeus and/or evidence. The physical evidence is all hidden underground in a secret bunker activated by uncovering a trapped rug in the library.

The rug hiding the secret passage is woven with a glyph of warding which will activate unless the proper password is given or it is dispelled.

The glyph can be spotted with a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check by the faint shimmer of an arcane sigil or a detect magic spell.

When activated by touching the rug without using the password, the glyph’s explosive runes erupt in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the rug. The sphere spreads around corners, encompassing most of the sitting room. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw DC 18. A creature takes 5d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The thunder also alerts the guards (if they are not aware already) who will arrive in 1d4 rounds.

If they find it right away, Antaeus will be waiting in the bunker, otherwise he will exit and confront them upstairs. If they are fighting upstairs and seem to be doing very well, consider having any remaining guards/griffons join the fray to spice things up. Otherwise you can always add a few berserkers chasing the party down to the bunker. Antaeus has the stats of a cloud giant with the added bonus of a curse ability and the Rakshasa’s dominate person and invisibility spells, which should make him plenty difficult for your party.

#d&d #dnd #5e #oneshots #plot builds

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rahabs · 4 years

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How are you staying active during quarantine? I just tipped into 180lbs, highest I've ever been, and I'm getting really depressed about it 😔 I've only gained about 7-8 pounds due to the quarantine, but back in January I was at 163, and I'm really struggling with the fact that I'm back up again after how hard I've been working. It feel like I can't get the weight to stay off, now esp. (Sorry for the mini rant, but I actually followed you Bc of your fitness posts, I appreciate them a lot

Many hugs to you, Anon, and there is no need to apologise 🖤 You are definitely not alone. I have also been struggling a lot with my weight recently (I have deliberately been putting on muscle, about 25lbs of it, but it is still a struggle to do so and to feel sometimes like my work getting down from 210lbs is being reversed--I am up to 145-150lbs myself, even though I still fit most all of my clothes from when I was 122lbs), but please do not be too hard on yourself! Some of that weight gain might be muscle, but I understand how frustrating and demoralising it can be nonetheless, I really do. Like... I really, really cannot emphasise enough how much I understand and how much I get what you’re going through right now, and I wish with all my heart that you weren’t going through it, because it hurts and it makes you just feel awful and so I am really and truly wishing you all the best right now, but also I have the utmost faith in you and despite the setback it is nothing that you cannot fix going forward 🖤

To answer your question, I’ve been doing a mix of things, but the two biggest things for me are that I built myself a routine, and I try to just walk everywhere that I can. Also, I track in an app called MyFitnessPal, because I need to hold myself accountable. The gyms in my city have recently opened back up and I have usually been going five times a week (reduced capacity and you can only go for an hour, but I use every second of that hour because cardio is how I best manage OCD/PTSD/anxiety, and I love love love seeing some beloved familiar strangers at the gym--we all wave happily to each other, since we tend to book the same time slots 🖤), but before they opened up my biggest friend was just walking. I have a lot of joint issues due to my improperly healed torn hip flexor and my former obesity, so I can’t run, but you don’t need to run. Walking is your best friend. Or even household chores. I used to work for a landscaping company, so when I can I will help with the yardwork (even though I dislike it--I try to find ways to make it more fun, and I genuinely enjoy being out in the sun, so there’s that at least). I make sure things stay tidy, I’ve been writing a lot and trying to see friends when I can, or get out to hike in the mountains. If I go grocery shopping and I’m waiting in a line, sometimes I’ll lazily bicep-curl my grocery bags. I’ll walk to the mailbox, I’ll walk through the neighbourhood, I’ll walk to the grocery store or to the nearest gas station. My dogs are old so I cannot walk them anymore, especially since we are under a heat wave, but I’ll get up and play with them. Bottom line: if I could find somewhere to walk and an excuse to walk there, I would. When I couldn’t, I would sit down and exercise by following my favourite home workout YouTube channel. (Seriously, she is amazing; I’ve followed her for years, since her channel was just starting out. I just got a half-sleeve tattoo and cannot use a lot of gym equipment at the moment so I have gone back to her videos, as she provides a lot of modifications and alternatives and just so many good at-home exercises that you don’t need any fancy equipment for.)

The routine is the most important part, though. I need structure, and if I have structure I find that I am less likely to binge, because my brain won’t freak out as much (whether out of boredom or something else).

You might know this already but I’m a (recovering) binge-eater and I also eat when bored or stressed, so I’ve just been trying to occupy myself with things other than food. I had a really bad spot for awhile where I was doing really, really poorly in that department an binged every day, but I finally put my foot down last week and this is the longest that I’ve been binge-free in months. I also have BDD, which I am working on (hard going when my attempts to ask the people around me for help often fall on deaf ears).

I think it’s important to realise that fitness and weight loss isn’t always linear. There will be times where you falter and stumble and when that happens it’s important not to punish yourself--instead just accept and acknowledge that it’s happened and adapt for the future. Like a little AAA battery! Bodies are also weird, and sometimes they react to things strangely. I’m not a professional in any way, but since working to put on some muscle I have noticed that women’s bodies at least like... they are strange things sometimes. And I know it sounds weird, but try not to put too much emphasis on a number on the scale. I’m not saying “get rid of the scale!” or “smash the scale!” or anything silly like that because I think to some people having the scale is really important, so long as it doesn’t become something obsessive you fixate on (I have severe OCD, professionally diagnosed, so easier said than done, but it’s doable by adding it to the routine and picking one day a week where I check in), but make sure it doesn’t become a focal point of your weight loss.

