Episode 11: Devil's Bride

You can watch this episode on Twitch here.

Last week I was googling Tony DiTerlizzi Lady of Pain art and look what I found:

That's Holly with one of the great D&D artists, Tony DiTerlizzi. Holly has a tattoo of the Lady of Pain! And she is holding the Planewalker's Handbook, which will cost you around $40 on ebay.

I'd like to hear about the Planescape campaigns she's been in. Was Strix her character in her home games or was Strix made specifically for this show?

Here's my dream: I want wizards to put out a Planescape adventure with every piece of art in it by Tony DiTerlizzi and maps by Mike Schley. I'd like it to be written by Chris Perkins and/or Monte Cook with Chris Avellone (I believe he did a lot of the writing in Planescape:Torment and defined a lot of great concepts like Ravel Puzzlewell and the Zerthimon stuff).

Holly is joining us from Australia today. She says it is winter there. It's 6 AM and it is raining.

Jared's not here this week. The group hit level 5 last week and they bust out some new spells in this session.

Mark Hulmes from High Rollers is here. I thought he was a great DM on the episode I saw, so this should be fun. Is Mark going to play Ezmerelda?

Chris partially lost his voice. I assume this is from his appearance at Origins over the last few days. He's got sort of a Barry White thing going on.

The Party

The Waffle Crew

(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander
(Nathan) Paultin - Human Bard 
(Holly) Strix - Tiefling Sorcerer 
(Mark) Ezmerelda - Vistani NPC

Last Time: The Abbot of the monastery here in Krezk raised Diath from the dead no strings attached. The group planned on heading to the Wizard of Wines to find out why they aren't making deliveries any more.

We're told that Diath is with the party, but he's so weak from being raised that he's useless. We talk about how the group sensed that the Abbot was using necromancy and the group was confused about how a celestial could be evil.

Paultin spots Ezmerelda on the stairs and immediately evaluates her appearance. He says out loud that she's an "8." Evelyn quickly scans her skeptically, thinking the score might be a little high.

Mark is playing Ezmerelda. Ezmerelda greets the group and she doesn't like the Abbot either. She decides to accompany them. She says she is a vistani, but doesn't associate with them any longer.

Ezmerelda looks Paultin over and says he isn't too bad. He's at least a 6 in her evaluation. Paultin is impressed with her banter.

The heroes go down into Kresk to collect their wolf hunters and their buddy Ireena. There is a wagon there, with villagers mustered around it demanding wine.

The deal here is that brigands "found" this wine cart and they are trying to get a lot of gold in exchange for the wine. Sounds like they ambushed the wine people and took their stuff.

One brigand has already been brought to the Burgomaster's wife. The heroes don't like the sound of that.

Suddenly, the group hears shouts. Brigands are dragging Ireena from the Burgomaster's house. Evelyn orders them to release her in the name of Lathander/The Morninglord.

There are a total of eight fur-clad brigands. Ezmerelda picks out the leader and tries to use the "evil eye" on him, to charm him.

The lead bad guy, Kiril Stoyanovich, tells the group they're here on behalf of Strahd. They're werewolves! Kiril transforms we have ourselves a combat.

One werewolf grabs poor, sickly Diath by the foot and starts dragging him away.

Ireena stabs a guy in the junk. Strix misty steps onto a rooftop. Ezmerelda tosses Ireena a silver sword and challenges the werewolves to come get her. She makes a charisma check for that and rolls a natural 20. For the rest of this encounter, almost all of the werewolves are focused on her.

Paultin uses dissonant whispers to get the werewolf off of Diath. Kiril battles Evelyn.

Kiril calls on Mother Night for aid, which offends Evelyn. Kiril bites her! Wow. Evelyn fails her save with a natural 1! Evelyn has contracted lycanthropy. Wow.

Strahd riding Beucephalus, his nightmare

Strix is up on a roof. She spots someone in the snow inside the village walls, casually heading toward them. It's Strahd riding on his nightmare, Beucephalus! The group freaks out. Strix yells out, "We have to leave!"

Evelyn starts uttering prayers. Ezmerelda says they need to run.

Strahd calls out to Ireena. He tells her to come to him - it's the only way to save her friends. Evelyn tells Ireena to ignore him because she should only marry for love.

Strahd tells Ezmerelda she is welcome to return to his dungeon rather than die here. Ezmerelda tells Strahd that once she find Van Richten, they'll destroy him. Strahd says that he, too, is looking for Dr. Van Richten.

Strahd beckons to Ireena again. It works. She's charmed! Ireena begins to approach him.

Strix casts one of her new spells. Fireball! She scorches six werewolves and destroys the wagon. Ezmerelda avoids the explosion. Ireena is knocked the ground by it, but is not hurt.

Evelyn beheads Kiril, leader of the werewolves. The other werewolves howl in sorrow. Evelyn howls in pleasure and gives an impromptu sermon about the Morninglord.

Mark points out that Evelyn's lycanthropy is starting to kick in.

The werewolves jump Evelyn and claw her She falls into negative hit points.

Symbol of Lathander, I think

When googling this image of Lathander, I came upon a huge page detailing Lathander's weird history. Apparently he is an aspect of an ancient god named Amaunator.

Paultin goes to get horses and come back playing a triumphant tune on his bagpipes.

Ireena gets on Strahd's horse. Strix cries and pees herself. Anna points out that now we know why Strix smells so bad.

A swarm of bats drops from the sky and attacks Strix on the roof! She clutches her cranium rat close to her, protecting little Stinky from the bats. Strix uses misty step to teleport onto one of Paultin's horses and yells for somebody to heal Evelyn.

Ezmerelda has a potion of superior healing. She uses it on Evelyn and heals her for 16. Evelyn wakes up and says that she met the Morninglord and he told her to continue her battle.

Paultin pulls Diath's weak body onto his horse.

The bad guys withdraw. Strahd tells Evelyn,"Your long nightmare is just beginning." His nightmare takes flight. Looks like Strahd is getting away with Ireena!

Strix casts hold person on Ireena, hoping that it will stiffen her body and cause her to fall off. Ha, what a crazy idea. She points out that horses are hard to stay on, especially when the horse is flying.

Strix casts the spell.. it works! Ireena falls 40 feet. Does anyone have feather fall? I guess not. Ireena plummets to the ground and lands with a sickening thud behind a building.

Strahd lets out a horrible scream.

That's where we stop. Awesome.

Timestamps

• (50:40) The villagers have mustered 
• (1:24:10) Strix spots someone in the distance.
• (2:17:24) Ireena falls off the horse

Overall

This was a really great session. It flew by. I would say that Dice, Camera, Action is really on a roll. It's too bad there's so many gaps between weeks and sessions that players have to miss, but I'm happy to watch whenever they can get a session in. I think it might be harder for them to build a huge audience when they have so many missed sessions, though.

The Dangers of Barovia: I kind of like the idea of having the heroes acquire all sorts of afflictions over the course of the campaign. They could be thoroughly tainted by the evil of the realm by the time they have their final battle with Strahd.

Mark Hulmes: Mark is a great DM and he is a great player, too. He played Ezmerelda in a really fun way, came up with all sorts of neat little maneuvers and he knows the rules really well.

I think every guest on this show has been really good. I like it when they play an NPC in the book as a character. Maybe down the road someone will get to play one of the revenants like Sir Godfrey Gwilym for a session or two.

Handling a Two Hour Session: In my Planescape campaign, we play two hour sessions. I cram a whole bunch of stuff in and rocket through it, sometimes at the expense of detail and allowing things to soak in with the players. Chris seems to go the opposite way. Each session involves one sprawling, eventful encounter with lots of twists and turns. From reading his DM Experience articles, we know that this is how he ran his 4e games as well.

While I still like the way I run my game, I am interested to try running one of these massive, epic, twisty session-long combats to see how it goes.

The Werewolves: When I read through Curse of Strahd, I thought the werewolves were out of place and that they kind of muddied the tone of the whole thing. Chris has used them tonight as flunkies of Strahd. In my head, I thought that werewolves and vampires wouldn't work together, but Chris did it here and it worked just fine. In fact, the threat of lycanthropy actually made the whole session more interesting.

We've had two sessions of planning so far. Tonight we're busting into the dwarven vault to snatch a piece of the rod of seven parts! I think this is going to be really great.

Random Thought: I think it would be really cool if they made a few animated clips showing the best parts of this adventure once the season is over.

The Party

(Jerry) Omin Dran - Half-Elf Cleric
(Mike) Jim Darkmagic - Human Wizard
(Scott) Binwin Bronzebottom - Dwarf Fighter/Barbarian
(Patrick) Viari - Human Rogue

Last Time: The group made a plan to bust into a dwarven fortress and steal a piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. Part of the reason for doing this is to thwart Omin's sister Auspicia, who leads a rival organization known as Dran Enterprises. 

We start off with a bit more planning. Remember, Omin and Viari are pretending to be storing a "treasure" in the vault. That "treasure" is a box containing Jim and Binwin.

We get a look at the map with a room highlighted. Man, the people who make this show are really on the ball.

They look at where Auspicia is on the map. The players talk about blowing up a wall and using a silence spell to cover it up. Or using a stone shape spell.

Binwin and Jim are sick of planning. Me too. Let's do this thing!

Patrick and Jerry plan for a few minutes longer. I think they could do this for four hours. 

Jim and Binwin are in the box that Omin and Viari are putting in the vault. There is a code word that, if spoken, will alert Binwin and Jim to spring out of the box and attack.

The code word: "Whippoorwill."

Jim and Binwin are in the box, farting.

We cut to the group approaching the entrance to Horn Enclave. They see a dwarf in a kilt holding bagpipes.

The owlbear may or may not be pulling their cart. The owlbear makes a weird noise. I never thought about it. What noises do owlbears make?

They should probably just make Patrick Rothfuss the official fourth member of the group, right?

Omin is disguised as Auspicia. Binwin and Jim are in the box. Viari introduces the lady to the kilt-wearing bagpipe tooter.

The ruse works. The dwarf plays a tune. Chris goes out of his way to tell them the name of the song ("Stone Roses"). Maybe Binwin will need to play it later.

After two minutes, the gates open.

In the box, Binwin knows the bagpipe song and sings some of it to Jim:

"Father's Beard
Don't make this weird
I give you a stone rose"

Jim tells him to shut up.

Stone golems pull the doors open. In the hall, the floor is weird. There are all these stone tiles that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Dwarves are in the process of putting it together.

They are approached by a dwarf majordomo-type. Viari tells them he's in a hurry. He gives them a barrel of fine dwarven brandy.

Viari kind of likes the look of this dwarf lady and puts on the charm. He also tries to spot a secret door that was on the map, but he can't find the seams.

Mike and Scott repeatedly joke about saying 'Whippoorwill' and bursting out of the box. 

The group is brought to a dwarf named Ironbeard. He's oiling down a giant clockwork death machine. Chris puts a mini on the table. I believe it is a slaughterstone eviscerator.

Viari pulls the majordomo woman aside and flirts with her. She says this automaton was just delivered. She says it will transform their defensive strategy. It's a giant automaton with a lot of blades. Ironbeard is tinkering with it.

Ironbeard gets a look at Omin in disguise and thanks to some good rolls, Omin is able to pass himself off as his sister.

There's a drunk half-elf, Carrington Sway. He's an ally of the real Auspicia. He has a key the group needs. He leers at disguised Omin and starts to sort of hit on "Auspicia" Omin immediately backhands him.

Ironbeard leads them to the vault. Ironbeard and Carrington each need to use a key at the same time to open the vault. Carrington can't find his key. Viari searches him. The key isn't on him.

The group asks to be brought to their room so they can sort Carrington out. Ironbeard turns to a dwarven flunky and says, "Whippoorwill, take them to their rooms."

Code word uttered!

That's where we stop.

Timestamps

• (10:55) Owlbear noises
• (22:44) Is it just the two of you?

Overall

It was a decent show, nothing earth-shattering. I guess when you break up one session into a bunch of half hour chunks, there's no way for them all to be epic.

Youtubers Want Longer Episodes: I looked at the youtube comments and everyone is demanding for the show to be longer. Personally I like the length. Maybe I'm in the minority. I guess if this was the only D&D show I watched, I would want this to be longer.

The point of this article is to define what it is that a 5th edition Arcana check can do, and then to lay out certain "utility" type spells by group.

I want to make a simple reference for non-combat spells that bad guys or allies of the characters might use. I can never remember anything about scrying, and it seems like it should be the number one tool in the classic villain's arsenal.

First I'm going to talk about the Arcana skill. Then I will list spells by group and detail them:

• Detection
• Gathering Information
• Magical Communication
• Scrying
• Scrying Protection
• Traveling  

Arcana Has Changed: In 4th edition, the Arcana skill did a lot. It was this sort of catch-all for utility magic. You could use Arcana for things like sensing auras, identifying spells/rituals/zones, learning what a magic item does, "sense the presence of magic" - you name it.

The more that I played 4e, the more broad and abstract the Arcana skill got. By the end, I had it deeply ingrained in me that the Arcana skill could do almost anything that the adventure required.

This has been a problem for me in 5th edition. If you use Arcana in a 4e way, you are making a lot of 5e spells useless. It's almost like you are punishing your players for taking non-combat spells.

Bad Guys Use These Spells: As a DM, I tend to handwave how bad guys do or know certain things. I'm too lazy to dig through the book to figure out what spell can duplicate the effect I want to use. I just make something up.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm doing my players a disservice. The spells have limitations that the heroes could exploit and they will often present some weird wrinkle that makes fun, unexpected things happen.

Additionally, the more you use the spells, the more you can communicate the feeling that D&D has this whole complex magical interplay going on. I think that making non-combat spells useful in your campaign can add a lot of dimension and intrigue. 

5th Edition Arcana: Let's check out the exact wording of the Arcana skill:

(PH page 177) "Arcana. Your Intelligence (Arcana) check measures your ability to recall lore about spells, magic items, eldritch symbols, magical traditions, the planes of existence, and the inhabitants of those planes."

That's it! Just lore. No "sensing," no detection, no magical manipulation of any kind.

Utility Spells: Now let's look at some of the "utility" spells of D&D 5th edition. Keep in mind I probably missed some spells, particularly in the scrying defense section. In my descriptions, I just lay out the basic idea of each spell. You should refer to the Player's Handbook or the online rules for exact wording and details.

Using this, I think you can get a sense of how NPC spellcasters get things done in your campaign world.

Detection

Level 1

(PH page 231) Detect Evil and Good: You know if certain creature types or objects are within 30 feet. This spell doesn't actually tell you the alignment of a creature.

(PH page 231) Detect Magic: You can detect the presence of magic within 30 feet and the school of magic it belongs to.

(PH page 231) Detect Poison and Disease: You can sense/identify poisons and diseases within 30 feet.

(PH page 252) Identify: Touch one object. If it is a magic item, you learn what it can do and how to use it. You can use this on a creature to learn what spells are affecting it.

Level 2

(PH page 231) Detect Thoughts: You can detect thinking creatures within 30 feet and/or learn surface thoughts. Probing deeper means the target gets a WIS save. It knows you are probing.

(PH page 241) Find Traps: You can sense any trap within line of sight and 120 feet. You don't know the location of the trap, you just know that there's a trap nearby.

Gaining Information


Level 2

(PH page 215) Augury: You can find out information on how an action you are about to take within 30 minutes will go. Possible answers: Weal (good), Woe (bad), Weal and woe, or nothing.

Level 4

(PH page 234) Divination: You ask a deity one question about something happening within a week. The god responds with a short phrase/cryptic rhyme/omen.

Level 5

(PH page 224) Commune: You ask your deity (!) three questions that can be answered with a yes or no.

(PH page 224) Commune with Nature: You become one with nature and you can learn 3 facts about the land within 3 miles of you.

(PH page 227) Contact Other Plane: You can ask 5 questions and get one-word answers. You might take psychic damage.

(PH page 254) Legend Lore: You can learn the lore of a person/place/object. The target of the spell must be of "legendary importance."

Magical Communication

Cantrips

(PH page 259) Message: You whisper a message to a target creature within 120 feet. That creature can hear it and reply.

Level 1

(PH page 212) Animal Messenger: A little creature like a bat or a squirrel delivers a twenty-five word message to someone up to 50 miles away.

(PH page 252) Illusory Script: The message you write is unreadable except to those you designate. Lasts 10 days.

Level 2

(Elemental Evil Player's Companion page 22) Skywrite: Up to ten words appear in the sky. The words remain for up to one hour.

Level 3

(PH page 274) Sending: You send a message of 25 words or less to a creature you're familiar with. The creature can answer. This spell has no limit on distance. You can even communicate with those on another plane.

Level 5

(PH page 237) Dream: You can enter the dreams of someone on the same plane and communicate with them in their dreams. You can even shape the dream.

(PH page 270) Rary's Telepathic Bond: You link with up to 8 creatures for one hour and can communicate telepathically. Must be on the same plane.

Level 8

(PH page 281) Telepathy: You create a telepathic link with one creature you are familiar with on the same plane. You can communicate telepathically for 24 hours.

Scrying

Level 2

(PH page 217) Beast Sense: You can see and hear through a willing beast.

Level 3

(PH page 222) Clairvoyance: You create an invisible sensor within a mile. You can either see or hear through it.

Level 4

(PH page 214) Arcane Eye: You can summon an invisible eye that you can see through (not hear) and move around. Lasts an hour.

Level 5

(PH page 273) Scrying: You can see and hear a creature on the same plane for up to 10 minutes. You observe them through an invisible sensor that moves with them. The target gets a saving throw

Level 7

(PH page 270) Project Image: You create an illusory copy of yourself that appears within 500 miles. You can see, hear and talk through it.

Scrying Defense/Protection


Level 3

(PH page 263) Nondetection: You hide a creature or object for 8 hours. It can't be seen through scrying sensors or targeted by divination magic.

(PH page 263) Nystul's Magic Aura: You place an illusion on a creature or object that lasts 24 hours. Divination spells reveal false information about it.

Level 7

(PH 274) Sequester: The target is invisible, can't be targeted by divination spells, can't be seen by scrying sensors. The creature falls into suspended animation and doesn't age. This can last for hundreds of years - you set the conditions to awaken them.

Traveling


A lot of spells let you travel up to 500 feet. I am focusing on long distance travel spells.

Level 1

(PH page 256) Longstrider: The speed of one creature is increased by ten for one hour.

Level 2

(PH page 240) Find Steed: You summon a spirit that becomes your permanent mount. You have a telepathic bond with it.

Level 3

(PH page 243) Fly: One creature can fly for ten minutes

(PH page 265) Phantom Steed: You summon a quasi-real horse-thing that has a speed of 100 feet. Lasts one hour.

Level 5

(PH page 282) Teleportation Circle: You make a circle that links to a permanent teleportation circle on the same plane that you know the sigil sequence to. Creating a permanent teleportation circle takes one year.

Level 7

(PH page 238) Etherealness: You can travel through the ethereal for up to 8 hours. 

(PH page 266) Plane Shift: You and eight creatures hold hands and travel to another plane or a teleportation circle on another plane.

(PH page 281) Teleport: You and up to eight creatures teleport to a location on the plane you are on. If you aren't familiar with the destination, there's a chart to roll on. Bad things can happen.

Level 9

(PH page 244) Gate: You can make a portal to another plane. Lasts up to a minute.

Spells in Your Campaign
If you are running a campaign where spellcasters aren't super-rare, that means that your group is likely to deal with certain lower level spells.

For example, a druid might contact the heroes by having a squirrel deliver a message through an animal messenger spell. Heroes going before the King might find that one of the court wizards is using detect thoughts to probe their mind. Sooner or later the group will probably meet a mystic that can cast clairvoyance once per day.

I really like the idea of running a campaign where NPCs cast every spell in the Player's Handbook by the time it is over. I doubt I could do it, but trying might lead to fun things. 

I also like the idea of the bad guy using a dream spell to confront a hero and give them one final warning.

Hopefully this will save some of you a bit of time and effort.

This awesome image of the Lady of Pain is by Paolo Giandoso, a concept artist who has done work for a number of Marvel movies.

The plan for tonight's session was to let the group return to their home in the city of Sigil and go through a few mini-scenarios. Then, I was going to let them cut loose and try to expand their festhall business or whatever else they wanted to do.

But what ended up happening is that they took me completely by surprise and left me scrambling. If I hadn't read though Faction War, an adventure I am planning on running about 15 sessions from now, I think I might have been in big trouble.

The Politics of Sigil: When I was preparing for this session, I had a hard time figuring out how the Sigil government worked. Google kept telling me about the "Sigil Advisory Council." I eventually realized that the Advisory Council doesn't exist until after the events of Faction War.

For now, the ruling body of Sigil is a council made up of the factols (leaders) of each faction. They vote on most things, though certain factions have specific political powers.

The factol of the Sensates has the most power, because other allied factions vote with her. Her biggest political rival is Duke Rowan Darkwood, factol of The Fated.

The Party

(Jessie) Bidam - Platinum-Scaled Dragonborn Fighter
(George) Theran - Half-Dabus/Half-Elf Wizard
* NPCs - Fall From Grace (Succubus Paladin), Selinza ("Litorian" Wizard, level 7)

Each character has powers linked to the Lady of Pain

• Theran can create buildings in Sigil and he can banish people to extra-dimensional mazes.
• Bidam can look at people and cause cuts to appear on their body.

When they use one of these powers, they gain level four exhaustion. The only way to remove the exhaustion is to spend days pursuing their beliefs (belief is a big deal in Planescape).

The Summons

The Hall of Speakers

The group returned from their big adventure in the Argent Palace. They passed out in their rooms. Fall From Grace had been turned into a man by a trapped archway. She went to a temple and had greater restoration cast on her, turning her back to normal.

The next day, the heroes got their freed slaves situated. They saw that the unicorns they rescued were under the care of Prince Buttongleam, the unicorn man who lives by the unicorn code. He told the heroes that "unicorns always lend a helping hand!"

A message was delivered to Theran disguised with an illusory script spell. It was a summons. He was told to attend a hearing at the Hall of Speakers. Failure to appear could lead to imprisonment and seizure of property.

My idea here was that the Council of Speakers had heard about Theran's ability to create buildings and they are worried that he might have the power to warp Sigil or destroy the city's economy. At the very least, this power needs to be regulated. At worst, he might need to be banished from the city.

The group went to the Hall of Speakers and Theran had to sign a bunch of consent forms. A Harmonium mage cast Detect Magic, Detect Thoughts and Know Faction on him. They had to make sure he wasn't dangerous and that he wasn't going to try something when he went before the council.

All of the group's weapons were in a bag of holding held by their NPC buddy Selinza. She had to wait outside the building.

The Hearing

Factol Nilesia of the Mercykillers

The group was ushered into the main hall. The council was flipping out about new punishment rules that the Mercykillers enacted. From this day forward, when someone was found guilty of a crime, there were only three punishment options:

1. 10 years in prison.
2. 10 years hard labor in the lower planes.
3. Death.

This is stuff right out of Faction War. I figured I'd put it in place now just to sort of set the stage for that adventure. I did not realize that this would completely turn the session upside down.

Then Theran went before the council. I described some of the Factols to the players, as some of them are important for Faction War and I wanted to start getting the group familiar with them.

