I'm currently running a 5th edition D&D game for my gaming group and blogging recaps of the sessions, as well as maps and pictures. This thread is for discussing the game. I'll probably use this one instead of the map thread to talk about the game.
Here's a campaign overview and some maps. (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=972)
For those interested, here are the first two sessions recapped:
Session 1 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=989)
Session 2 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1077)
Session 3 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1156)
Next session log is up! Quite a long write-up.
Awesome!
But seriously, you need to do write-ups on those races. I must know more about the Waspkin!!
Here's a brief write-up on them LoA:
(http://s33.postimg.org/94h7l7bv3/Waspkin_001.jpg)
[ic=Wapskin]The waspkin or vespidae are indigenes of the Elder Trees that grow from the eldritch earth of Hex, and once made their nests exclusively high in those vast trees' branches. Thought to be a species of insects warped by the magical influence of the Trees or perhaps some force of the Old City, waspkin resemble giant wasps from the waist down and humanoids about the size of human children from the waist up. Originally quasi-eusocial hunter-gatherers, they now find employment as messengers, couriers, thieves, spies, and even assassins, using their small size and flight to great advantage in Hex's twisted streets. Looked down on as "vermin" by some of Hex's more prejudiced people, waspkin rarely occupy positions of power and are pushed constantly to the margins in districts such as Suckletown and the buzzing ghetto known as Stingsworth.
Traits: Waspkin have unusual physical characteristics and particular cultural beliefs that tend to shape their outlook.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age. Waspkin enjoy a larval childhood year before pupating into their adolescent forms. They live for up to forty years, though fertile queens can live for several centuries.
Alignment. Waspkin tend towards lawful alignments, being quasi-eusocial. They have a strong respect for specialization and hierarchy and work well in groups.
Size. Waspkin average about 2 and1/2 to 3 feet tall and weigh about 35 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Wings. You have a flying speed of 15 feet. You must be in a space wide enough to accommodate your wingspan to fly. Your wingspan is equal to twice your height. You cannot fly if you are wearing armour you are not proficient in, armour not tailored to accommodate your wings, or a backpack not specially tailored to your wings.
Stinger. You have a stinger, a natural weapon dealing 1d4 piercing damage and the target must make Constitution saving throwing with a DC of 10 + your character level, taking 1d6 poison damage on a failed save.
Languages. You can read, speak, and write Common and Vespine, a buzzing language difficult for other creatures to articulate.[/ic]
There's a lot more to them than presented here, like the weird inter-Hive struggles or the sacrificial ceremonies undertaken to honour Queens.
Quote from: Steerpike
Here's a brief write-up on them LoA:
I wish I had your brain....
Were these inspired by Dromites?
No, I wasn't familiar with Dromites actually. I can see the similitarities though.
Updates:
Session 4 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1211)
Session 5 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1211)
Session 6 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1311)
Session 4 was a crazy heist/kidnapping mission in an underground casino, Session 5 a horror story and burglary mission in a really creepy haunted house full of monstrous worm-creatures, and Session 6 was a dungeon crawl through an ancient city featuring giant clockwork robots possessed by insane Lovecraftian ghosts in the Ethereal Plane.
Quote from: Steerpike
Updates:
Session 4 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1211)
Session 5 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1211)
Session 6 (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1311)
Session 4 was a crazy heist/kidnapping mission in an underground casino, Session 5 a horror story and burglary mission in a really creepy haunted house full of monstrous worm-creatures, and Session 6 was a dungeon crawl through an ancient city featuring giant clockwork robots possessed by insane Lovecraftian ghosts in the Ethereal Plane.
So can I ask what a homunculus is? One of your players is one, and it sounds interesting.
Quote from: LoASo can I ask what a homunculus is? One of your players is one, and it sounds interesting.