Instead, just notice how your clothes are fitting. If you have body tape, you can use that too. Pick a favourite pair of jeans and just see how they fit over time, or a favourite bra, or something that doesn’t stretch as easily as yoga pants. Again, some of your recent weight gain might actually be muscle mass, especially if you aren’t noticing a lot of change in how your clothes from January fit. When I first hit 145lbs when I was first losing the weight, I didn’t look like I do at my current 145-150lbs, after having got down to 120 and then making the decision to put some muscle back on. Save for some jean shorts that I bought at my lowest weight, because I build thick muscles in my thighs, I still fit all the clothes I bought and wore at 120lbs--including my fitted dresses, my Stampede jeans, most of my bras, and the pair of “check Lulus” I bought because those things are without mercy. I also have a couple really good friends I check in with who know me and who I can trust to tell me the truth when I cannot perceive it myself. And, when I’m being honest with it (which I am trying really hard to be again), I have MyFitnessPal, which has been with me through thick and thin.

If you can, I would recommend a good fitness tracker, too. Fitbit is really good and user-friendly. I have a Garmin now, because Fitbit doesn’t make adult watches or watch bands small enough for my ridiculous baby bird wrists, but I had my Fitbit for years before that and it saw me through the vast majority of my weight loss/fitness quest. It can be very helpful to just help you gauge where you are; most people grossly overestimate how active they actually are, and if you’re up for it, a tracker can be helpful in giving you empirical data from which you can base some better decisions around.

And just do you best to stay active. I do not know if you have any gyms where you live or if they’re open, but I would really recommend getting a membership, though I totally understand that gyms are not for everyone. If not, I really do recommend checking out that youtube channel I linked (Koboko Fitness), and just doing your best to walk wherever there’s the option to walk (and it won’t cause undue hardship/pain/etc). Lift some boxes around the house. Turn doing the dishes into a stretching exercise. If you’re familiar with yoga, do yoga (I do not because I am not familiar with it and it can be dangerous to people like me with joint issues to start if you don’t have anyone around who can tell you if you’re doing it right, but my younger sister is working on a cert and she does yoga daily, even with the baby bump). Many gyms are offering online classes right now too, including the gyms I go to (GoodLife Fitness in Canada), so they can be worth checking out too!

But also just know you’re not in that boat alone. Many people are struggling right now, including myself, so if you ever need to chat my inbox and my DMs are always open (and I can toss my Discord handle out too if that helps), because a support system can really make all the difference. I never had one for the longest time, and so when I fell back on old, bad habits it took me awhile to pull myself out of it (again). I really can talk about this forever but I will stop myself now because I am a chatty cathy but! Please feel free to send messages whenever you want, Anon, and please be kind to yourself! I know it’s scary and I know it’s disappointing because I have been there many a time but you can do this, I believe in you! You’ve had a setback but it isn’t anything that can’t be fixed/corrected and I have faith that you will be able to get back on the proverbial horse and mow down Alexander’s armies in a way that would make the Achaemenids proud 🖤 I hope this helped in some way and that I was able to answer your question!

#weight loss #fitness #long post #text #mens sana in corpore sano #ed mention #ed for cw #anonym #ask #reply

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diceforanaltmode · 4 years

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Team Ice: Adventure 8: The One Where it’s About the Vibes

Team Ice continues their adventure and we’re bringing you the latest summary! Last time the party made their way to Lotty’s hometown, Lotty might have had an encounter with her deity, and the party spots the Functionists meeting with the High Priestess and makes their way into the temple.

The Cast - TEAM ICE

Skids by Soundwave (human rogue) Tailgate by Butter (dwarven barbarian) Cyclonus by Ren (tiefling paladin) Nautica by Robophelia (half-elf wizard) Velocity by Cee (high elf cleric) Brainstorm by Bex (air genasi wizard)

The party is in the temple in Paradisus Arbor. While they are looking around the temple, the Functionists return with the High Priestess, heading up to the High Priestess’s office. Skids sneaks up to spy on the Functionists up in the High Priestess’s office. He hears some small talk where the High Priestess is trying to cover that she’s surprised that there is a non-elven delegation here, she didn’t know anything about the Functionists coming, so she’s trying to get at why they are there. Seven of Twelve alludes to something about the temple, and the guards are asked to leave the office, heading out onto the stairs where Skids is hiding. Skids runs down to the prayer area below and fake-prays so damn hard that the guards step back onto the stairs and out of sight for the sake of his privacy, not wanting to disturb such apparently devout prayer.

Once the guards are out of sight, Skids returns to the party. The group decides that they have to hear more about what the Functionists are asking after. They make a plan: while Velocity distracts the honor guard, Nautica will cast invisibility on Brainstorm. Brainstorm will then levitate up to the window of the High Priestesses office. Tailgate will distract the guards with Luna to make sure they don’t notice anything funny.

Velocity talks to Roadbuster, the honor guard of the temple, about how Solus Prime never really clicked with her, and so she wants to be taken out of the register here, so that she’s sure she’s in her new deity’s register and there’s no confusion. Roadbuster insists there’s no register, though they can switch her raven mailings down to twice a year, and that she’s a Camian, so she’s always affiliated with Solus Prime. Roadbuster says that they should go down and review the texts and rediscover what, uh, what was the word, clicks? Clicks with Velocity. Velocity insists that Solus Prime doesn’t vibe with her. Roadbuster: V-vibes??

Velocity: If you don't know what vibing means, it means you've never vibed with anything. Maybe this religion isn't right for you!

Velocity agrees to go with Roadbuster down to read the texts of Solus Prime in exchange for Velocity sharing some of her texts, some recipe books…. recipes with sugar!

Meanwhile, Tailgate has struck up a conversation with the guards, who are two nondescript human men named George and Andrew, which are definitely pre-planned names and not ones the DM made up on the spot. No one finds these names weird, despite this being a world where characters are named ‘Tailgate’ and ‘Roadbuster’. The guards stop Tailgate from going upstairs, because Seven of Twelve and the Head Priestess are in an important conversation. They recognize Tailgate from when they met him on the road and Tailgate introduces Luna as his lost dog, now found! Andrew immediately starts cooing over Luna. George is not amused; this happens every time they see a dog. Every. Time. Tailgate says that Luna got further away than they thought, so they decided to stop in this town. Tailgate watches branches move as Brainstorm, invisible, levitates past the stairs. To distract the guards, Tailgate asks why they’re there, and Andrew says they’re on the way to the capital. Tailgate says it’s been a long time since he’s been there, since, he claims, he’s lived most of his life in the Port Town, and he and Andrew get into a conversation about how Port Town has more variety; more non-elves, different foods coming in with different people - why, they even sometimes get things with sugar in Port Town. They begin a discussion of desserts.