• (Sensates) Erin Montgomery Darkflame: Fall From Grace, a Factor, was sitting with her
• (Fated) Duke Rowan Darkwood: Old guy with a white mustache.
• (Harmonium) Factol Sarin: A lawful good paladin.
• (Bleak Cabal) Factol Lahr: An unhinged, depressed half-orc.
• (Mercykillers) Factol Nilesia: A 19 year old woman who was giddy with having established the new punishment laws.
• (Fraternity of Order) Factol Hashkar: An old dwarf sage who is really into rules and laws.

Theran went before the speaker. He was informed of why he was there. He was asked a number of questions and wow George did not react at all like I thought he would.

Theran's Laws

Factol Hashkar of the Fraternity of Order

Factol Hashkar unfurled a 10 foot long scroll. It was proposed legislation known as "Theran's Laws."

1. Theran had to apply for approval to create or repair a building.
2. Theran cannot create a building/make repairs without approval of the Fraternity of Order.
3. Theran needed to have a Fraternity of Order representative monitor the building process.

Duke Rowan wanted to tack on a provision that his faction get a new building, and the council erupted into chaos as others condemned his greed and/or demanded a building of their own.

Violation of these laws meant a minimum of 10 years in prison. Factol Nilesia pointed out, "Or maybe even death!" Punishments were partly her decision, and she was clearly pretty nuts.

The Council asked Theran a series of questions:

• How did you get these powers? He refused to answer. The council got upset and warned him. He still refused.
• Do you have the power to create portals? Theran said he didn't think so.
• Are these powers the result of a spell you learned, or some sort of innate ability? Again, he refused to answer. Someone murmured "unacceptable!" Factol Nilesia gleefully warned him he may have to go to prison for contempt.

Fall From Grace stood up and used her awesome charisma to give a big speech, pointing out that Theran saved the multiverse from Orcus, saved the city of Heart's Faith from the rogue modron march and he stopped fell the fallen dabus from using the Staff of Aoskar from creating portals to wreak havoc in the city.

Before the council voted on Theran's Laws, they asked him if he had anything to say.

He said, "Go ahead and take me to prison."

I did not expect that! He was doing this in protest. I asked him a few questions to make sure I understood and he wasn't confused about something. He wasn't!

The council and onlookers watched, in shock, as he was cuffed by Harmonium guards. Factol Nilesia gleefully called out "ten years in prison!"

The vote was cast. Theran's Laws were put in place.

Theran Gets Arrested

The Gatehouse of the Bleak Cabal

So then I was scrambling. Thankfully, I'd read some of Faction War and knew there was this major NPC named Gifad. He'd been in the Gatehouse for 500 years, and he made prophetic remarks that were incredibly accurate.

I had the Harmonium take Theran to the Gatehouse (an insane asylum run by the Bleak Cabal) to make sure he wasn't crazy. He'd be there for a few days for a psychiatric evaluation and then he'd be sent to the prison (run by the Mercykillers).

Suddenly, the group was split. Most of the rest of the session involved me jumping from one character to the other.

The Mysterious Gifad

Theran was put right in a cell right next to Gifad, just so I could have them interact. I had actually been quietly debating whether I should let the group meet Gifad for weeks.

By introducing the characters to him, I am taking the risk that the group will do something to Gifad and completely ruin the written plot for Faction War. But I decided that no matter what they do, I can modify Faction War and probably salvage most of it.

Over the course of a few days, Theran talked to Gifad and he tore right through my clues and hints. He realized that Gifad was a time traveler. "Oh crap," I thought. George was in rare form tonight.

Theran spent his days reading and recovering from his exhaustion.

Bidam was back in Deadbook Square going through all of the material that I cooked up.

The Sensates gave Bidam an apartment in the Civic Festhall. This is right out of Planescape: Torment.

Bidam was also asked to teach a class in swordplay. This would help Bidam rise in the ranks and perhaps one day became a Factor like Fall From Grace had done.

I had prepared some goofy NPC students, including a sort of 'internet fan' of Bidam's sensory stones. His name was Mulky.

To recover from exhaustion, Bidam needed to live by his beliefs for four days. That means he had to seduce a number of ladies:

• A shy woman in a sauna.
• His dragonborn maid.
• An editor for the Sigil Scroll.
• One of his students in his swordplay class.

Bidam bought a floating, rotating bed and put his puma skin on it. The group killed and skinned a spell-casting puma way back during the Great Modron March.

Theran Escapes

Harmonium Soldier

After 4 days or so, the observation period had ended. The Harmonium came to get Theran. They had to march him to the Prison to begin his sentence.

If you remember, Theran has two forms that he can shift between. He normally appears as a half-elf/half-dabus (blue skin, white hair, horns). He can also shift into full dabus form. He can hover in either form.

As a dabus, he can see all of these secret dabus portals through the city. Nobody else can see or use them. They lead to the dabus warrens in Undersigil.

So Theran shifted into dabus form and made an intimidate roll in an attempt to shock the Harmonium into letting go of him. He rolled high! They gasped and released him. Theran was able to hover/speed his way to a dabus portal. From the perspective of the Harmonium, he just flew into a wall and vanished.

In the dabus warrens, the dabus known as "Ffazablur" used the magic sword of the same name to slice Theran's cuffs off.

Theran was free, but he was a fugitive! Again, I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next, which is a pretty fun feeling in D&D.

He ditched his asylum garb and put on dabus robes. Now he looked exactly like every other dabus in Sigil. Pretty good disguise, at least for the moment.

To his dismay, he realized that his robe of eyes, amulet of flowing flame and his special spellbook all had been confiscated by the Harmonium.

Theran reunited with Bidam in Deadbook Square and mulled over their options. They wanted to steal his stuff back, but they didn't know what to do to clear his name. They felt the best option was to "remove" Factol Nilesia from the Doomguard with extreme prejudice.

Nilesia is a huge part of Faction War. Huge!

Greatest Thief in Sigil

Ash Vodiran's Hideout

We shifted gears a bit. The cranium rat allies told the heroes that they'd been spying on their enemy, Ash Vodiran - The Greatest Thief in Sigil. The group used cranium rat charms to link up to the cranium rat hive mind. They saw a sort of video montage of what the rats observed:

• Selinza (Theran's apprentice) was asking a merchant about Raja Khan, her mortal foe who lurked somewhere in the city.
• Ash tried to hit on her.
• He was rejected thoroughly and threatened.
• Ash left, met some other lady and brought her back to his place.
• His place was accessed by a special portal. The portal key: A bone. The portal led to a circular room that had shelves lined with skulls.
• This is Lothar's lair from Planescape: Torment. Four of the skulls on the shelves can talk.
• The group watched as Ash badmouthed them. Ash wanted to get revenge on the group, but in a way that would make Selinza like him.

I wanted to give the group Ash on a silver platter. Now they knew where he lived, how to get in there, and what his plans were. In Azzagrat, I had a merchant sell them ghost-grinding dust, which would nullify Ash's ability to become insubstantial.

The group disconnected from the hive mind. Ash sent Selinza a note via Kylie, the tout. Ash wanted to meet her at a bar. He said he could help her find and defeat Raja Khan!

I thought this would lead to a fun thing where the group could plan out how to jump Ash in the bar. I had a "twist" in that battle ready, too.

But guess what? The group decided to ignore the note! They had bigger fish to fry.

That's where we had to stop.

Now that I have had some time to think, I have a lot of exciting ideas for next session. The group is going to have to find a way to clear Theran's name. He'll have the support of the Sensates, the Mercykillers, and the Revolutionary League.

But the Mercykillers will be scouring the city looking for him. People saw him turn into a dabus. That means that the Mercykillers will be harassing the dabuses - which could lead to all sorts of fun things.

They'll also be harassing the Free League, Theran's faction.

This was a fun session. I wasn't as sharp as I would have liked. George really threw me for a loop. But I'm really happy that the players did what they wanted to do instead of "following the script."

I'm so glad I read and prepared a portion of Faction War. It really saved my butt tonight.

This guide attempts to collect all of the official information on Iggwilv from various D&D sources. Hopefully this will be a useful resource for DMs who want to use this iconic NPC in their games.

Stats: This article is my half of a team up with Tim Brannan of The Other Side. He has created Iggwilv stats for his home campaign here. Special thanks to Tim for wading through my incoherent rough drafts!

I am sure I missed some information and made some mistakes in this. Feel free to contact me with corrections or insight and I'll edit this guide.

Long History: The beautiful thing about Iggwilv is that many different D&D authors contributed to her history, but every single one of them took the time and care to read up on her history and kept her portrayal consistent. There's a hiccup here and there, but nothing too major.

First, I collected all of the lore right at the top here to give you a somewhat brief look at the essential information. Then I will go product-by product and see what information we can glean.

Major NPC: Iggwilv has many titles: Beloved and hated of Graz'zt, Matriarch of Diabolists, Mother of Iuz, Daughter of Baba Yaga, Apprentice of Zagig, the Witch-Queen of Perrenland and author of the Demonomicon.

She is an iconic D&D villain who has appeared in every edition of D&D. That said, she's never really had a major adventure that actually involved her directly.

Ychbilch: I have seen a number of sites talk about how Iggwilv sometimes goes by the name "Ychbilch," but I can't find an official source on that. Maybe I just missed it. If you know, let me know!

The History of Iggwilv

Natasha the Dark: Her birth name was Natasha. When she was a baby, her parents gave her to the legendary hag Baba Yaga. Natasha grew up in The Dancing Hut. When she was 10, Baba Yaga taught her how to summon demons. Natasha despised her adopted sister, Elena the Fair.

Hura of Greyhawk: She eventually left the hut and lived on the world of Greyhawk, "looting sealed vaults of arcane treasure meant to be kept from ill-intentioned mortals." She took the name "Hura," and lived in a tower near the City of Lopolla, conducting vile experiments. She broke into the Vault of Daoud and stole the Daoud's Wondrous Lathorn and was chased out of the region by the enraged populace.

Tasha of the Company of Seven: She changed her name to Tasha and moved to the City of Greyhawk. Tasha wrote a magic tome called "Lore of Subtle Communication" and invented the spell Tasha's Hideous Laughter, among others.

Tasha joined The Company of Seven. The roster was full of famous names: Keoghtom, Murlynd, Tasha, Zagig, Heward, Quaal and Nolzur. She became Zagig's apprentice and lover. Tasha and the company battled the mirror masters of Pesh. They summoned doubles of the group to fight them. Tasha's double, Ahsat, was of a good alignment. The group imprisoned the doubles in magic stained glass windows deep in Castle Greyhawk.

Tasha in Castle Greyhawk: She obtained the Ichor Lance from demons for Zagig. Together, they summoned Fraz'Urb'luu. They used the Ichor Lance to wound him and they bound him to Castle Greyhawk. Tasha extracted as much demonic and arcane knowledge from Fraz'Urb'luu as she could. Tasha helped Zagig build the god trap at the bottom of Castle Greyhawk.

One night, she stole everything she could from Zagig's library, including the Tome of Zyx, and left. Zagig's Tome of Zyx would be modified and soon became known as the first Demonomicon of Iggwilv.

Graz'zt and Iggwilv: Tasha took the name "Iggwilv" and fled to the Yatil Mountains. She took control of Tsojcanth, a mage and son of Fraz'Urb'Luu. She summoned and bound Graz'zt, the demon lord. Using the Tome of Zyx as a base, Iggwilv extracted information about demons, spells and truenames out of Graz'zt. She took this information and wrote the first Demonomicon.

They had a son, Iuz. Iggwilv, Zuggtmoy, Graz'zt and Lolth all are said to have had a part in making Iuz a demigod.

Iggwilv Terrorizes Perrenland: Iggwilv also had a daughter, a vampire named Drelzna. The father is unknown. I get a kick out of the idea that the father is Zagig, but that has never been alluded to in official products.

Iggwilv moved into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. She also traveled to the moon, Luna, and built a base/laboratory there. She raised an army and ruled Perrenland for ten years. She accidentally freed Graz'zt and they had a great battle. Neither wanted to kill the other.

Iggwilv actually won the battle. Graz'zt fled.  Iggwilv was wounded badly. Her servants fled and the people of Perrenland revolted. Iggwilv had to flee. Tsojcanth was bound in a hidden chamber. Iggwilv's daughter Drelzna was left behind to guard the Lost Caverns. Drelzna was eventually slain in The Lost Caverns adventure. One later article mentions that Iggwilv might be obsessed with somehow resurrecting her daughter.

Iggwilv and Tuerny: For a time, Iggwilv aided her son Iuz in building an empire on the world of Oerth. She tried to bind Graz'zt again, but he was ready for her this time. He ended up capturing her and bringing her to his realm. She claims to have been his prisoner, but she sat on a throne alongside him and together they made many babies. The pregnancies were unnaturally swift.

Their dysfunctional relationship began to fall apart when Graz'zt used Iggwilv to seduce his enemies, and she used those enemies to make Graz'zt jealous.

The nalfeshnee Tuerny was an enemy of Graz'zt. He freed Iggwilv from her "imprisonment." Tuerny and Iggwilv tried to build an army and invade Oerth, but Tenser and other heroes thwarted her in Return of the Eight. Tenser thwarted her attempt to steal the Crook of Rao in the Isle of the Ape adventure.

At some point during or closely after this time, Graz'zt gave Iggwilv a gift. It was Fiend's Embrace, a cloak made from the skin of a pit fiend named Drokkarn. Iggwilv eventually gave the cloak to one of her many mortal suitors, in an attempt to enrage Graz'zt.

Iggwilv vs. Demogorgon: During the Savage Tide wherein Demogorgon's agents were using shadow pearls to transform the world into pieces of his realm, Iggwilv actually aided heroes in thwarting his scheme. She advised them on how to make an alliance with Orcus, Malcanthet and the Court of Stars. She ended up with the Iron Flask of Tuerny. In it is a portion of Demogorgon's essence. Apparently she can use it to spy on other demon lords.

False Iggwilv: A wizard named Vayne created a simulacrum of Iggwilv. The simulacrum became free when Vayne died. She desperately wanted to have a soul and be a real, living being. She used the god trap in Castle Greyhawk to imprison gods, including Iuz in the hopes of using the device to give herself a soul. Presumably she was thwarted by the heroes in Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk.

Iggwilv and the Library of Whispers: Iggwilv helped a band of heroes rescue an angel that was trapped in Graz'zt's palace. The angel had visited Graz'zt's Library of Whispers and became trapped there due to the weird magic of the place.

Iggwilv's Homes

Iggwilv has many different lairs and she probably travels between them. Here are the ones I've found from various products:

• The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (The classic AD&D adventure of the same name)
• The Horn of Iggwilv (Dungeon #151 - near/connected to the Lost Caverns)
• A building on Luna, a moon of Greyhawk (Return of the Eight)
• A tower in the Argent Palace that Graz'zt has no key for (Dungeon #212 - Court of the Dark Prince)
• A mansion on the shore of the River Styx in the Grey Wastes (Dungeon # 149 - Enemies of my Enemy)
• A mansion in her own demiplane (Dungeon 212 - Court of the Dark Prince)
• A laboratory deep in Castle Greyhawk. (Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk page 185)

Prison of Zagig

Iggwilv's Servants

Iggwilv has a lot of servants and pets in various adventures. The very first creature she ever summoned was a quasit in Baba Yaga's hut. She seems to have a fondness for small, impish demon "pets." You can pick through this list and use what you like for your Iggwilv:

• Slistif: A quasit, invulnerable when Iggwilv is in the same plane. It's never said, but I like the idea that this is the quasit she summoned when she was ten (Dungeon 212 - Court of the Dark Prince).
• A black clay homunculus carved to look like Iggwilv. It can't speak and it has a telepathic bond with Iggwilv (Dungeon 151 - Iggwilv's Legacy)
• Black Comet: Quasit (Dungeon 149 - Enemies of my Enemy)
• Ghavish: An incubus (Dungeon 149 - Enemies of my Enemy)
• Tsatchti: Lillitu (Mentioned in Iggwilv's stat block in Dungeon #149. You might want to use Livashti from Expedition to the Greyhawk Ruins as a model)
• Landerbold: Arcanaloth, Iggwilv's "appointments minister" (Dungeon 149 - Enemies of my Enemy)
• Sembra, Sovashi and Ridder: Jerk arcanaloths who try to kill Iggwilv's visitors (Dungeon 149 - Enemies of my Enemy)
• 2 stygian linnorms: Iggwilv's "guard dogs," they can swim in the River Styx (Dungeon 149 - Enemies of my Enemy)
• Retriever: Described as Iggwilv's pet, lurks in Iggwilv's Horn (Iggwlv's Legacy)
• Lab Assistants: Two manes and two dretches (Dragon 83 - Dancing Hut)
• Tul-oc-Luc: Arcanaloth (Isle of the Ape)

Iggwilv's Items:

This is a list of some of the major items Iggwilv has had in her possession at some point in her life:

• Iron Flask of Tuerny: Currently contains a portion of Demogorgon's essence (Dungeon 149 pg 69).
• Fiend's Embrace: An evil artifact cloak made from the skin of a pit fiend named Drokkarn.
• A magic tattoo that links her to a Lillitu named Tsatchti.
• A magic chessboard whose pieces shift to represent enemies and allies. 
• Her stat block in Dungeon #149 lists a ton of items, including: A Belt of Battle, Boots of Swiftness, Cloak of the Witch Queen, Robe of the Abyss and a Ring of Epic Wizardry.
• Six volumes of the Demonomicon: One was found in Krestible, another is the Tome of Zyx with material added. Each has extensive notes on demons and demon lords. Every tome has the power to bind creatures in its pages. All have many spells, including many demon-binding spells.
• Lore of Subtle Communication: A magic tome she wrote as Tasha that contains some unique spells.
• Prison of Zagig: There are five of these in existence. They can suck in and trap a creature. Each requires special command words that only Zagig and Iggwilv know. The command words can be found in various tomes, including at least one Demonomicon.
• Iggwilv's Nethertome: Loaded with spells.
• Daoud's Wondrous Lantern: An artifact that is powered by crushed gems. Different types of gems give it the ability to cast different spells, including haste, flame strike, slow, and prismatic spray.
• Crook of Rao: It can banish demons and devils back to their home planes for 100 years.
• The Ichor Lance: A mysterious artifact that was used to weaken the demon lord Fraz-Urb'Luu. The demon lord sundered it. It is not clear if the lance can be repaired.

Now let's get into the meaty details. We start with a classic adventure

AD&D 1st Edition

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth

Drelzna's lair, as depicted by Jason

I am using art from the massive Lost Caverns walkthrough map made by Jason Thompson. In my opinion, his maps are a fantastic way to understand an entire adventure in just a glance.

This is a classic adventure created by Gary Gygax set in Greyhawk. We learn that the "...Arch-mage Iggwilv sent her evil minions to conquer..." the Marches of Perrenland. We also learn that Iggwilv has "insatiable demands for treasure."

Iggwilv lived in the Lost Caverns of Tsojacanth and conducted experiments to try to increase her power. She imprisoned "the demon Graz'zt" and then accidentally released him. They fought, and Graz'zt had to flee to the Abyss. Iggwilv was greatly wounded and "her powers and strength were forever lost."

As her power waned, her servants robbed her and fled. Iggwilv stashed the rest of her treasure deep in the caverns. This hoard includes several tomes of great power and Daoud's Wondrous Lantern.

"That Iggwilv is long dead and gone cannot be doubted."

Drelzna: It turns out that the main "treasure" in the caverns is Drelzna, Iggwilv's daughter. She is a sleeping "warrior-maid." She wears golden armor and "..her raven-hued tresses are lustrous." She's a vampire! Once a door is opened a certain amount of times, she snaps out of her coma and it is time to rumble.

Drelzna has a chaotic evil sword that has one purpose: kill lawful good clerics. It paralyzes them for 1-4 rounds when it hits them.! It also has a pile of spell powers, including fly.

She's guarding tons and tons of treasure.  Most of it is weird loot such as 6 folding screens worth 1,000 gold each. There are a few special treasures:

The Prison of Zagig: It's a small brass birdcage. Spellcasters can speak a command word and imprison a creature within the cage. You must know the "personal name" (truename) of the creature to capture it. The creature is reduced to three inches in height and trapped inside the cage. In this adventure, this particular prison contains a xeg-yi.

The Demonomicon of Iggwilv: It's bound and sealed. If the seal is broken, a xeg-ya appears. I have a whole guide to the Demonomicon here.

There's an amusing note about not going easy on your players at the end:

"Poor play does not merit special consideration. Players will not improve if the DM pampers them rather than challenges them. If your players perform badly, do not allow their characters to increase in experience level. Be most judicious in how you handle awards to player characters. Allowing foolish and ignorant players to advance their characters to high level reflects badly upon the game and even moreso on the Dungeon Master who allowed such a travesty occur."

Pregens. The pre-generated characters have wacky Gygax names like Cathartic, Ethelrede, Flemin and Hockerbrecht. Wow. Ethelrede has a quote in the 5e Monster Manual! I am starting to think every single NPC who has a quote in the 5e Monster Manual is from some official D&D product.

Graz'zt: Graz'zt is actually detailed in this book.

"At a crucial moment in a battle against harpies, troglodytes and bar-lgura, Graz'zt was magically taken to the Prime Material Plane and placed in bondage by Iggwilv, a mighty arch-mage. He battled free at the cost of being confined to his own plane for a century."

Deities and Demigods


Louhi: Supposedly Iggwilv is based on a real life deity named Louhi, who is detailed in this book. Louhi is the "old crone of Pohjola." She seems to be the villain of the finnish epic called "the Kalevala."

She can summon four invisible fighters to defend her. She has great skill in making poison and sleep potions which she uses on guests.

That's it! Not a lot of info. I didn't realize that so many Finnish gods were planted in D&D lore, including Forgotten Realms deities like Loviatar and Mielikki.

Dragon Magazine #67

Iuz, demigod and son of Iggwilv

This issue has a few Iggwilv-related things. It lists the gods of Greyhawk, with awesome art by Jim Holloway. This article includes Iuz the Old.

In future products we learn that Iuz is the son of Iggwilv and Graz'zt. Here, it says: "Whether Iuz is a human who has become demon-like through the centuries or whether he is a semi-demon (as some suggest, a by-blow of Orcus), no mortal knows."

Iuz rules a section of Oerth (the World of Greyhawk). He has a demon form - a seven foot tall hefty fellow with red skin and long, steely fingers.

He apparently is dating Zuggtmoy! Wow. He has a "soul object" on her plane. I guess that's like a demon amulet. If he's slain, he reappears next to the soul object.

This issue also contains Tasha's Hideous laughter, a spell that is still around in 5th edition.

Bottle City

From what I remember, in real life a little girl wrote to Gary Gygax and suggested the spell. He put it in the game. Somewhere down the line, it was revealed that Tasha, Natasha the Dark (Baba Yaga's daughter) and Iggwilv are all the same person.

Interestingly, in Robert Kuntz's Bottle City adventure (a dungeon level he used when he co-DMed the original Castle Greyhawk campaign with Gary Gygax), I think he has Tasha flying around in a magic cauldron in a giant room with magic paintings. She's an old, crazy hag - definitely not Iggwilv!

Dragon Magazine #82 - Spells Between the Covers

This article gives guidelines for spellcasters who want to research spells. There's a great section on creating a library. It costs 2,000 gp to stock it with materials that let you research 1st level spells. It would cost 74,000 gp to stock a library with books to research 9th level spells.

