Devin Night has done an amazing thing by creating a top-down, digital token for every monster from Kobold Press’s Tome of Beasts. They’re all for sale at his website, where he talks more about the project.

Some sample tokens are below. We caught up with Devin to find out more.

KP: Devin, the Tome of Beasts tokens are done and look amazing. Do you have a couple favorites or pieces you think turned out especially well? 

DN: There are definitely some that are better than others, but I couldn’t narrow down the good ones to just three or four. I usually hi-lite some of the better ones on the store images or on Twitter when I announce the sets. I did save the Kobold from inside the cover. It didn’t have an entry, but I felt it would make a good bonus token.

KP: Was there any monster in Tome of Beasts that required new technique or a new twist to your style?

DN: When the workload was hanging over my head, I didn’t want to try and make any major changes to my style. I would usually have to make about five tokens a day, and I couldn’t afford to try new things. That said, I do try to keep evolving as an artist. The inspiration provided by the existing artwork did help influence some of the coloration and lighting. I think when I manage to pull off some really good highlights and rim-lighting, the tokens feel more dimensional.

KP: What makes a good token for online play?

DN: I think the most important thing is the silhouette. Quite often when you are playing on virtual tabletops, you will be zoomed out, so being able to distinguish one token from another just by the shape of it is important. Next is the general shapes and color. I tend to put more detail into the tokens than is really needed. I can’t stop, though, after I see how people react to the little details I squeeze into each token.

KP: Do liquidy monsters such as oozes give you fits, or are they easy to make? 

DN: Yes and no. Shiny surfaces are hard for me to render. I really need more practice with rendering specific types of surfaces. One of the tokens, the crypt ooze, also has a black skull floating in it. I think that one came out pretty well, it has a bit of transparency where the skull hopefully looks like it’s inside the ooze and not sitting on top of it.

KP: What’s up next from you? And are you open for commissions?

DN: I am trying to get on top of my backlog of custom orders. I will probably be looking to start the Patreon that I have put off until Tome of Beasts was done. I am always accepting requests and enjoy hearing from existing patrons and new patrons alike.

The doom croaker tradition originated among the Northlands ravenfolk and spread from there to the northern dwarves. Doom croakers follow the teachings of Wotan to gain glimpses into the infinite knowledge he was granted while hanging from the branches of Yggdrasil.

DOOM CROAKER (WIZARD)

Common folk regard doom croakers with a mixture of fear and awe. The doom croakers carry the power of Wotan’s runes, and though people cautiously seek out croakers for their wisdom, they remain terrified of giving offense and rousing a doom croaker’s ire.

The rune magic of doom croakers is substantially different from the runes crafted by runecasters (see chapter 6). Except as noted below, doom croakers function as wizards and use the wizard spell list.

DIVINATION SAVANT

Beginning when you select this tradition at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a divination spell into your spellbook is halved.

REVELATION OF RUNES

Starting at 2nd level, you can cast alarm as a ritual by tracing a rune onto the floor, ground, or other surface.

Additionally, at 5th level you add glyph of warding to your spellbook, if it isn’t there already. You can cast glyph of warding without expending a spell slot and without requiring material components. You can only have one glyph of warding cast in this way at one time. If you use this ability to cast another, the first glyph ends immediately.

Once you cast glyph of warding this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, though you can still cast it normally using an available spell slot.

RAVEN’S EYE

Beginning at 6th level, you add clairvoyance to your spellbook, if it isn’t there already. You can cast clairvoyance without expending a spell slot. When you do, the casting time of the spell is 1 action.

Once you cast clairvoyance this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, though you can still cast it normally using an available spell slot.

WOTAN’S EYE

Starting at 10th level, you can catch glimpses of the future. As a reaction after you or a creature targeted by your spells makes a saving throw, you can magically force the creature to reroll. The creature must accept the second result.

You can use this ability once, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.

BRANCHES OF YGGDRASIL

At 14th level, you add legend lore to your spellbook, if it isn’t there already. When you are at 0 hit points, you can reroll your first failed death saving throw.

If you die, your soul hangs in the branches of the world tree for seven days, after which time a huginn egg appears in the place where you died. You hatch from the egg in a new body as if a reincarnate spell was cast on you. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again for 1 month…

Among all the northern folk, the feast halls and the long halls are a gathering place for entire jarldoms, families, and clans. The enormous shield-hung rafters, the roaring fire pits, and the long benches and tables are unlike the more genteel dining and drinking halls of Dornig or the south. Beyond their warmth and sense of community, they are places of boasting, song, and gossip—and quite frequently of challenges, table dances, and wild winter carousing when the snows are thick and there is little hope of travel until Freyr and Freya bring the spring.

Now then, a review of four famous halls: the Golden Sky Hall of the fire giants, the Great Moss Hall of the trollkin, Järnhall of the dwarves, and the Ekollonhalle of the ratatosk on the branches of Yggdrasil itself. While many claim to have drunk in the halls of Asgard with the valkyries, that is a tale for those whose travels have taken them beyond death to the glories of the afterlife and a struggle among the gods—that greatest hall deserves discussion another day.

Golden Sky Hall of the Fire Giants

Jotunheim and Thursrike are filled with many giantish settlements, from modest steadings to enormous cities built of stone and ancient timber. But sacred and beloved among them is the Golden Sky Hall, a mountaintop hall that humans would never have thought to build and that dwarves would mock as indefensible by anyone other than giants. It stands on a mountaintop, built of a perfectly carved foundation of cyclopean stones in a white and pink granite, topped with beams of ironwood, ancient pine, and a roof of slate.

Within the hall, the fire giant jarl, Isen Brekssen, issues decrees and appoints his jarls and underlings to gather and strengthen the giant kingdoms. Loki is said to be a frequent visitor as is the fire giant wizard Auvindrias and many rune mages (including, perhaps surprisingly, some dwarves who are on good terms with the giants). The fire in the hearth is a peculiar one, called the First Flame and said to have been kept burning from the days when the blood and bones of Aurgelmir first made the world. This fire grants a powerful tempering to those who bathe in it, sometimes hardening their skin, sometimes granting visions or power over the runes, sometimes merely restoring health and a clear mind to the sick and the demented.

Naturally, the fire giants prefer to keep this fire to themselves, but often they pretend that the central bonfire is the First Flame and laugh uproariously when foolish visitors singe their hair and cloak by climbing into it. For the especially gullible, they then offer a quaff of a fiery drink, a brandywine infused with flecks of gold to give it a fiery glitter; this, likewise, provides no magical benefit, but those who attempt to swallow the burning concoction do entertain the giants.

The First Flame is guarded at all times by a pack of hell hounds and is often protected by an incinis elemental as well (see Creature Codex), and only Jarl Isen the Proud grants his favored guards and close friends a fire bath. Non-giants who approach it are attacked; the giants enjoy showing their bit of primordial fire, but rarely do they allow any non-giant to touch it. Those who bathe in it for more than a minute grow reddish hair and beards and increase by a size category—in the most extreme cases, a humanoid who bathes in the First Flame is polymorphed into a fire giant of roughly similar features.

Great Moss Hall of the Trollkin

From the outside, the Great Moss Hall resembles an enormous boulder along the shore of a great fjord, covered with mosses, ferns, and a few scattered pines. However, it is also clearly a long hall in its overall shape, for it has three great pine doors bound with green copper and embellished with runes of remarkable power; all those who enter are profoundly moved to peace and goodwill, and any dueling, berserker rages, or even cutting insults are extremely rare within the hall (a DC 18 Wisdom save is required to attempt violence or insult within the hall). As a result, the moss hall is a popular gathering place among the trollkin, even those who carry on ancient feuds or who have robbed, cheated, and lied their way into positions of power, for within the hall, they feel safe.

Originally built by trollkin shamans of Freyr and Freya, the Great Moss Hall is still a place of occasional ritual summonings, bindings, and great magical workings. The many shamans of the tribes and clans gather at summer solstice and at the spring and winter equinoxes to share their lore and to induct new members into their mysteries. On these rare nights, the Moss Hall also shows its remarkable acoustics; chants, songs, and invocations spoken within its stone walls echo and re-echo, gathering strength and (for those who know its secret workings) making permanent enchantments that might otherwise fade with the dawn.

As dawn approaches, a narrow bridge to the afterlife opens for ghosts, the walls of reality being somewhat thinned by the echoing chants. In the course of a night, several ghosts of famous trollkin may appear if their names are invoked and echoed by their descendants. More frequently, a banquet is laid out for one or more recently departed trollkin. Sometimes these spirits come to bid a final farewell to their clan, children, or spouse; sometimes, the offering remains undisturbed, and no spirit answers the call.