Having levitated up to the office, Brainstorm presses his ear to the window to listen to Seven of Twelve and the High Priestess. Seven of Twelve asks about the history of this temple, and the story that it was built on top of an older temple, built shortly after Solus Prime first arrived on Caminus. The High Priestess insists that she doesn’t know what he’s talking about, this was the first temple in this city. Seven of Twelve says that he’s here for important alliance negotiations on behalf of the Functionist Empire, and that her honesty could forward such negotiations, and that her dishonesty could forward, say, their displeasure. She still insists she doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but that the Functionist party can stay overnight before moving on to the Capital. They start to discuss housing arrangements, and Brainstorm exits stage outside-the-window.

Once Brainstorm is back down with the others, they reassemble the party. Cyclonus goes up to find Tailgate in the midst of a conversation with Andrew about cupcakes versus cakes. Cyclonus does not so much ask for Tailgate to come back to rejoin the party as much as loom ominously until the guards leave. Tailgate and Cyclonus come to the agreement that cupcakes are appropriate in any situation that cakes are, even if cakes would be considered more standard - like at weddings! They’re just miniature cakes!

Nautica comes down to rescue Velocity from Camian chick tracts and finds Velocity bamboozling Roadmaster:

Velocity: - and see, this word is spelled differently here, so what does it really mean? If we don’t even know how this word is spelled, do we really know anything?

Roadmaster, about to faint from the Heresy, practically shoves Velocity and Nautica upstairs. As soon as Velocity and Nautica are out of sight, Velocity does a hair flip, and Nautica high fives her.

Brainstorm recaps what he heard from the High Priestess and Seven of Twelve. Velocity notes that the High Priestess had lied: this was not the first temple in this city, the city is too old for that. Velocity has found some of the petrified remains of the old city off of the roots of the new city when running around and trying to get out of her art classes as a kid. She also knows that there are doors in the basement roots of the temple, though she never managed to get through them.

After some discussion, it’s decided that part of the party - Skids, Cyclonus, Nautica (because there are books!) and Brainstorm - will go and try to investigate the basement, and the other part of the party - Velocity, since she knows the city and the high priestess, Prowl, because he knows the politics, and Tailgate, because he knows the guards and is generally likeable - will go and talk to the high priestess and try to persuade her to help them thwart the Functionists. Prowl exhorts Brainstorm not to blow the temple up, but Brainstorm is skeptical. Velocity eventually managed to persuade him that ‘Trees are alive, don’t kill things.’ Brainstorm agrees to this, but only because he likes Velocity.

Prowl: Cyclonus, you’re the quietest and therefore probably the sanest of this group, you’re in charge while I’m gone. Cyclonus, horrified: Oh god, okay.

Cyclonus now has babysitting duty!

The basement-investigation group finds a bookshelf of everything from chick tracts and worn-out prayer books to old religious texts. Cyclonus finds himself hyptnotized by a chick tract with just, the worst illustrations. So bad. Nautica finds some old texts of Solus Prime, including an illustration of her with her sword absent the large crystal that is usually depicted in the hilt. The party investigates the wardrobe to find it overrun with moths. Skids picks the lock on a trunk and finds holy water and silver dust, but decides against stealing it and relocks the trunk. Brainstorm investigates the door at the end of the basement, which is locked. Skids comes over and picks the lock, and the party stares down a long dark passage, slowly narrowing…

Upstairs in the High Priestess’s office, Velocity reintroduces herself to the high priestess who is surprised to see her back. She admits to the deception of the others being disguised as elves, and the High Priestess allows that as they are allowing the Functionist party of (mostly) humans through the city, so she can’t really be mad.

Tailgate also introduces himself.

Tailgate: I mean, I don’t know many things. I just got out of the hole I was in a few weeks ago.

High Priestess: You…. were in a hole? Tailgate: Yup. High Priestess: I… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry? Tailgate: Oh, I don’t think it’s anything you need to be sorry for. You know, when you’re down a hole, you’ve just got to get a shovel and dig yourself out.

High Priestess: That… is very wise. You know, Solus Prime can be very helpful in lifting you out of holes -

Fortunately, Prowl jumps in before the High Priestess can try to convert Tailgate. He explains that the Functionists are being dishonest about their purpose, that they found one of their party using symbols of Onyx Prime, one of Solus Prime’s legendary nemeses. He suggests that whatever they’re after in the city, they’re probably after it to nefarious purposes, and they won’t hesitate to take it if they can without your permission. He points to the fact that, well, he has experience dealing with them on the continent, and that’s what they’re used to there, and alludes to the resistance.

The High Priestess asks Velocity if she trusts Prowl, and she says he is right about this. The High Priestess is still not totally convinced, and says that they will protect the temple themselves.

Then.

Velocity.

Tries….. Something.

Velocity invokes that this mission has been called for and blessed by her deity, who cares about her. Her eyes begin to glow. The High Priestess, not having been in the loop on Velocity’s general heresy, assumes that Velocity is talking about Solus Prime, and the mission is blessed by Solus Prime. With this blessing - well, what’s a priestess of Solus Prime to do? She gives Velocity the keys to go through either of the doors in the basement, though she says those doors have not been opened since she took on the position of High Priestess, and also her sigil, as a ‘I can do what I want’ card. Prowl asks her not to tell the Functionists about them, and she promises not to.

On the way back to rejoin the rest of the party, Velocity leaves an offering at Solus Prime’s prayer altar, some incense and a pipe she picked up in her travels, as it’s fitting of the arts. She feels inspired after leaving, because the DM just remembered about points of inspiration.