(https://s31.postimg.org/p5xz1ql8b/Homunculus.png)
Homunculus: Created by the alchemists of Hex in the spawning cauldrons of Caulchurch, homunculi come in many shapes and sizes, but have in common their constituent matter: mandrake roots nourished with human blood mixed with other alchemical compounds. Most homunculi are quite small, of a size with gnomes and human children, but the majority would rarely be mistaken for such creatures due to their crude features and their close resemblance to mandrake roots – resemblances which often include sprouting leaves and bark-like skin. Though slavery is illegal in Hex, this prohibition does not extend to homunculi, who are considered extensions of their creators and can be bought or sold. Most are as servile as automata, eager to do the bidding of their masters and mistresses, though rebellions homunculi are not unheard-of. If a homunculus' owner dies, however, the homunculus is freed of all bonds of servitude. Sadly, many such creatures become filled with ennui at this prospect, or seek out new masters to replace the old. Despite their small size, homunculi are quite tough, both mentally and physically.
Traits: Homunculi come in a plethora of shapes and sizes but most possess the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Homunculi are "born" fully formed and cognizant from their spawning cauldrons and do not age, though they do eventually deteriorate back into their constituent elements after roughly 100 years unless the spells holding them together are re-cast.
Alignment. Most homunculi are strongly lawful due to their general subservience and respect for their creators.
Size. Homunculi average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 50 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Cantrip. Homunculi typically pick up or mentally absorb some of their master's knowledge. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Mental Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and magic can't read your mind in any way.
Physical Resilience. Your artificial nature protects you against toxins, providing you with advantage on saving throws against poison; you also have resistance against poison damage. You cannot be magically aged.
Shared Mind. A homunculus knows everything its wizardly creator knows and can telepathically communicate with them. After a homunculus' wizard dies, the homunculus absorbs some of their memories. You have proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Languages. You speak whatever languages your creator does or did – for masterless homunculi, you speak Common and one other extra language of your choice.
District for an upcoming session:
(https://s9.postimg.org/d9xpmxpxr/Cobweb_Cliffs.jpg)
[ic=Cobweb Cliffs]Thick wefts of webbing swathe the dark, purple-black crags of Cobweb Cliffs, courtesy of the innumerable spiders who teem throughout the district, charges of the Lengians who make up the vast majority of its populace. The Cliffs have eight levels in total; navigating them is something of a nightmare, with non-Lengian visitors becoming snared in the webs that seem to coat everything. The Lengians claim the cliffs remind them of the Plateau of Leng, their homeland in the world of dreams, and so settled here in great numbers, carving their tunnels and building their strange structures in the webs of their spiders. Spider-farming is one of the chief industries here, with spiders raised for food and silk: huge weaving shops fill much of the district, where spider-silk is spun into garments and even armour of surpassing style and toughness.
Spiders of many shapes and sizes roam the district, some big enough to pull rickshaws, others employed as guard-beasts or pets. None should be harmed by the casual visitor – although the Lengians do kill spiders, they have strict rules about such things. A monastery dedicated to the Mother of Spiders squats at the highest point of the district, forbidden to all but the Lengians, who can be seen entrusting the web-swathed priestesses with their dead. The Lengians have their own police force, also associated with the temple: the Ebon Web.
The Cliffs also reputedly include a poison market, hidden somewhere in its sticky depths. The Lengian merchants of the Venom Mart deal in substances carefully milked from the deadliest of arachnids. As a result the place is also the haunt of assassins and thugs, especially after nightfall.[/ic]
[ic=Lengian](https://s10.postimg.org/7z0o8ecih/Lengian.png)
Originally hailing from the cold Plateau of Leng, which lies in the world of dreams, Lengians are a mysterious species who mostly make their home in Hex in the Dreamers' Quarter where they long ago passed through the Gate of Horn – now (mostly) closed – and entered the waking world, as well as Cobweb Cliffs, which the eldest among them say reminds them of their nightmarish homeland. These strange, spindly creatures mingle spider and satyr, with no two quite alike; their skin ranges from purple to red, and some have several sets of eyes, additions which seem to be demarcations of status. Lengians can seem cruel and callous and traditionally held slaves, a practice outlawed in Hex. Their society is violent and individualistic, though not without brutally enforced hierarchies. They are skilled enchanters and conjurors, however, and bring with them the knowledge of distant spheres. They are also learned in the husbandry of spiders, breeding them to produce beautiful objects of silk, including suits of armour.