Rumor has it that a fourth entrance to the Great Moss Hall exists, either in the rafters and out through a hollow tree or down below the pebbled floor, through some trick of light and illusion into the nearby forests or to a narrow slip where a small ship can easily be moored for a quick escape. This is a place of ritual and yearly feasts led by trollkin shaman…

___

Read more of this and other great articles in Warlock, only on Patreon!

Beauty and Grace. Dau are small, agile, and beautiful creatures. Both male and female dau have dark, shoulder-length hair generally adorned with shining baubles. Dark brown eyes draw forth warmth and excitement. Their bright glittering wings vary in shades of green and blue, which they sometimes augment with contrasting jewelry.

Dau are only slightly taller than gnomes and halflings and possess slender builds, allowing them to maneuver with a catlike grace, both in the air and on the ground. Their fey blood keeps them physically fit, even though they generally choose lavish, lazy lifestyles if they can.

Home and Hospitality. When dau are able to settle down and enjoy lifestyles of luxury, they always do. Utilizing their magical and deceptive talents only makes their lives easier. Their hedonism attracts many and varied people, offering them even more opportunities to enjoy life. Dau choose not to use their talents to harm or inflict cruelty, seeking rather to enjoy life with others. Beware, however, those who would breach their rules of hospitality.

Dau Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age. You reach maturity by the age of 75. Your average life span is expected to be around 125–150.

Alignment. You are likely either neutral or chaotic good. Your mischievous, whimsical, and lazy behavior creates a lot of uncertainty for those around you. The world means only as much to you as the wealthy, lavish, and hedonistic lifestyle it can provide. But your drive for that extraordinary life propels you.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write in Sylvan and Common. You may also choose 1 extra language including: Primordial and Deep Speech.

Size. You are 3–4 feet tall and weigh no more than 50 pounds. Your size is small.

Speed. You have a walking speed of 20 feet and a flying speed of 60 feet as long as you are wearing nothing heavier than light armor.

***

Darkvision. You are accustomed to the darkness of the desert night sky; you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Illusory Awareness. You have advantage on saving throws against illusion magic.

Magically Deceptive. Once per long rest, you may cast the detect thoughts spell. When you reach 3rd level, you may also cast the mirror image spell, and upon reaching 5th level, you may cast the invisibility spell. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Masters of Manipulation. You have proficiency with the Deception skill.

Tangible Illusion. Once per long rest, after casting an illusion spell of an object that is no larger than 5 cubic feet, you can transform it into a normal, non-magical object. The temporary object lasts for 10 minutes after which it reverts to being an illusion (or vanishes if the duration of the original illusion expires).

Telepathy. You can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet of you. You do not need to share a language with them.

Find out more about the dau and other monsters in the Tome of Beasts.

<<PREVIOUSLY

Tell us about your characters to win BOOKS!

Who doesn’t want to talk about their characters?

We love new and interesting characters and can never get enough. And the My Hero flash character contest is your chance to show off yours!

Share a 25-word description of your hero with us, and a panel of judges will pick out five finalists to post on the Kobold Press website. (Do you mostly GM? Not to worry! You can send us your favorite NPC description instead because NPC is just another name for the GM’s hero!) Then we’ll ask the public to vote on the entry they think should win the grand prize! The winner of the grand prize will receive the Midgard Heroes Handbook and Unlikely Heroes (print + PDF for both). 

So start with your character’s name, and then hook us with the details. Show us what makes them so rich and compelling. The catch is, it can be no more than 25 words, including their name. NO MORE THAN 25 WORDS! Entries over that will be disintegrated.

Full details in the rules below:

Prizes

Finalists: Midgard Heroes Handbook and Unlikely Heroes (PDF)—total retail value approximately $30.

Grand prize: Midgard Heroes Handbook and Unlikely Heroes (print + PDF for both)—total retail value approximately $60.

Who Is Judging?

Our talented and experienced panel of judges are as follows: Wolfgang Baur, Marc Radle, and James Haeck.

Now What?

Read the contest rules below—they include very important information about making an eligible submission.

OFFICIAL RULES

By submitting an entry to Kobold Press, you are entering the Kobold Press (the “Sponsor” or “Kobold Press”) My Hero Contest (the “Contest”).

As an entrant, you (“you” or “entrant”) represent and warrant that you meet the eligibility requirements set forth in these Official Rules and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and any other requirements designated by Sponsor. The Contest is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. If entrant is a minor in entrant’s place of residence, entrant’s parent or legal guardian must agree, on entrant’s behalf and on his or her own behalf, to follow and be bound by these Official Rules and all decisions of Sponsor relating to the Contest.

1. Who is Eligible: The Contest is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least thirteen (13) years old at the time of entry. Employees of Kobold Press and each of their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and members of their same households (related or not) are not eligible to participate in the Contest. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, AND WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.

2. How to Enter: To enter, follow these instructions:

Send an email with your submission to the “My Hero” contest at scott(at)koboldpress(dot)com no later than February 18, 2019.

The submission must take the form of a single character description not to exceed 25 words and beginning with their name, embedded within the body of the email. One entry per person.

The email subject line should read My Hero Contest Submission in the email’s subject line. Your full name and contact information and the entry should be the only content of the email.

LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Multiple entries received in violation of this entry limitation, or false or deceptive acts or entries, or entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or by any other means that subvert the entry process will be void and will render an entrant ineligible. By entering the Contest, each entrant (and his/her parent or legal guardian) fully and unconditionally agrees to and accepts these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor. All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

3. Dates and Deadlines: Eligible entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 18, 2019. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Contest.

4. Who Will Win: On or about March 1, 2019, five (5) finalists will be selected by the Sponsor from all eligible entries received. All decisions made by Sponsor on all matters relating to the Contest are final and binding. The finalists will be notified on or around March 1, 2019, via the email address provided by entrant at the time of entry. If a winner does not respond to the notification sent to the email address he or she provided after two (2) notifications have been sent by Sponsor, such winner will be disqualified and will forfeit the finalist position. In such event, the finalist position will be awarded to another eligible entrant chosen from the remaining pool of entries in accordance with the terms set forth herein. Finalist prizes will be fulfilled approximately one (1) month after the conclusion of the Contest. The finalists will be announced on the Kobold Press website, and then the voting public will choose an entry from among these five (5) to be the sole winner of the contest’s grand prize. Voting for the grand prize winner will close on or around March 11, 2019.

5. Prize Information and Approximate Retail Value: Five (5) finalists will be awarded a prize pack consisting of the following:

• Finalists: Midgard Heroes Handbook and Unlikely Heroes (PDF)—total retail value approximately $30.

One grand prize winner will be awarded a prize pack consisting of the following:

• Grand prize: Midgard Heroes Handbook and Unlikely Heroes (print + PDF for both)—total retail value approximately $60.

If winner (finalist or grand prize) is a minor in his/her place of residence, the prize will be awarded to winner’s parent/legal guardian. Each winner (his/her parent or legal guardian in the case of a prize awarded to such parent or guardian) must provide his/her mailing address to Sponsor and must execute and return an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release/publicity release (except where prohibited) and any other legal documents that Sponsor may require, within five (5) business days from notification in order to receive the prize, which will be provided by Sponsor to the address provided. Prizes are not transferable, assignable, or redeemable for cash. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may substitute a prize of equal or greater value than the prize identified herein. If any winner or winner’s parent/legal guardian either fails to timely provide his/her mailing address or declines a prize or fails to comply with any of the Official Rules as outlined herein, or if any prize is returned as undeliverable, such winner will be disqualified and an alternate finalist or winner may be selected at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Winners (winner’s parent or guardian in the case of a prize awarded to such parent or guardian) are solely responsible for paying all applicable federal, state and local taxes, and all other expenses associated with any prize.

6. Disqualification: Failure to comply with these Official Rules will result in disqualification. Further, an entrant’s entry will be disqualified, at the sole discretion of Sponsor, if he or she attempts (a) to enter the Contest through any means other than described in these Official Rules; or (b) to disrupt the Contest, circumvent the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, or in any way tampers with any component of the Contest. If any of the above occurs, Sponsor has the right to remedy any such action, disruption, or circumvention, and to seek damages from the participant to the fullest extent permitted by law.

