Greetings adventurers!
It has been a busy week in the DM cave; I have been hard at work putting together future encounters linking some player stories, making maps, and doing all the behind-the-scenes stuff I do as a professional dungeon master. I also fixed the discord not to ping @everyone every time I post something on Twitter.
Lately, I have been focussing on turning some of our amazing adventures into bite-sized modules for the DM's guild. Some we have run together, some yet to be run. If you liked a particular encounter over the years, you might consider dropping me a line; chances are someone else might like it too and want to run it.
Speaking of running games, I would like to congratulate Ben, who plays Darius, Uugghh, and Gareth. He launched a one-shot over the weekend, and it makes my little heart happy to see players with ambitions of running games make it happen. I know a young adventurer who plays as Link is excited to DM some games for their dad! In my former life, I managed teams of people and found great joy in helping them with skills to get to the next level in their careers. Seeing some of my players take the plunge on startplaying.games or just tying out the DM role evokes a similar joy, and I am here for it!
If you want a challenging one-shot with flying islands, fiends, and mystery, keep your eyes out for "Temple of the Insect Star," coming soon to DMsGuild.
Game Recaps!
Pact Mules. We were a player short, and one was on the road, but we made it happen this Monday, and I am sure happy we did. The team finds a way to eliminate a nasty possessing our wizard friend with some creative use of spells. There was music, puzzles, gate hopping, and door kicking. Speaking of door kicking, I am pretty sure each player has considered rolling up a new character this week, so it should be an exciting time!
Tuesdays in Thay. The party continues the exploration of a long-forgotten temple buried under Nethjet. They cleared most of the south end but ran into baddies who wanted to get away rather than face the team head-on. Smart on them! This crew is rested and ready to bring the pain to anyone standing in their way. Now, how to get past the wall of force?
Wednesday Night Mad Mage. Twenty-seven and a half rounds later, they did it. Our mighty heroes took on a huge problem here on level 14 and had some close calls but came out the other end victorious. After four consecutive weeks of brutal combat, we dusted off the exploration and roleplay pillar and ran into a few exciting situations, including a polymorph and a curse. This week we continue exploring the rest of level 14 after a retreat to the Yawning Portal for some much-needed rest.
Ghosts of Spelljammer. The much-awaited encounter at the waterfall and mill went down this week. The party was met with a gruesome scene and some out-of-this-world enemies to contend with as they cleared the area of what could have turned out to be a nasty infestation. Their new friend leads them to a vessel the likes the team has never seen and gives them a proposition: To join him amongst the stars to track down a cruel foe. Exciting times, but wait, someone must get the skeleton on board first!
Platoon. The team explores the caverns underneath Bral to knock some heads toward their new eccentric patron. It turns out not all is as it seems as they get one of the guards to surrender. The fellow knows a thing or two about the city and is currently out to muster a crew for a future adventure. A few good persuasion rolls and the desire to not murder everything in sight work in favor of the platoon as we continue our adventures this week.
Frozen Few took the night off, moving, life, things happen. I am looking forward to checking out a shipwreck this Saturday!
Storm Giants Wrath PBP. If it's one thing the Thunder Buddies are good at, it's laying waste to their enemies. If we had to pick another, it's their genuine desire to help those in need, and this week, they found them in a decimated town that requires a lot of help. Hopefully, the animal messenger comes back soon with word from one of the player character's Dad. We find out this week as we continue the very fun Storm Kings Thunder saga!
Wise Witches of Rashemen PBP. Our team isn't great at their looking and listening skills to make sure the cave is clear before camping out, but the ranger steps up and has a chat with some bats who assure them it is a suitable spot to lay their heads down. Good thing! The crew desperately needed rest, and we got a level up out of the deal. Now, what is the situation with the drawing of a tree?
Ghosts of Spelljammer PBP. Our crew gets an additional player as they set sail and rendezvous with a ship that looks like it came straight out of a gnomish aquarium. They board with only one minor hiccup, and we set sail for an enormous sea this week!
Thanks for playing; adventure in courage, friends!