We get a list of books! Wow, this is something I can use right away in my campaign. Each book has some spells. Here's some of the titles:

• "Idioms & Rare Cryptographs" by Elminster.
• "Legendry of Phantoms and Ghosts" by Evard
• "Manual Powers Beyond the Life" by Bigby

and..

"Lore of Subtle Communication" by Tasha aka Iggwilv.

The spells in this book: Ventriloquism, message, comprehend languages, legend lore, Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter.

This article is utterly fantastic. It is so useful! It lists over 100 tomes, many of which relate to actual D&D NPCs.

Dragon Magazine #83 - The Dancing Hut

Baba Yaga has two adopted daughters - Elena the Fair and Natasha the Dark.

Natasha's Description: A beautiful woman with smoky black hair and alabaster skin, Natasha enjoys manipulating demons and uses them frequently as servants and guardians.

That sounds like Iggwilv all right. She's jealous of Elena but won't cause her harm. She's materialistic and vain. She collects magic items and jewelry.

Natasha's Laboratory: She has two manes and two lemures guarding it as lab assistants.

Natasha Stats: Natasha is a level 7 illusionist and a level 15 wizard! She has two ioun stones (DM chooses what type). 

Isle of the Ape

Speaking of Castle Greyhawk, this adventure was based on a demiplane Gary Gygax created during the real life Castle Greyhawk campaign. It's a bit like King Kong, but with lots of dungeon crawling.

The adventure begins with three pages of boxed text meant to be read aloud to the players.

Tenser Talks Iggwilv: The heroes are recruited for a major mission. Here's what is said about Iggwilv:

"Know you of Iggwilv? Dead, you thought? Long dead... No, not so! She stirs and is much wroth, for her beloved daughter was laid low. If left to work her will, all of those who seek weal and good will soon be slain or enslaved by her hordes. Daemons will stalk Oerth and blood will drip from black altars. Even with the artifact, the coming confrontation will be no certain thing, but at least Iggwilv will have no demon hordes to serve her."

"Daemons" later became known as yugoloths to avoid confusion. The bottom line: The Circle of Eight needs The Crook of Rao to battle Iggwilv.

The final battle.

On page 43, we learn that Iggwilv found out about this mission to get the Crook of Rao. She sets up a trap. She has an arcanadaemon named is Tul-oc-luc and 8 mezzodaemons magically disguised as angels. They try to trick the group into thinking they are securing the Crook of Rao in a safe place for Tenser.

If the group hands the Crook of Rao to them, they will be told to go through a door. It leads them to the sixth gloom of Hades. The heroes have been hoodwinked!

The encounter can go a whole bunch of ways. Most likely, a band of astral devas teams up with the group to slaughter the daemons.

The Temple of Elemental Evil

On page 99, it is revealed that Iuz is looking for help from Zuggtmoy and Iggwilv who is "...believed lost in the great Abyss."

Castle Greyhawk

This is the parody adventure. I hate this thing.

I really don't want to type this out, but here it is.

The heroes come to a room and a magic poem is spoken aloud. The second verse:

"I’ll show you Love, And let you see,
A charming couple; in greatest ecstasy.
In throes of passion, Iggwilv and Graz'zt
Before came Iuz, that pint-sized brat."

Then we get this:

Suddenly, a vision appears of a demoness and a beautiful witch.
 
“Graz’zt darling,” she coos, and the black-skinned demon nearly melts. “Can I ask you for something?”

“Anything, most loved.” Graz’zt replies.

“I, well, I.. .I’d really like a party of adventurers, darling...”

“Is that all?” Graz’zt waves his fist. Suddenly, a dozen demons appear in the room: two type III, two type IV, a type VI, a nabassu, and six babau.

If a party member is killed in this fight, he will vanish, only to reappear in the vision as a tiny creature in the palm of Iggwilv’s hand. Iggwilv will swallow the party member three rounds after death, causing permanent destruction; a wish or limited wish is required to rescue the character.

If the party members defeat the demons, Iggwilv will give Graz’zt a very angry stare.

It just keeps going and going. The group has a chance to grab their wedding presents, including a bright gold statue with an inscription: "From Orcus With Love." The gift explodes for 20d6 damage.

The poem goes on to say that they both cheated on each other. Graz'zt with a succubus, Iggwilv with a lich. Yes, a lich!

AD&D 2nd Edition

Dragon Magazine #225 - Campaign Classics: Three Greyhawk Grimoires

Iggwilv's Nethertome

This is a very cool article that details three special tomes:

• Vecna's Ineffable Varorium
• Acererak's Libram
• Iggwilv's Nethertome

The cover a perfect square is made of obsidian with a piece of black-scaled demon hide over it. The paper is delicate and nearly transparent.

The Nethertome was stolen from her when her servants fled the Lost Caverns.

We get a long recap of Iggwilv's history. Then we learn that she tried to summon Graz'zt again, but this time Graz'zt used a magic device to repel her binding magic. He captured and imprisoned her in the Abyss "...where she remains to this very day."

Most of the writing in the book deals with the lower planes and demon in particular. There's a long treatise on the Blood War. There are chapters about the chaotic nature of the Abyss, methods of safe travel there and places that should be avoided. There are a few chapters detailing demons and their psychology.

It contains a ton of Player's Handbook spells and two new ones:

• (Lvl 9) Iggwilv's Lightning Cage: It creates a forcecage with bars of lightning.
• (Lvl 9) Iggwilv's Timeless Sleep: It permanently puts the victim into temporal stasis. 

Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins

Iggwilv and Graz'zt

This book has a massive section that details the history of Greyhawk. We learn that after the Lost Caverns, Iggwilv saw the city of Greyhawk as a place for her to either take for her own, or to destroy.

Mordenkainen had two groups of adventurers as allies. They took down the Temple of Elemental Evil and "..foiled Iggwilv's conquest of Oerth in the 570's." In this book, the current year is 585 CY, I believe.

Return of the Eight

Tuerny the Merciless

Return of the Eight is a gigantic adventure involving a lot of major NPCs. Iggwilv has teamed up with a nalfeshnee named Tuerny. Tuerny is the one who freed Iggwilv from Graz'zt! Graz'zt is an old foe of Tuerny's. Tuerny thinks that Iggwilv could help him take over Oerth.

Iggwilv wants to bring an army and conquer the Flanaess under the banner of her son, Iuz. Iggwilv has her troops ready in Luna, and she plans to open a magic gate to the world of Oerth. She assembled her army through her many contacts in the planes. 

A clone of Tenser was creeping around in her lab on Luna. Iggwilv captured him and decided that Tenser's castle would make a good staging area.

Tuerny turned Tenser's clone into a dretch marked with a sword tattoo. The heroes end up going to Luna, a moon of Greyhawk. Luna is grey, rainy and grim. There are endless flashes of lightning. The trees are more flexible and taller than normal trees. Compasses don't work here - needles spin.

Iggwilv gets a full entry in the back of the book.  She's a human female archmage of undefined level. She's known as "The Witch of Perrenland." She ruled Perrenland from 481 CY to 491 CY.

Tuerny: We also get a big write-up on Tuerny the Merciless, a "Former wizard-tyrant of Oerth." He was once a human wizard who created the Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless. He captured Graz'zt in it! He forced Graz'zt to destroy his enemies. Graz'zt eventually escaped and imprisoned Tuerny in the flask. Tuerny ended up becoming a demon and over about 800 years ended up leading demon armies in the Blood War.

He was actually first described in the old white box supplement "Eldritch Wizardry."

This book has piles of Tenser magic items. Tenser's belt of brawling, Tenser's Dagger of Frost and flame, etc.

D&D 3rd Edition

Dragon Magazine #336 - Demonomicon of Iggwilv


This article gives piles of information about the Demonomicons and Iggwilv herself. She's known as The Mother of Witches and the Queen of Night. Some think she is a god and worship her as the dark matron of sorcery.

She lived in al-Ket using the name "Hura." She lived in a tower near the City of Lopolla conducting 'vile investigations.'

She plundered the Vault of Daoud and she was chased out of town. When she stole the Tome of Zyx from Zagig, she added to it and renamed it the Demonomicon. She has many guises, all of them female. Her favorite form is that of an alluring vixen.

Dragon Magazine #360 - Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Graz'zt, the Dark Prince

This is a fantastic piece of work. I think it is my favorite of the Demonomicon articles by James Jacobs. We learn that Graz'zt wants to impregnate Iggwilv again so she can give birth to "...another godling to unleash upon a world new to his touch..."

One of the towers in the Argent Palace is called "The Lady's Study." It is where Iggwilv stays when she visits. Supposedly Graz'zt doesn't have a key to this tower. Inside the tower are laboratories, libraries and guest rooms.

Dungeon Magazine #121 - Fiend's Embrace


This adventure is all about a gift that Graz'zt gave to Iggwilv - a cloak made from the skin of a pit fiend named Drokkarn. It is called Fiend's Embrace.

Iggwilv and Graz'zt had a spat, so she gave the cloak to a guy in Greyhawk who had a thing for her. The cloak changed hands numerous times and is currently in the possession of a sea troll "scrag" named Shplizzmak.

There's a band of mercenaries who serve Iuz that are trying to get the cloak as well.

Fiend's Embrace gives a +4 (!) to intelligence and some other powers. It is thoroughly evil and the pit fiend cloak is semi-sentient. It wants to be back with Iggwilv and will try to take control of the wearer to get back to her.

Dungeon Magazine 149 - Enemies of My Enemy


In this adventure, the heroes are getting ready to attack Demogorgon and are recruiting allies. They separately visit with Orcus, Malcanthet and Iggwilv.

The group sails the River Styx and goes to Iggwilv's manor in the Gray Waste. There, she has two pet linnorms and a bunch of arcanaloth apprentices who try to kill the adventurers.

Iggwilv's Manor: It's on a cliff overlooking the River Styx. There's a stone path of faces - Iggwilv turned people to stone, chiseled off their faces and used them as stone tiles.

The Drawing Room: There are walls lined with books, a statue of a vrock cowering and a chair that floats three feet in the air.

Study: There's three windows that show three different landscapes - The River Styx, a gray city of demons and the Isle of Dread!

Chessboard Made of Bone and Obsidian: White pieces look like the heroes, black pieces are foes and possible allies. Someone should flesh this out more. It seems like it could be a really cool magic item.

Lover's Call: A level 9 spell that summons an aspect of Graz'zt! The summoning lasts one hour.

She's loaded with magic items:

• Ring of epic wizardry
• Robe of the Abyss: Immunity to electricity and poison, resistance to most everything else.
• Cloak of the Witch Queen: +8 to intelligence, +6 to charisma, bonus to saving throws and plane shift at will.

Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk

False Iggwilv using the god trap

Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk is a 3e mega-adventure and it is fantastic! I've never run it but I really hope to one day. Iggwilv has a little section in this book that recaps her history. Apparently in official continuity, the Isle of the Ape situation was resolved by the Circle of Eight led by Mordenkainen.

The Story: A wizard named Vayne made a simulacrum of Iggwilv from a lock of her hair. This being is much weaker than Iggwilv and loyal to Vayne.

Fake Iggwilv broke free of Vayne's control (Vayne died) and she mastered Zagig's god trap. The god trap can only imprison those who enter the dungeon. She wanted to trap Iuz - the son of the real Iggwilv.

To test it, she used it on Lord Robilar! Robilar is one of the first real life D&D characters. When Gary Gygax playtested the Temple of Elemental Evil, Robilar went in alone and trashed the place. This annoyed Gary so much he had an army chase Robilar and drive him into hiding.

Fake Iggwilv wanted to use the god trap to create a soul for herself and become a true living being. She trapped Iuz in an obelisk and breaks it into three pieces, sending each into a different plane. The heroes need to retrieve the pieces of the obelisk and destroy the god trap.

Iuz getting trapped

There's a ton of fun things in this adventure:

Deck of Many Things: There's a deck of many things in Castle Greyhawk! Fake Iggwilv drew from it four times and got lousy results. She earned the enmity of an eladrin named Shendra. Iggwilv was able to trap her in a prison of Zagig.

A Good Iggwilv: There is a room in Castle Greyhawk called The Chamber of the Orb (page 172). In it are stained glass portraits of the company of Seven, including Tasha. When Iggwilv's simulacrum sees it, she destroys it. The mirror releases Tasha's double from a parallel world - Ahsat. You're probably going to have to change that name, otherwise your campaign is going to be known as "Ass Hat Adventures."

Ahsat is of a good alignment! Simulacrum Iggwilv killed her and realized the other mirrors had evil double of the Company of Seven. What an awesome idea. Tasha's mirror has been shattered.

The Orb of Opposition: This item created Bilarro, Robilar's double. Bilarro (of Iron Bands of Bilarro fame) eventually merged with Robilar and set off the Greyhawk Wars.

Iggwilv's Laboratory: This was originally Zagig's lab. There are nine closets, one for each school of magic. There's a book in here written by Zagig that has the command words required to create a prison of Zagig. There are also spellbooks once in Zagig's workshop. They have every spell in the Player's Handbook.

When the group gets to the final room, there are five Iggwilvs. Four of them are cataboligne demons in disguise. The group needs to stop her before she becomes a level 30 wizard.

Castle Greyhawk Plane Shifts: If the god trap is destroyed, all of Castle Greyhawk quakes and within a few weeks, Castle Greyhawk vanishes. It appears in .."a distant plane or in some other world  with a name such as Faerun or Eberron or Mystara." Crazy, right?

The Real Iggwilv: After it's all over there is a list of adventure seeds. One involves the real Iggwilv finding out about the simulacrum. She might start hunting down all of her locks of hair out there in Greyhawk to make sure nobody else can make a simulacrum of her.

Livashti, Fake Iggwilv's partner in crime

Livashti the Lillitu: Fake Iggwilv has a loyal sidekick in this adventure named Livashti. She's a lillitu (basically a super-succubus). As far as I can tell, they never explain how false Iggwilv met Livashti, or what entity Livashti worships.

She plays a pretty major role in this adventure and while she teams up with a simulacrum of Iggwilv, there's nothing stopping you from involving her with the real Iggwilv. She worships a 'demonic domain' (a concept from the Fiendish Codex). She's basically a cleric of a demon lord. She does a lot of shapeshifting and impersonating other people.

Once per day she can embrace a creature to give it bonuses to charisma and saving throws. Her name manifests as a tattoo on the recipient's body, though they can't see it. Livashti can communicate telepathically with the target and know their location/status.

Dungeon Magazine #151 - Iggwilv's Legacy: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth

Drelzna, Iggwilv's daughter

I forgot this even existed! This is actually a sequel/remake/expansion of the Lost Caverns of Tsojacnth. Author Ari Marmell went to town on this thing and it is awesome. He added new levels.

There are some weird art choices in this. They have a digital painting of a bunch of stirges, but they don't have one of the demon lord in the final encounter!

Iggwilv's horn is a wellspring of evil that taints the surrounding lands. There's rules for how it corrupts you can everything. Legend has it that Tsojcanth was a heroic wizard, but the truth is he was a half-breed child of Fraz'Urb'Luu.

While she was with Zagig, Iggwilv learned Tsojcanth's truename. "For generations, Tsojcanth was the greatest of Iggwilv’s slaves. He became her advisor, her enforcer, her font of lore and demonic secrets. Once she summoned Graz'zt, she lost interest in Tsojcanth and sent him to the Lost Caverns to watch over he minions and experiment."

Iggwilv ended up binding Tsojcanth permanently to the planar fabric of the rift that had formed under the mountain.

The Homunculus: In this version of the adventure, there is a prisoner in the prison of Zagig. It is a homunculus of Iggwilv, carved to look like Iggwilv. It can't speak and has a telepathic link with Iggwilv.

The final room...

Arcane Laboratory: A massive chamber 60 feet by 90 feet. 25 foot diameter circle etched into the ground. Three summoning circles permanently etched into the ground. There's an altar and a lectern with a spot for a book to be placed. Apparently the only way to open a copy of a demonomicon that is sealed with clasps is to put it on this lectern.

Tsojcanth Himself: The summoning circle might activate. You know who is summoned?! Tsojcanth! He's a little old wizard. Remember, legend has it he was a great hero.

The truth is that he is the Demon Prince of Deception! He needs the group to free him. 

Tsojcanth's parents are Fraz-Urb'Luu and a witch named Vilhara. She was he first to even uncover Fraz-Urb'Luu's truename. The demon lord was smitten with her and brought her to the Abyss,

Tsojcanth's Appearance: A 9 foot tall human with leathery grey skin and a serpentine tail with two poison barbs. His eyes are completely black and he has a steaming tongue.

Dragon Magazine #359

Iron Flask of Tuerny

This is the final print issue. There's a section talking about the mysteries of D&D. One mystery is: Who is Tasha? Tasha is Iggwilv. As Tasha, she infiltrated the Company of Seven. It hints that Natasha is Iggwilv's actual real name.

Your Character is Iggwilv's Kid: Later in the issue, she's listed as one of the top villains. We are given a background trait:

Blood of the Witch Queen: You are distantly related to Iggwilv by blood. Demons can sense this link and treat you with grudging respect.

You get +2 to Charisma checks against demons and a bonus when you cast planar binding on demons. You also have a bonus to saving throws versus demon effects.

Later on in this issue, there's a magic item made by her:

Tasha's Grinning Idol: It gives you a bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy checks. It also gives you +2 to the DC of enchantment spells that you cast.

D&D 4th Edition

Manual of the Planes

In Graz'zt's entry, there's a sidebar about Iggwilv:


Dungeon Magazine #196 - Baba Yaga's Dancing Hut

Natasha the Dark aka Iggwilv

This is the 4th edition update of the original 1e adventure. This one fills in all the empty details of the first adventure and it is great.

Another Fake Iggwilv: We learn that Elena the Fair is now Elena the Mad. Elena lost it when Natasha left. Elena unwittingly created a dream version of her "sister" Natasha while in the conjuring hall.

Because she is from Elena's subconscious, "Natasha" can't hurt Elena. She tries to get the heroes to do it, as then she can be free of the hut.

Natasha is statted out as a "dream witch." The text actually outright states that when Natasha left, she became known as "Iggwilv."

Dragon Magazine #414 - The Iggwilv-Grazzt Affair


This is a great article that sums up a lot of Iggwilv's history. Stuff we learn:

Iggwilv and Zagig: Iggwilv had a period in her life of youthful rebellion. She looted vaults of arcane treaure meant to be kept from ill-intentioned mortals. She "ingratiated herself" with Zagig. She became his apprentice and they had a scandalous relationship.

Together they summoned Fraz'Urb'luu and imprisoned him in Castle Greyhawk. Iggwilv spent a lot of time extracting secrets from Fraz'Urb'luu.

Graz'zt vs. Iggwilv: Here's how Graz'zt escaped her clutches: There was an Abyssal rift growing under the Lost Caverns. Graz'zt suggested she use the bound essence of Tsojcanth to seal it. When she went to do it, Tsojcanth attacked her and injured her. Graz'zt then took the opportunity to attack her.

Iuz tried to break up this battle, and he "..was torn asunder into his human and demonic halves."

Graz'zt ended up trapping her in his plane. "Iggwilv would often be seen in public with child, but such states were inhumanly brief..." They had a lot of kids and Graz'zt hid them from enemies.

“Graz’zt and Iggwilv had come to understand that they loved nothing more than hating each other, and they hated nothing more than loving each other"

Graz'zt jealously set out to destroy any fiend that had trafficked with her in the past. He viciously attacked Fraz'Urb'luu. Graz'zt would have Iggwilv seduce demons and find out their secrets. She'd go out of her way to make him jealous.

Many feared that if Iggwilv and Graz'zt really wanted to, they could take over the Abyss. When Tuerny broke her out of Azzagrat, she built a manor in the Astral Sea (Astral Plane).

Drelzna's Soul: Her daughter, Drelzna, may be the only creature she truly loved. The identity of the father is unknown. Iggwilv quests to recover Drelzna's soul.

Dungeon Magazine #208 - Prisoners of the Iron Flask

Iron Flask of Tuerny

This article is all about the Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless. We learn that Iggwilv is said to possess it. It may contain a portion of Demogorgon's might, allowing the Mother of Witches to spy on mighty demon lords without being detected.

Demonomicon

The famous "flowing back hair" quote

If you go through this book and read the various quotes from the demonomicon, you can learn little factoids about Iggwilv.

Iggwilv is discussed on page 6. We learn that she wants to dominate all of the Abyss. She knows more of that plane's secrets than ony other being, living or otherwise.

Here's what we learn about Iggwilv:

• She wrote the first demonomicon while she ruled Perrenland.
• When she was imprisoned by Graz'zt, she was kept in his palace in Zelatar.
• Iggwilv possesses a shard of Demogorgon's demonic essence.
• She has two forms - a beautiful human female and an old crone.
• The demonomicon is said to be based on the Tome of Zyx, written by Zagig.
• Baba Yaga taught her to summon demons when she was 10! She summoned a quasit.
• Iggwilv knows the truenames of twelve or more demon lords and can bend them to her will.
• Iggwilv possesses the Iron Flask of Tuerny. In it is a portion of Demogorgon's essence.
• She wants control of The Iron Wastes, home of Kostchchie. It has a lot of portals. She wants Kostchchie dead.

Dungeon Magazine #212 - Court of the Dark Prince

This is an extremely high level adventure in the Argent Palace, home of Graz'zt. Graz'zt has trapped an angel named Galewing in his Library of Whispers.

The heroes visit Iggwilv's Demiplane. Here's the details:

• It is an island of stone six miles long and four miles wide.
• It floats inverted above a swirling vortex of the Elemental Chaos.
• There's an orchard and a fenced mansion.
• There are no animals or creatures.
• She has a quasit named Slistif. He is immune to all attacks as long as he is on the same plane as Iggwilv.
• You can't enter the mansion unless Iggwilv invites you.
• Iggwilv can grant the power to assume the form of a chasme.
• She has an incubus servant named Ghavish. He must possess a hero in this adventure so the group can communicate with Iggwilv while they travel through Azzagrat.

The adventurers can actually "kill" Graz'zt in this (he eventually re-forms if slain). If they do so, his triple layer separates and the 66 towers of the Argent Palace crash into each other can collapse.

The text mentions that demon lords will scramble to take over those layers. Iggwilv will try to install a demon lord under her control in the layers.

You know, I never thought of that. She might secretly control 12 demon lords, each with their own layer! In a way, that makes her more powerful than any demon lord.

Gary Gygax's Iggwilv

Ghorkai

Generally I try to stick to 'official' D&D material in these things, but Gary Gygax did some stuff with her and I figure I should cover it.

Gord the Rogue: Iggwilv appears in a few of Gary's Greyhawk books. In these, she has blonde hair. I am having trouble finding information on this, but apparently she is quite different from the "official" Iggwilv.

The Ravage of Ghorkai

Gary wrote an adventure in The Slayer's Guide to Dragons. "The Mother of Witches," an evil demigoddess with many names, is mentioned in it. She has a daughter, Rezelna. It is very clear that Rezelna is Drelzna.

Ghorkai is the son of a black dragon and a blue dragon. So he's an indigo dragon. Iggwilv wanted Ghorkai to be a mount for her daughter, Drelzna. Ghorkai was on his own once Rezelna was "entombed alive" (in the Lost Caverns of Tsojacanth). Many of the monsters who fled Iggwilv's lair ended up swearing fealty to him.