7. Limitations of Liability: Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for any claims, damages, lawsuits, causes of action, proceedings, or liability due to any injuries, theft, damages, expenses, costs, or losses to any person (including death) or property of any kind resulting from, arising from, or in connection with: (i) any error, typographical or otherwise, in the printing of the Official Rules, offering or announcement of any prize; (ii) any lost, late, stolen, misdirected, damaged, incomplete or garbled entries; (iii) any error in the collection or retention of entry information, including but not limited to incorrect or inaccurate transcription, receipt or transmission of any part of the entry due to human error; (iv) any wrongful, negligent, or unauthorized act or omission on the part of the Sponsor or its agencies or any of their agents or employees; (v) the Contest and any elements thereof, and the participation or inability to participate in the Contest, including, but not limited to, any damage to an entrant’s (or any third person’s) telephone system and/or its contents or computer equipment and/or its contents or smartphone device and/or its contents, related to or resulting from any part of the Contest; (vi) any malfunction of the telephone system or internet servers, whether technical or due to human error, lost/delayed data transmission, omissions, interruptions, deletion, defect, line failures, postponement, cancellation, or modification of the Contest, including, but not limited to, interruption or inability to access the Contest due to hardware or software compatibility problems of any telephone network (TSP), computer online systems (ISP), servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website or any combination thereof, including injury or damage to entrant’s or to any other person’s telephone or computer or smartphone system related to or resulting from participating; (vii) acceptance, receipt, possession, attendance at, travel related to, defects in, misuse, inability to use, or use of any prize element contained in any prize including, but not limited to, lost, stolen, damaged, delayed, or misdirected or destroyed prize (or any element thereof); or (viii) any change in the prizing (or any components thereof) due to unavailability due to reasons beyond Sponsor’s control, including, but not limited to, by reason of any acts of God, any action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not such action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure including, but not limited to, overloading of the Contest site due to excessive use, threatened or actual terrorist acts, air raid(s), blackout(s), act(s) of public enemy, earthquake, war (declared or undeclared), fire, flood, epidemic(s), explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, or any other cause beyond the Sponsor’s sole and reasonable control. In the event of sabotage, acts of God, terrorism, computer virus, worm, bug or other events or causes which corrupt the integrity, administration, security or proper operation of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. In the event of termination, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to award the prizes from among all non-suspect eligible entries received up to the time of such action. In no event will more than six (6) prizes be awarded.

8. Liability Release: By participating in the Contest, each entrant and entrant’s parent/legal guardian agrees to forever and irrevocably release, discharge, indemnify, and hold the Sponsor and each of their employees, affiliates, and all prize suppliers, harmless from any and all liability, losses, damages, rights, claims, and actions of any kind in connection with the Contest, or resulting from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, including, without limitation, personal injuries, death and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy, whether suffered by entrant or a third party. By entering the Contest, each entrant and entrant’s parent/legal guardian agrees to abide by and accept as final the judges’ decisions and waives any right to appeal.

9. Publicity Release: By accepting a prize, each winner and winner’s parent/legal guardian grants Sponsor permission to use, except where prohibited by law, winner’s name (including online screen name, if applicable), and likeness, and address (city and state only), for Sponsor’s advertising and promotional purposes in all forms of media, throughout the world in perpetuity, without notice or additional compensation.

10. Information Disclosure: The information you submit in the Contest is disclosed to Kobold Press at PO Box 2811, Kirkland, WA 98083.

11. Sponsor: This Contest is sponsored by Kobold Press, PO Box 2811, Kirkland, WA 98083.

Magic is the lifeblood of fantasy. Arguably the dividing line between fantasy and other types of fiction, magic can be strange, mysterious, frightening, comical, or anything in between. And if you’re looking to explore the applications of magic in a fantasy roleplaying campaign, you want to visit the Sorcery Stop!

The Serpent Presence. It seems no Sword & Sorcery tale is complete without a pre-human race of serpent-folk and those who would tap their power. Cults of Set, Cults of Yig, the Snake-Men of Kaldar—these tales and more feature encounters with snake people and their leavings. Typically, however, the characters associated with such cults or organizations are definitively villains, associated with horrific rituals, human sacrifice, and other acts of malice.

Despite the above, a player may be interested in portraying a character who is a snake worshipper, and you may not be entirely happy or comfortable in having a sadistic cultist as a PC in your game. What follows is a cult modeled off of the Egyptian snake-goddess Uadjet, who was viewed as a benefactor and protector rather than a boogeyman or nightmare.

Followers of the Serpent Goddess. Uadjet, unlike many of her snake-deity peers, is known as an honorable defender. Her role is anything but passive, however, and she teaches that defense and protection are best served by being proactive. Followers of Uadjet, then, absolutely believe in taking preventative action and having a clear plan of how to approach and tackle any potential confrontation.

As a follower of the Coiled Goddess, you are entrusted as a safeguard. You may specifically be tasked with protecting a precious treasure, a holy site, or most commonly, a person of importance. This person might not even know why they are important, and you might not know either, but it is your duty to keep them safe. You will likely fulfill this duty by determining who and what might be a threat to your charge and taking action to neutralize or eliminate those threats as quickly as possible.

Warlock of the Cobra. Those who enter into a pact with a protective snake god(dess) tend to be nurturing but resolute, supportive but practical. Though in many cultures serpents carry heavy stigma and negative connotations, in some, such as ancient Egypt, snakes are seen a symbol of strength and divine authority. In this vision, then, the serpent cultists might be known for their benevolence and bounty, associated with anything from luck to pregnancy to fair weather and plentiful harvest.

Warlock Patron: the Great Serpent

Your patron is a powerful serpent spirit, perhaps an elder beast or aspect of nature. Your strength is in protection—power you can use for yourself, but it is most beneficial when guarding another. Your patron encourages you to seek out potential threats and eliminate them quickly but to be judicious in your strength if provoked. You are more focused on divination and exploration than other warlocks, but you also have the tools to hold your own in a fight.

Expanded Spell List

The Great Serpent lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a Warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Skin of the Serpent

Starting at 1st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to throw up a protective barrier at a moment’s notice. As a reaction, you can cast shield, requiring no components. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Fang of the Serpent

At 6th level, you can retaliate immediately when an opponent attempts to harm you and fails. When you use your Skin of the Cobra feature, the creature that attacked you is momentarily surrounded by flickering images of attacking serpents. The creature must make a DC Dexterity saving throw. It takes 2d10 poison damage and 4d10 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Tail of the Serpent

Beginning at 10th level, your patron teaches you to extend your protective barrier to assist your allies. You can use Skin of the Cobra to protect yourself or one creature you choose within 30 feet of you. You must be able to see the creature, but it does not need to be friendly to you.

In addition, you gain resistance to poison damage.

Coil of the Serpent

At 14th level, your patron allows you to take its own form. You can use your action to assume for the form of a giant constrictor snake or giant poisonous snake as though you were a druid using the Wild Shape feature, except that you are able to speak and cast spells while in snake form provided the spell you cast does not require material components. You can stay in a snake form for a number of hours equal to half your warlock level (rounded down). You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

You can use this feature once. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

<<PREVIOUSLY

“I’m back from the Monster Mart, sluglet. Quickly! Get me the largest jar from the oozery!”
   “Did you say Monster Mart, master? I thought you said Monster Mart, and that would be just silly. Eurgh, what’s that bag got in it? They look like tiny, slithering violet worms. Hundreds of them.”
   “Purple worm young, grotlet. A whole bag of wormlets! And Vermis horribilis purpureus even! Their owner had no idea how rare a breed he has. They’ll fetch a hundred gold each when they reach maturity, assuming they don’t get out and eat us first.”
   “Oh great.”

I have fond memories of purple worms.

Now I know that might seem an odd thing to say, but they say something about fantasy gaming and its history. They are soaked in its roots and traditions, bless them. I mean, they were tough—still are tough—and unmistakably “dungeony.” Imagine seeing something vast and serpentesque and feral coiling toward you in some dank, dark place far below the ground. Eurgh…

This edition of Undiscovered Bestiary focuses upon the frightful and beautiful purple worm. It uses the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game system as its rule of choice, but the tweaks to the standard purple worm of old can readily be squeezed to fit your own system using these templates as suggestions.

Bollwart’s Caustic Purple Worm (CR 13)

XP 25,600

“Tormin struck the foul creature, cleaving it a hefty blow with his mighty axe, but as he did, the thing’s side opened up, and a steaming shower of caustic violet acid erupted. Where once our friend had stood, now there was nothing but gore and formless flesh.”

This much-feared but fortunately rarely encountered creature was thought legend until the renowned hunter and showman Grakus Q. Bollwart displayed a live specimen at his Museum of Living Colossi and gave his name to the creature. When struck with piercing and slashing weapons, it erupts acidic blood. Fortunately, its skin is so thick that only critical hits cause truly frightening showers of the caustic blood that courses through this foul thing’s body.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Caustic Blood (Ex) When the creature is subject to a critical hit from a weapon or natural attack that is does either piercing or slashing damage, the worm’s skin bursts, spraying highly potent acid in a 10-ft. square adjacent to the wound. Those caught within this area must make a Reflex save (DC 20) or suffer 6d6 acid damage.