The party heads down the tunnel, until they find where the root tunnel breaks into a room of petrified wood. There’s one staircase leading down, and the party follows it until they reach another room, with one large staircase going down in front of them, and one large one going up behind them, and two smaller ones going up to the left and right.

Velocity asks her deity for help. Her deity sends the image of a glowing figure of Solus Prime, and then two other figures with her, neither of whom look like elves, one very small. This is a surprise to Velocity, as she was always taught that Solus Prime came to Caminus alone, to establish an all elf society.

Velocity’s deity is, however, unhelpful about directions, so the party decides to go down the big staircase heading down from the second stage at the end...

#game recap #team ice

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wrrgod · 5 years

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( SEBASTIAN STAN. THIRTY-SIX. CIS MALE. HE/HIM. ) in texas, VIKTOR ERIKSSON is more commonly known as VIKTOR. they’ve been living in stratford for NINETEEN YEARS and currently A CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER / CRIME BOSS. some say they are CALCULATING & MALICIOUS but i’m more inclined to believe those that say they’re DEBONAIR & AMBITIOUS. if you walk by their house, you can sometimes hear STARBOY by THE WEEKND playing from their window. ( expensive watches hanging on a wrist, a pen tapping against a table, the sound of a car’s engine turning on, stashes of dollar bills, lava interior beneath a cool surface. )

it’s bela again, back with a fourth character, after saying i wouldn’t have one ... anyway, let’s not get into that. instead, let me swoop in your dms ( over here or on discord ) for some plotting with this new chaotic mess !

PINTEREST BOARD !

NAME. viktor eriksson. NICKNAME. viktor. AGE. thirty-six. GENDER. cis male. PRONOUNS. he/him. SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. biromantic. HOMETOWN. new york, ny. OCCUPATION. criminal defense lawyer / crime boss.

ZODIAC. leo. POSITIVE TRAITS. debonair, ambitious, passionate. NEGATIVE TRAITS. calculating, malicious, arrogant. TEMPERAMENT. choleric. LANGUAGES SPOKEN. english, italian, spanish, romanian, french.

HEIGHT. 6′5 EYE COLOR. blue. HAIR COLOR. brown. TATTOOS. none.

QUICK INFO.

trigger warnings: ... crime, murder, violence, manipulative behavior. everything implied.

there were plenty of ways to describe the erikssons — ambitious, determined, successful, ruthless. rich. regardless of how many superlatives could come to mind, affectionate was never on the list. the family had romanian roots, but viktor himself was born in nyc, which was where he mostly lived until he was seventeen, when they relocated to stratford.

for as long as viktor could remember ( and for much longer than that, going back generations ), the family felt more like business partners than relatives. it was like they were all born with a penchant for business, one way or another. working hard, and above all working smart, was the family motto.

law school was a common denominator for most of them — they mostly dedicated their times into being lawyers, some judges, even a few prosecutors here and there. it didn’t stop there. they were also known for owning several businesses across the country, from hotels to casinos, bars and restaurants.

since he was a young boy, his parents saw the potential in him. he was smarter than most, able to learn new things quickly and to remember things in a way that was unusual even to them. of course, they didn’t hesitate to push him forward, encourage him to keep it up.

for the most part, viktor followed the program. it was almost like there was a script written out for each eriksson, one they were supposed to follow through with to thrive just like all the others before them did. thing is ... he didn’t stop there. the older he got, the more he saw his own potential, the more power hungry he grew.

he got a law degree, more than happy to take on the job as a criminal defense lawyer. the path couldn’t have been more right for him. he seemed perfectly suited for it ( pun intended ).

with time, collected experience, contacts and the right amount of ambition, he built himself a crime syndicate. that victory was his and his alone — not because of his family name, not because it was expected of him, but because he could. because he wanted to. the more he got, the more he craved. needless to say, that’s not public knowledge.

he’s been living in stratford for nineteen years, but he’s not in town every day. he’s often taking care of business in houston ( where he also has a penthouse ), commonly out of state as well — wherever his empire takes him ; both the legal and the not so legal one.

very morally grey. questionable morals all around.

the ambitious aspect stayed with him. as a lawyer, he’s willing to work with both the reapers and the diablos — usually, whoever pays more gets him. he’s loyal only to himself, and takes no side on this war. will also work with the occasional civilian who needs it and can afford him.

he’s also a resourceful guy, very good at covering his own tracks and others’ so ... if you ever need something or someone to disappear, get caught in a situation and don’t know how to handle it or anything of the sort, viktor might just be your guy. everything for a price, of course. he doesn’t do pro bono.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

reaper / diablo connections — as i said, he works for both clubs without problems so give him some clients !

frenemies — not exactly friends but not really enemies either. for whatever reason, they are somewhere in between.

unexpected friends — two people who no one ever thought would get along, let alone be friends, and yet they are.

one night stands — they hooked up once, maybe now it’s awkward, maybe it brought them closer, who knows ?? we can discuss details.

enemies — people are bound to hate each other, right ? give me that angst. we can discuss details.

flirtationship — they enjoy the flirting, the chase and the back and forth that comes with it, but have never acted upon their attraction towards each other.

hook ups / friends with benefits / enemies with benefits / flings etc — self explanatory rlly.

honestly anything n everything we can come up with, i’ll have a tag for wcs too

#rideintro.#( 𝐕𝐈𝐊𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐍 ) / * about .

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astraeal · 4 years

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+/-/~ for session 10

+ got to have some suitably smushy moments with our two were's during a retconned scene, and i got some dm given inspiration which came in absolutely clutch on a persuasion roll

+ we may have a lead to wrap up one thing that we have been sent to do and are close to closure!!

+ definitely a good time to be known for honesty because dealing with spies means just saying the truth is a surprisingly refreshing twist!

+ casual lore drop for "good cursed forests" vs "bad cursed forests" because of a roll i made a while ago regarding the type of curse for the forest that we're currently in vs the forest that i came from, which shocked the team and i, the player, loved it, and fáelán, the babygirl, was very shy about the team’s shock and just casually handwaved this away

- fáelán is not built for espionage and slight of hand stuff so her skills are going to be....mostly assistance with her actual charismatic party-mates, but we hope that it goes well!!