Iggwilv's Potion: One item in Ghorkai's hoard is a potion made by Iggwilv. It gives you one point of intelligence, but you lose two points of constitution.

You could drop this right into your game, no problem. Everything matches up.

Check out Tim Brannan's Iggwilv stats right here.

Links

Canonfire Iggwilv wiki
Merric Blackman's review of the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
There's a Nice Iggwilv Article Here
Greyhawkery talks Graz'zt/Iggwilv
Greyhawkery Iggwilv Profile
The Other Side  

You can watch this episode on Twitch here.

They used to have a graphic of a dancing mindflayer going while we waited for the stream to start. Now it is a dancing minotaur. And he's completely naked.

Time for some Strahd!

No Holly this week, as she's flying home from Australia. Mark Hulmes from High Rollers is back as Ezmerelda.

The Party

The Waffle Crew

(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander
(Nathan) Paultin - Human Bard 
(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue  
(Mark) Ezmerelda - Vistani NPC

Last Time: The heroes got into a sprawling battle with werewolves and Strahd. Strahd grabbed Ireena and was flying away with her on his nightmare, but Strix used a spell to cause Ireena to fall 40 feet. Strahd let out a cry of anguish....

Strahd calls out, "Tatiana!"

Strix runs so we can sort of write her off the episode. She spends most of the session on a horse trying to get through the gate. Evelyn runs around the building to find Ireena. She doesn't spot her.

Strahd turns invisible. The group is extremely alarmed. Strahd has greater invisibility, meaning he won't become visible when he attacks or cast a spell.

Ezmerelda joins Evelyn and spots Ireena. Evelyn gets to her. She's dead! Ireena is dead! Wow, I did not expect that.

An invisible force grabs Evelyn's throat and drops her to 0 hit points.

Ezmerelda heals Evelyn for 13. Nathan again uses faerie fire to outline an invisible enemy. He is the only person I have ever seen use that spell and it is coming in handy big time. Strahd fails his save!

Diath is on Strix's horse. They are riding toward the gates.

Evelyn climbs on Paultin's horse and heals herself.

Strahd approaches and attacks the horse! The horse's throat is slashed. Then his guts pour out. Walter the horse is dead. Paultin and Evelyn roll poorly and they are trapped underneath the corpse of the horse!

Paultin gets free and pulls Evelyn out, too. Her eyes are little hearts.

Ezmerelda puts her sword at Ireena's throat. She warns Strahd to back off or she'll mutilate Ireena's corpse. Egad. I have no idea what is going to happen here.


Strahd casts a fireball on Ezmerelda and Diath. Ezmerelda takes 38 points. Diath yells, "Uncanny Dodge!" and takes only 9 points of damage. Ireena's corpse is incinerated.

Holy cow. I thought maybe Chris was going to use the pool here but.. yikes. Ireena is not a little dead, she's totally dead.

Ezmerelda has a good idea. She realizes that since Strahd is a vampire, he can't enter a residence unless he's invited. She races into a building and urges the others to join her.

Paultin runs in and hides behind a pig.

Diath thinks this house thing is a terrible idea. He's pretty sure Strahd will just hit the house with a fireball. Diath chucks a dagger at Strahd and hits, but rolls nothing but ones on damage.

Is Evelyn oath of devotion? She'd have sanctuary and she could turn the unholy. She could try to turn Strahd, right? I think she entangled somebody once, so maybe she's the nature oath.

Diath climbs a roof and Strahd follows. Strahd tries to charm him or something but Diath makes his save.

The rest of the group is going to flee.

His name really is Beucephalus, the wonder horse

The nightmare tries to trample Diath. I think Chris is giving Jared a chance to jump on the nightmare. Diath does! They fly up into the air, about 40 feet off the ground.

Evelyn casts find steed. She gets to choose what it looks like. She describes a majestic beast. But Barovia twists it into a hideous undead monstrosity.

It is skeletal and it has bits of tattered flesh clinging to its bones. It is loyal to her and has a tattered saddle. Ezmerelda casts protection from evil on Evelyn and tells her to find Rudolph van Richten.

Diath rolls well as he jumps off the nightmare, slides down a roof and plops to the ground taking no damage whatsoever.

Strahd bites Ezmerelda! She's down. Chris gives Ezmerelda one final, dying action. Ezmerelda utters a vistani curse! What an awesome idea. They are swallowed up in the fog. We don't know what happens to Ezmerelda or Strahd after that.

Paultin is shocked, as Madame Eva had told him that Ezmerelda was important.

The group flees. They leave Krezk and come to a frozen river. Paultin spots a wagon that he's seen before when he was young. It reminds him of his mother.

He hears Ezmerelda's voice say "remember." Hey, sounds like Paultin was a vistani. Yup! He remembers how to cast the vistani curse and use the evil eye.

Strix the NPC seems to know something but won't say. Paultin finds a Blinsky toy - the Strahd puppet! Paultin is instantly terrified of it. He saw it when he was a kid.

Diath asks Paultin if the name Rudolph van Richten means anything to him. It does! He remembers Dr. van Richten murdering his family. Wow. Crazy.

That's where we stop.

Timestamps

• (55:30) Strahd kills a horse.
• (1:36:35) Evelyn names her skeletal steed.
• (2:00:00) Paultin recognizes a wagon.

Overall

Strix the Murderer: So... Strix basically killed Ireena, right? Literally! I'd imagine Strahd will want revenge.

Strahd and Evelyn: If you remember, in the very beginning of the campaign, Evelyn was singled out by Strahd. Now that Ireena is dead (presumably), I wonder if Strahd will shift his focus. Here's a quote from my summary in session 3:

Eva says that Evelyn was brought to Barovia by Lathander. Evelyn is the "key" to everything that is happening. "It is a wonder that Strahd hasn't noticed you, yet."

Find Steed: I just read this spell the other day for that Arcana Check article. Find Steed is supposed to take 10 minutes to cast, but Evelyn cast it in a single round. I have no problem with that whatsoever. This kind of stuff is going to happen when you're trying to keep a game moving. We could just explain it away by saying that since Evelyn had prayed to the Morninglord while hiding in the house, the Morninglord reached out and enhanced the spell.

I think Strahd also can automatically make a certain number of saves. Again, I don't care! As a DM you can always explain these things away and it made for a fun fight. Maybe Strahd simply didn't think the faerie fire was worth using his legendary resistance on. The group clearly was no threat to him.

Strahd: I like how Chris was able to get the seeming invincibility of Strahd over so well. It will make the final victory (?) over him that much more satisfying. The group still has none of the three items they need to defeat him.

Epic Session: This was another awesome episode from start to finish. The last three have been fantastic. Everyone was great, I don't really know what more you could ask for in a D&D show.

You can watch this episode on youtube here.

This week we start to creep around the fortress.

I love the way this show looks - the graphics, the camera quality, everything. They even busted out an initiative graphic this week!

Last Time: The group is trying to bust into a dwarven vault to steal a piece of the rod of seven parts. Jim and Binwin are hidden in a treasure box, being delivered to the vault by Omin and Viari.

The Party

(Jerry) Omin Dran - Half-Elf Cleric
(Mike) Jim Darkmagic - Human Wizard
(Scott) Binwin Bronzebottom - Dwarf Fighter/Barbarian
(Patrick) Viari - Human Rogue 

The code word to pop out of the box is "Whippoorwill." The word was uttered last time, but cooler heads prevail and the heroes remain in the box.

It turns out there's a dwarf guard named Whippoorwill that is causing some code-word malfunctions.

The group needs to get a key off of a drunk guy named Carrington. As soon as they are alone with him, Binwin punches Carrington the drunk dude for 6 points. Binwin is a tavern brawler so he grapples the guy.

Jim casts suggestion and forces the guy to join the team.

The group needs his key. He says he left it in the tavern. Carrington is interested in joining "Apparitions Inebriated."

Viari goes off alone with Carrington and they go to the tavern. Viari spots two human ladies in leather armor, one of which has a winged snake. The other has a wand in a sheath. The group wonders if that is a piece of the rod.

The women are playing cards with two dwarves. Carrington blurts out that they're looking for a key.

Viari learns that they are with the Black Network, part of the Zhentarim. They head to Carrington's room. On the way, they pass three male Zhents.

Viari keeps trying to intimidate Carrington to help find the key and failing on his rolls. Viari decides to switch it up. He attempts to seduce him! He rolls a 23!

Carrington thinks he left the key under a mug in the tavern. Viari realizes that the Zhents stole it.

He creeps up on them in the hallway. The group warns him that this will be his only chance to pilfer the key from these evil guys...

Timestamps

(15:45) Binwin vs. the floor
(29:00) Viari attempts seduction on the drunk guy

Overall

Good show! It goes so quick. I can't wait to see what happens from here.

Click here to get the Dragon+ App
Or you can check out this issue on a desktop computer here.

It's been two months, which means that it is time for the new issue of Dragon Plus! I was hoping we'd get piles of stuff about Storm King's Thunder in this issue, but we didn't. They did give us some art, but they made it black and white. Bums me out!

I want to see what this looks like in color:

I Miss Dungeon Magazine: Does anyone else miss Dungeon Magazine? I understand why the D&D team is keeping things simple and focused, but I would like it if we got more content complete with professional art and maps.

I think I first subscribed to Dungeon with issue 21 when I was a kid and I wish it was still around in some form. I've been going through old 4e issues of Dungeon and there is so much cool stuff that is completely forgotten.

Anyway! Let's go through this issue and pull out the stuff I find most interesting. Dragon Plus is completely free, so there's no reason not to check it out!

Letter From the Editor: We start off with a piece written by Chris Perkins about Storm King's Thunder. We learn a bit more about the new storyline:

• This adventure follows up on what happened in Tyranny of Dragons.
• "Our assumption is that the heroes of Tyranny of Dragons are either dead or retired."
• The main giant villains are modeled after the villains in the classic AD&D "Against the Giants" series by Gary Gygax.
• You can skip the low level stuff if you want to with no problem.
• Rune Magic: You can inscribe symbols on magic items to give them special powers.
• The Kirg Rune: This rune grants draconic abilities.
• Five different known dragons from previous Forgotten Realms products appear.
• I wonder if Voaraghamanthar will make an appearance?

D&D Meltdown: We get a big discussion of the Meltdown event and how tricky it was to produce.

You kind of get the feeling Meltdown is the beginning of something big. This D&D livestream thing has caught on in a big way and it seems like it's just going to get bigger. I bet they will refine this Meltdown type of concept in the years ahead.

The one thing I could see killing the momentum of everything is if the D&D movie is awful. But even then, I'm not sure how much it would hurt the popularity of the tabletop game.

I think right now we are living in a time when all these new shows are popping up and the "classic" episodes of shows like Dice, Camera, Action are on their way. You, the reader, are in on the ground floor of something. What it is and what it will all amount to, I don't know.

From Startup to IPO: This article talks with the Acquisitions Inc. guys about the growth of their live PAX shows and how they are bewildered by their success. We get a reference to Binwin's Boner Patrol, which sounds like an epic spinoff.

Apparently something big happens on an episode of Acquisitions Inc, soon. I get the feeling someone dies. That actually kind of bums me out because I like all of the characters.

The game at PAX West is going to use some stuff from Storm King's Thunder.

Volo's Guide to Befriending Giants: This is by Ed Greenwood. It's a story about Volo, who goes to try to meet some giants. He ends up in all sorts of trouble and he is saved by Harshnag, who I believe is a friendly ice giant from Tyranny of Dragons.

There is a mention that Ostoria will rise again. Ostoria is apparently the greatest giant empire from long ago. We also learn a giant swear: "Strength of Stronmaus." I'll try to add this to my games post-haste. My favorite Ed Greenwood swear is still "Dark and Empty."

This isn't as good as his Ravenloft Volo story, but I like reading Ed's stuff. It's so easy to read! You just fly through it. I still think Ed Greenwood is wildly underappreciated. He needs to do a D&D show.

d100 Dungeon Master Tips: Mike Shea fires off 100 things for DMs to try in their games.  Lots of good stuff in here! Some of my favorites:

• Spend some time looking over the random tables of the Dungeon Master's Guide to inspire some wild ideas. Pick one table to use in your next game.
• Not all players enjoy the explosive creativity of storytelling. Let each player play the game the way they most enjoy.
• Build fantastic locations with scale. Describe mile-high waterfalls, hundred-story ziggurats, enormous statues of dead gods, and cyclopean fifty-foot-high doors.

There are a number of people out there like Mike Shea who have been creating a lot of great D&D stuff for a long time and I really like seeing their work in official D&D products.

Best of the Dungeon Master's Guild: This time they actually offer a few DMs Guild products for free.

• The Pugilist: A new class.
• Battle for the Undercity: An adventure for characters levels 7-9. It has 3 scenarios in it.

The Tiny History of D&D: We get an article by Shannon Appelcline that gives us the complete history of minis in D&D from beginning to end. Shannon is one of those writers that, in my opinion, always puts out top-quality work. I am in awe of Shannon's in-depth history stuff, and I absolutely love the old actual play threads on RPG.net.

Forging the Forgotten Realms: We talk with Ed Greenwood about the origin of the Forgotten Realms. Ed says that he had read all his dads books by the age of five. How is that possible?

The Forgotten Realms began as a setting for Ed's short stories. The first Realms stories were about a swindler named Mirt the Moneylender.

Ed started playing D&D in 1978 and got into the habit of creating lore every day. He still does it, daily. So that's why he has so many details on food, drinks, and swears! I really admire his commitment and creativity.

He says that he spent months mapping out Undermountain way back when. Ed also says that he will have a product on the DMs Guild site in November! Awesome.

Overall

I liked the last issue better, but this one is pretty good. I don't think I'll be happy until this completely morphs into a modern version of the Dragon or Dungeon Magazine from the Paizo era.

I want new Demonomicon of Iggwilv articles, new adventures, new lore on underdeveloped D&D entities, that kind of thing. I'm not sure if that is something that fits their current plans, but if you can't do all that stuff in Dragon Plus then it kind of makes me wonder: What the heck can they put in it?

I'd like to see interviews with authors of old adventures and great artists of the past like Larry Elmore and Clyde Caldwell (my favorite). That seems doable, right?

The primary focus of Dragon Plus seems to be hype. But when you only have a couple of products to promote, that kind of leaves a bit of a gaping void to fill.

Walkthrough Maps: I'd also really like it if we got a new Jason Thompson walkthrough map in every issue. This month had Against the Giants maps that were originally released years ago. There are plenty of old adventures for him to make walkthrough maps of such as Gates of Firestorm Peak, The Whispering Cairn from Age of Worms, and Dragon Mountain. I'd also love to see a massive map that combines the dungeons of Undermountain from every published source into one sprawling complex.

For the most part, each issue of Dragon Plus is an improvement over the one before.

We played another session of our monthly Eberron campaign yesterday. It was really fun and I am enjoying getting to play a spellcaster, especially now that I am getting access to higher level spells. I am running a 7th level sorcerer who is big and hairy.

The DM has been hinting at this sahuagin story for a long time. There have been rumors of a sahuagin invasion of the city of Sharn for months. To stop the sahuagin, we needed to go into an underwater dungeon and obtain the head of a long-dead sahuagin baron.

An underwater dungeon! In my experience, they are very rare. I think I ran one in Skull and Shackles, and that's it.

Let me tell you something. You never realize how terrible your spell selection is until you go underwater. Fly, fireball, fire bolt.. all useless.

We started off the session by planning the construction of our bar. We've got all sorts of stuff we are going to put in it - a jacuzzi, mannequins with drugs stashed in the heads, giant cherries - you name it.

This bar will open once we've collected the last three cards of the deck of many things, assuming the deck doesn't kill us once we put it together.

The Entrance

Sharn, City of Towers

To get into this underwater dungeon, we had to choose an entrance. There was one in a warehouse and one underwater. There was a shark near the underwater entrance, so we picked the warehouse entrance. The fighter suggested using some chum to distract the shark, but I didn't hear him. In retrospect, that was a great idea and we should have done it.

We did our usual thing where we spent lots of time planning and debating, and then we just busted into the warehouse in broad daylight. This was a place full of bad guys who work for a lady named Tain who is causing all sorts of problems.

I ended up perched on a pile of crates dropping shatter spells. Two of the guards climbed up and stabbed me repeatedly. By the time this battle was over, we were hurt badly and we hadn't even entered the dungeon!

The Cork

Chuul

We went through the entrance, went down some stairs and came to a pool. Yep, the tomb was underwater. We drank potions of water breathing and in we went.

The first area had a couple of chuuls in it. There was a cork in the ground. Were we supposed to pull it? Yep. We didn't do that right away, though.

We fought the chuuls who proceeded to claw, grab and paralyze the other characters in no time at all! Thankfully, our hireling was messing with the plug. She pretty much saved our lives.

She pulled it out and a strong current started pulling us toward the hole. I was able to pull the wizard free from the grasp of one chuul, and then I used dimension door to bring the fighter into the hole with me.

I was really worried about the wizard, but as we guessed, the suction dragged her into the hole before the chuuls got to her.

The hole wasn't big enough for the chuuls to follow us, but we had a new problem. The current was pulling us down to who knows where, and most of the party was paralyzed and poisoned! The wizard kept failing her save round after round.

Thankfully I was able to tie a rope around her and myself, and then was able to do the same for the fighter and the hireling.

Everyone came to, and we began to explore the depths.

The Undead Baron

Below us was a room with a cauldron and some magic warnings - something about courage bringing great treasure. After a lot of probing and debating, I climbed into the cauldron. It started draining blood from my body!

I got out, having taken five points of damage. I was pretty sure that this thing would reward me for giving blood, but I was worried I'd just die.

There was a connecting room, and in there was the sahuagin corpse we were looking for. Unfortunately, he was a mummy wrapped in seaweed! Worse still, there were 8 sahuagin zombies with him.

We dropped shatter spells like crazy. Both the wizard and I are loaded up on fire spells which, unfortunately, are useless underwater.

The poor fighter took on the mummy. He got hit with a curse that did a ton of damage and prevented him from being able to heal!

We were backing away from the mummy as we blew up the zombies, but the others took a lot of damage. Finally, the wizard used her staff of thunder and lightning to hit the mummy with a lightning bolt, and it turned out that the mummy was vulnerable to lightning.

She killed that thing good. We cut off the head. We had what we came for.

The Cauldron

The Planes of Eberron

By this point we were almost completely out of spells and healing. The water breathing only lasts an hour, so we didn't have time to rest!

It turns out that the sahuagin's tomb was a big clam, which I personally think is a hilarious idea.

I decided to mess with the cauldron again. If you remember, in the last session the rest of the group obtained major magic items and I passed them up. I knew the DM would get to me sooner or later. I figured this was my time, and I was right!

The cauldron drained most of my hit points, and then a chamber was revealed. In it was a treasure chest with a very special magic item in it - a Well of Many Worlds.

You can unfurl this thing like a cloth, and it becomes a portal to a random plane.

So now we had a choice. To get out of the dungeon, we'd have to get past the chuuls again. Or we could go through the well and take our chances.

We debated quite a bit. The fighter volunteered to go through the well and see what was on the other side. In it was the Eberron version of the Feywild. This is a place where time passes differently. One day there equals a week in Eberron.

We were on a time-sensitive mission. The sahuagin invasion was set to happen in a few days, so we couldn't afford to eat away time like that.

The wizard also pointed out we'd likely lose the well, since we'd all have to pass through it and probably wouldn't be able to get it back.

That meant we had to brave the chuuls! The fighter liked the idea of me casting haste on him, and he'd distract the monsters while we fled. The guy was cursed and he had almost no hit points left!

I couldn't let him do it. He'd die! We finally agreed that either we would all make it, or none of us would.

We made some fateful stealth checks - and rolled well! We were able to swim past the chuuls. By the time they noticed us, we were on our way to the stairwell.

Our group got back to our home, all of us royally wounded and weak. We handed the head off to the mermaid who was going to bring it to the sahuagin army.

It was a very epic session.

Overall

Different Locale: Underwater dungeons just don't happen very much, for whatever reason. Going through this made me think that lightning bolt is a much better choice than fireball. It also makes me want to try running an underwater dungeon sometime soon.

We fought a monster I don't think I've ever used and we got a magic item I've never seen used in play. I am overloaded with ideas about what we can use the well of many worlds for. For example, if someone's giving us problems, we'll just chuck them in the well. If we're bored and want a random adventure... into the well we go.

The Player Perspective: I'm so glad I am a player in this. It's so easy as a DM to fall into the trap of becoming numb to what it is like running a character. As a player, taking damage is very harrowing! What seems like nothing to you, the DM, is a major ordeal for the player.

This makes me want to ease back on my own players quite a bit. It can be unpleasant when you are getting pummeled on a regular basis. Not that we are in this game at all, it's just eye-opening when your character is in serious peril.

D&D Monsters: In this session, I was also reminded of the simple joy fighting a D&D monster. As a DM, I sometimes feel that just plopping a gelatinous cube in a room is boring. But for a player, it's not. I'd be excited to actually get to interact with one, especially if all of the cube's abilities are used to their potential.

This image of the Lady of Pain is another creation of Paolo Giandoso, a concept artist.

Tonight we went through another homebrewed scenario that used a ton of material from The Factol's Manifesto. In my opinion, the Manifesto is one of the best Planescape supplements of all. It has tons of great ideas and it is entirely full of artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi.

I Slowed it Down: After watching Chris Perkins run games on Dice Camera Action, I wanted to try pacing things like he does. In his sessions, he runs a big sprawling encounter and a few little things. While I didn't do it exactly like he did, I did "zoom in" on this scenario and give it time to breathe. Honestly, this pace made me uncomfortable. Overall the session went pretty well.

Memorizing Spells: Theran doesn't have his spellbook. He memorized spells, and days have passed. When you sleep, do you lose those spells, or do they stay with you until you cast them? From what I can tell, they stay with you.

Last Time: Theran the wizard has the power to magically create buildings in Sigil. The ruling body of Sigil put laws into place that said Theran needed approval and oversight when using this power. Failure to do so meant he could be arrested.

Being arrested is especially bad, as The Mercykillers (the faction that handles the prison) just changed their sentencing rules to be extremely harsh: Any crime had a minimum sentence of 10 years.

Theran was arrested, but he broke out. Now he's on the lam.

The Party

(Jessie) Bidam - Platinum-Scaled Dragonborn Fighter
(George) Theran - Half-Dabus/Half-Elf Wizard
* NPCs - Fall From Grace (Succubus Paladin), Selinza ("Litorian" Wizard, level 8)

Each character has powers linked to the Lady of Pain

• Theran can create buildings in Sigil and he can banish people to extra-dimensional mazes.
• Bidam can look at people and cause cuts to appear on their body and he can create portals in Sigil.

When they use one of these powers, they gain level four exhaustion. The only way to remove the exhaustion is to spend days pursuing their beliefs (belief is a big deal in Planescape).

The heroes own a cluster of buildings known as "Deadbook Square."

The Justiciar

The Mercykillers are awesome. When there is a fugitive, special Mercykillers called Justiciars go on the hunt. They have a magic warrant that allows them to sense the location of the target anywhere in the planes! The warrant also has the power to cast hold person on the target.

I made up a special Justicar, using Mercykiller art (above) that I really like. I think that art is actually of the previous factol. But in my campaign, this is the justiciar Foulgore Grue.