Bruised Spitting Worm (CR 13)

XP 26,500

“The thing looks bloated and bruised. Its foul taught skin sick against its chitin. Its ugly mouth bloated with jagged teeth—so many that it looks like they couldn’t possibly fit in the vast angry space. As the mouth opens, a foul line of gruel spittle lashes out, grabbing Lerry and drawing him back into the foul livid mouth. He is gone in a second.”

The dangerous bruised spitting worm is the same size and temperament as a standard purple worm but with one deadly addition—its ability to spit an adhesive, foul saliva that it sucks back into its maw to feed on whatever is attached.

Special Attacks pull (spittle, 15 feet)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Spittle (Ex) Once per round, a bruised spitting purple worm is able to spit out a thick line of saliva at any target up to 30 ft. away. The spittle deals no damage but can be used to grab. The worm does not gain the grappled condition while using its spittle attack in this manner. The worm is able to use this attack and pull up to 2 Large or 4 Medium creatures at a time. The spittle can be cut by inflicting 12 points of damage to it.

<<PREVIOUSLY

The water leaper is a frogheaded, legless creature with wide batlike wings and a gaping maw. Its shrieks resemble those of a hawk. Its long, sinuous tail tapers and ends in a venomous barb.

Gliding Wings. The creature has no legs or arms, but sports a pair of wide, membranous wings. It uses the wings to glide beneath the water, as well as to soar through the air.

Scourge of Waterways. Water leapers plague fresh lakes and rivers. The creatures prey on animals that come to the water’s edge to drink, as well as on fishermen that ply their trade in the water leaper’s territory. Stories circulate among fishermen of fishing grounds notorious for broken lines and missing bait, and fishermen give these areas a wide berth for fear of water leapers. Desperate or unwary fishermen who ignore the warnings are never seen again; drifting, empty boats are the only sign of their passing.

WATER LEAPER

Large monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 97 (13d10 + 26)
Speed 5 ft., fly 50 ft., swim 40 ft.

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages —
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Amphibious. The water leaper can breathe both air and water.

Camouflage. The water leaper has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks when underwater.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The water leaper uses its shriek and makes one bite attack and one stinger attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the water leaper can’t bite another target.

Shriek. The water leaper lets out a blood-curdling shriek. Every creature within 40 feet that can hear the water leaper must make a successful DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be frightened until the start of the water leaper’s next turn. A creature that successfully saves against the shriek is immune to the effect for 24 hours.

Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage and the target must make a successful DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the creature takes 7 (2d6) poison damage at the start of its turn. A poisoned creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success.

Swallow. The water leaper makes a bite attack against a medium or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is swallowed and the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded and restrained and has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the water leaper. A swallowed target takes 10 (3d6) acid damage at the start of the water leaper’s turn. The water leaper can have one creature swallowed at a time. If the water leaper dies, the swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can use 5 feet of movement to crawl, prone, out of the corpse.

___

But this is where we must stop for now, my friend. My mind, it wanders so at times. Do come see me again, though, for more of the wonders and surprises of Midgard.

This creature comes from the Tome of Beasts. You can continue on this adventure in the Midgard Worldbook, Midgard Heroes Handbook, Creature Codex, and Creature Codex Pawns!

<<PREVIOUSLY

My players and I love using the 5E sourcebook’s downtime rules in our campaigns, and the downtime activity they seem to like the most is pit fighting. It seems to be the most profitable for them, and they like the idea of it a lot. But it’s only downtime, so it’s what the characters get up to between games.

For one special adventure though—“The Scorpion’s Shadow” from Warlock Lairs 12, to be exact—I wanted to use a fighting pit during the actual session. I had the idea to take the NPC Ganbataar the trollkin barbarian and build up some animosity and personal connection to him beforehand by introducing him as a rival fighter in the pits. So I needed a way to handle the pit fighting.

Now, I didn’t want to use the downtime rules, which weren’t dramatic enough for “live action.” And I didn’t like the “knockout” option in 5E either, which is just combat until the killing blow. And I certainly didn’t want to have the opponents just “unarm strike each other to death,” which could have taken quite a while, and again didn’t feel even marginally different from combat.

So after a little thought, I came up with a quick pit fighting mechanic that didn’t bog play down and that proved to be fast and fun. In fact, it proved so fun that we’ve gone back to it several times now. It has the advantage of letting characters of different levels compete on a more even footing as well. So because we’ve enjoyed it so much and because the first rule of Lou’s Fight Club is that we talk about Fight Club, I’m sharing it here for you.

Lou’s Down and Dirty Pit Fighting Rules

• The match is 5 rounds.
• Contestants choose STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) as their fighting style.
• They roll against each other. Winner wins the round.
• A Critical Hit or a win by more than 5 points is a possible knock out, with the loser making a CON roll to avoid being rendered unconscious.
• Between rounds, players can choose to make a CHA (Intimidation) or DEX (Sleight of Hand) roll to try to gain an advantage in the next round (angering or frightening the opponent, slipping a rock into a glove unnoticed, etc.). They could even make a CHA (Performance) roll to try to get the crowd on their side for that extra boost of confidence.
• Those with the Tavern Brawler feat can add a d4 to their roll. The Battle Master subclass can spend a superiority die to add it to a check. A barbarian can rage for advantage on a STR check.
• A knock out wins automatically; otherwise it’s 3 of 5 rounds.

And that’s it. I hope you have as much fun with these rules as we have. Happy fighting!

___

Lou Anders is the author of Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn, the three books of the Thrones & Bones series of middle grade epic fantasy adventure novels, as well as the novel Star Wars: Pirate’s Price. You can visit him at louanders.com, on Twitter at @LouAnders, and on Facebook.

It’s February! So here’s a set of wallpapers for your computer, your smartphone, or whatever electronic device you’ve got. This month, we tease the upcoming Courts of the Shadow Fey, by artist Marcel Mercado.

Let’s dance, mortal!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Please, click on the image you want to download to expand it into a downloadable image.

Midgard is surrounded by a god made flesh, the great World Serpent, a monstrous beast that defines the edge of the world and that contains—and some say, created—the entire world. This serpent, biting its own tail, creating the tides through his breathing and storms through his snorting and sneezes, is well known to the Northlanders and the Mharoti and less well known in other places. Hugely powerful, he is an indolent, even lazy, god who rarely speaks to his worshippers. Prophecies say that someday he shall consume the earth entirely. He is a creature of the end of all things, and his worshippers are few.

Veles (Ouroboros or Jörmungandr)

God of the Earth and Waters, Creator of Midgard, Father of Serpents, Lord of Oceans, Emperor of Earthquakes, Patron of Giants and Dragons, Voice of Distant Stars

Divine Domains : Apocalypse, Dragon, Hunger, Nature, Ocean, Prophecy

Domains: Destruction, Earth, Hunger, Magic, Prophecy, Rune, Scalykind, Strength, Void, Water

Subdomains: Catastrophe, Caves, Dark Tapestry, Dragon, Ferocity, Oceans, Rage, Resolve, Wards

Alignment: Neutral

Favored Weapons: Bite, spear, and battle axe

Called Veles in the East and South, Jormungandr in the North, Dyjj in the Southlands, and Ouroboros in the Crossroads and the West, the Great Serpent is the embodiment of worldly things, strength and rage, wisdom and water, earth and blood and death. The Serpent is entirely unconcerned with an afterlife, but instead focused on the natural world and its various scaly and non‑scaly children. Some claim he is one of Loki’s children, but this is likely another one of Loki’s tall tales.

Sailors who claim to have seen the flanks of Ouroboros describe the god as a wall of mossy, scaly flesh encircling the oceans. Beyond his bulk lies the Void filled with stars and darkness.

Worshippers

Giants and dragons are the primary followers of the World Serpent, though some dwarves, humans, and kobolds also acknowledge him.

Ouroboros is a reminder of the short lives and paltry significance of most mortal lives. As a result, few care to worship the Great Serpent. Most of his followers are dour stoics or frenzied believers who live life to the fullest, since the afterlife is uncertain at best. Certain druid cults follow the Serpent of Wisdom, and cults devoted to the Void and outer darkness claim a dark and apocalyptic version of the Great Serpent as their patron.

Symbols and Books

Some believe that Veles taught the Northern and Southern tongues to the giants and the dragons, respectively. If any original books of his teachings survive, they are rare and known only to a few. Whispers claim that one such volume exists, called the Forked-Tongue Prophecies or sometimes the Circled Tongue. It is said to grant power over serpents, drakes, and dragons, and to foretell the end of all things. Ouroboros’s symbol is a snake biting its own tail.