- we have signed a magical contract with a scary tiefling lady and we (hopefully) can specifically fulfill and be on our way! but we also may very much die so who knows

~ next time we'll be chasing a spy for a rival empire, hopefully seducing a complete idiot, and fáelán will have the performance of a lifetime!!!

#k.txt #d&d: fáelán #c: xhorsquad #we are getting close to heists!!!!!#so exciting!!!!#i truly think that we might go with perhaps one of the more dramatic solutions #to try to cover up her complete lack of charisma #and if that means being a ward of the state then!!!! here we go

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c-is-for-circinate · 5 years

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Ok, if I’m going to keep proper DM records for D&D on this tumblr, I need to actually write them.

Being An Account of Game #1: In Which Several Youth Attend A Party, And Some Experimental Magic Has Less Than Optimal Results

[all game logs thus far]

The Setting: It is a Thursday night in the city of Karna Vi, called by many the last surviving bastion of the Trava Empire in Highnorth. In the mostly student-inhabited districts around the University Karnassa, scholars are working, resting, eating, hanging out--and having parties.

More excitingly, there’s a classics major party tonight. And it’s not just any classics majors. It’s the self-styled Young Pre-Glorians. In a society mostly built on a relatively even mix of human, gnome, and dwarf citizens, where humans are the unnecessarily tall people who don’t live nearly long enough to ever get really good at rulership or scholarship (though gods know you won’t find a more versatile, intense group of people in any species you can name), this little cluster of classics majors includes two humans, two tieflings, and a half-orc, all living in one slightly shabby student apartment. Every single one of them is going to be dead before they’re a hundred. Every single one of them is obsessed with figuring out how things worked at least 2000-4000 years ago. And they party like it.

Our NPC hosts for the evening include Peary (a bubblegum-pink tiefling who makes historically accurate bathtub gin, and reconstructs ancient crafting methods from diary fragments and scraps, and den-mothers all the rest of her roommates with constantly chipper affection); Athenasi (or Athen, a human cleric of the Church of Lost Things made entirely out of sticks and paleness, who buries himself in ancient records trying to reconstruct the specific rituals used to properly worship long-mislaid gods); Riva (an enormous half-orc sportsball player and also wizard who mostly only bothers using spells to light his bonfires and translate dead languages, intent on uncovering the distant origins of magic as written ritual); Lisha (a human who got briefly campus-notorious last year when she reconstructed an ancient power-binding ritual well enough to actually summon an archdemon who hasn’t been seen in three millennia and somewhat incidentally get herself warlock powers); and Wren (a dark-skinned, gray-haired tiefling who knows very nearly everything there is to know about the politics and power struggles spanning half a continent and seven centuries, 5,000 years ago, and does not particularly care to know anything else).

These five like hands-on experimentation and practical research. They’ve thrown historically-accurate parties in celebration of a dozen ancient forgotten holidays, with Peary’s bathtub gin to really make it work. There’s rumors about an invitational-only orgy last year. In short, their parties are the place to be if you’re the kind of nerd who likes to study hard and party harder. Which...does not quite describe our PCs, but it’s a fun party to be at anyway.

Marion the human paladin has spent enough afternoons pouring through ancient records with fellow church acolyte Athen that they can’t really turn down the invite, even if Athen’s insistence on “you need to talk to other live people more than once a week!” is ridiculous and hyperbolic anyway. Kevin the elf barbarian has been a cornerstone of the University sportsball team for ten years straight, and would never turn down a party invite from a teammate, let alone a party that looks as promising as this one. Kou the halfling bard, who spends so much time with the music-majors half the university forgets she isn’t one, got invited along with her bard friends to be the entertainment.

Gnome rogue Reigenleif, of course, is the beer supply. Reigenleif is always the beer supply.

It’s a Thursday night, and a four-bedroom apartment with attached rooftop deck is crowded full of graduate students eating cheese, drinking a dozen different kinds of alcohol, and arguing about history. Life is, for the moment, good.

The Hooks:

One by one, each of our PCs--vaguely familiar to one another, in a nodding-acquaintance sort of way, though nothing like the friends they’ll be by the end of the week, let alone the eventual end of this campaign--finds themselves tugged into conversation with an acquaintance.

First (in-game time, though we played these way out of order thanks to a handy d4), before the party even begins, Reigenleif heads down into Old Town to pick up some beer. It’s one neighborhood over from the district of ancient, pre-Imperial ruins and thousand-year-old buildings where the University and its denizens live, so most students don’t know to come this far for good, cheap beer in the first place. (Of course, even if they did they wouldn’t know to go where Reigenleif’s going.)

Her destination is a small bakery owned by two dwarven brothers and a sister. Out the front, they sell excellent bread, with a very nice additional line in cakes and cupcakes. Out the back, the middle dwarven brother Milosh acts as middle management for a smuggling ring that’s known in the right, quiet corners for its ability to get just about anything for anyone, given the right place. Reigenleif runs errands on his say-so on weekends, in between avoiding her own research and helping out with everybody else’s. Buying a few kegs of decent ale that hasn’t been marked up for tax, and then reselling it to thirsty college students, has basically been paying her rent for the past two years.

“How’s the family?” Milosh asks, and, “how’s that school thing going?”

“Eh,” says Reigenleif, and, “school’s school,” and, “parents still want me to go straight,” which isn’t even a pun because every player at the table is so generally disinterested in heteronormativity that it’s too easy to even bother with.

“You know,” Milosh says, “you really want to do more of this and less of that, could be Anna’s got a job for you.”

Anna’s not a real person--she’s been the code name for the leader of the smuggling ring for over a century, and given that her so-called last name literally means ‘human’, probably if there ever was a real Anna Cheloveko, she’s long dead now. An Anna job might be hard, but it’ll pay, and then some.

