wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
Ghouls and bhuts surround the great cauldron in the main temple of the evil abbey. (Keith Parkinson, D&D Expert adventure module X4: Master of the Desert Nomads, TSR, 1983)
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
After several months, I have finally finished my character sheets of Strahd von Zarovich for animation based off of my DM’s redesign. This was a lot of fun to do and has inspired me to work on more ncps as well! In the mean time, I have strahd themed animation projects to plan.
Bonus sheet for Vampyr under the tab!
Going into the Forest of Horrors?
What for? Wait, let me guess: to find the treasure of St. Hemos's Lost Abbey? No, no, you don't look that greedy. Avenging a kin whose life was ruined by a runaway Fey creature? Nah, you don't look that angry. Oh! I know! you seek the Green Hermit and their knowledge of life, death, and beyond! Huh? You don't? Hmmm... now that makes you interesting. So interesting, that I suggest you follow me into the back of my weapon's shop. The stuff I've got up front is for farmers to kill thieving foxes, neighbors, and bears. But the stuff I've got locked up in this chest... These things have helped many forest-fooled like yourself descend into that green hell and return to pasture lands alive... mostly alive, most of the time.
Ahem
Obviously I will supply mundane ammunition and weapons, for a price. But I'll waive that if you bring back a tale or a treasure...
[a reblog would be appreciated]
D&D World Building
The Continent is split between The Iron Oligarchy, Tribes of the God-Corpse Woods, and The League of Pact-Cities.
The Iron Oligarchy
A dwarven-giant industrial/trade conglomerate. Their territory covers the tallest mountain range in the Continent, Vulkan's Gift, as well as large swaths of the Underdark. Profits are split 50/50 between small and big kin, as the ancient contracts dictate (Which must never be violated lest ruin come to all who signed it). Big Kin are fire, stone, cloud and thunder giants, as well as their Goliath servants. Small kin are Hill, Mountain, and Deep Dwarves as well as Rock/Deep Gnomes. As their name implies, most iron goods sold across the Continent are produced in their forges. The Oligarchy use their wealth to maintain a professional army supported by mercenary auxiliaries. Standard oligarchy army formation consist of one or two giants hurling projectiles over slowly advancing shield-wall fighters commanded by war-priests of Vulkan. Mercenary Goblinoids and Drow provide much needed fast/stealth attack power. Experimental clockwork fighters and (slightly) more reliable Golems are kept in reserve for special occasions. These forces are necessary for the defense of the Oligarchy's forges, mines, and trade convoys against raiders as well as more disturbing threats. Soldiers who have earned many honors might be invited to serve at the Oligarchy's Planar Gate. These honored champions may go on expeditions to the elemental planes of fire and earth where rare materials can be extracted.
Tribes of the God-Corpse Woods
It is said that long ago a deity was killed in a particularly gruesome fashion, it's remains scattered across the Continent. From it's dismembered flesh a great and resilient forest grew up. Tribes of Humans, Orcs, Elves, and Forest Gnomes patrol this forest alongside Ents/Dryads, Lycanthropes, and Fey guardians. While the tribes can unite together against common enemies they are divided by beliefs regarding the future. The Singers of Spring believe that The Deity will be reborn from the earth and bring about a new evergreen age. These followers prosthelytize for the protection of the woods, the benefits of having a connection to nature, and the arts of druidic magic. The Zealots of Summer cite numerous blighted grounds within the forest where the undead rise as evidence that The Great One was undergoing some dark corruption and had to conflagrate itself before it was too late. These followers are militant slayers of evil but are willing to make sacrifices and compromises for the greater good. The Revelers of Fall believe that there is a Coming Pantheon of Gods waiting to be summoned if the right conditions are fulfilled. The Revelers search for mana infused places across The Continent where they perform experimental rituals ... which have been responsible for one demonic outbreak, two separate births of benevolent small gods, and an islet tainted by The Far Realm's influence. The Prophets of Winter believe that the God-Killer is still out there somewhere, sated for now but could be roused to destroy the world if someone does something REALLY foolish. The prophets give orders to assassins to ensure that the only one who knows how to awaken the God-Killer is the soul-scrap of the Nameless Dead God that the prophets secretly commune with. A single Tribe of the God-Woods can have many members of different races and beliefs, making the whole Tribe seem highly unpredictable to outsiders in both combat and diplomacy.
The League of Pact-Cities
This alliance consists of 5 diverse urban centers linked by magical infrastructure and political ties. Serendipity is the nominal capital of the League and home to a large population of Githzerai and Flumphs who draft works of arcane legislation. Kraken's Bane is a half-sunken port kept busy with sustainable fishing/trade (and an occasional monster hunt) that's inhabited by various oceanic races such as Tritons and Sea Elves. Drakkenhope is a holy city for Dragonborn and Kobolds, where priesthoods of Tiamat and Bahamut see to the needs of the masses as well as blessing delvers who search the Ever Shifting Catacombs for dragon eggs to return to the surface for hatching. Recurrent Wing is a flying city filled with Air Genasi, Aasimar, and Aaracrocka residents who work at yards where skyships are built and maintained. The city of Harvestville is (obviously) the bread basket of the Pact, home to Goliaths, Humans, Halflings, and Earth Genasi who work their supernaturally fertile crops year round. The Pact-Cities rely on four tiers of Security Teams to deal with threats of escalating proportions: Beast Control Teams are locals equipped and trained by the Pact to handle outbreaks of hostile creatures. Anti-Brigand Teams take down corrupt officials within city boundaries and criminals that retreat outside them. Combined Arms Teams are highly trained casters and warriors, deployed via magic anywhere deadly precision force is required. Finally, Massive Crisis Teams can fortify locations and prepare citizens quickly for the onset of military invasions or planar incursions. Teams are encouraged to recognize each other's authority, knowing when to step in and help, or step back and ask for help.