Shrines and Priests

Veles has few great shrines and famous priests, though many caves serve as his holy sites, especially those containing streams or springs. Some dragons and giants claim the title of high priest, but Ouroboros seems not to care. The Portal of the Void in Harkesh claims the honor of the god’s most prominent shrine. Its high priest, Yavuz al‑Prezhan, is one of the few who performs rites specifically to honor Veles. Dragons seem keen on these rites, which involve kobold and dragonkin sacrifices.

A less prominent but nevertheless important shrine to Veles stands in the Grand Duchy of Dornig, at Bad Solitz in the private sanctuary of the vann Rottsten family at the Tourmaline Palace. Cleric Hudricus Orovan is called the Keeper of the Keys, after the Keys of Veles that are said to open all roads and portals.

Masks

Priests of Ouroboros claim all other gods are his masks. More plausibly, the eastern dragon gods might all be faces or avatars of Ouroboros. A few Northlanders believe that Veles is nothing more than a mask of Loki, and part of a tremendous plot with the giants.

Other Faiths

Ouroboros is largely disinterested in other faiths, and they likewise ignore the Serpent Father. The great exception is Thor and his mask or brother Perun, both mortal enemies of the Great Serpent. The dragon gods acknowledge Veles but do little to aid or hinder him. Some prophecies of the Dragon Empire explicitly call on the authority of “the Five Dragon Gods,” while others refer only to “the Four Great Patron Gods of the Empire.”

What Ouroboros Demands

Your time is short, and all things end. Make your mark on the world, show mercy or cruelty, but prepare yourself for the end of all things. Ensure that the ley lines run smooth, that magic remains strong, and the world will live longer. If you corrupt the ley lines and walk with dark gods, you hasten the hour of apocalypse…

___

But this is where we must stop for now, my friend. My mind, it wanders so at times. Do come see me again, though, for more of the wonders and surprises of Midgard. (OGL)

You can continue on this adventure in the Midgard Worldbook, Midgard Heroes Handbook, Creature Codex, and Creature Codex Pawns!

<<PREVIOUSLY

All of the skalds from Skaldholm form a loose network of informants for the Master of Thyles, but there are whispers of a secret organization within the schools: skalds that are as proficient in the art of espionage as they are in poetry and song. Known as shadowsingers, they are artisans whose primary medium is information and secrets, but they are known to slip a dagger between ribs when necessary. They report to the Master of Thyles himself, keeping him abreast of the events (both public and private) from around the Northlands and beyond.

Masters of insight and manipulation, the shadowsingers use every tool at their disposal in pursuit of their goals. Whether it’s leveraging their position as skald to gain access to an exclusive event, singing the praises of their chosen courtiers to curry favor (or damning the reputation of those that displease them), or stealing into private royal chambers after a particularly rousing night of drunken revelry, they can convince their target to give up essential information, thank them for their patronage, and disappear into the shadows before anyone is the wiser.

Shadowsingers owe no loyalty to anyone but the Master of Thyles—not even to each other. Obviously, it’s considered bad form to undermine a fellow shadowsinger (as they all serve the same master and pursue the same goal), but they swear no oath of allegiance to one another, and there’s no distinct chain of command. While some shadowsingers find a second family within the ranks, others hold no love for the other skalds and feel no duty to aid anyone other than their personal allies. This can lead to clashes within the organization, and members that are too disruptive or antagonistic to their fellow shadowsingers find themselves shunned—or they simply vanish altogether.

Shadowsinger Goals

The shadowsingers have only one codified objective: find the answer to the Riddle of the Forgotten Thing. Whereas other skalds relay rumors they hear during their travels, the shadowsingers seek out knowledge, following the slightest lead, tugging on delicate threads of information until they find the source. Their quest takes them the far corners of the Northlands and even farther into the other kingdoms of Midgard in an effort to uncover what was lost.

Beyond this primary goal, shadowsingers desire knowledge above all else. The more buried a secret, the deeper a Shadowsinger delves to uncover it. Knowledge is power; it can cement empires or topple dynasties. Other than delivering vital knowledge to the Master of Thyles, what each Shadowsinger does with the information they discover is up to the individual—some use it for personal ends while others disseminate pertinent details to the masses—and there are factions within the organization that disagree with their role to play in that regard. Some whisper that this dispute will eventually erupt into a full-fledged schism while others claim the Master of Thyles will step in long before that happens.

 Shadowsinger Ideals

• All knowledge is worth having. Never let an opportunity to gather a secret or learn a story pass you by.
• Make friends in high and low places. Nobility is only as powerful as its people.
• Your mind is your greatest weapon. Wield your wits, words, and art as ruthlessly as your blade.

Bard College: College of Shadows

Shadowsingers undergo careful training before they’re sent out into the world. Skilled in both music and manipulation, they’re the perfect blend of charm and cunning. The tricks they learn in their tutelage make them ideal for the subtle work of coaxing out secrets, entrancing audiences, and dazzling the minds of their chosen targets.

Bonus Proficiencies: Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.

Mantle of Shadows: Starting at 3rd level, you can spend an action to twist the shadows around you for 1 minute or until your concentration ends. For the duration, you gain advantage on stealth checks and you gain the benefits of three-quarters cover as the shadows themselves obscure your passing.

Lover’s Haste: Starting at 3rd level, you can dash as a bonus action while under the effects of Mantle of Shadows.

Cunning Insight: Starting at 6th level, you know exactly where to hit your enemies, so it will hurt the most. You spend an action focusing on a target after which the target must make a Wisdom Saving Throw vs. your Spell Save DC. On a failed save, choose one of the following:

• You gain advantage on your next attack roll against the target.
• You gain knowledge of the target’s damage vulnerabilities.
• You gain knowledge of the target’s damage resistances and damage immunities.
• You gain knowledge of the target’s condition immunities.
• You see through any illusions involving the target.

Shadowsinger: Your words are your power. Starting at 14th level, you are a master at weaving stories and influencing the minds of your audience. With the power of one performance, you can make or break someone’s reputation. You spend at least 1 minute performing, relaying a tale through song, poetry, play, or other medium. At the end of your performance, choose a number of humanoids who witnessed the entire performance, up to a number of 1 plus your Charisma modifier. Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw vs. your spell save DC. On a failed save, the target(s) suffers one of the following:

• They believe the tale you told is truth and will tell others the tale as if it were truth, even under magical compulsion.
• They believe someone in the room knows their darkest secret, and they are at disadvantage on all Charisma, Wisdom, and Intelligence ability checks and saving throws for the next hour as they are distracted and overcome by paranoia.
• They become convinced that you (or one of your allies if you choose to sing the praises of another) are a fearsome opponent. For the next minute, they are afraid of you (or your ally). In addition, you (or your ally) gain advantage on all attack rolls against them for the duration.

Remove curse or greater restoration ends the effects of this feature. Once you use this feature, you may not use it again until you complete a short or long rest…

___

Read more of this and other great articles in Warlock, only on Patreon!

Azreal smiled grimly as his shield blocked the flying debris. The paladin surveyed the scene before him. The tower room was decimated, and the vicious battle between Azreal’s companions and the red wizard was looking dire. Squaring off in the center of the room was Strass and the red mage, a freshly launched fireball forcing a scream from the barbarian’s seared lungs. Slinking behind a stone column, Val prepared an ambush, and Kara dove for cover behind a large chunk of stone.

Welcome to the table! This week, the players were fighting against a powerful wizard who was in service to their latest villain. For this session, I wanted to really provide a challenge for the players, equipping the wizard with an assortment of nasty spells. Everything was going smoothly, and the flow of the game was ramping up nicely, promising a fantastic epic climax during this fight—or so I thought. Today, let’s talk about mechanical mistakes and how to address them.

What are some types of mechanical mistakes? What happens when they occur? How can you address them, and what are some best practices you can use in response to them? Are mechanical mistakes avoidable?

To Kara, the flow of battle was a melody, like the one played by the violinist back in town: fast, dynamic, and full of energy. The pounding of her heart was the tempo; the sounds of shouts, magical incantations, and clash of steel were the instruments. Kara’s movements became one with the wild song. Beat—leap from cover. Beat—wait for Strass to attack and prepare a strike. Beat—nothing . . .

As I noted in Part 1 of this article, mechanical mistakes are those mistakes that deal with rules and systems at work in the game. Whether it is a flubbed ruling of a spell or a character ability wrongly used, mechanical mistakes can either pass unnoticed or dramatically slow the pace of the game. In tonight’s session, I made a fairly common mechanical mistake: I skipped Kara’s turn. During the next round, the player who played Kara proclaimed, “Wait! Did I ever go? I think my turn was skipped.”