Traits: Lengians have anarchic bodies like things born of nightmare, but do share a number of traits in common.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Lengians reach full adulthood in thirty years and can live for roughly one thousand years.
Alignment. Most Lengian have a moral compass at odds with that of humanity and other people of this universe, and are often thought of as "evil" or untrustworthy.
Size. Lengians are a short people, mostly about 5 feet in height, with thin builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Cold Resistance. You have resistance to cold damage.
Unfearful. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Web Walker. You ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing and cannot be snared by magical webs.
Lengian Weapon Training. You have proficiency with flails, nets, and whips.
Languages. You speak common and , the twisted language of Leng, full of sibilant hissing and chittering sounds.[/ic]
Another sweet map.
Were the denizens of Leng described as short? I can't recall.
I'm not sure they're short in every version, but the Men of Leng seem to vary quite a bit in different sources. Mine are kind of a pastiche of various things.
Fair enough; there's definitely a lilix/Dolmen vibe (tiers, spiders, slaves, poisons, assassins, clergy on top, etc.; all of which is good imo).
Yeah they're definitely the drow/lilix equivalent, but I actually am enjoying them more in some ways due to the dream-like elements and the vaguely Tibetan vibe.
How are you liking 5e compared to PF?
Maybe the Lengians use psychoactive spider venom to help them create, alter, and interact with tulpa/thoughtforms?
I hadn't thought directly about intentional tulpa creation (though now I will!) but they do use psychoactive spider venom to put themselves into coma-like dream states that allow for extended pilgrimages to the Dreamlands, and they have powerful lucid dreamers who can bring objects back from the dreaming world.
Sweet.
Long-delayed update for Session VIII (http://bearded-devil.com/?p=1384). I kind of roll out the multiverse a bit more in this one.
We've played some more sessions that I haven't got write ups for yet (might be slightly shorter summaries). In an upcoming session one character acquires the Yellow Sign, a holy symbol of the Queen in Yellow, which is the weirdest item I've ever put in a game:
"In addition to functioning as a holy symbol, the Yellow Sign allows the character to temporarily exert control over the narrative of the game. Once per gaming session the player character may declare that they are invoking the Yellow Sign. They become the DM for the game for 13 minutes, while the DM assumes control of their character. Additionally, the character may use an Inspiration point to assume narration in a manner similar to plot points (see DMG p. 269) even in a game that does not normally use them – they can provide a new element or twist to a situation which the DM must accept as true."
I finished a gigantic map.
It's easily the biggest map I've ever made.
I'm planning on making it into a giant poster for use in the game itself.
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21034289_10102344685673121_2700457497025507208_n.jpg?oh=effe9e475e02cb09a6fc5910987e8dcd&oe=5A32A8D5)
[spoiler=Close Ups](https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20247930_10102344685807851_3585453894700577595_o.jpg?oh=ace5d44dc2a0a13321552661b4ae7ff6&oe=5A5F8385)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21122334_10102344685887691_7882824133293090046_o.jpg?oh=a37978cf70bd2484cd6d4804706528af&oe=5A2D367C)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21055210_10102344685982501_8556420687322979226_o.jpg?oh=be9c41201206d042b5241af6493a2ce9&oe=5A297A7B)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21015766_10102344686047371_7374767631077188979_o.jpg?oh=12bc7a745a06f22df23e5b73728a40a2&oe=5A5F506B)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21122375_10102344686177111_6874462000799769884_o.jpg?oh=21965a5ce1a53e4b1940094a1f5efc05&oe=5A1CCB7A)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21014119_10102344686271921_4892771688098257315_o.jpg?oh=ff71b05f3b2789ded6b247bc63b183a6&oe=5A30C22E)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/19693444_10102344686371721_1509290836186581676_o.jpg?oh=30b46ed6232c34994ff3086635219023&oe=5A1A38FA)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21055972_10102344686446571_1529441640165734485_o.jpg?oh=09719ecdced83a93b5678512a5874787&oe=5A345A2D)[/spoiler]
Wait, all of that was hand drawn? I must question your sanity. :wink:
Quote from: GhostmanI must question your sanity.