We picked up right where we left off last time. I forgot to mention the cliffhanger in my summary of last session - Bidam discovered he has the power to create portals! Bidam had to decide where this portal went to and how it worked.

After a bit of discussion between players, Bidam created a portal to Iggwilv's demiplane. That definitely threw me for a loop. The key to activate it is Bidam's sword of sharpness. This portal opens right into Bidam's bedroom.

Bidam's portal-making power can only be used in Sigil.

The Mercykillers Are Hunting Theran

Mercykiller guard & Aoskian hounds outside the prison

I had Convivia Kettle give the group three goodberries. She's trying to learn to become a cleric of the goddess of good, but she's having trouble. Her goodberries came out all messed up. As fate would have is, each goodberry actually was very useful for this scenario. Each goodberry had a random power:

• Speak Infernal for a week
• Immunity to acid for 1 day
• Open locks like a knock spell for 2 days

Theran had no idea what to do. Bidam headed to the Civic Festhall met with the factol of the Sensates. Factol Erin Darkflame Montgomery said she would support Theran however they could. Bidam recorded a sensory stone of the trial from last session for historical purposes.

Theran came up with a ballsy plan. He has the power to appear exactly like a dabus. He shifted into dabus form and went right to the prison. Theran wanted to pretend to be a normal dabus, doing repairs on the prison walls in the courtyard ("the yard"). He was hoping he could snoop around and either find his stuff (his spellbook, robe of eyes, and ring of protection had been confiscated when he was arrested.

He went in and went to work. I made a big deal about him spotting a cranium rat in the prison, but he didn't pick up on the clue. The cranium rats are allies of the heroes and could help them in a major way as far as finding out information.

Theran heard a voice in his head. It was Foulgore Grue, declaring that he'd signed the warrant of holding in his own blood and he would could now sense Theran's location anywhere in the planes.

Alarmed, Theran slid right near a dabus portal (special portals only dabuses can see and use). Foulgore Grue was shocked when he used his sensing powers to discover that Theran was inside the prison. He grabbed four goons and two hounds and raced for the yard.

Theran spotted Foulgore and fled through a dabus portal to the secret city of the dabuses. The problem here was that the justiciar could sense where Theran was and would have no trouble finding the sealed entrance in Undersigil. He couldn't get in, but it wasn't a good thing.

The dabuses were already unhappy with Theran, now they we downright surly. This was supposed to be a secret city! Theran was potentially leading the Mercykillers to their front door.

Duke Rowan

Duke Rowan Darkwood, Factol of The Fated

Theran decided that he needed to go to a library. The main library of Sigil is the Hall of Records, which is amazing because that is the home of the Fated. This session draws heavily from Faction War, an adventure I hope to run sometime around the end of this year. Duke Rowan is a massive part of Faction War just like the Mercykillers are.

Theran was trying to read up on the Mercykiller justiciar powers to find a way to shake it. Keep in mind, even in his half-dabus form, he sticks out like a sore thumb. He's got blue skin, horns, and he hovers. Foulgore Grue was on his way and Theran made no effort to hide himself.

It's a little confusing to me what the deal with the library is. I get the impression from some books that this is the location of the main library of Sigil, but in the Manifesto it says the library is only for faction members. The main tower holds thirty floors, all of it a library. So I declared that the first three floors are open to the public.

A librarian nervously told Theran that the Factol of the Fated, Duke Rowan Darkwood, wanted to talk to him.

Again, the Duke is a big deal. Factol Nilesia of the Mercykillers is in love with him. Faction War revolves around this couple!

The Duke schmoozed Theran and told him he could smooth things over with Factol Nilesia. In return, he wanted to know everything about the dabuses. Theran flat-out refused. The Duke offered to set up a secret meeting with Factol Nilesia. Theran agreed!

The poor guy. The Duke was going to hand Theran right over to her. Her guards and the justiciar arrived. She followed them in, and shared some words with Theran. The Duke offered Theran to her. Theran cast misty step, teleported right out of the window and fled the campus!

He appeared in the street and fled into another dabus portal. For the next hour and a half, he slipped in between the secret city and different areas of Sigil.

Prison Break

The Prison of Sigil

Bidam started putting up flyers protesting Theran's treatment. The people rallied and were awed by how Theran was evading the Mercykillers by appearing "everywhere at once."

Soon people were taking to the streets, either in support of Theran or in protest - rules are rules, after all.

Bidam hooked up with the cranium rats. There are a number of different hive minds. The heroes had helped wipe out one hive mind and install another one, called Vermin Supreme as the dominant hive in Sigil.

Bidam used the group's last cranium rat charm to connect to the hive mind. There were rats all throughout the prison. Bidam learned a lot:

• There were Mercykillers who were extremely unhappy with the Factol. This segment was led by Arwyn Swan's Son, a major NPC in Faction War.
• A rat eavesdropped on the factol, who told an underling about her crazy dream - she thought that the Lady of Pain herself wanted to be punished! The Factol wanted to dissect Theran and learn everything about the dabuses so she could one day punish the Lady of Pain for her crimes.
• Another rat waddled past prison cells. Drokkarn, the pit fiend spirit in Bidam's cloak Fiend's Embrace, recognized a prisoner. She was an erinyes named Lygess the Cruel. She served him for years in the Blood War.

The Devil Ally

Lygess the Cruel, Erinyes

The rat spoke with her, and it turned out that Lygess had incriminating evidence that could bury the factol. The devil agreed to give the group that information if they broke her out.

Theran regrouped with Bidam. A riot was set to go off in the prison. The heroes were going to bust in right when the riot got going, free Lygess and get Theran's gear back. The rats knew his gear was in a storage/evidence room in an underground level.

The riot kicked off and it was chaos. The heroes raced in and dashed up the stairs. They came upon four Mercykillers desperately trying to keep the cellblock doors closed. Prisoners were on the other side trying to bust through.

This was the block the group needed to get to. Bidam decided to give a Mercykiller an... atomic wedgie. We rolled for it. The wedgie was executed with aplomb.

This wedgie was enough to cause the prisoners to pour through the doors. They trampled Bidam and beat the guards.

The group went into the cell block. Prisoners were beating guards and each other. They found Lygess. Lygess was a little bewildered when she saw Bidam wearing Fiend's Embrace - it was literally the skin of a pit fiend she knew! Drokkarn fed Bidam some lines in Infernal to smooth it over and assure her that everything was kosher.

The Traps

Pit Fiend

Then the group went down to the storage area. The room was lined with clothes, shoes, and general junk.

There was one set of shelves with magic trinkets on them. The group snatched them all. There was a single chest in here. As Theran went to check it, a trap door opened up beneath Bidam's feet. He fell into a pit containing a gelatinous cube!

At the same time, the chest sprung to life. It was a mimic.

What followed was a fun encounter where Selinza put Theran in an Otiluke's resilient sphere, got the mimic to stick to it, and then tried to roll it to the pit with the cube. Mimics are "adhesive" and, according to the 5e MM, "...adheres to anything touching it."

Meanwhile, Bidam had trouble getting out of the cube. Fall From Grace snatched a spear off of a shelf and dipped it into the cube. Bidam grabbed it and she pulled him out. I made a bit of a display about Fall From Grace's concern for Bidam.

The mimic was plopped into the cube and the trap door was shut. Very clever, I thought.

The group found a secret compartment where all of Theran's stuff was, except his ring.

His ring was on the finger of the Justiciar. In order for the magic of the warrant to work, the justiciar had to have an item of Theran's in his possession.

The group fled the prison as the riot was starting to be quelled. They raced through the streets back to Deadbook Square as the people of Sigil cheered them on.

Once they returned to Deadbook Square, Lygess told them the secret:

Factol Nilesia was imprisoning members of her own faction. If she even suspected a Mercykiller of not agreeing with her, she had them shipped out to Vorkehan, a prison on the plane of Acheron. The heroes realized that if this information came out, her own faction would turn against her.

I asked the players what they wanted to do next time. Their answer: They wanted to go to Vorkehan!

Good session! There's lots of material on Vorkehan in Planes of Law, so we should have a session full of cool stuff. I'm definitely going to try to squeeze a rust dragon into it if I can. Let's also not forget that Foulgore Grue is still on the hunt. Time will be a major factor!

Episode 13: Were Are We

You can watch this episode on Twitch here.

I was thinking. When Diath was resurrected, he had to make a special roll. Chris said he'd talk to Jared about it privately later. That certain thing has not come into play yet.

The Party

(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander
(Nathan) Paultin - Human Bard 
(Holly) Strix - Tiefling Sorcerer 
(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue

Last Time: Ireena died, the group battled Strahd, they ran away and Paultin remembered that Van Richten killed his parents. Also, Evelyn contracted lycanthropy. She's a werewolf! On the plus side, Evelyn summoned a skeleton horse named Mourning Glory.

It is night time in the creepy forest. The heroes are near the wagon that caused Paultin to have a flashback.

Evelyn tries to check her werewolf bite but she rolls bad. She knows nothing about lycanthropy. The group agrees that Evelyn spent her time in paladin school drawing horses.

The group wants to tie her to a tree. Evelyn doesn't want to do it. Evelyn has a quiet conversation with Strix. Strix confirms that they are friends, which of course makes Evelyn happy. Strix explains that Strahd is like Lathander - he's a Power. That's Planescape-speak for god/demon lord/etc.

Diath gets up in a tree. Strix sleeps in the wagon. So does Paultin. We confirm that Strix has the Strahd doll in her possession.

Strahd

Paultin hears a voice. It's Strahd. He says:

"You have nothing to fear from me. You are beloved to me. Do not be afraid. Join me. I would never hurt you. I owe a debt to your people. Forsake your friends. Join me." 

The voice is coming from the puppet. Ha! Wow. Strahd chose Paultin, apparently. I am wondering how everything is going to play out. Maybe Strahd wants Paultin as a consort and he wants to corrupt Evelyn. Strahd probably wants to destroy Strix for killing Ireena, and I guess Diath is the X factor.

Paultin swats it away. Strix named it Mr. Bumbleface. This screen cap doesn't do it justice, but here is Holly's drawing of the Strahd doll:

Outside, Evelyn starts feeling connected to nature. Chris asks her to make a wisdom save. She fails. Diath sees Evelyn - she's thrashing.

Evelyn can hear Diath's heart pounding. Diath wakes up the others. Strix tosses her driftglobe to cast light onto the scene.

The group urges Paultin to sing to her, hoping it will calm her down. He tries and rolls an 11. Not good! Evelyn's face shifts. Her skull is changing shape. She calls on Lathander for help.

Diath has a great idea - he asks Paultin for his wine. Nope... Paultin drank it all.

They have those potions from the Bonegrinder. Would those help? I just looked them up.. they won't help.

Diath wants to move the cart to pin her to the tree, but they fail their strength checks!

Evelyn turns into a werewolf! She does a werewolf voice. I think she should keep the accent, even when in evil werewolf form.

Paultin is going to cast sleep on her. He didn't level his character. Nate rolls a total of 39 hit points. Evelyn has 43. So close! For sleep to work, he has to roll more than her hit points on a bunch of d8's. That means that sleep has no effect.

Strix uses sorcery points to give herself a spell slot. She casts hold person. Anna points out that the last time Strix used this spell, somebody died. Anna rolls a saving throw.. natural 20!

Werewolf Evelyn can't get out of her bonds. Apparently her werewolf form is like a pomeranian. Anna even has a picture.

I really hope somebody draws werewolf Evelyn. The group wants to try another song. Paultin tries sleep again. This time, it works. I think the duration of sleep is one minute, not sure.

Suddenly, someone stabs Strix from behind! The blade goes right through her chest. Blood comes out of her mouth. The attacker is a 14-year-old boy! His eyes are wells of madness.

It's the evil son of the Burgomaster of Krezk! A few sessions back, we learned that the Abbot raised him from the dead, but the boy became evil. He slit his own father's throat.

Diath lunges at the kid. I think he's hated kids since he was put in the stocks and a troubled youth chucked stones at him.

Diath almost kills him with a single shot. The kid stabs Diath - Diath shouts "Uncanny Dodge!" and only takes four points.

Strix freezes the kid's heart with a ray of frost. He's dead. Diath looks him in the face and says, "You fucked up."

Diath loots the kid. He's got a black lock - a trinket. If you want to know what the deal with this lock is, check out the trinkets on page 210 of the Curse of Strahd book. I think it's the trinket listed as numbers 03-04.

Diath is worried that the kid is going to come back to life. Wow, that would be crazy if he rose up as a Strahd zombie!

Strix grabs Evelyn's axe, Lightfall, and chops the frozen kid into pieces.

The rest of the night is uneventful. Evelyn shifts back to normal. A few tears of blood trickle from her eyes. Yikes.

Evelyn wakes up and she sees Paultin is watching her. She does the Sleeping Beauty wake-up. Paultin is not impressed.

Paultin kicks Strix awake. Wow. Paultin is being a bit harsh. Is he thinking about joining Strahd?

Is there a full moon every night in Barovia? Is Evelyn going to turn into a werewolf every night from now on?

Evelyn's senses seem permanently enhanced. She can smell a stream nearby. Awesome. She calls them her "newfound, acute senses," which cracked me up. She pulled that phrase out of thin air.

She takes a bath in a stream and smells grapes. Aha, the Wizard of Wines is close. They should keep that cart and hook it up to their horses.

The group heads there. As they get close, they spot a man in a black cloak moving among the trees.

Strix and Diath debate how to approach this person. Evelyn shouts out "Hello, friend!" He flees but eventually the group meet him and his family.

He's Davian Martikoff. He owned the winery but the place has been attacked by crazy druids from Yester Hill and their plant creatures. The group assures him that they'll try to help. Chris does a great hoary voice for the old timer.

It should be interesting to see how Chris runs this. There's a billion bad guys here.

The heroes check out the vineyard. They see a number of creatures made of wood heading toward them - more than a dozen!

The creatures move slow and it's raining, so they are not particularly combustible. Strix senses that they're being controlled and smartly thinks that if they kill the druids, the blights might become inert.

The heroes go around the building and spot a druid through a window. The druids are in a room with a loading winch (area W16. page 178).

Diath jumps the druid, who has a special black staff. Half of the group is dangling from a rope on the winch.

Strix's new staff

Evelyn buries Lightfall in his skull. He's dead. The staff lands right at Strix's feet. That's where we stop!

Chris says that the Force Grey show starts next week. Cool! I wonder how long the episodes are. Chris says that the Acquisitions Inc and Force Grey shows all build up to the event at PAX West. I wonder if it will be one group pitted against the other or what?

Timestamps

• (27:00) The Strahd doll talks to Paultin
• (43:28) Evelyn turns into a werewolf
• (54:30) It's like Chris wants the show to end
• (1:21:37) Evelyn takes a bath and embraces nakedness

Overall

ProJared: I like Jared more each session. As he gets increasingly comfortable, we get to see what a fun guy he is.

The Blights: I was wondering how Chris would handle the Wizard of Wines. When I originally read it, I pictured it as this semi-suicidal encounter. It's not. The creatures move real slow, like zombies.

This was a fun episode. It didn't have the intensity of the last three shows, but what I liked about this one is that everyone was in a fun mood. Ever since the Roll20 special show, the group has been really funny and fun to watch. 

You can watch this episode on youtube here.

Crack of Dawn: I love how they post this show so early. I think this one went up at 3 AM EST. That means I can do Dice, Camera, Action and Acquisitions Inc. in one shot.

When Rods Collide: Apparently the Force Grey series starts next week. That show and this one have a connecting storyline. There's going to be some kind of crossover that will culminate at PAX West. Sounds like fun!

The Party

(Jerry) Omin Dran - Half-Elf Cleric
(Mike) Jim Darkmagic - Human Wizard
(Scott) Binwin Bronzebottom - Dwarf Fighter/Barbarian
(Patrick) Viari - Human Rogue 

Last Time: The group is in a dwarven fortress, trying to steal a piece of the rod of seven parts from a vault. They need a key that apparently is in the possession of members of the Zhentarim. Viari was just about to try to pilfer the key when we stopped...

The heroes discuss the heist. They want to stone shape a hole into a stone wall. The hole isn't going to be too big. Jim talks about teleporting in.

The group is going to do this right now. Poor Viari might be in big trouble.

Omin opens the stone with stone shape. There's a layer of lead that needs to be broken through. Omin casts silence, which lasts ten minutes. Binwin grabs a pickaxe. He pounds through and makes a hole.

The hole is about the size of a baseball.

In the room beyond is a floating orb held up by vapor. The piece of the rod is in the orb. In the corner of the room are automatons.

Hammerer

Jim casts dispel magic on the orb. The orb disappears and the rod hits the ground. Now he wants to use mage hand...

Meanwhile, Viari spots the Zhentarim heading for the armory. They're making a deal to bolster the defenses of the fortress.

Viari bails on the whole thing.

The piece of the rod is named "Rex." It can cast heal once per day.

Wow, the group actually obtained the final, largest piece of the rod! The names of the rod pieces and their powers in the 2e boxed set adventure go like this:

1. Ruat (cure light wounds)
2. Coelum (slow)
3. Fiat (haste)
4. Justitia (gust of wind)
5. Ecce (true sight)
6. Lex (hold monster)
7. Rex (heal)

Omin casts another stone shape and seals the wall.

Viari rejoins the group. He has to bluff past Ironbeard, the dwarf. He does so. The group is together and they have the piece of the rod. Now they have to get out of the fortress.

Omin is still disguised as his sister, Auspicia. Viari runs out to the dwarf and pretends that Auspicia is angry. The dwarf decides to involve Lord Zardak Horn to smooth things over. The group is alarmed. Viari tries to bluff past it, but rolls poorly.

Binwin and Jim are in the box, which is what is supposed to be going in the vault.

Twelve dwarf guards come in and Ironbeard casts knock on the box. He wants to inspect it.

Jim and Binwin are invisible in there. Ironbeard pulls out a monocle. Viari tries to bribe him. Ironbeard seems amenable.

And here comes the drunk guy, Carrington. He blurts out an accusation and the jig is up. Looks like the group is going to fight... that's where we stop.

Timestamps

(13:11) Zhentarim sales
(25:00) What do you call a bunch of dwarves?

Overall

Complications: Things were going very smoothly for the group. I was wondering if Chris was going to let them get in and out, if that's the story the dice told.

For a time as DM, I did let things like that happen. I'd let a group with a good plan pull a caper off without a hitch. What I found was that players hate that. They want twists. They don't want things to be too easy.

This was a decent episode. I'm happy to see the Rod of Seven Parts get the spotlight. I'd love to get a whole 5e adventure about it. Next week's show should be epic.

In this article, I am attempting to create a nice brief overview of traps in 5th edition D&D. The trap information is spread out and (for me) hard to find in the core books, so I thought I'd assemble it all on one page to use as a reference. I'm going to go over disabling traps, spells that relate to traps, and different types of traps.

The Essential Information

• Main Info: The main trap information is in the DMG on page 120.
• Main Spell: Glyph of Warding (PH page 245) is probably the most common magical trap.
• Complex Traps: Use the complex trap rules (DMG page 121) for things like flooding rooms.
• Good List: Don't forget to check out the great trap list on page 297 of the DMG.
• Useful Spell: The Find Traps spell (PH page 241) helps but it doesn't point out the trap directly.

Detecting and Disabling Traps

Detecting Traps: Wis (Perception) check against the DC of the trap. It take about one minute to check for traps on a door (PH page 181). Searching a room takes ten minutes.

The book advises that in some situations, don't even roll. For example, if there is a pressure plate under a carpet, the hero automatically finds it if they remove the carpet.

Disabling Traps: This is dexterity-based (PH page 177). Some traps are mechanical, and some are magical. Each is handled a little differently:

• Disarming a Mechanical Trap: Int (Investigation) to figure out what to do, and then a Dex check with thieves' tools to disarm it.
• Disarming a Magical Trap: Any character can try to do this. Make an Int (Arcana) check, in addition to whatever it says in the spell description.

Things That Help Characters Deal with Traps

Obviously, the most important thing is Thieves' Tools (PH page 154). These cost 25 gold. This little kit has stuff like a file, lock picks, pliers, that kind of thing.

If you are proficient with these tools, you can add your proficiency bonus to disarming traps and picking locks. Here are some things that help characters with traps:

• (PH page 48) Danger Sense: Barbarians have advantage on Dex saves vs. traps that they can see.
• (PH page 97) Fast Hands: A third level thief has "Fast Hands" which means they can use a bonus action to disarm a trap.
• (PH page 98) Mage Hand: Arcane Trickster rogues can use "mage hand legerdemain" to disarm traps at range, which is really awesome.
• (PH page 166) Dungeon Delver Feat: This trap-centric feat gives you advantage and resistance to all sorts of trap-related stuff.

Trap-Related Spells


(lvl 2) Find Traps: (PH page 241) You sense traps within 120 feet. It only reveals that a trap is present. You don't learn where it is or exactly what it does.

(lvl 2)  Alarm: (PH page 211) You create a warded area in a 20 foot cube. If any creature tiny or larger enters it, the 'alarm' goes off. It can be an audible noise that lasts 10 seconds or you can set it so it alerts you mentally as long as you are within a mile.

(lvl 2) Magic Mouth: (PH page 257) This lasts potentially forever. You set the trigger. When triggered, the mouth appears and utters a message up to 25 words. This is a very fun old school spell that I find very amusing.

(lvl 3) Glyph of Warding: (PH page 245) These are nearly invisible. Intelligence (Investigation) against the caster's DC to spot one. The caster decides what triggers it: touching it, getting close to it, etc. There are a couple different types:

• Explosive Runes: It explodes in a 20-foot radius sphere doing 5d8 damage of a type of your choosing. DEX save for half damage.
• Spell Glyph: You can store a spell of up to third level in this! Wow. Lightning bolt, fear or stinking cloud, whatever you want.

(lvl 6) Guards and Wards: (PH page 248) This lasts 24 hours and covers 2,500 square feet. You can create a "password" to bypass it. It creates effects:

• Corridors are full of disorienting fog.
• Doors are locked as if by an arcane lock.
• Stairs are full of webs like the web spell.
• You can pick one more effect from a list that includes stinking clouds, magic mouths and more.

(lvl 6) Programmed Illusion: (PH page 269) This spell is tailor-made for trap shenanigans. You cast it and set the conditions for what triggers the illusion. The illusion can't be bigger than a 30 foot cube and if there's activity in it, it can't last more than 5 minutes. Trying to disbelieve is an Intelligence (Investigation) check against the caster's DC.

(lvl 7) Symbol: (PH page 280) This creates a glyph that is nearly invisible, just like a glyph of warding. The range on this is crazy. The symbol affects everyone within 60 feet! There are a lot of effects. I'll list a few so you can get the general idea:

• Symbol of Death: 10d10 necrotic, Con save for half.
• Symbol of Discord: Con save or bicker and argue for one minute. Victims have disadvantage on attack rolls/ability checks.
• Symbol of Stunning: Wis save or stunned for one minute!

How Traps Work

Traps are discussed on DMG page 120. Most traps have a specific trigger, such as stepping on a pressure plate or setting off a trip wire.

Setting Trap DCs and Damage: (DMG page 121) This is the most important thing when making a trap. The charts on this page give you the numbers you'll need. For example, a trap that is deadly for a 7th level character has a DC of 14, a +7 to hit and does 10d10 damage.