The job, Milosh explains, isn’t too complicated. There’s a certain package that needs to get to the city of Ormiras, and then past Ormiras a week or so’s travel up into the local mountains. The contents of the package don’t matter, but with the strictures on the large industrial teleportation circles downtown, it’s unlikely to pass through without comment. A University student, on the other hand, looking to do some research in the library of another University, could use one of their teleportation circles without anybody raising an eyebrow at their research materials, now, couldn’t they? Grab a few friends to head with you up into the mountains, and when you come back down, there’d definitely be a job waiting--back here in Karna Vi, or with some of Anna’s friends in Ormiras.

(Reigenleif and her player go on a digression about bags of holding, immovable rods, and other magical items attempting to pass through teleportation circles, and then the potential of measuring continental drift with immovable rods over a long enough period of time. Milosh raises his eyebrows and wonders if maybe Reigenleif should stick with those University-types after all. This is about to prove extremely indicative of Reigenleif’s entire character.)

With that offer in mind, Reigenleif heads off, six kegs of ale for thirsty college students in hand. This would be tricky for the average human, let alone a three-foot gnome, but Milosh lets her borrow the Bag of Holding for the job. It’s no real risk. He knows where Reigenleif lives. He knows where her parents live. She’s good for it.

Second, an hour or two into the swing of the party, Kevin and Riva are out on the roof deck supervising a cluster of increasingly tipsy party guests as they climb onto each others’ shoulders and attempt to joust with a couple of sportsball sticks. The pair of them are taller than any two gnomes stacked together. They are taller than nearly any gnome on top of any dwarf here. They are taller than most double-stacked dwarves. They make good referees.

They’re cleaning up some good-natured bruises and spilled beer when Kevin’s friend Poppy finds him. She’s a half-elf, and barely as tall as his bicep. She has dark curly hair, and smudged-up makeup, and she is already drunk.

“Kevin,” she says. “Kevin, Kevin, look. Can I ask you a favor? Can I beg you a favor? Please?”

Poppy is in Kevin’s cohort in the art history department--they started with the same incoming class, ten years ago. You don’t really graduate out of university, in the Nine Cities. You study until you get hired into a professorship or government position, or you run out of money, take a lesser job, and quit. Poppy’s dad is an elf, with plenty of resources to throw in her general direction. She hasn’t run out of money yet. Ten years is a lot longer for a half-elf like Poppy than it is for Kevin.

Poppy says, “if I don’t do something big, I will never get hired, ever. I will never amount to anything.” She says, “I know there are Glorian-era ruins on the Iris Peninsula that haven’t been found. I know there’s something there.” She says, “I know there are elven aesthetic motifs in Glorian-era Irissan fragments. Seven hundred years before elves ever made it to this continent. If I go, I can prove it. It will matter. It will mean something.”

“You grew up on Iris,” she says. “And you’re good at hitting things. Right?”

It’s been 512 years since the Elven Ascendancy broke their isolation and sailed forth into the world for the first time in six millennia. Five centuries since the very first elves set foot on the continent of Nokomoris. The Glorian Empire conquered half the Iris Peninsula, and was driven out, and collapsed, a thousand years ago. Not a single soul under Glorian rule had ever even heard of elves. And sure, elves live on the Iris Peninsula now--in the cities, like proper elves, in shining tall buildings with a lovely background view of the tangled wilderness where they never, ever go. Elvish art in Glorian-era ruins? It would upend everything anybody knew about history. It would be huge.

“It would probably make my parents really happy if I tried to do a big art history thing instead of focusing on sportsball so much,” Kevin muses. “Sure, I know people. We can probably put an expedition together. I bet my parents would be happy with that.”

(Kevin and his player do sound enthusiastic about the idea of getting some good research and publishable papers, which tells this DM a lot I didn’t already know about his priorities. Sure, he likes sportsball, but getting an actual job in art history would make his parents happy. Kevin says ‘that would probably make my parents happy’ like it’s the only long-term life goal he’s ever bothered assuming he probably needs.)

Third, Kou and her band take a set break.

Lio’s been switching between singing and rocking out on the zither, because even in a cluster of bards, Lio makes a good frontwoman. She’s a tall dwarf, dark hair, dark clothes, dark eyeliner, dark everything. She’s a star in the music department, a cornerstone of student activities committees, a manic pixie overachiever, a goth anarchist who knows exactly what’s wrong with the world today, the artificial urban-wilderness divide that’s been imposed on society in the new century, the problems of traditional religion and modern capitalism. She’s a level 3 bard. She’s got a townie boyfriend in one of the local guilds who doesn’t mind when she makes out with boys, girls, and everything else on offer at parties. She is, without question, the coolest person Kou knows.

Lio is drinking water and also taking a couple of shots of Peary’s bathtub liquor, and Kou is hanging out and watching the party, and Lio sighs.

“You want to get out of here?” she asks. “Not tonight, I mean--the whole University conspiracy. Just go.”

“Yes,” Kou says, instantly on board without a single detail. Her girlfriend has been gone for three weeks. Her body is ready. Her entire everything is ready. “When? Where’re we going?”

“We could totally make it as bandits out by Zakri,” Lio says. “You know they’ve been doing all kinds of weird construction stuff along the main road between the two seas, trying to restart the canal project, and the main road’s been in shambles for months. I have a total plan. We could camp out along one of the smaller roads and take out caravans, be bandits, live like queens. It’d be great.”

“Yes,” Kou says again. “Absolutely. I’m in. I know some healing stuff, and I have a pocketknife. Let’s do it.”

(Kou asks precisely zero questions about where, or how, or why, or even who, for the entire conversation. I knew this would be the case by halfway through session 0, and I am delighted to be proven right. Kou is ready for absolutely everything and absolutely nothing. It’s going to be great.)

“Hmm, but we’d probably need more people,” Lio muses, in that way people do when they remember all the practical reasons they’re mostly joking about quitting their job and running away to live in the woods. “Unless you know how to use a sword.”