It probably wouldn't be the first time?
It took me about a year of drawing, but yeah, entirely drawn by hand, and slowly assembled. It probably took something like 200+ sheets of paper, I'm not sure how many it ended up at.
Some more details:
(https://s28.postimg.org/jc7ia9rot/Weftmart.png)
(https://s28.postimg.org/44ripwzu5/The_Warded_Ward.png)
(https://s28.postimg.org/f5mnuxs31/The_Heart_of_Enigma_Heap.png)
(https://s28.postimg.org/tdccjl4rx/Mainspring_Close_Up.png)
...and it's a poster now.
(https://s28.postimg.org/xt8ju2lbh/Hex_Poster.jpg)
W O W
Really impressive and beautiful! Also, The Seven Deadly Sins bridge is particularly very cute.
A question though, why does the city end immediately at its walls; why no slums just outside? I assume it is because the city is totalitarian and can enforce the law against people trying to build shanties.
Also, does it have old and new walls as it grew? If so, where are the ruins of the old walls and why is it not growing any more? I know you take attention to age in the structures and worlds you build (figure I just missed something since I am not too familiar with your Hex world).
Also, I probably missed it, but where does potable water come from? Priests creating water? Wells? I do not see aqueducts except one by Sawtooth Sound on the far right (possibly). Where are entrances to sewers? Really, I ask these questions because you're so great at what you do, does not matter if it does not have it or not, but wanted to ask.
And garbage and inhuman/human bodily waste? Does it all get dropped in the Radula river?
Are there crypts in the city? (Wonder what the city looks like underground :weirdo: (!))
I like the scattered statues, it reminds me of Rome- with scattered triumphs littered everywhere- each with their own historical significance and secrets.
Did you plan this city before you began drawing this, or did you just wing it, and slowly grow it outwards?
Quote from: LDA question though, why does the city end immediately at its walls; why no slums just outside? I assume it is because the city is totalitarian and can enforce the law against people trying to build shanties.
There's actually some shanties in the lower right hand corner, but I picture the city as sort like a 17th/18th-century European city in style. Looking at period maps, many such cities seem to be mostly surrounded by farmland outside the walls rather than massive shanties.
For example: Milan, (https://www.sanderusmaps.com/content/images/kaarten/site_162501-3837.jpg) Amsterdam (http://historic-cities.huji.ac.il/netherlands/amsterdam/maps/braun_hogenberg_I_20_b.jpg), Berlin (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Dusableau_Berlin_1723.jpg). Even the massive Paris (https://geography10.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/paris-1615.jpg) has a mostly agrarian hinterland.
That said, there would be laws about just building rampantly, though I don't think that makes the city totalitarian. It's a representative democracy with a parliament and an executive council with 6 years terms. Partial suffrage (casters only), so not a totally "just" city state by modern standards, but not a dictatorship either. There was a period where the whole city was ruled by a kind of mage-emperor, whose fortress, Delirium Castle, can be seen in the southeast (he retreated inside after a rebellion against him, and has not come out in centuries).
There are scattered villages and towns throughout the surrounding area.
QuoteAlso, does it have old and new walls as it grew? If so, where are the ruins of the old walls and why is it not growing any more? I know you take attention to age in the structures and worlds you build (figure I just missed something since I am not too familiar with your Hex world).
You can actually see some old walls in the district of Catch-All in the southwest, which has been converted into a quarantined district for the city's magically ill. These were more for a small walled portion of the city rather than the walls for the entire city, though. Again, looking at period maps of those old cities, not all of them seem to have a ton of old walls.
I do imagine that the main walls themselves have shifted over time. But this is a very magical city, so when they need to expand, city wizards enchant the bricks to disassemble and reassemble themselves, duplicating as necessary.