Generally, missing a turn is something easily fixed. I usually just apologize, offer the player a turn immediately unless another player was in the middle of taking their own turn. These types of mistakes slow down the pace of the game but don’t usually bring the game to a halt. Yet in this moment, an entire round had passed, and not only did Kara miss a turn, her turn had been passed for some time, and this battle was becoming deadly. For Kara and the players, a missed turn means losing crucial actions that may provide vital advantages against their foe.

Pausing for a moment, Kara watched as Strass swung a fist at the mage’s face, cracking free a few teeth and sending the mage tumbling to the ground. The magical armor that surrounded the mage faded, and Kara saw an opportunity to close the gap and potentially finish this fight.

In some instances, GMs, myself included, may offer characters simply to play out the missed turn retroactively. I recommend only offering this ruling in specific cases where the actions the character plans on taking do little to influence a key moment in a fight or do not produce a chain of events for the entire scene. Retroactive actions can result in the game slowing dramatically as everyone at the table tries to readjust for the chain of events produced by the character. If those actions result in an enemy dying or completing some key event in the narrative, it will often feel anticlimactic. I recommend careful thought before offering retroactive actions. Usually I offer advantages to the characters whose turns were missed. In this case, I asked Kara what she wanted to do, and I suggested she take actions following Strass’s turn with advantage on all her attacks because of Strass’s successful strike against the mage. I made sure to clarify that these actions would not be applied retroactively.

Addressing a mechanical mistake requires careful consideration to the game’s flow. Skillful handling may result in the players never knowing that there was a mistake in the first place. Below, I’ve provided a few important things that both players and GMs can keep in mind when handling mechanical mistakes:

• Mistakes of all kinds are inevitable. Even the most seasoned veterans of RPGs make mistakes, so try not to worry when you make them.
• As a GM, when you make a mistake that affects a player, remember to ask the players what they would like to do to help fix it. Doing this helps players feel heard and makes space for the players to work with you to fix an error.
• If it is your first time being a player or a GM, consider asking the table how they address mistakes. Having a dialogue will help you come up with good ideas that are specific to your game and the players at the table.
• Most mistakes can be ignored. If possible, just mark down the mistake and address it after the game.
• Keep the game moving, even if it means giving the players the benefit of the doubt when a mistake comes up.
• Apologize, either after the game or as soon as you learn about the mistake.

Kara moved quickly, closing the gap between her and the mage, but she wasn’t fast enough. The mage’s hand aimed toward her face, and orbs of arcane light began to form as the mage chanted a wicked spell. Kara’s body tensed, preparing itself for the pain. Just before the orbs left the mage’s hand, a dagger slammed into the mage’s arm, causing the magical blast to be knocked off course. Kara saw Val disappear behind pile of stone, and she smiled, reaching the mage. “Let’s see how tough you are without your magic,” Kara thought as she grabbed the mage’s collar with one hand, the knuckles in her hand cracking as she formed a fist with the other.

Mistakes will happen, especially mechanical mistakes, and everyone experiences them in their game at some point. When I skipped Kara’s turn, it turned out to be a great opportunity for Kara to roleplay in the game as she wouldn’t have had a chance to grapple with the red wizard otherwise. It turned out to be a very fun character moment for Kara who was able to reveal some of her motivations and history to the players as she interrogated the mage.

Let’s sum up:

• Missing a player’s turn is one example of a mechanical mistake, and it is very common. Think about how you would handle this error, and keep the game’s flow in mind .
• Mistakes are inevitable and not just the responsibility of the GM to fix. Consider talking with everyone at the table about how to address these issues.
• As a GM, consider giving the players advantages when a mistake occurs, especially if it is your fault. Doing so will likely keep the game running smoothly and make for some really enjoyable moments for the players.

See you at the table!

<<PREVIOUSLY

The Clanking Legion is a legendary mercenary company, composed of roughly half gearforged and half beings of flesh and blood.

CLANKING MERCENARY (FIGHTER)

Fighters who emulate the Clanking Mercenary archetype see the flexibility of flesh in steel and the strength of metal in their own bodies and minds.

CLANKER’S CRAFT

Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with your choice of blacksmith’s tools or tinker’s tools.

SHAPER OF METAL

With 1 hour of work (which you can perform once during a long rest), you can use blacksmith’s or tinker’s tools to temporarily improve the effectiveness of a weapon or a suit of armor. The item remains improved for 24 hours or until the effect is used. An improved effect on a piece of equipment can be used once. This number of uses increases by one at 7th level (two uses) and again at 15th level (three uses). The improvement effects vary by the type of equipment.

Armor (Option 1). When the creature wearing the armor is subjected to a damaging effect that allows a Constitution or Dexterity saving throw for half damage, the wearer can gain advantage on the saving throw.

Armor (Option 2). The creature wearing the armor can gain advantage when making an ability check to prevent itself from being grappled or to escape from a grapple.

Weapon. When a creature is hit with an improved weapon, the weapon’s wielder can choose to add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll.

MIND OF IRON

Starting at 7th level, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

UNYIELDING FLESH

At 10th level, when you gain exhaustion, you can reduce the number of levels gained by 1. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. You reduce your exhaustion level by 1 every time you finish a long or short rest, provided you have adequate food and drink.

ARMS OF THE LEGION

Starting at 15th level, you can improve two pieces of equipment when you spend an hour using your Shaper of Metal ability.

TEMPERED LEGIONNAIRE

At 18th level, as a bonus action you can expend a hit die to negate a harmful condition affecting you. The condition can be grappled, poisoned, prone, stunned, or restrained.

___

But this is where we must stop for now, my friend. My mind, it wanders so at times. Do come see me again, though, for more of the wonders and surprises of Midgard. (OGL)

You can continue on this adventure in the Midgard Worldbook, Midgard Heroes Handbook, Creature Codex, and Creature Codex Pawns!

<<PREVIOUSLY

Magic is the lifeblood of fantasy. Arguably the dividing line between fantasy and other types of fiction, magic can be strange, mysterious, frightening, comical, or anything in between. And if you’re looking to explore the applications of magic in a fantasy roleplaying campaign, you want to visit the Sorcery Stop!

A staple of fantasy fiction is the mysterious alchemical laboratory, a workshop where wizards, cultists, and mad scientists concoct strange brews and ferment bizarre potions. Official publications include alchemist supplies but assume a “travel version”—nothing more than a couple of beakers, a metal frame, and a stirring rod. This article expands upon those rules, assuming a set of equipment that includes beakers, bottles, mixing and measuring containers, and a variety of esoteric chemicals and substances.

The cost of setting up a basic alchemical lab is at least 500 gp—note that this cost does not include the price of a building or lair in which to house the laboratory. Maintaining the stock and perishable ingredients in the laboratory requires maintaining at least a Comfortable lifestyle (expenditure of at least 2 gp per day). Falling below this level renders the laboratory unusable until the appropriate expense level has been resumed.

The laboratory can be used as a base to conduct arcane research and to craft alchemical items. While inside a fully stocked laboratory, a character proficient in using alchemist’s supplies has advantage on Intelligence checks made to identify poisons or other alchemical substances.

Crafting an item requires following a formula specific to each individual item. It also requires an expenditure in gold pieces; this expense represents the testing and use of various herbs, chemicals, and substances consumed in the creation of the item. The crafting takes time as well, represented by 8-hour workdays. Any distraction on a workday invalidates the day’s research and crafting; the day is lost and does not count toward the time required for the crafting. At the end of the last day, the crafter must make an Intelligence (Arcana) check against a DC that varies by the item created. A success means that the item was successfully created; a failure means that the item does not work.

As a rule, crafting an item requires an expense equal to half its purchase price and requires 8 hours of work (as described above) per 25 gp of cost. You can adjust these values up and down as you see fit. A character cannot create magical items with this laboratory alone, though the laboratory might be necessary to create some magical items

A laboratory contains at least the formulae and equipment necessary to craft the following items:

Item: The name of the alchemical item

Crafting Cost: The cost, in gold pieces, to craft the item. The cost is paid at the end of the crafting time.

Crafting Time: The time, in days, necessary to craft the item.

Check DC: Difficulty class of the Intelligence (Arcana) check made to create the item

ITEM DESCRIPTIONS

Acid. As an action, you can splash the contents of this vial onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw the vial up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged attack against a creature or object, treating the acid as an improvised weapon. On a hit, the target takes 2d6 acid damage.