“I know some people!” Kou says. “Let me see who I can talk to. We can totally do this.”

Fourth, Athen takes a break from circling around the party with an eye out for any serious injuries or alcohol poisoning risk to find Marion in the kitchen, eating cheese and arguing about historical probability and textual interpretation with Wren. They’re having just about as much fun as an antisocial math nerd with a special interest in history can have at a party full of academics who also have a special interest in history--which is kind of a lot, come to think of it.

The party is loud and boisterous, so they head to Athen’s tiny closet of a bedroom to chat. There’s something he needs to talk about, and Marion’s a good enough friend to listen.

“So you’ve been talking about doing some fieldwork,” Athen says. “Have you thought about going west?”

Athen’s family lives west of Karna Vi, in the wide highland plains of the Highnorth, where there’s nothing for miles but cattle, a few sheep, a lot of rye and oats, and the occasional potato field. In his grandfather’s day, they were part of the Trava Empire, and that was fine. Theoretically their village doesn’t belong to anyone but themselves, now, and they farm as best they can, and sell what surplus they can at the closest big trade-town to someone who carts it into Karna Vi and sells it to city bakers and and housewives and leatherworkers, and it’s fine too, mostly, except for when it’s not.

Lately it’s not, so much. The Uvencatra Empire in the western mountains has been making some motions towards marching eastward across the plains, and they’re eyeing the region Athen’s family is from next. He’s concerned. He’s really concerned. He’s maybe about to drop out of school concerned.

“You know how to fight things,” Athen says. “And maybe you’d find things over there, in the Western Orthodox church records. I can go home and help heal people, but I don’t know how to protect them.”

“Oh, I am not the right member of my family for this,” Marion frets, and Athen frowns.

“Would any of the rest of them care?” he asks.

“Point,” Marion agrees.

(They’ve got a quiet monotone the whole time, slow to assemble sentences except when they start contemplating the actual possibilities of research within the Uvencatra Orthodox churches, spilling out hypotheses and jargon like water. Marion’s player has degrees in anthropology. Marion cares about Athen’s problems, but has no real thoughts about them. Marion has thoughts about historical research.)

“Let me think about it,” Marion says, and the party goes on.

The Fight

By dawn, most of the party has cleared out, though not quite all of it. A couple of failed Con saves mean that Kou is dozing in a chair in the living room, not quite with it enough to notice the rest of the band leaving, and Marion is passed out cold in Athen’s bed alone. Reigenleif has spent most of the party hanging off to the side, watching people and occasionally scooping up anything that appears to maybe be a weapon that’s been carelessly left sitting around, tucking it into the Bag of Holding just to make sure this party doesn’t go sideways in a nasty way; she can’t leave until the kegs are given back over into her keeping, so she might as well help clean up.

Kevin, out on the deck, has not actually realized the party has ended yet. He’s only just beginning to notice the lack of people as the first rays of sunlight creep over the city, and a very loud bang sounds from the top of the roof.

It jolts Kou dozily awake and Marion tumbles onto the floor in an instant. Kevin and Reigenleif, already outside along with Riva, look up just in time to see the outlines of Wren and Lisha on the roof in the pale morning sun, alongside some billowing smoke and two cat-sized things skittering along the roof tiles in acid green.

Then Wren falls off the roof to the deck and takes so much damage in a ten-foot fall that her scrawny little NPC self ends up unconscious. Then combat begins.

There’s a flutter and a flurry as the quasits on the roof hiss at everyone and skitter away. Initiative is nobody’s friend, and fighting something ten feet above everyone’s head isn’t easy, but Reigenleif upends her entire bag of holding and sends a pile of belt knives, a couple of blunt-ended reproduction historical weapons, and a fancy letter opener skittering out over the desk, and hides behind a convenient barrel. Riva grabs a sportsball stick. Kou has enough movement to rush out onto the deck just in time to see Lisha fall; “Oh, fuck!” is now the official incantation for her Healing Word, and Wren is safe, although not very happy.

Kevin tries to intimidate the quasits, all six-foot-seven of burly elf growling directly at them, and it actually works on one. The intimidated quasit instantly turns into a bat and swoops off through an open window into the living room to Get Away. The other quasit, annoyed at the attempt, casts Fear on Kevin in retaliation. It is super effective.

Marion makes it out to the living room, wearing no armor but carrying the heaviest candlestick she could grab, just in time to see an acid-green bat swoop through the window and start destroying things. It’s very early and she is probably slightly hungover but also she’s a good researcher and knows what a quasit looks like, so she whacks it. It bites her, poison and all--make that definitely pretty hungover.

Athen made it outside around the same time as Kou, and has been trying to heal people who need it as Riva tries to whack at a tiny demon on his roof, Kevin attempts to cower behind a gnome, and Reigenleif and Kou both throw things. Kevin succeeds in a wisdom save after another round or two, and manages to do some good thwacking damage. The quasit turns into a foot-long centipede in an attempt to escape, and skitters along the wall through the door into the house, before Kou Cutting Words’s it to death.

Lisha tries to jump off the roof to get down and help, and sprains her ankle. Athen is already inside giving Marion a hand, and none of the PCs seem inclined to help.

Between Marion and Athen, the second quasit goes down relatively quickly. The first one has already disappeared into nothingness, and the second one follows soon behind. Marion lay-on-hands’es themself, and drinks some water, because they have utterly forgotten that quasits have venom at all and damn, this hangover. The nauseous feeling passes after a minute or so, anyway. Athen goes outside to heal Lisha, Peary appears from her own room wanting to know what the hell is going on out here, Kou is jumping between ‘I insulted it and it died and I’m real cool!’ and, ‘did my entire band just ditch me here because I fell asleep?’, and everything is equally as chaotic as it was in the middle of the fight, when the knock sounds on the door.

The Head of Campus Housing brought security with him, and he’s not happy.