Complex Traps: (DMG page 121) These traps execute a series of actions each round. It rolls initiative and can "take an action." The example given involves a flooding room. On the trap's turn, the water level rises.

Sample Traps: (DMG page 122-123) We are given a bunch of classic D&D traps like:

• Fire-Breathing Statue: Step on a plate, make a Dex save. Success = half damage.
• Spiked Pit: I am not seeing a Dex save to jump back, here. You just fall in and take damage. The way to avoid it is to spot it before you walk over it. Some spiked pits have poison that does an extra 22 poison damage!
• Rolling Sphere: The classic Indiana Jones trap. Step on a pressure plate, it rolls initiative. On the sphere's turn, it moves 60 feet. Creatures in the way make a Dex save or take 55 damage!

Quicksand: (DMG page 110) I know this is in the 'environmental' section, but it's a pretty common trap. When you enter it, you sink d4+1 feet and are restrained. You sink d4 feet each round hence. Escaping requires a strength check. The DC is 10 + the number of feet you've sunk. Once you're under, you'll be making suffocation checks (see PH page 183). You can hold your breath for 1 + your Con mod in minutes.

List of Trap Effects: (DMG page 297) This list is great. Tons of stuff you can use. Here's a few of my favorites:

• Collapsing staircase that deposits characters into a pit at its lower end.
• Pendulum, either bladed or weighted as a maul, swings across the room or hall.
• Floor collapses or is an illusion.

Tricks: (DMG page 298) This list is really great too. Here's a few I like:

• Ages the first person to touch the object.
• Increases, reduces, negates, or reverses gravity.
• Releases, summons, or turns into a monster.

Mimic: (MM page 221) This is a classic monster that almost functions like a trap. It looks like a treasure chest, but it's actually a hideous, sticky shapechanger with pseudopods.

Positioning is Important

When you are running a trap, there are some things to keep in mind.

Marching Order: At the start of the session, have the group describe how they travel - who is in front, who is in back, etc. Tell them that unless you hear differently, that is the order. This way, when a trap hits, there is no question as to who is where.

Sidestep Metagaming: Let's say you have a room with a pit trap under a carpet. If you plop a map on the table and ask the players where they are, obviously they know something is up.

Also, if you suddenly go into detail about how there is a carpet in the room, the group might realize that you're describing this carpet for a reason.

Here's what works for me. I use red herrings. Sometimes, I will mention a specific detail or ask the heroes precisely where they are for no reason. This is done to keep them on their toes and to put a metagame mask on the rooms where it does matter.

Great D&D Traps

I was going to list some cool traps in 5e adventures, but I hate the idea of spoiling them for potential players. I'm also not going to talk about the Tomb of Horrors, because I don't want to spoil that, either.

I'm going to list some of my favorite traps from previous editions.

White Plume Mountain

(Pages 9-10) The Frictionless Room: This room has pits that are 10 feet deep and are full of rusty razorblades that can give you "instant super-tetanus" that will kill you in d4+1 rounds. The walls, floor,and ceiling are totally frictionless.

"Anything that alights on this silvery surface will move in the direction of its last horizontal impetus, bouncing off the walls (if it strikes them) like a billiard ball, until it slides into a razor-pit."

Fly spells and teleportation don't work in here. I ran this a few years ago and it was great.

Dungeon Magazine #41: Deadly Treasure


(Page 15) First Crawlway: All of the traps in this dungeon involve magic items. In this area, you need to crawl through a tunnel 3 feet wide and high. At the end of this tunnel, a "...thick cloth sheet seems to be stretched across the passage before you, barring further progress."

It's a giant bag of holding. It is stretched very snugly around the mouth of the crawlway.

If you puncture it in any way, 5 feet of crawlway and anything in it is sucked into nilspace and "quite likely lost forever."

As if that's not bad enough, anyone with a portable hole who gets close to the bag is gated to another plane with the hole and the bag.

Dungeon Magazine #97 - Life's Bazaar


(Page 59) The Gear Doors of Jzadirune: This adventure is the first in the Shackled City adventure path. It's written by Chris Perkins. The adventure involves a dungeon called Jzadirune, created by gnomes who were wiped out via a magical plague called The Vanishing.

This place is full of gear-shaped doors with different magic glyphs on them. Each glyph sets off a different effect including corrosive gas, flame jets, rays of frost, you name it.

The group needs to find keys in the shape of a rod. There's a different key for each glyph. You need to find something like 10 keys to safely traverse the complex. This entire dungeon is built around the trapped doors and I think it is really awesome.

I ran this back in 2008 converted to 4e and I didn't do a very good job. I really want another crack at it using 5e rules.

Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons


(Page 158) Five-Headed Trap: I think this is the coolest trap I've ever used. Carved in the face of a cliff is a 150 foot tall carving of Tiamat. A huge pair of closed doors are set into the dragon's chest.

If you open the doors without uttering the pass phrase, all five heads breathe on the party at once! That's lightning, acid, poison, cold and fire. Each breath weapon has an aftereffect. Worst case, you are immobilized, burning and taking ongoing acid and poison damage until you make your saving throws.

I ran this trap in my Scales of War campaign. The heroes were level 29 at the time. They were on fire, running around and screaming like maniacs. It was awesome.

Links

DMs Guild: World Builder's Blog Presents 20 New Traps
DMs Guild: 5MWD Traps
D&D Kobold Traps - Hidden gem on the D&D site! 
Hack & Slash Tricks and Traps .pdf
Reddit's Most Memorable Traps
Spatula City Massive Trap List
Thieves Guild Traps - Goofy but Fun

Hello and welcome to Power Score RPG. I write about D&D. Today I am going to take a stab at explaining how Dungeons & Dragons is played.

I'm going to give you a brief explanation of how the game works, and then I am going to ramble on forever about non-essential details. Here we go:

How Do You Play Dungeons & Dragons?

You'll need a total of at least two people to play. One person runs the game. That person is the "Dungeon Master." Everyone else is a player who runs a character. Players create their own characters before the game starts.

Once you all sit down at the table, the DM tells you where you are and you tell the DM what you do. Some things require rolls using weird dice, mostly a twenty-sided die.

Say you start in a bar. If you go up to the bartender and talk to them, there's no roll required. You tell the DM what you say and the DM tells you the bartender's response. If you try to attack the bartender, you roll to see if you hit. If you try to intimidate or trick the bartender, you'll probably have to make a skill roll.

That's it. Usually there is some kind of overarching story, like a TV series or a movie. But unlike TV and movies, nobody knows how it all will end. Anything can happen. That's the fun of the game. Together you're creating an epic story that you are the star of.

People usually play for two to six hours per session.

Stuff You Need to Play 

One of the great things about D&D is that you don't have to spend any money at all if you don't want to. Usually people buy dice, but you can use a dice rolling app if you like.

Free Stuff

D&D Basic Rules Online
D&D Player's Rules .pdf
D&D DM Rules .pdf  
Character Sheets
Dice Roller 
Death House - A haunted house adventure for beginning characters. They might take this down someday soon, so get it while you can!

Official Products

Starter Set - This is your best bet if you want to try the game. It has everything you need, including dice.
Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual
Dice - There's a million places to get dice. Ebay is great if you want to get a huge pile to split with your friends.

Why Do People Play D&D?

Whenever I tell someone in "the real world" that I play Dungeons & Dragons, they have the same reaction. They furrow their brow and ask, "How do you play that game?" I give a brief explanation and then I tell them some goofy stories of things that have happened in my games.

Once I tell them a story that includes wacky player hijinks like making out with a dragon or winning a pirate ship race by throwing crew overboard, they say: "You can do that in the game?"

I then inform them that you can do anything you want in D&D.

At this point, the vast majority of people have the same reaction. Their eyes light up and they want to try it.

The Real Reason: A lot of people say that they play the game because they like to kill monsters and collect treasure. Others say that they like to play because they live vicariously through their character.

I have had the good fortune to run games of D&D for hundreds of people. I have learned that most people want one thing above all: A group of close friends to laugh with. Nights spent creating in-jokes and stumbling into crazy moments in the game. That's D&D!

This is the 5th edition Player's Handbook

Fifth Edition: There are different versions of D&D. Fifth edition is the current one, and it is very popular. The other editions are very different! If you buy stuff, make sure you know what edition you are getting.

Once you understand 5e, you'll have no problem taking older products and converting them to the rules you use.

D&D Lingo

Let's go over some common phrases you'll hear in D&D.

Adventure: A pre-written scenario that you can buy. Right now the big adventure is Curse of Strahd, a horror adventure. 

Attack Roll: When you want to stab/punch/shoot somebody, you roll a d20. You'll add certain bonuses. The higher you roll, the better chance that you hit.

Armor Class: The number that people have to roll to hit someone else

Campaign: A campaign is the ongoing series of adventures you're playing in. The Walking Dead is a campaign. Fear the Walking Dead is a separate campaign. They exist on the same campaign world, but they are each a separate campaign.

Character: That's the person you make. Your 'avatar' in the game.

Class: This is what your character does. You could be a warrior, a wizard, a thief, all kinds of stuff.

d20: "d20" is short for twenty-sided die. A "d8" is an eight-sided die, a "d10" is a ten-sider, etc.

Dungeon Master: The person who runs the game. They are like the director of the movie that you're starring in. They run the monsters, the citizens, the world.

Encounter: This is what you call a scene or battle in the game. If you get trapped in a room filling with water, that's an encounter. Infiltrating the dinner party of a noble to try to steal their magic gem, that's also an encounter. 

Hit Points: Your "life meter." Once you drop to zero hit points, you are unconscious and dying.

Initiative: When a battle starts, everybody rolls a twenty-sided die. Whoever rolls highest goes first. The DM writes these numbers down, because you are going to cycle through this order until the battle is complete. 

Modifier: Bonuses to your rolls. Most of the time in D&D, you'll get to add a +2 or a +5 to certain rolls, depending on what your character is good at.

Player: That's you. Unless you want to be a DM.

Race: You get to choose the race of your character. You can be a dwarf, a dragonborn, a human, all sorts of things.

Saving Throw: Special rolls made to survive things. If a dragon breathes fire on you, you will make a saving throw. You roll a d20. If you roll high enough, you might dodge the breath or take half damage from it.

Session: A session is when you sit down and play D&D with your friends for a few hours. A string of sessions that connect the same story is a campaign.

Things to Know

The Main Rule: Most of Dungeons & Dragons boils down to this: Roll a 20-sided die. If you roll high, you succeed at what you are trying to do.

Modifiers: Keep in mind that when I talk about dice-rolling, you are usually going to have a bonus to the roll. As an example, if you are strong, you might add a +2 or +4 to certain rolls. If your character is charismatic, when you try to lie or sweet-talk someone, you'll get a +4 or whatever as well.

Doing Stuff: It might feel a little weird when you first start. A lot of things don't need to be rolled for - the DM just tells you the outcome. If you go to a tavern and look around, the DM might tell you what the bartender looks like, the drinks on the menu and the other people who are in the tavern.

The Rules Don't Matter: The DM has final say. DMs are allowed to "break rules" as they see fit. These are things you should talk over before you start to play, to make sure you are all on the same page. You should agree on the style of game you want to play.

You Don't Have to Do a Voice: You don't have to do funny voices or talk in character. In fact, most people don't. When you want your character to say something, you can just say, "My character says that we should pants the ogre," or whatever. I do voices because I like it, but I don't care if players do it or not.

You Don't Play Through Every Second: The DM is like a director of a movie. If your character is traveling and it is going to take 6 hours in the game, then the DM will just say, "You travel for six hours and arrive at your destination," and you move on. It's like a movie. We cut to the good stuff.

Dying: Once you have 0 hit points, you are unconscious or dying. You'll be making special rolls each round. Once you fail three of those rolls, you're dead for good. Some DMs run games that are lethal, others not so much. This is another thing to talk to your DM about before you start playing.

The Game Is Not The DM vs. Players: The DM isn't your enemy. They are supposed to be an impartial referee between you and the bad guys. I've seen a lot more DMs "cheat" to keep characters alive than anything else. We are secretly rooting for you.

D&D is Not a Video Game: Sometimes you will run into monsters that you have no chance of defeating. There are times that you have to run away. The game doesn't necessarily end when you kill the big bad guy. There might not even be a big bad guy.

There is no Way to "Win" D&D: The DM might have a goal in mind for you. Usually it's some variation of the story where there is some evil menace threatening your kingdom/continent/world and it's up to your band of unlikely heroes to stop it. But even if you succeed at that goal, the game doesn't necessarily end. People get attached to their characters and don't want to stop.

I always say that you win D&D when you have an awesome session or a good time with your friends.

Campaign Settings

There are piles of pre-made worlds and adventures out there for Dungeon Masters to use, if they like. Keep in mind that a lot of these books are from older editions, so they have different rules. People still use them for the material. Old rules are easy to convert to 5th edition rules.

Here are some of the big ones:

Greyhawk: The original campaign world, created by Gary Gygax himself. Many of the names of spells and items in the game are named after actual characters in his campaigns (Heward's Handy Haversack, Tenser's Floating Disc, etc.). Apparently there are some ownership rights issues with this setting so we haven't seen many adventures set in Greyhawk in recent years.

Forgotten Realms: This setting has tons and tons of novels and supplements devoted to it. This is where Drizz't and Elminster live. The Realms is also where most 5th edition adventures are set in. The Realms is so big that there are actually other settings within the setting: Al Qadim, Kara Tur and Maztica.

Eberron: This is a fantasy world with a certain style. There are dragonmarks that give you special powers, warforged (magic suits of armor with souls - sort of like D&D robots), elemental airships and undead powered by positive energy instead of negative energy.

Spelljammer: In this campaign setting, you can take magic ships and fly into space. You can actually fly to Greyhawk, the Realms, or wherever.

Planescape: This setting is all about adventuring in the planes. It describes Sigil, the city at the center of the multiverse. The heroes can use the portals in Sigil to travel just about anywhere, including Hell and Limbo.

Ravenloft: This is the 'horror' setting of D&D. It changes from edition to edition, but usually Ravenloft is a "demiplane of dread," a place where the heroes get trapped in. In 5th edition, "Barovia" is the demiplane of dread and it is detailed in the adventure Curse of Strahd.

Putting a Group Together

I am guessing some of you are interested in D&D because you watched Critical Role or Dice, Camera, Action. Be aware that not every D&D game is like those shows.

You need to pick your players very carefully. I am sad to say that I have seen many people stop playing D&D due to one obnoxious person. I think this is changing thanks to the influx of new players, but you still need to be wary.

You want people who are considerate of others, reliable enough to show up on time each week, mature enough to handle in-game defeat and can accept a DM that sometimes will rule against them.

Phones need to be off, too. You need people willing to devote their attention to the game for a few hours.

What Makes for a Good Player?

Some people might say that a good player is someone who makes a character that does a lot of damage. Others might say that a good player is someone who always has a solution to whatever problem is put in front of them. Many might say a good player is someone who knows every rule in the Player's Handbook.

Here's my definition of a good player:

• Pays attention.
• Has a character with a distinct personality.
• Remembers what happened the week before.
• Is easy to get along with and pleasant to be around.

So, You Want to be a Dungeon Master

There is a saying about being a DM: "Many are called, few are chosen." Being a DM is hard!

It requires "homework." The DM has to commit to working on the game in between playing sessions. We're talking hours of work. As a DM, you can not show up to the game unprepared. If you do, your session is going to suck and your players aren't going to want to play again.

I should make this caveat: Some DMs always fly by the seat of their pants and do just fine. Most don't.

It takes a certain type of person to be a DM. Here's the deal:

• You have to be creative.
• You have to be dedicated and responsible.
• You have to be assertive.
• You have to be able to manage a group of people.
• You have to be able to be fair-minded.
• You have to be on your toes.

Do it! Don't let any of that scare you off. You can do it. If you have a group of people who are all new to the game, that's a perfect time for you to learn how to be a dungeon master.

While you are learning the ropes, those new players will go through the "golden time." The first eight sessions or so will be looked back on extremely fondly and during that time you can do no wrong.

What's Great About D&D

D&D is a healthy way for people to get together and have fun. You're not doing drugs. You're not getting into trouble with the law. You are spending practically no money at all. You are not sitting passively watching a movie.

You're with like-minded people creating a story that you are the star of and nobody knows how it ends. D&D is really fun! I hope you enjoy it, too.

Links

Adventurers League - If you want to try playing in a game store, go here.
How to Make a D&D Character
Beginners Guide to D&D 

You can watch this episode here.

If you want to start at the start, check out my recap of the live 'prologue' show. Not a lot happened, but you kind of got a feel for what everyone is like.

OK! This is a review/recap of the first episode of Force Grey, a D&D show that apparently will somehow connect with the story of Acquisitions Incorporated. I'm going to tell you what happened, provide timestamps for what I think are the best moments, and then I'll give my overall thoughts.

The DM is Matt Mercer, of Critical Role. The group is a mix of vets and new players.

No Posehn: Right off the bat, I don't see Brian Posehn. His character vanished in the very beginning of the prologue episode and he just sat there for the rest of the session. I guess we'll see what the deal with that is sooner or later.

Half Hour: I am relieved to see that this show is only 30 minutes. I know a lot of people don't like that, but there's only so much D&D you can keep up with in a week.

The intro is a quick little thing where Matt blows a horn and the players assemble in the comic store. They head to the back room, Weird Pete style.

The Party

(Chris Hardwick) Whil Wee-Tawn - Sun Elf Wizard
(Ashley Johnson) Dagny Halvor - Half-Orc Cleric
(Shelby Fero) Katya Horn - Dwarf Fighter
(Jonah Ray) Joppa - Human Monk
(Utkarsh Ambudkar) Hitch - Human Rogue

We get a narrated voice over about Waterdeep. Lots of art, some of it new. Matt recaps the prologue episode and actually looks right into the camera, which is nice. He goes out of his way to acknowledge and include the viewer.

I'm going to leave out a lot of jokes, because I don't want to ruin it for you. This show is very funny and it goes by quick.

The group needs to go to a gnome village and find a pool guarded by a maiden. They will be meeting with a sun dragon. They will have to "discover the needs" of this creature.

Whil is a sun elf and he has a pseudo dragon. I wonder if that will come into play in some way?

Whil is immediately introduced to and accepted by the group. The heroes get to pick an NPC sidekick from these three choices:

1. Benji is a dude with a mustache.
2. Bjorn has a deep voice.
3. Then there is an intense person named Lillivach or something like that. She has a musket or arquebus and shows the group how it works.

They end up choosing ...Limmalia. Or whatever her name is. The heroes go to a shop for supplies and Hitch seduces the woman behind the counter. She sells the group some potions of healing.

Hitch gives Joppa a potion and Joppa is so touched he tells Hitch he loves him. He wants to roll for a hug. Somewhere in here, we learn that Joppa has fish in his pockets.

The goons who are after Hitch.

The group heads through an alley and three people who know Hitch and start having a sort of menacing conversation. They talk about Blackstaff.

We have a real nice map here. It is a Dwarven Forge kind of deal, a miniature town. We even get some special effects, where Matt summons the map to the table and it appears in a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, Whil yells "Magic Missile!" He fires off a magic missile. We are rolling initiative!

Joppa runs up and does a flurry of blows in the bad guys. He rolls really well and does a pile of damage to an orc.

Hitch uses an immovable rod in a very clever way and intimidates the bad guys. They're leaving, but Hitch convinces Limmalay to shoot them.

 Whil is confused and levitates the bad. Then when the group tells him that they're leaving, he turns it off.

The group considers stealing a cart so they can travel in comfort. Someone is asleep in it. Whil levitates the person and rolls a natural 1! He sends the sleeper flying onto a roof. The group panics, jumps on the cart and speeds off.

Timestamps

(8:32) The mustache guy.
(12:35) Roll for a hug.

Overall

Really good show! I think Matt was very conscious of the pacing and he kept it moving really well. The guy sleeping in the back of the cart - that was some quick thinking on his part. I really like how Matt is thoroughly prepared for these sessions.

This show is just half an hour long, so to me this is a no-brainer. You should definitely check Force Grey out.

Jonah: It's already like Jonah can do no wrong with me. I think the guy is hilarious.

Out of all of the D&D shows that I have checked out so far, there are three people who have that kind of charisma where you end up watching their face because you can read their reactions at all times. That would be Jonah, Scott Kurtz, and Nate from Dice, Camera, Action. With Nate, I don't know what he's thinking, but he is constantly emoting and processing stuff. 

Player Style: One of the things I like most about this show is that the players are demonstrating new ways to play a character and behave at the table.

Shelby, in particular, was really good on this episode. She immediately joins in on any sort of scene and in general she seems like a real team player. I always admire someone who will set up jokes for other people, and she does it absolutely seamlessly on this episode. I think that being unselfish is the hallmark of a great D&D player.

Background Music: I don't think the background music is necessary. It didn't quite detract from the show, but it didn't quite match the tone of the session. The group is entertaining enough that I don't think we need musical cues to keep our attention.

You can watch this episode on Twitch here.

I'm not sure how I found it, but Holly did a stream on Twitch last week. She made the Strahd doll that her character discovered in Paultin's Mystery Wagon! She made this thing in half an hour and it is fantastic. Check it out:

Pretty awesome, right? As far as I am concerned, that is officially what the doll looks like. She even put a tag on the back that says: "Is no fun? Is no Blinsky!"

No Nate this week. He's "off fighting crime."

They are going to do a live episode of this show at TwitchCon in September. That should be awesome.

Last Time: Evelyn turned into a werewolf and was tied to a tree so she couldn't hurt the group. Strahd apparently reached out to Paultin - he wants the bard to join him. The group started exploring a winery that has been overrun by druids and their evil wood-creatures.

The Party

(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander
(Holly) Strix - Tiefling Sorcerer 
(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue

We stopped last time when Strix got her magic staff. It is spongy and moist..?

The group holes up in a room for a while so that Strix can learn what the staff does. Diath watches the window to keep an eye on the blights. They're sort of very slowly coming toward the building. They behave a lot like zombies.

Strix learns that the staff lets her drain people's hit points to heal herself if she hits them with it. If she attunes to the staff, the blights won't consider her a threat. 

Diath finds a secret door and creeps through. There's a bedroom (room W17, page 178). He finds a secret compartment in a bedknob. It has a key to the chest in the room.

In the chest, there's a pile of gold, electrum and silver. Strahd's face is stamped on the electrum pieces. It's pre-vampire Strahd. In the desk, Diath finds records of wine shipments.

Strix finishes attuning. Strix's eyes go dark. She is transported away from the winery! She is near a tree - an axe is embedded in it. She's at Y4. page 198. She hears the Friday the 13th noise. There's a wicker statue of Strahd here, too. She wants to set it on fire.

The tree comes to life. There are blights around. Strix can command the blights. This is a vision. Strix collapsed.

Diath and Evelyn aren't sure what to do. Diath knows her consciousness is gone - he has experience with people leaving their bodies.

Evelyn tries to hug Strix into consciousness. It works! From Strix's perspective, roots dragged her into the ground.

She snaps out of it and actually spits dirt out of her mouth. Diath kicks the staff away.

Suddenly, the group notices blights coming down the hall toward them.

Diath wants to run. Evelyn and Strix are shocked and wonder if someone cast a fear spell on him. They retreat through the secret door.