Alchemist’s Fire. This sticky, adhesive fluid ignites when exposed to air. As an action, you can throw this flask up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a ranged attack against a creature or object, treating the alchemist’s tire as an improvised weapon. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature can end this damage by using its action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to extinguish the flames.

Antitoxin. A creature that drinks this vial of liquid gains advantage on saving throws against poison for 1 hour. Antitoxin confers no benefit to undead or constructs.

Smokestick: This alchemically treated wooden stick instantly creates thick, opaque smoke when ignited. The smoke fills a 10-foot cube (treat the effect as a fog cloud spell). The stick is consumed at the end of your next turn, and the smoke dissipates naturally.

Tanglefoot Bag: This round leather bag is full of alchemical goo. As an action, you can throw the bag up to 10 feet as a ranged attack. Treat the tanglefoot bag as an improvised weapon. On a success, the bag comes apart and the goo bursts out, entangling the target and then becoming tough and resilient upon exposure to air. An entangled creature is grappled and has disadvantage on attack rolls.

A flying creature is not stuck to the floor, but it must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or be unable to fly and fall to the ground, landing prone.

On each of its turns, a creature may make a DC 10 Strength saving throw; a success means it has broken free of the entanglement. A tanglefoot bag does not function underwater.

Thunderstone: You can throw this stone up to 20 feet as a ranged melee attack. When the stone strikes a hard surface (or is struck hard), it creates a deafening bang and each creature within a 10-foot radius must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be deafened for 1 hour.

Since you don’t need to hit a specific target, you can simply aim at a particular 5-foot area. Treat the target area as AC 5; if you miss, the stone lands in a random spot 5 feet from the intended target.

<<PREVIOUSLY

Dear Osvaud,

This is Osvaud. We have spent eons attempting to ascertain the deepest rules of the cosmos. With our hard-won knowledge, we have ascended to the heights of arcane power, conquered death, and swindled countless adventurers who couldn’t cast the identify spell.

Every now and then, we wake up, and… everything is a little bit different.

The big stuff almost always stays the same. Magic is the best thing ever. Your soul is safely stored in a mystical mason jar. Ivlysse is still your (contractually obligated) impish BFF.

However… important details are different. On the one hand, it is fun to try and puzzle out the shift. On the other, you want to spam the deities-in-charge with strongly worded sendings after learning a slack-jawed, chicken-worshiping acolyte can concentrate on the same number of spells as you.

It wouldn’t be productive, so instead, you get your bones back to basics. You start trying everything you think you know and learn whatever you don’t. You antagonize a few dozen, angst-ridden orphans with a series of increasingly difficult challenges and see what they can accomplish in a few years.

Despite the difficulties inherent to any transition… unlife goes on. This wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. Thus, I feel it is important for me to document my initial (incredibly embarrassing) thoughts using perfect recall granted by the modify memory spell (which I can apparently now cast) for the sake of future me.

Whoa. Weird.
Where did all my 9th-level spell slots go?!
Oh… no. No no no no no…
… what the hell is a “warlock,” and why do I need to multiclass three levels for freaking Ivlysse?!
Okay. You need to calm down, Osvaud.
You can handle this. Pretend to breathe deeply.
Start with priority one. You’re a lich.
That’s still got to be the most awesome thing ever, right?
Resistances… immunities… good good. Legendary resistance? Don’t mind if I do!
Rejuvenation, paralyzing touch, lair actions… this isn’t looking too bad.
Oh hey, if I’m an NPC, I can totally just get an imp familiar!
Well, on to the lore, I guess. Hmmm… let’s see… soul sacrifices…
I HAVE TO FEED MY PHYLACTERY SOULS OR I GO DEMILICH?!
WTF!
I don’t even know where the damned thing is!
What in the Nine Disco Dancing Hells does “periodically” mean?!
Do I owe a freaking backlog?!
Oh yay! I guess I HAVE to keep it at least mildly accessible now! And it is even EASIER for holier-than-me jerks to be all judgmental!
It’s ALMOST like “someone” was concocting tacked-on reasons to make it easier to freaking perma-murder me.
Ow. Ouch. What was that? It felt… disturbing.
It was as if… millions of my currently active simulacrums cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
No! Not the perfectly loyal efreeti armies! You monsters!
I take it all back! I’ll do anything you want! I’ll even multiclass!

Well, there you have it. Not too pretty.

Osvaud… over an eternity, sometimes we are going to fall off the phantom steed. What’s really important is you get up, dust yourself off, and then never cast the silly spell again. Because it is way worse, and only damaging cantrips improve with increased character level now.

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This tattered skeletal humanoid resembles a monster from a nightmare. A dream eater’s natural form is mostly human in appearance, though with vestigial skeletal wings with a few feathers, small horns, sharp teeth, and cloven hooves. Most often they use magic to disguise themselves as attractive members of a humanoid race.

Drawn to Sin. Dream eaters are dedicated to lust, gluttony, and greed, and they make their lairs in casinos, brothels, thieves’ dens, and other locations where gambling, food, and other pleasures are readily available. Sometimes dream eaters work together to create such a place, especially near large towns or cities. Some band together to create traveling shows, offering all the oddities, whimsies, and flights of fantasy customary for such entertainers.

Devouring Hopes. Dream eaters lure people into their lairs, enticing them with promises of pleasure or wealth, but they make sure the odds are stacked in their favor. Eventually, their victims are left with nothing. Worse than the loss of physical treasures, though, dream eaters leave their victims stripped of all hopes and aspirations. Dream eaters feed on their emotions, leaving helpless thralls willing to sell their souls for their vices.

Lords of Confusion. When confronted, dream eaters are dangerous opponents. Using their innate abilities, they can drive enemies into a dream state, using the resulting confusion to make their escape while their foes destroy themselves.

DREAM EATER

Medium fiend, lawful evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)
Speed 30 ft., fly 20 ft.

Skills Deception +8, Insight +4, Persuasion +8
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, telepathy 100 ft.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Shapechanger. The dream eater can use its turn to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid it has seen, or back into its true form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in all forms. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Innate Spellcasting. The dream eater’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

• At will: command
• 3/day: suggestion

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The dream eater makes one bite attack and one claw attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 12).

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (4d10 + 2) slashing damage.

Dream Eater’s Caress. A creature that ends its turn grappled by a dream eater is restrained until the end of its next turn, it takes 5 (1d4 + 3) psychic damage, and the dream eater gains the same number of temporary hit points.

Lotus Scent (Recharge 6). The dream eater secretes an oily chemical that most creatures find intoxicating. All living creatures within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw against poison or be poisoned for 2d4 rounds. While poisoned this way, the creature is stunned. Creatures that successfully save are immune to that dream eater’s lotus scent for 24 hours.

Waking Dreams (1/Day). Every creature within 20 feet of the dream eater must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw. Those that fail enter waking dreams and are confused (as the spell) for 6 rounds. On turns when the creature can act normally (rolls 9 or 10 for the confusion effect), it can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn, and the effect ends early on a successful save.

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But this is where we must stop for now, my friend. My mind, it wanders so at times. Do come see me again, though, for more of the wonders and surprises of Midgard. (OGL)

This creature comes from the Tome of Beasts. You can continue on this adventure in the Midgard Worldbook, Midgard Heroes Handbook, Creature Codex, and Creature Codex Pawns!

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The departure of the elves and the resulting conflict shaped Central Midgard in fundamental ways. At its core, the Great Mage Wars rise out of the hubris of the Fulgurate Society and leave behind a monument to humanity’s capability for destructive spite.

Legacy of the Fulgurate Society

It began as a joke, a thumbing of their collective noses at the Elvish Empire of Valeran, the snide comments about humans being “all thunder and no lightning,” when the Founding Circle of the Fulgurate Society chose their name in a secret gathering atop an old imperial tower. But from those humble beginnings, nine arcane spellcasters went on to carve out nations of humanity built on a foundation of great skill and art. The magocracies quickly achieved a begrudged parity with the Elvish Imperium, fueled by potent works and no lack of ambition. Initially, they strove to make their endeavors beautiful, functional, grand, and robust. Their spells pushed boundaries, their construction left one breathlessly awestruck, and the Fulgurate Society grew to serve as part of their shared heritage, an informal social organization, helping to avert misunderstandings and allowing backchannel communications. They labored to cease hostilities by denying access to those powers who overstepped treaties and by undoing the machinations of the treacherous mages who disobeyed their edicts or neglected unspoken rules and codes between their respective territories. Unfortunately, the Fulgurate Society was only human, and flaws of tangled emotion and spurned feelings eroded the foundations of their wondrous achievements. Resentment and jealousy festered, and as the Great Retreat concluded, the magocracies turned upon each other before a season had passed, attempting to claim the remnant vacuum.