The Aftermath

Marion pulls rank and some excellent persuasion checks to keep the entire set of Young Pre-Glorians from getting evicted right now, and everybody else in the room from being put on housing probation. Marion lives with their parents on the other side of the city, or, more accurately, in the library--housing probation doesn’t mean much to them, but it does matter to everyone else.

Lisha, apparently, was attempting to use the limnal nature of sunrise, sitting over a party that both was and was not a party any longer, with people below who were drunk, and dreaming, and no longer drunk, on a day of particular celestial configuration, to do some magic experimentation, because obviously. Wren wanted a familiar. Lisha could totally use a ritualistic setup to cast a spell she isn’t high enough level for and doesn’t actually know, and also alter it to bind to somebody that isn’t even her, and make it work. Maybe not today, but probably next time, right?

The PC’s are somewhat annoyed with Lisha, but also agree that the university just does not have enough ritual magic experimentation labs, and that really needs to be corrected. They also figure that, housing probation or no, it’s maybe not a bad time to get out of town for a bit. They’re good at fighting things together! They’ve got some options!

They toss some ideas around--Kou’s option involves banditry, and Marion’s pretty sure they’re not allowed to do that, but Reigenleif’s has, like, three weeks in the mountains, and that sounds pretty awful too. Athen and Poppy both need help, and they’re both friends--Kou doesn’t care where they go, and Reigenleif is up for whatever sounds interesting. Poppy’s research trip sounds like a good way to make the university like them, which after this display might be particularly useful.

In the end, the decision comes down to Marion, who’s happy to help people but is mostly only considering either of these treks as a road to more god-research, to help define the variables to determine the maximum number of gods the Church of Lost Things still has to discover. There’s a western orthodox church in the Uvencatra Empire, out past where Athen’s family lives, and they could have all sorts of records and knowledge that Marion doesn’t...but nobody knows what the hell is going on in the Iris Peninsula. The entire place is apparently a forest, and that means people don’t travel it much for some reason? It’s all sort of unclear and difficult to understand from this side of the continent. So what the heck, Poppy’s thing it is.

Poppy is somewhat taken aback to be woken up slightly hungover at 10 AM by Kevin and also a random human knocking on her dorm room door to tell her that yes, they and two other people she’s never met are in for her expedition, and also can they leave tomorrow please? But also sure. Why not. These things happen when you ask Kevin for help. She’ll talk to her advisor to push those expedition grant funds through, and they’ll leave on Monday. Maybe let’s have lunch or dinner this afternoon? After Kevin and Marion sleep?

Reigenleif, meanwhile, takes Kou along to return the bag of holding and empty kegs to Milosh, in the hopes that having a highly charismatic good-persuasion bard along might just increase their chances of persuading Milosh to let them keep the Bag of Holding for this journey. Little does she know that, while Kou is fun and delightful and good at persuasion, she’s also an awkward flailer who doesn’t entirely understand what they’re supposed to be convincing Milosh of in the first place, and has no proficiency in deception whatsoever.

The conversation stumbles and bobbles a bit, before Reigenleaf gets to the meat of the situation: they’re not going to Ormiras, but does Anna maybe need something delivered or picked up from another of the Nine Cities? Perhaps something on Iris? Like, say...

“Cloud Bay,” Reigenleif says, naming the only city on the Iris Peninsula she can remember at 7 AM on zero sleep, which is unfortunately not the same one Poppy mentioned to Kevin earlier.

“Cloud Bay?” Milosh says. “Shitty weather and elves? What’re you going there for?”

In an attempt to leverage her higher Deception score over Persuasion, Reigenleif starts to spin a relatively believable lie about engineering research and her own degree work. Unfortunately, she doesn’t roll particularly well. More fortunately, or perhaps more unfortunately still, Milosh doesn’t actually care ‘why Cloud Bay’, aside from as a rhetorical question, so it’s not particularly useful in any case.

“Look,” Milosh says. “Let me talk to Anna about Cloud Bay. Check back in tomorrow or Sunday, maybe we have a job for you there, maybe not. A’right?”

They snag a couple of muffins on the way out. Kou feels a little useless, but so be it. Marion crashes in Kevin’s room, since he just needs a corner to meditate in anyway, and everyone naps until the meet-with-Poppy time in the evening.

The Campaign Plan

Poppy is just a little taken aback at the new crew she seems to’ve acquired, but she’s ready to go and they’re game, so, sure. Let’s do this.

She elaborates a little on what she told Kevin, in some angles, and says less in others. The Glorian Empire, as some of the party know better than others, stretched out from here in Karna Vi across most of the Attiks Sea and around the continent. They sped the civilization in the Midlands, they spread the Eight Churches throughout the continent, they founded cities, they built roads. They founded Port Charé on the coast of the heavily-forested Iris Peninsula and began to build in, cutting trees and building roads and forts and towns as they went. Kera the Conqueror, famed emperor, oversaw the expansion across easily half of Iris, naming literally everything after himself as he went.

Iris was hard to conquer, and the Empire began to pull out not long after Kera died. They left ruins and roads, and the people of Port Charé, who’d lived in this city for two centuries at this point and were not about to move back to the other side of the sea, even if this was going to be the only bastion of civilization for a thousand miles. There was a working road to Ormiras. They’d manage.

As for those ruins, deep into Iris--who knows what’s there?

Sober and in front of three strangers, Poppy doesn’t say anything about pre-Elven Incursion elven aesthetics. It doesn’t really matter, because Kevin told everybody everything, but some things are just too historically improbable to admit you believe.

“So,” says Poppy. “Are you in? I can get grant funds and our travel paperwork Monday morning. We circle into Port Charé and follow the roads as far as they go. I have an old map, Imperial-era. We can find things nobody’s seen in hundreds of years.”

The party doesn’t need to ask each other. They’re in. They all know they’re in.

Six months on an archaeological expedition in a forest for four city kids, three of whom have never seen anything more than a single ten-acre orchard in their lives?

Oh yeah. Total piece of cake.

#c the DM #The Yarn Crew goes adventuring #d&d #game logs

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