Strix goes into the adjoining room. She thinks the blights won't attack her because she has the staff.

Siath suddenly realizes that if the group destroys the staff, it might destroy the blights. Strix really doesn't want to destroy it because it matches her outfit.

Finally Strix gives in and Evelyn gleefully chops it up in the name of The Morning Lord. The staff lets out an inhuman shriek and all of the blights in the area collapse and shatter.

Blood spurts out of the staff and covers Evelyn.


Someone in the building yells out, "No!" The group heads toward the sound. They come to a big room with four large fermentation vats (room W9, page 176). There's a druid here. It looks like she's dumping something (poison?) into a vat. She is on a walkway above the vats. The group is on the floor below her.

Evelyn gleefully challenges the druid in the name of Lathandar. Evelyn uses her boots to fly up and attack her. The group is rolling really bad. Jared had advantage and he rolled a 2 and... a 1.

The druid swings her staff at Evelyn and she rolls a 1. She slips and falls into the massive vat of wine! The group decides to let her drown after much debate.

Evelyn reaches in to grab the druid's staff, which is carved to look like Strahd. The druid lunges out of the wine and casts thunderwave. The heroes go flying and the cask shatters. The wine pours out and the druid is free! Awesome.

Diath jumps down, stabs her and actually makes her heart explode. The group applauds.

The heroes go outside. All the blights are dead. They meet the Martikovs, who thank the heroes and tell them there's more work to do. To get the winery working, they need three magic gems. One gem is at Yester Hill.

The wife of Davian breastfeeds her baby as she tells the group about the gems. Diath nervously looks skyward.

Diath hands over the electrum pieces he looted! Wow, nice.

Davian warns them about an "old witch" and to avoid her at all costs. My favorite NPC in Curse of Strahd!

He also mentions the Amber Temple. Diath remembers that the amber doors of the temple were part of his tarokka reading.

The heroes take a short rest, then they get on Mourning Glory and Valentina. The whole group rides to Yester Hill. A bolt of lightning hits the hilltop. 

They spot the wicker statue of Strahd at the top of the hill. They want to burn it. They approach. There is nobody up there.

At the top of the hill, they see a city in the fog. It's made of the fog. They feel like it is baiting them. It has a castle with two spires with a bridge connecting them. This is area Y5 on page 200 in the book.

The group goes around the circle and heads for the tree. They want to find this glowing green gem.

There's an axe stuck in the tree and a skeleton lying at the base of it.

Evelyn wants the axe. She grabs it. That's where we stop.

Timestamps

(40:11) Evelyn hugs Strix back to life.
(1:42:41) Paultin rides on Evelyn's horse.

Overall

Another good episode! The show has been extremely fun to watch for at least 5 weeks, now.

Modifications: Maybe I just missed it, but as far as I can tell, Strix's vision of the Gulthias Tree is not in the adventure at all. I wonder if Chris wanted to foreshadow Yester Hill and maybe clue the group in on the place. Maybe he wanted to motivate them to choose to go there when given the opportunity?

The blood spurting out of the Gulthias staff also isn't in the book, at least from what I can tell. It was cool. I'd definitely use both ideas if I ran this.

The Fog City: I think if I was running this, I would have completely forgotten about seeing the 'fog city' from the top of the hill. Now that I've seen this episode, I would have no trouble remembering it. Again, anyone thinking of running Curse of Strahd needs to watch this show. It helps immeasurably.

You can watch this episode here.

Force Grey started this week! Episode 1 was really good. It's also half an hour long. It is definitely worth seeing.

Last Time: The group stole a piece of the rod of seven parts, but Carrington the drunk NPC blew their cover. A big pile of dwarves is probably about to attack them.

The Party

(Jerry) Omin Dran - Half-Elf Cleric
(Mike) Jim Darkmagic - Human Wizard
(Scott) Binwin Bronzebottom - Dwarf Fighter/Barbarian
(Patrick) Viari - Human Rogue  

Carrington is drunkenly accusing the heroes of being impostors. Jim casts sleep and Carrington is out. The group stuffs him in the box, in a compartment above Jim and Binwin.

Ironbeard takes the bribe. He whispers that there is some stuff in the place that Viari might be interested in. Black Powder. Basically, gunpowder.

Viari says no thanks. The group has what they want and now they want to get the heck out of here. They make their way to the Hall of War, which is where those four big portcullises are.

Suddenly, an alarm goes off. Two stone golems are blocking the exit.

Guards go running. Some approach the group. They still don't suspect the heroes. These guards say that they will protect the heroes from whatever the threat is.

The portcullises will not open until the dwarf king opens them. The place is basically on lockdown.

The group has a map and knows there is a room with levers that control the portcullises.

Viari spots the secret door. The group knew it was there, but it took a bunch of perception checks to actually figure out exactly where it was.

The group watches as the Zhentarim get led into the hall of elders. Apparently they are being blamed for the theft.

The heroes learn that the Zhentarim stole a belt of giant strength from the dwarves and they are blaming the heroes! Ha.. what a great idea. The dwarves don't believe them.

The adventurers go before the king. The Zhentarim are there and they sneer at the heroes. Very condescending!

There's a dais in this hall. The group discusses how "dais" is pronounced. I always thought it was  "DIE-us" but I just checked. Listen to this and check out the weird second pronunciation.

Then I looked up Sigil, because it bothers me when people call it "Siggle."This lady says I'm right!

Omin suddenly realizes that the Zhentarim planted the belt on the group. That's what he thinks, anyway. Crazy.

The King is old and has cataracts. His wife is next to him. She whispers to him a lot. Looks like he can't hear very well, so she tells him what people say.

Jim and Binwin realize the sleep spell is wearing off on Carrington. He wakes up! We roll initiative to see who acts when.

Jim tries to cast sleep.. but it doesn't affect Carrington. It affects one of the dwarf guards. The dwarf topples over.

It took me a minute to understand why this happened. Sleep affects creatures within a 20 foot radius from a point you choose, starting with the one that has the least amount of hit points. So it looks like one of those dwarf guards was quite wimpy and had less hit points than Carrington.

It appears that things are about to get nutty. Carrington suddenly sits up and points at Omin, who is still in disguise as his sister. Carrington cries out, "He is not a woman!"

That's where we stop!

Timestamps

(17:07) Jim stashes a piece of the rod in a very safe place.
(31:44) The Jig is up.

Overall

Good show! This one is one of my favorites so far.

Twists: I really like all of the twist ideas here. I'll definitely try to use some in my games. Bad guys planting a stolen item on the heroes. A heist going afoul because someone else sets off the alarm. A drunk guy who knows too much and needs to be kept sedated under delicate circumstances. Really good stuff!

Sleep: I didn't really understand why the dwarf guard fell asleep until I looked up the spell. Chris is really on the ball. He didn't even hesitate. I never would have got that right.

This guide is an attempt to collect all of the lore about Gruumsh from the many different products he's appeared in. My hope is that this will give you a nice pool of stuff to work with if you decide to use Gruumsh in your game.

Gruumsh is a guy that doesn't see a lot of use, as far as I can tell. He's actually a really cool bad guy. His wife, Luthic, really adds a lot.

The Essential Information

• (Wife) Luthic: Goddess of fertility, medicine, families and servitude. 
• (Son) Baghtru: God of strength and combat. 
• (Chief Lieutenant) Ilneval: Orc lesser god. Schemes against Gruumsh. 
• Bloodspear: Gruumsh wields an artifact called Bloodspear. 
• Armor: The armor of Gruumsh is made from forty dragon hides.
• Home: The Iron Fortress of Nishrek and/or the Tower of Skulls in Chernoggar.
• Originally, Gruumsh's army fought in hell against Maglubiyet's goblins. Then Gruumsh move to the Iron Fortress of Nishrek in the plane of Acheron. Gruumsh ended up magically moving the whole fortress to Chernoggar, where the army went to war with the armed forces of the god Bane. That was in 4th edition.
• Gruumsh commands an army of "battlesworn," deathless orc warrior souls. 
• Hates elf deities, especially Corellon. 
• Gruumsh wants to drink Corellon's blood in order to gain special powers.
• Corellon cut out one of Gruumsh's eyes. The eye gave Gruumsh the power of prescience.
• It is believed that Corellon and Gruumsh are actually brothers.
• Gruumsh has never forgiven the gods for dividing up the world without him and laughing at him. He made it so that orcs can live in really deadly areas of the world.
• He is searching for his other eye. It might still be in the possession of Hecate, a Greek goddess.
• Gruumsh stole the Misty Island, the place where the first elves sprang into being.
• Gruumsh and Moradin made a pact to allow dwarves and orcs to share a ghost-infested town called Hammerfast.

AD&D First Edition

Deities and Demigods
Only shamans refer to him by name. Most orcs call him He-Watches or He-Who-Never-Sleeps

• Orcs think he always watches them with his one "unwinking" eye.
• He's 10 feet tall, wears black plate mail, wields a torch in one hand and spear that paralyzes in the other.
• He commands a might army of spirit-orcs in Hell! They war with spirit-goblins controlled by Maglubiyet.
• Worship of Gruumsh requires blood from humanoids, especially elves.

Dragon Magazine #62 - The Gods of the Orcs

There are actually to articles about orcs. The first is about half-orcs, but it goes off on a big Gruumsh tangent. We learn that:

• Gruumsh is narrow minded. He's quick to be insulted and will attack.
• Orc shamans pluck out an eye to gain Gruumsh's single-minded perspective.
• All tribes pay homage to Gruumsh. Elves see many sides of an issue. Orcs see one.
• Elves live long. Orcs live to about the age of 40.

This issue details the orc gods. It's got awesome art by Jim Holloway. Gruumsh  now has an eye patch and is no longer a cyclops. Personally I much prefer this version.

We start with a myth about how the other gods split up the world between them and then laughed that there was nowhere left for the orcs. Gruumsh used his spear and stabbed/corrupted many parts of the world for his orcs to inhabit. "Orcs shall inherit the world you sought to cheat me of!"

Corellon vs. Gruumsh: Corellon tried to shoot out Gruumsh's eye but missed, according to the orcs.

• The Orc Version: Gruumsh ambushed Corellon. He wanted to kill him and drink his blood in order to inherit his special powers. Corellon's arrow missed.
• Elf Version: Corellon missed on purpose as a warning. He hinted that the loss of the eye would break the divine power of Gruumsh. Gruumsh never again tried a direct assault against Corellon. He takes his fury out on mortal elves.

Warfare between tribes is encouraged to weed out the weak.

Baghtru: This orc fellow is the son of Gruumsh and Luthic, the Cave Mother.

• Very powerful, very stupid.
• He can crush people in his hands for 10-120 points of damage!
• He is 16 feet tall, has tusks and tan skin.
• His skin is so tough that blunt weapons only do a single point of damage to him.
• He follows the commands of his mother, Luthic, above all others.

Ilneval: Chief lieutenant of the orc armies "in Hell."

• He may be planning to overthrow Gruumsh. Gruumsh does not trust him.
• He's 9 feet tall, wears a suit of red iron chainmail, and he has a sword that kills any non-orc that it strikes.

Luthic, Goddess of Female Orcs: She is also the goddess of orcish fertility, caves and caverns, servitude, primitive medicine, and "helps restore orcish morale."

• Her claws can tunnel through solid rock.
• She is 8 1/2 feet tall, four foot long black claws, hair and eyes dull black, dark brown skin.
• When in contact with the ground, she regenerates 3 hit points per round.
• If she hears anyone abuse her name, she might issue that person a disease or make them more susceptible. Any ailment kills the person within 2-7 days. Only three wish spells can undo this curse!
• Her worshipers rub dirt on themselves to ensure they have many children.
• Her Tribe: Vile Rune. They don't raid.

Unearthed Arcana

Both of those Dragon Magazine articles are reprinted in this book.

AD&D Second Edition

Monster Mythology

I love this book. We learn that in pre-history, one or two now-unknown orc gods conspired to depose Gruumsh and were destroyed utterly. Gruumsh always seeks new territory for his race. There is no word for 'peace' in the orc language.

Luthic:

• Luthic actually sometimes sends an avatar to a battlefield to heal the wounded.
• Speaking her name now inflicts a wasting disease that kills in d4+4 days.
• Omens: claw marks in a rock, magical darkening of an area, rumbling in a cave mouth.

On Hallowed Ground

This Planescape supplement really shakes things up in a good way for the orc gods. The orcs have been kicked around in their war in Hell. For the most part they've retreated to Acheron.

They had to flee Hell because the orc lieutenants squabbled and the orc army was taken by surprise.
Now they'll do or die from Nishrek, a realm on a cube in Acheron.

Fun Fact: "Female" is actually a swear in Orcish.

Gruumsh: When a tribe of orcs becomes complacent, he either destroys them with fire or sends another orc clan after them. He is 'searching the cosmos' for his eye.

Ilneval: Now he not only wants Gruumsh's place in the pantheon, he also wants Luthic as his wife!
He's too scared of Gruuumsh and Baghtru to do anything about it, though.

Luthic: She's one of the only people who can control Gruumsh and Baghtru. She's secretly communicating with Hecate for help against the goblins in Acheron, but so far, nothing.

I had to look up Hecate in this book. She's a Greek god. In D&D, she lives in hell and she's in this book check this out: Hecate has the Eye of Gruumsh, "the one put out by the elf high-up Corellon Larethian." She has left clues for Gruumsh, but he's to dumb to pick up on it.

Planes of Law
In the book on the plane of Acheron, there is a page describing Gruumsh's home of Nishrek Here's what we learn:

• Nishrek is on a cube.
• Guumsh rules three sides. Baghtru rules two. Ilneval rules one.
• "Luthic sends forth her plagues from deep within the heart of the cube, where her realm is said to lie."
• There are temples to Gruumsh. They are pyramids with a 'central eye.'

Luthic: Her tiny tribe in Acheron is called Black Claw. They are devoted to healing and fertility. One member of Black Claw is Tamurda. She is hated/respected for her powerful healing broths and salves. Her skin is bleached dusky white from years underground.

D&D 3rd Edition

Deities and Demigods
Grumsh is mentioned as an enemy of Corellon a few times. He is a god of chaos, evil, strength and war. We're back to Gruumsh having one unwinking central eye.

• "He tolerates no sign of friendliness from his people."
• Temples of Gruumsh are oppressive places full of smoke and the stench of blood. There are holding cells for those to be sacrificed, and gladiatorial areas.
• He has a power called Fog of War, which is a lot like cloudkill.
• His spear now has a name: Bloodspear. It can change sizes.
• His avatars: "Sometimes they have a single unblinking central eye, and sometimes they have an empty left eye socket."

Faiths and Pantheons

This is a Forgotten Realms Book. Apparently the Realms version of Gruumsh is a little different? His spear is covered in the blood of elves.

Ilneval: He's the patron of orc crossbreeds, especially orogs (orc/ogres) and tanarukks? I don't know what a tanarukk is. I'll look it up:

A Tanarukk

Awesome picture! They are half-demons/half-orcs. They have the ability to control flames. Many of them are sorcerers.

Luthic: She is known as "The Blood Moon Witch." There is a secret group called the "Luthicar monks" comprised of females who aren't allowed to use weapons.

Sons of Gruumsh

• The Hammer of Gruumsh: A maul wielded by orc kings. It grants the wielder improved sunder and +4 to intimidate and diplomacy when diplomacy/intimidate with orc-blooded creatures.
• The Mark of Nishrek: scar on the forehead like a diamond-shaped eye. It gives orcs special once per day bonuses to damage and AC.
• Temple of Gruumsh: Pillars with manacles and niches with skulls and bones. The ceiling dome has a great lidless eye. You can lie in an indentation and look up at the eye. Those who are unworthy are devoured, body and soul.

Shield of the Severed Hand

Gruumsh has an entry in here. Prayers to Gruumsh begin with "Kharg-hark" - orc for "revenge."

• Temples have gladiatorial arenas where wagering is common.
• Rites: Ritual of the Poles. After battle, put a foe's head on a spear, stick it in ground.

Relics:

• Shield of the Severed Hand: Bull rush +4 shield.
• Spear of Retribution: Once in a great while, Gruumsh flings a spear at a cleric he's annoyed with. "If the cleric lives and keeps the spear, it has magic powers. +2 becomes +4 when the wielder took damage in the previous round, +5 when received a critical hit.

D&D 4th Edition

4e Player's Handbook

Not much in here. Gruumsh is not an enemy of demons. Chaotic evil god of destruction, lord of marauding barbarian hordes.

4e Manual of the Planes

In 4th edition, Gruumsh lives in a realm called Chernoggar, the Iron Fortress. It's in the Astral Sea.
Bane lives here, and the two gods send their armies after each other.

• Gruumsh fused Nishrek with this place. The army of Gruumsh lives in caves.
• Gruumsh commands deathless warrior souls called battlesworn.
• Chernoggar is home to bladelings.
• Gruumsh lives in the Tower of Skulls. It actually says he's served by Baghtru, Luthic and.. Vaprak, an immense troll.

I think that I would say that Gruumsh won and chased off Bane. Maybe he left some allies there and returned to Acheron to conquer the other cubes. Maybe he stuck Ilneval here and charged him with exploring and conquering the astral?

Nishrek: Mountains riddled with caves. Crudely built stone orc hold. There are a lot of earthquakes, avalanches and fiery geysers.

The Plane Above


This book greatly expands on Chernoggar. There's a ton of material here, but very little of it gives any new info on Gruumsh. Some gods don't want the battle between Bane and Gruumsh to end because it keeps both villains occupied.

Tower of Skulls: Gruumsh lives in this massive structure of skulls lashed together by chains and the innards of the slain. There are skulls of primordials and deities that Gruumsh slew.

There's a section on the battlesworn of Gruumsh. It says, "Gruumsh culls his battlesworn from the greatest villains of the cosmos." They are immortal warriors plucked from the Shadowfell to serve Gruumsh in the afterlife. You could do a lot of cool stuff with these guys.

Luthic and Baghtru

Baghtru: Yep! He's in here. He's an "exarch" of Gruumsh, here. He is sometimes known as "The Fist of Gruumsh." He's got fun powers called "Hammer Fist" and "Backfist Bowl Away" where he sends you flying 50 feet, dazes you and knocks you prone. Ogres pay tribute to his power.

Luthic: She's also got some fun powers. She can make it rain blood. She can go into a blood moon frenzy, giving herself and her allies free attacks.

• Omens: Followers know Luthic has connected with them when they dream of a red moon and awaken with the taste of blood in their mouth. 
• Orc Females: In the other editions, there's a bit of talk about how orc females are subservient. Here, Luthic is more like the power behind the throne and as feared as Gruumsh.

Hammerfast

Not one orc picture in the whole book

Long story short, orcs and dwarves share a town thanks to a pact between Moradin and Gruumsh to end the bloodshed. Hammerfast is full of ghosts of those who died in the battles. The ghosts are treated like citizens.

The Festival of the Eye: Each year in winter, orcs set up a tent for a week. Champions of Gruumsh come from far and wide to do battle in ritualized combat. Some end in death. Anyone can jump in. Some fights are one on one, others are chaotic brawls.

Spear of the Sundered Eye: Apparently, Gruumsh has an ulterior motive. There was a dwarf who worshiped Gruumsh named Jaltar Hammerfist. He was actually on the side of the orcs in the battle. He had an artifact called the Spear of the Sundered Eye. It's lost, but the orcs know it is somewhere in town.

The Black Spire: A temple of Gruumsh. It's hollow inside, with ring of balconies along the inner walls. Priests of Gruumsh engage in ritual combat.

Dragon Magazine #394 - Channel Divinity: Corellon

There is a cool factoid here. Kurtulmak (god of kobolds) showed Gruumsh a way to the Misty Island, a place sacred to Corellon's faith. It was there that the first elves were born from Corellon's tears and blood. Gruumsh and Kurtulmak stole the island and hid it.

Dragon Magazine #408 - History Check: Corellon and Gruumsh

This is a regular orc

This is a heck of an article! We learn all sort of new things.

Gruumsh and Corellon were originally twin sons of a primogenitor deity that sacrificed its own life so that the offspring would live. One was given intelligence, life and beauty. The other savagery, darkness and chaos.

They fought as allies in the Dawn War. During the Dawn War, Gruumsh never slept. He tirelessly battled the Primordials, yet Gruumsh grew jealous of Corellon. People loved Corellon and they hated Gruumsh.

The Vale of Blood: The fight began in a vale in the mortal world where the barrier between the world and the feywild was thin.

Lolth aided Gruumsh by enchanting his spear before the battle. She made it invisible and poisonous.

Corellon's allies, the Seldarine showed up to help. Gruumsh had evil deities lurking nearby. Both sides clashed. This became known as The Godswar.

Gruumsh was about to kill Corellon. One of two things happened:

1. Lolth distracted Gruumsh, her spear paralyzed him. Maybe this was Lolth's way of trying to win over Corellon.
2. Corellon plunged his blade into Gruumsh's left eye and twisted, making sure the wound could not heal.

Orcs say that Gruumsh only had one eye to begin with.

That eye, it turns out, had been giving Gruumsh powers. He was prescient and had prophetic sight. Supposedly the eye was destroyed. Sehanine blinded him with the moon's light.

Gruumsh's armor is made from the hides of forty slain dragons.

D&D 5th Edition

Monster Manual

In addition to being mentioned a few times in the PH, Gruumsh gets a huge section in the orc entry of the Monster Manual.

Most of it is the same as in earlier editions. Luthic gets a big paragraph, explaining that she wants orcs to be breeding a lot.

The Orc Eye of Gruumsh entry explains that sometimes an avatar appears before an orc, and if the orc plucks out one of their own eyes, they have the right to call themselves an Eye of Gruumsh. They are shamans.

That's where we're at so far! Lots of fun stuff, especially the battle between Corellon and Gruumsh.

Corellon vs. Lolth

This guide is an attempt to collect the lore of Corellon, God of the Elves. Hopefully this can be used as a reference if you decide to use Corellon in your campaign.

Gruumsh, God of Orcs: There is a bit of overlap between this and my Gruumsh guide, so check that one out for all of the details of the elf/orc issue.

Corellon's Gender: I find this god interesting for many reasons, one of which being that Corellon's gender shifts. In most books, Corellon is referred to as a "he." In 5th edition, they went out of their way to explain (PH page 121): "The elf god Corellon Larethian is often seen as androgynous or hermaphroditic."

The Essential Information

• Corellon Larethian is god of elves and the leader of the elf pantheon known as the Seldarine. 
• Ruler of Arvandor, a planar realm that elves go to when they move on from the mortal world.
• (Wife) Sehanine, elven goddess of the moon. 
• Realmslore: The Forgotten Realms setting has some differences. Corellon's wife in the Realms books is Angharradh, a combination of the personification of three gods.
• (Daughter) Eilistree - Lolth is her mother.
• (Deceased - Son) The Rose King - Enemy of the Drow.
• (Deceased - Daughter) Eliara - The Perfect Elf, legendary archer.
• (Servitors) Lashrael and Felarathael - Twin elf messengers in gleaming white robes.
• Sahandrian: His longsword, made from a star.
• Amiath'hana: His magic bow that never misses.
• The elves were created from Corellon's blood and Sehanine's tears.
• Corellon is alternately male or female, both or neither.
• Corellon and Gruumsh are twins, sons of a progenitor god.
• They fought side-by-side in the Dawn War. 
• Lolth betrayed and nearly killed Corellon. He banished her to the Underdark.
• Corellon cut out Gruumsh's eye during the Godswar.