The city could certainly grow beyond its current walls in the future, just as the walled cities of Europe did, but of course the walls are useful for protection against various enemies/monsters in the countryside. This is an era of rather horrible mundane and magical warfare, as the ruins to the southwest hint at.
Presumably if we fast-forwarded a hundred years the city could look pretty different; right now the idea is that it's undergoing the beginnings of a magically-fueled version of the industrial revolution, so the population could become a big concern. Right now there's a lot of protest in the city over humanoid labour being given to reanimated workers (i.e. zombies), bounds demons, and clockwork automata being developed by the gnomes of Mainspring.
QuoteAnd garbage and inhuman/human bodily waste? Does it all get dropped in the Radula river?
Some is dumped in the river, some is transported to cesspits outside the city, lots of garbage gets put in the Midden (a scrapyard/garbage-tip), and some is used as raw material for transmuters to turn into useful material.
QuoteAlso, I probably missed it, but where does potable water come from? Priests creating water? Wells? I do not see aqueducts except one by Sawtooth Sound on the far right (possibly). Where are entrances to sewers? Really, I ask these questions because you're so great at what you do, does not matter if it does not have it or not, but wanted to ask.
Water comes from the endless magical storm in Downpour Heights, which then pipe it throughout the city. Those aqueducts are actually carrying water
away from the city to fields and farms as irrigation. The storm is magically silenced outside the district.
There are also wells here and there, and there are some waterworks in the Swelter which help supply the (mostly poorer) south side of the city with water.
I honestly didn't worry about drawing tiny manhole covers everywhere, but there would be plenty all over the place.
QuoteAre there crypts in the city?
There's a ton of crypts in the city, especially in the south under the graveyards, and in fact there's a massive megadungeon sprawling beneath it; Enigma Heap is the sort of "outer extrusion" of this megadungeon, the Old City.
Quote from: LoADid you plan this city before you began drawing this, or did you just wing it, and slowly grow it outwards?
I planned about 90% of it, writing out descriptions of all 36 districts, and I sketched out where each would be, but there was some improvisation and moving things around as I went, too.
Quote from: Steerpike
Quote from: LDA question though, why does the city end immediately at its walls; why no slums just outside? I assume it is because the city is totalitarian and can enforce the law against people trying to build shanties.
There's actually some shanties in the lower right hand corner, but I picture the city as sort like a 17th/18th-century European city in style. Looking at period maps, many such cities seem to be mostly surrounded by farmland outside the walls rather than massive shanties.
For example: Milan, (https://www.sanderusmaps.com/content/images/kaarten/site_162501-3837.jpg) Amsterdam (http://historic-cities.huji.ac.il/netherlands/amsterdam/maps/braun_hogenberg_I_20_b.jpg), Berlin (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Dusableau_Berlin_1723.jpg). Even the massive Paris (https://geography10.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/paris-1615.jpg) has a mostly agrarian hinterland.
Did not realize that! Had thought most medieval cities were like London: http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/17th-century-map-of-London.jpg (note the walls). Thank you for the maps.
QuoteThere was a period where the whole city was ruled by a kind of mage-emperor, whose fortress, Delirium Castle, can be seen in the southeast (he retreated inside after a rebellion against him, and has not come out in centuries).
Interesting.
QuoteYou can actually see some old walls in the district of Catch-All in the southwest, which has been converted into a quarantined district for the city's magically ill. These were more for a small walled portion of the city rather than the walls for the entire city, though. Again, looking at period maps of those old cities, not all of them seem to have a ton of old walls.
Was thinking of cities like Jerusalem: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yERZHhMLinI/ViozncfT9eI/AAAAAAAAUik/A7jItCAtibw/s1600/Jerusalem%2Bmap%2B1.jpg
[q]
I do imagine that the main walls themselves have shifted over time. But this is a very magical city, so when they need to expand, city wizards enchant the bricks to disassemble and reassemble themselves, duplicating as necessary.[/q]
Magic always seems to make things work out. Not criticizing, though. It's a fair solution :)
Thank you for the explanations.