Initially, in the wake of Luz’s Escalation and the resulting Slumber of the Isonade, each magocracy controlled a Dread Walker, but the devastation left in their wake, combined with the ruthless spell effects of the great magi, embittered many. The destruction of Molovosch particularly weighed upon Enkada Pishtuhk, one of the more powerful and prominent members, and in the next gathering of the Fulgurate Society, supposedly in a declaration of vengeance related to a lost love, he utilized the nexus of ley lines once centered on the Lost Tower to summon Pah’draguusthlai while sinking the tower and its Glyph Stair perpendicular to reality. The resulting destruction of Uxloon suggests truth in the rumor. The magocracies fought for two full years after that betrayal before members finally managed the massive ritual invocation locking the remaining Walkers in their current dreaming stumble. However, the damage was complete; the glory and potential of the magocracies lay burnt from the land, leaving the smoldering cinder of the Wasted West and a few mystical heirlooms left to be discovered, in secret caches of scrolls and manuscripts, by the intrepid, persistent, and lucky.

Spellcraft of the Lost Magocracies

Presented below are a few lost secrets of the scions of Vael Turog.

Talons of a Hungry Land

7th-level evocation (sorcerer, warlock, wizard)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You cause three parallel lines of thick, flared obsidian spikes to erupt from the ground. The lines appear within range on a solid surface, last for the duration, and provide three-quarters cover to creatures behind them. You can make lines (up to 60 feet long, 10 feet high, and 5 feet thick) or form a circle (20 feet in diameter, up to 15 feet high and 5 feet thick). The lines provide three-quarters cover to creatures behind them.

When the lines appear, each creature within their area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 8d8 slashing damage or half as much damage on a successful save.

A creature can move through the lines at the risk of cutting themselves on the exposed edges. For every 1 foot a creature moves through the lines, it must spend 4 feet of movement. Furthermore, the first time a creature enters the lines on a turn or ends its turn there, the creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. It takes 8d8 slashing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

When you cease concentrating on the spell, you may cause the obsidian spikes to explode, causing 5d8 slashing to any creature within 15 feet or half as much damage on a successful Dexterity save.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage from all effects of the lines increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 7th…

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“Oh, dear, I’ve just trodden on one.”

Continuing our look at rarely encountered purple worms, we come to the letter N…

Nightmare Purple Worm (CR 13)

XP 25,600

“The tunnel stank abysmally. Its flanks oozed vile slime that slithered like thick spittle down the walls. Worse was waiting within those walls, however, for the slime played host to thousands of vile, white worms, a living wall of filth and horror.”

The mere largeness of this worm (it has the advanced template) would be bad enough, but its size is merely a biological quirk. The true reason this creature earns its title is in the infestation that lurks within its chitinous skin and what those parasites do. This creature infests its lairs with a foul slime that can, in mercifully rare cases, have the same qualities as green slime. The more commonly encountered slime houses an appalling parasite worm, generally no bigger than a human arm but capable of growing much larger. These parasites are classified as a hazard rather than as a monster in their own right.

Anyone coming with 10 ft. of the excreted slime of a nightmare purple worm may be subject to attack. Attacked creatures must make a Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid being infected by the worms, which dig into skin in a similar way to rot grubs. The wan worm immediately digs into the host’s skin and begins to devour it, causing 1d6 Constitution damage per round (at 0 Constitution the host dies along with the worm itself, which dies at the same moment it implants a wormlet into the creature; this wormlet feeds on the dead host and in time grows into a nightmare purple worm). As the worm burrows beneath its host’s skin, it can be attacked as an AC 20 creature with 10 hit points. Any damage inflicted on the creature also injures the host as do any missed attacks on the worms made in this way.

Pack Worms (CR 12)

XP 19,200

“The whole cavern below us was alive with a vast, crawling, spittle-soaked mass of purple worms, a seething ocean of the creatures.”

The much-feared pack worms are a curiously dangerous offshoot of the standard, usually solitary purple worm. Quite why this curiosity came about is subject to conjecture: some see the guiding tentacles of Jubilex or his foul followers, others say that they believe the creatures were the result of aboleth scientists tampering with the ways and forms of natural order. Regardless of why or who, the results are frightening. Pack worms are encountered in groups of at least half a dozen, they are more intelligent than standard purple worms (Int 2), and they hunt in a pack-like way. Usually, a pair of worms pursue prey into a region where others await in the walls nearby, using their tremorsense ability to remain hidden before their prey is driven into their eager mouths. Although no more than a bard’s tale, stories continue to circulate of a vast, cathedral-like space far from daylight where a whole horrific slew of these creatures writhe in an endless dance, feasting upon each other or anything that happens to gain their terrible attention.

Vermis Horribilis Purpureus—The Horrid Purple Worm (CR 14)

XP 38,400

“As the beast opened its vast, toothy maw, I saw its throat writhe with row upon row of dagger-like fangs.”

The horrid purple worm has an array of spines and teeth inside its body to make tearing and digesting its food far easier. This vast purple worm has the advanced creature template, but its swallow whole ability is far more dangerous.

Special Attacks swallow whole (4d8+18 bludgeoning plus 4d8+18 piercing damage, AC 23, 20 hp)

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Twin Gods of Passion, Fertility, Magic, and the Living World, Lord and Lady of the Vanir, Gods of Beauty, Patron of Farmers and Patroness of Shield Maidens, the Twins of Wine

Freyr Divine Domains: Life, Nature

Freyr Domains: Animal, Charm, Earth, Healing, Lust, Plant, Water

Freyr Subdomains: Caves, Decay, Fur, Growth, Resurrection

Freyja Divine Domains: Tempest, War

Freyja Domains: Charm, Magic, Plant, War, Weather

Freyja Subdomains: Arcane, Blood, Growth, Love, Seasons, Tactics

Alignment: Good

Favored Weapon: Sickle (Freyr), bastard sword (Freyja)

Freyr and Freyja are twins, children of the Vanir who now dwell among the Aesir. Technically hostages exchanged after the Vanir War, they’re now considered part of the family and sit in the highest councils of Asgard. They taught the gods witchcraft and were the divine sponsors of Njord the Sea Master.

Freyr and Freyja are gods of the old elven religion that has adapted better than most to the new ways. Freyr bestows peace and pleasure on mortals, a protector of farmers and a foe to fire giants and flames that destroy farmsteads and fields. Freyja is a skilled witch, so beautiful she cries golden tears. She wears the necklace of the Brisings, an unmatched piece of jewelry she purchased at great cost. Freyja is also the patron of shield maidens. Both adventurous deities have seen their share of battles.

Like Wotan, they gather fallen warriors to form an army with which the Vanir will fight beside the Aesir at Ragnarok.

Worshippers

Elves, the elfmarked, farmers, and hunters are all followers of Freyr and Freyja. The twin gods are wildly popular in the Northlands, the Grand Duchy of Dornig, and in the Arbonesse.

Symbols and Books

The sacred books of Freyr and Freyja are all written in Elvish or the Northern Tongue. One is called the Coming of the Green Gods, the other is Wisdom of the Vanir.

Shrines and Priests

The North supports hundreds of shrines to the twin gods, deep in forest clearings or in shallow caverns, especially those containing springs or rivers. The largest stone temple of the faith is in the town of Bjeornheim, the Temple of the Hive and Flower. This sweet-smelling temple’s priests include a few bearfolk as well as humans.

Masks

Freyr and Freyja are widely held to be masks of Yarila and Porevit, or vice versa. Yarila and Porevit are considered the elven faces of the gods, and Freyr and Freyja the more human ones. In the South, they are called Nun and Naunet, and among the centaurs they are the Twins of Wine.

Other Faiths

Freyr and Freyja fiercely oppose Boreas, the White Goddess, and Loki, and ally with the Goat of the Woods, Nethus, and Ninkash. They are rivals of Sarastra, though the two faiths are competitive rather than hostile.

What Freyr and Freyja Demand

The twin gods are worshipped together but both demand equal due from their followers. Worshippers must revere the old ways, respecting the power of nature and the fey and elementals bound to it—new things are distrusted or destroyed. Their chosen offerings include the bounty of nature as well as drunken debaucheries. Freyr and Freyja demand their worshippers punish those who scorn the old ways with curses.

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But this is where we must stop for now, my friend. My mind, it wanders so at times. Do come see me again, though, for more of the wonders and surprises of Midgard. (OGL)

You can continue on this adventure in the Midgard Worldbook, Midgard Heroes Handbook, Creature Codex, and Creature Codex Pawns!

<<PREVIOUSLY