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
Oh god that thing is a devourer, those things terrify me. Matt's description seems to pull from it's 2e art instead of the 5e art
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
DOODLES AND WIPS DUMP! Most of them I will never finish. In order: -Furbies for a friend who wrote a furby ttrpg -Another Motw character, Marie Belle, who is a werewolf -Rosie the lil tiefling and her friend the aasimar girl (I’ll call her Lillie, flowers are cool) -LUKE -My friends’s Faun guy -A sad lady called Ellise -More werewolves shenanigans
Don't trust vampires, elves, or anyone older than a century. They could make up all kinds of bullshit about the past. And the only way to fact check them is by digging up records from that time period. Which are of dubious authenticity because the same semi-immortals could have written all of it in an act of foresight to cement the legitimacy of their claims in the future.
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
But what if... right... mask of many faces
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
Thistle Do’Nicely the Witherbloom Warlock, sans hat + hat versions.
A few recent character design commissions!
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
Dungeon: The Mouth of King Mozok Maulhead
“Oh sure, when the snooty elves or the crabby dwarves built a prison to contain a great evil, everyone’s like “yeah, better not go in there” but as soon as goblinkind does the same every idiot with a sword and deathwish thinks “ oh hey, bet they’ve got some gold in there or something”.
I don’t know what to tell ya, our welcome mat is giant screaming face made of stone and a fifteen minute walk up uneven stairs. What part of that says “I better get three to five of my best murderer friends together and stage a B&E“?
-Grackle Twotooth, hobgoblin guard
The Legends of Mozok Maulhead are famous among goblinkind, a warlord who ruled the timberlands with an iron first and ate demons to bolster his power. Sadly, many elements of these legends failed to bridge the culture gap, such as the fact that Mozok was so awful he was cast down by his own lieutenants and imprisoned deep beneath the earth so that his wickedness could not escape. Instead, those non-goblin communities who also suffered under Mozok’s rule remain fairly unclear on the warlord’s ultimate fate, hearing only the “buried warlord” bit and imagining caches of pilfered wealth that it implies.
Hooks:
- Taken by curiosity and the stories he’d heard all his life, an apprentice woodsman decided to sneak off from his chores and take a peak inside the Mouth, only to get captured and grilled by the goblin garrison over his trespassing. The woodsman’s master, responsible for the youth and looking to save his own skin, has already returned to town spinning wild stories about being attacked by hobs and barely escaping with his life as the boy was carried off. Not swept up in the hysteria, one of the town elders tasks the party with reaching the Mouth before the woodsman manages to whip up a mob, to see of the party can avert violence by negotiating the boy’s safe return.
- Having accomplished much and proven themselves heroes, a mid level party is approached by a hobgoblin emissary with an urgent request. A band of foolhardy young adventurers have blitzed past her garrison and have gotten themselves lost in the in the caverns below the Mouth. Normally they’d be a writeoff, but this particular band of idiots has proven tenacious and by the time she left three of the eight locks on the Warlord’s gate had been opened. It’s a race against time before the final seal is broken, but perhaps the party can help these would-be treasurehunters see reason where the hobs cannot.
- When the gate finally is breached ( whether by the party themselves, a group of daredevils, an angry mob looking for loot, or a young woodsman that’s managed to slip past his captors) Mozok Maulhead will be released from his tomb. A desiccated corpse in rusted armour puppeted by all the fiends and other evils he swallowed, the warlord will fight free of his prison and then work in secret to reclaim his sylvan empire, first by making allies with the other evils of the wood, then by summoning the dark fey Maglubiyet to make him an army out of the very goblins that kept him captive.
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
kelemvor: am i a joke to u
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The idea of dragons in modern times is so fun because imagine a hot summer day on your vacay and go to use the hotel pool and staff is like "valued guests we regret to inform you that the pool area is out of service at the moment, we apologize for the inconvenience"
And people like "wtf why" looking out their hotel room window and there's this. This dragon just curled up in the pool chilling, literally, cooling itself down
Some of the staff are trying to gently shoo him away and the dragon does a soft little "rrrrrr" like a grumpy cat and a warning puff of smoke and they're like "fuck it i don't get paid nearly enough for this" and no ones using the pool today sorry!
wealmostaneckbeard reblogged
Simple commissions! Thejor the tiefling bard for @historicalprince Carrot the dwarven barbarian for @rollingstars Bari'rash the aasimar light cleric for @heblish
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Commission I did for @ahallister of her ocs Vera and Moggy dancing together! Really enjoyed doing this one ^^