Corellon's Titles

• Coronal of Arvandor
• The Divine Muse
• Creator of all Elvenkind
• First of the Seldarine
• Preserver of Life
• The Protector
• Ruler of All Elves

The Seldarine

• Rillifane Rallathil: God of nature
• Labelas Enoreth: God of longevity
• Hanali Celanil: Goddess of romantic love
• Aerdrie Faenya: Goddess of air, weather, avians
• Deep Sashlas: God of creation, magic, sea elves
• Erevan Ilesere: God of mischief, change, rogues
• Fenmarel Mestarine: God of feral elves, scapegoats
• Sehanine Moonbow: Goddess of dreams, death, journeys
• Solonor Thelandira: God of archery, hunting

There are a bunch more elven gods in old issues of Dragon Magazine, but this list seems to be the main group.

Deities & Demigods

This is where Corellon debuted. Here's what we learn:

• Corellon is the patron of music, poetry and magic.
• "Corellon is alternately male or female, both or neither."Corellon banished Lolth from the sunlit Upperworld.
• The race of elves sprang from the drops of blood Corellon shed in battle with Lolth and other demons.
• Corellon has a magic bow that never misses.

The Complete Book of Elves

Corellon vs. Lolth

This book has tons of information. It has some cool stuff in it, but it feels like they could have done more.

The Godswar: Gruumsh hated the elven gods and wanted their blood. He gathered some evil gods together for an assault. Corellon called on The Seldarine for aid, along with Moradin and Garl Glittergold. It was an epic battle.

As the fighting wound down, Corellon and Gruumsh continued to fight. "They traversed the planes, and they splashed the others blood across the lands."

Aided by tears from the moon, Corellon drew back his sword and cut out Gruumsh's eye. Gruumsh fled. The elves were created from the blood and tears.

Daughter of Corellon: After the Godswar, Corellon had a child named Eliara. She was the most perfect elf ever born. She was a great archer who killed a red dragon with a single arrow through the eye, but the dragon fell on a tree that collapsed and killed her. At her funeral, the elven mourning song was born.

The Elfwar

The Elfwar: The elf race flourished, but began to bicker internally. Lolth granted some elves dark magic. Eventually, a war broke out between Lolth's elves and Corellon's elves.

The Elfwar lasted for decades. Lolth's Elves became known as Drow. Corellon attacked Lolth herself. He drove her deep into the earth and was victorious.

After the last drow was driven underground, the elf gods went to Arvandor, abandoning the elves to their own devices.

Monster Mythology

• Corellon has "dazzling battle gauntlets."
• He is the overseer and guardian of the elves. The refer to him as "the protector and preserver of my life."
• He keeps a careful eye on the boundaries of elven lands.
• He creates magical woodland mazes that reveal deeper secrets to those who explore them.

There is a big story about Corellon and Larafallinn:

Lafarallin was an elf ranger. He had a ring of detect evil and he killed anything that was evil.

Corellon proceded to have him meet a beautiful, evil thief with a fatal disease. Lafarallin couldn't bring himself to kill her. He tried to find a cure for her, but she died of the disease.

Corellon appeared before him and explained to him that love, mercy and pity divide good from evil. He thought he had taught Lafarallin a lesson.

Years later, Corellon had forgotten all about Lafarallin and bumped into him. Looking at the miserable wretch, Corellon realized he himself had shown Larafallin no mercy. He magically healed Lafarallin and together they went to the Abyss to reclaim the soul of the thief.

On Hallowed Ground


Arvandaith is also known as Arvandor. The elven gods won the realm from the gods of the giants. Giant ruins litter the glades and meadow.

• Corellon lives in a marble tower in the heart of Arvandor. Smaller towers spin of of it. The rooms inside are never the same twice.
• Adarc Brightleaf: Corellon's proxy, a quick thinking elf. Has the power of foresight.
• Eimher Flow: Close confidant of Corellon. She is fiercely devoted. Very blunt and forthright. Can charm anyone in Arvandor except the gods.

Demihuman Deities


Corellon had a daughter with Lolth. Her name is Eilistree, a drow deity. Corellon banished her from Arvandor after the Elfwar.

• Sehanine is Corellon's consort. 
• Corellon oversees elven high magic.
  Apparently now Corellon banished Lolth to the Abyss and "named her tanar'ri." He made her into a demon? 
• Corellon has a lot of enemies - anyone who tries to oppose elves.
• Corellon always wears a sky-blue cloak, a large amulet in the shape of a crescent moon and battle gauntlets.
• Sahandrian: Corellon's giant, glittering long sword. Does double damage to goblinkin.
• Amiath'hana: A long bow +5 that never misses to a range of one mile.

Sometimes Corellon manifest as an azure nimbus that envelops a creature, weapon or natural geological formation in an aura of flickering sky blue flame.

There are special divine spells for followers of Corellon:

• (lvl 1) Augment Artistry: Gives a bonus to checks when creating art which could be gem-cutting, painting, dancing, singing, etc.
• (lvl 1) Sixth Sense: Alert the caster of danger within 10 feet. Lasts for an hour.
• (lvl 4) Sylvan Creature Form: The caster can turn into a sylvan creature like a dryad, nymph, pixie or satyr. You can't become a centaur or unicorn.
• (lvl 5) Crystallomancy: The caster can use a clear gemstone as a scrying device. The caster can use it like a crystal ball - certain divination spell can be cat through it on the location shown in the crystal (detect magic, detect evil, etc.)

Elves of Evermeet

Corellon vs. Gruumsh

Servitor Twins: Corellon has two demigod servitors, Lashrael and Felarathael. They are tall shining androgynous elves in gleaming white robes. They deliver messages for Corellon to various worlds and planes. Lashrael is emotional, Felarathael is rational. They have the power to put people to sleep, teleport them d10 miles away or polymorph them into woodland animals.

Home: Corellon lives in Gwyllachaightaeryll, the Many-Splendored - a tower in Arvandor.

Seekers of the Misty Isle: An organization devoted to finding an elven island stolen by Gruumsh and Kurtulmak.

Fellowship of the Forgotten Flower: An organization devoted to recovering lost elven relics.

Prayer: Prayers to Corellon, which are always in Elvish, begin "Hei-Corellon shar-shelevu," which means, "Corellon, by your grace grant..." Before battle, worshipers of Corellon recite a prayer called the Litany of Arrows.

I looked for this prayer online, but I don't think there is an official version. There are some homebrew ones. Apparently one was taken from the Dark Tower series.

D&D 3rd Edition

Deities & Demigods

Corellon and Eilistree

Check this out: "As a greater deity, Corellon automatically receives the best possible result on any die roll he makes (including attack rolls, damage, checks and saves)."

Faiths and Pantheons

Corellon

Not much new, but we get some cool art. Everybody draws Corellon so differently. His longsword Sahandrian is made from a star.

Races of the Wild

Champion of Corellon

This book is pretty great. Elves have a whole section with tons of good, useful content. The Corellon entry doesn't really have anything new, but there's a lot other stuff:

Champion of Corellon Larethian: This is a prestige class. The champions hold a special place in elf society. They are advisors, bodyguards and questing knights. They belong to a religious order know as the Aelavellin Corellon ("The Sword Knights of Corellon"). They have some special powers:

• Corellon's Blessing: This power is like lay on hands. You can also use it to damage undead.
• Corellon's Wrath: You can channel Corellon's energy into your weapon for extra damage a few times per day.

Complete Divine

A Seeker of the Misty Isle

There is a prestige class tied to Corellon. This is an expansion of the ideas in Elves of Evermeet:

Seeker of the Misty Isle: Gruumsh and Kurtulamk whisked away the Misty Isle, a precious island that is the site where the elves were first born.

A portal to the Misty Isle could be hidden anywhere - a lonely mountain or even the Abyss. The Seekers spend their entire lives searching. They have a special trait:

• Corellon's Perception: Has enhanced sight and hearing.

Millenial Chainmail: It is made of pale green rings and it painlessly extends roots onto the wearer's skin. These roots give the wearer special healing benefits.

D&D 4th Edition

There is a ton of Corellon material in 4e! Everything from magic items to lore to a massive elaboration on what Arvandor is like.

Player's Handbook

Symbol of Corellon

Corellon is one of the core gods in 4th edition. There's a note that Corellon is often depicted as an eladrin, but that he transcends physical laws and can appear as whatever he likes. More details:

• God of Spring, beauty and the arts.
• Patron of arcane magic and the fey.
• His shrines are found throughout the Feywild.
• One of the goals of his followers: Thwart Lolth at every opportunity.

Wizard of the Spiral Tower

There is a paragon path linked to Corellon:

Wizard of the Spiral Tower: The traditions of the Spiral Tower are the arcane teachings of the followers of Corellon. They can casts spells through their sword and "the secrets of the Feywild become pages in your spellbook." Their swords glow with the arcane beauty of the Feywild.

Manual of the Planes

Arvandor

In the feywild city of Astrazalian, there is a temple of Corellon called the Tower of Stars.

Arvandor, the Verdant Isles: In 4th, Arvandor is moved to the Astral Sea, which is weird. Corellon and Sehanine live here, but they are frequently absent. Corellon often roams the Feywild.

The Ruesti: Arvandor is home to the ruesti - exalted souls of eladrin and elves. They are spirits whose great beauty/wisdom/skill/deeds in life earned them approval in Corellon's eyes.

Arvandor is made up of six islands up to 100 miles in length each. Some are detailed:

• Estaira: "Elevenhome." Ruesti and fey roam the forest. Gloaming eladrin towers dot the island's shores.
• Gloaminghold: This isle is tiny, and is home to a legendary tiefling warlock named Duskmoon. The halls are filled with curiosities and magical guardians.
• Nath Seldarie: This is where the Seldarine feast, revel and take council. Walls of enchanted mist ward intruders away.

Dragon 378 - Domains in Eberron and the Forgotten Realms

In this version of the 4e realms, Corellon is the Forgotten Realms god of arcana, skill and wilderness. Not much information here. It says that the lush reaches of the Feywild owe much of their beauty to Corellon.

Adventurers Vault


Star of Corellon: This star-shaped pendant flashes with an inner light when you unleash arcane or divine energy. The symbol boosts healing powers and cleric/paladin channel divinity abilities.

Adventurers Vault 2 


The Screaming Bow: This bow has silver eagle talons mounted at either end and a golden bowstring. Arrows drawn on the string are transformed into the likeness of a screaming eagle's head. Once the arrow flies, it shrieks.

It contains a soul fragment from an elf warrior slain in battle. Only the ruesti who reside in arvandor can provide a portion of their soul to reside in the bow.

Ribbon of Limitless Questions: The first one of these was inscribed on clothes by Corellon mixed from golden sunlight and mithral dust. When this blue, silky ribbon is unrolled, a new question appears on it in glowing gold and silver runes.

This item allows you to ask an extra question with any spell like speak with dead. It also boosts certain skill checks dealing with intelligence and charisma.

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium


Greater Staff of Power: This is a copy of a staff wielded by Corellon in the Dawn War. It is covered in thousands of runes that glow green.

The staff has a bunch of powers that block attacks and do damage to those who just hit you. It also lets you reroll an attack roll.

Wand of Conjuring: This wand is made from metal that is infused with magic from the blood of Corellon. This blood was spilled way back when Lolth attacked him and sparked the Elfwar.

This metal wand is covered in silvery runes that glow with arcane might. Here and there, strands and crystals seem to exude from it. The wand can create a large zone that does damage to all creatures each round - you choose the damage (fire/cold/poison). You can choose to fill it with darkness instead.

There's a whole paragraph that sort of encourages you to have your characters go to this cave where the battle between Lolth and Corellon took place.

Heroes of the Feywild

Learned in the Temple of Corellon: This is a pseudo-background. The character sought formal training at the temple. The player rolls a wisdom check. High means the character understands the teachings and gains a special "discovery event." A mid-level roll means the character didn't get it. Low means you are shunned and the player rolls on the "ruined" table..

• Discovery: The character might have had a prophetic vision from Corellon.
• Ruined: The character either fell in with the wrong crowd or went on a quest for redemption.

Divine Power

Chosen of Corellon: This is a paragon path. These paladins are knights of the eladrin courts. They serve the fey. This is an update of the 3e Aelavellin Seldarine - the Knights of the Seldarine.

There is a section on domains.

Corellon Domain: "You feel Corellon's favor when you find and foster magic and when you protect or create beauty."

Blessing of Corellon: This feat lets the character heal an ally when elven accuracy hits.

Dragon Magazine #373 - Art of the Kill

Corellon's Wrath Style: This feat lets the character do more damage to demons, drow, orcs and spiders.

Dragon #384 - Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figures

Bronze Griffon: An alchemist named Boreani created nine of these statuettes for nine eladrin lords. In the eon since, the figurines have scattered across the planes.

You can use this item to summon a griffon for you to ride. When it's summoned you can also give it temporary hit points.

The Plane Above

According to this book, Arvandor is not "elf heaven." There were three big events that shaped Arvandor:

1. Triune Harmony Lost: Corellon, Sehanine and Lolth headed the fey pantheon. Lolth kicked off the Elfwar just as the Dawn War started. She nearly killed Corellon, but Sehanine saved him.
2. Gods of All Races: During the Dawn War, Corellon and Sehanine realized that the other mortal races were beautiful too. They went from elf gods to gods worshiped by many mortal races.
3. The Glorious Hunt: The ruesti are still here! They help track and slay any abomination that cuts loose in the realm. Sometimes, a hideous creature from the prison plane of Carceri are able to escape through a portal to Arvandor. These events are called the Glorious Hunt. "A ruesti who dies while on the Hunt can expect to receive only between three and a dozen resurrections inside Arvandor before dying a final death."

There is a description of different areas in Arvandor. I especially like this one:

The Wasteland of Burnt Blood: A ravaged black desert pitted by pools of scalding red liquid. This is a result of the ancient battle between Corellon and Gruumsh.

It says that Gruumsh came to Arvandor and Corellon battled him atop a mountain. Corellon won. Gruumsh's blood fell in thick droplets that scalded the land for ten miles in all directions. In this tainted land, all creatures have +2 damage and -2 AC.

There's a nice big sidebar about Corellon and Gruumsh. "Some stories cast Corellon and Gruumsh as divine echoes, showing Corellon blessed with the power of beautiful creation, while Gruumsh can only destroy."

The story hints that Lolth was having secret relations with Gruumsh behind Corellon's back prior to this! How about that?

Dragon Magazine #386 - Channel Divinity: Corellon the House of Flowers

The Rose King, son of Corellon

Corellon has a son. He is the Rose King, an Elric-looking fellow who led a massive assault on the drow. Things went very poorly. His daughter was one of the few survivors. The Rose King was apparently killed by a band of drow matriarchs.

His daughter, Liria, and the captain of the guard fled deeper into the Feywild. They founded a place called The House of Flowers. They have a spy network watching the drow who recruit people to join their cause.

Dragon Magazine #394 - Channel Divinity: Corellon's Devoted

Azure Guard

This is one massive article by Robert Schwalb, one of the most prolific and fantastic of the 4e creators.

Nobody knows how the elves were created. There are three main theories:

1. Corruption: Elves arose from the tears Corellon wept from sorrow, beauty and mirth the days before Lolth's fall, when he lived in perfect harmony with her and her sister Sehanine. Lolth's corruption eventually sparked the Elfwar.
2. Betrayal: Lolth was not Sehanine's sister but was a vile demon who seduced Corellon. When Corellon realized this, he fought and banished her to the darkness. The blood Corellon spilled from this battle created the first elves.
3. Battle: Corellon and Gruumsh were twin siblings. They had a titanic struggle for dominance and the spilled blood produced orcs and elves. "If this tale is true, then there is an unsettling bond between these two races - one no right-thinking elf would dare to accept."

There are theories as to why Lolth turned:

• Traitor: Lolth thought the primordials were going to win the Dawn War and decided to turn against the gods.
• Evil: The Chained God and his demons corrupted her.
• Jealousy: She hated Sehanine, her sister, and wanted Corellon for herself.
• The Maiming of Gruumsh: This is thought to have taken place after the Dawn War. They battled for seven days and seven nights. There was a distraction that cost Gruumsh his eye. The distraction was caused by Sehanine or Lolth.. or both. Nobody knows except the gods.

Omens and Signs: Corellon sometimes uses stars to send an omen, especially the Azure star. Falling stars suggest Corellon offers support. A falling star moving across the crescent moon indicates displeasure.

The Misty Isle: There is a big sidebar on this topic. Not a lot of new information. The Misty Isle is where Corellon's tears first fell to the world and created the elven race. Gruumsh and Kurtulmak stole the island and hid it in a place none would ever find.

Azure Guard: These warriors prepare for the day when the drow to invade. They sometimes refer to the drow as "The Banished Darkness."

• You can only join by invitation.
• They can teleport their enemies, blind and immobilize them.
• They can teleport.
• They can summon an aura of blue luminescence that does radiant damage.

D&D 5th Edition

Player's Handbook

In 5e, Corellon is the elf deity of art and magic. Corellon is chaotic good and the suggested domain is light. From what I understand, he is mentioned a few times in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, but there is nothing earth-shattering.

We just finished up another session of Planescape and I think it might have been the best one of the whole campaign.

I've been trying out the Chris Perkins method, where you run each session like an episode of a TV show. I zoom in on a scenario and don't fill it with clutter.

It is working really well, honestly. By slowing down the pace a little, I think the players are able to absorb everything better and feel more involved in what is going on.

The Party

(Jessie) Bidam - Platinum-Scaled Dragonborn Fighter
(George) Theran - Half-Dabus/Half-Elf Wizard
* NPCs - Fall From Grace (Succubus Paladin), Selinza ("Litorian" Wizard, level 8)

Each character has powers linked to the Lady of Pain:

• Theran can create buildings in Sigil and he can banish people to extra-dimensional mazes.
• Bidam can look at people and cause cuts to appear on their body and he can create portals in Sigil.

When they use one of these powers, they gain level four exhaustion. The only way to remove the exhaustion is to spend days pursuing their beliefs (belief is a big deal in Planescape).

The heroes own a cluster of buildings known as "Deadbook Square."

Last Time: Theran is a fugitive. He escaped custody and the Mercykillers have a bounty hunter coming after him who has a magical warrant of holding. The heroes decided to go to the plane of Acheron to free some prisoners who can prove that the leader of The Mercykillers is crazy.

A Mercykiller

The heroes were in Sigil. They decided to free the Mercykillers who were unjustly imprisoned by Factol Nilesia. They hoped that this would mean that the Factol would be forced to step down by her own faction.

Theran's girlfriend Convivia Kettle gave him three more goodberries. She's still having trouble with the recipe. Each berry had a magic power that would actually help the group in this session:

• White: The power to magically create a perfect forgery.
• Blue/Purple Swirl: Heal/repair metal three times
• Reddish Orange: Create a protective dome in a 20 foot radius as a reaction one time. Lasts just 6 seconds at most.

Theran suddenly felt dizzy. He fell to the ground. He realized he'd lost his ability to turn into a dabus, see dabus portals, all that stuff. He was still a half-dabus. He correctly assumed this was his punishment for using the secret city to evade the Mercykillers last session.

I decided that Foulgore Grue, the Mercykiller with the warrant of holding, was three hours behind the group. So basically, if they stayed in one spot for three hours, he'd catch up to them and we'd have ourselves an encounter.

The Mile-Long Stairs

The group ended up in the gate-town of Rigus and headed down a mile-long stairwell to get to the portal to Acheron. People were coming up the stairs - slave-soldiers of The Mercykillers. They'd just finished a tour of duty.

As the groups squeezed past each other, a slave-soldier tried to pick Bidam's pocket. Bidam grabbed her by the arm and threw her down the stairs.

A fight broke out and Theran killed the other two with magic missiles. They looted a scroll containing the 6th level spell Cube Hopper - it lets you teleport between cubes on Acheron. This is part of my policy of always giving the group new spells if they're in the material I am using.

The woman Bidam threw was alive but hurt badly. Bidam wanted to finish her, but Fall From Grace stopped him. She used lay on hands to heal the woman and gave her some gold to start a new life.

She scolded Bidam for his callous attitude.

Vorkehan, City of Fumes

The group went through the portal and appeared in Acheron, on a massive cube that housed Vorkehan, the Mercykiller city. In the sky above, they saw two other massive cubes very close together. They were clearly going to collide soon.

The Spell Crystal: I wanted to remind the group about spell crystals (they whiz around Acheron, containing a spell that goes off when they shatter). A crystal hit Theran and let out a burst of positive energy that gave the whole group inspiration. I've decided to actually put inspiration into an encounter each session so I don't forget about it.

They arrived at Vorkehan, a city made of huge pieces of metal bolted together. The adventurers lied to the guards and said they had come to sign on as slave-soldiers. They were allowed in.

The Revolutionary League had to told the adventurers to meet up with their spy in a bar - his name was Waldgrave. The heroes made their way through the noxious fumes of the city.

Waldgrave's Magic Power: In the bar was Waldgrave and three Mercykiller officers. The group clued Waldgrave in to who they were. He was a jolly fellow, and he revealed to them that he had a special magic power - he can store things in a pocket realm. He was very mysterious about it.

He said he came from a world here everyone was born with a power similar to a magic item. His was like a bag of holding.

George knows me too well. He immediately asked this guy if the portal was in his butt. Waldgrave stammered a lame denial.

I made this guy after I saw Jim Darkmagic mention keistering the rod of seven parts on Acquisitions Incorporated. I immediately paused the show and wrote this idea down.

So here's the deal. The prisoners that the heroes need are being forced to work in The Mines of Marsellin on another cube. That cube is about to collide with another cube within a few hours.

The miners got attacked by rust monsters, and thus they are stuck in the mines and will likely die when the cubes collide. The collision will cause all sorts of cave-ins and carnage.

The group needed to get to the mines, rescue the miners and get off of the cube before the collision occurred.

But first, they needed to get the portal key to use the gate to the Mines of Marsellin. There were three officers in the bar that knew this information.

I was looking for more races to use in Planescape and I stumbled on the Planetouched. There's all sorts of cool stuff! I've begun adding them in to my campaign. The officers were all Maeluths (half-dwarf/half-demon). They have red eyes, are almost hairless and wear spiked armor. The officers:

• Lamina: Rainbow hair, looked bored.
• Flaneur: A severe gambling problem
• Xertz: Follows orders to the letter

Basically I was giving the group a choice as to how they wanted to get the portal key. All of the officers were drunk, so the group could exploit their weaknesses in whatever fun way they liked. I did my best to demonstrate their gimmick at the table. For example, Flaneur was shuffling a deck of three-dragon ante cards, etc.

Bidam lives by the philosophy of "hit it and quit it," and so he seduced Lamina and learned the portal key in no time. The key was a spoken motto: "Slavery is just."

The Mines of Marsellin


Then we were off to the mines, on a cube made entirely of metal junk. The heroes appeared in the mines and tried to find the slave-miners as fast as possible. Time was of the essence.

I ran this like a 4e skill challenge. Failure on a check meant that more time was taken.

1. The group stumbled on a band of modrons sorting items into piles. The modrons gathered around Bidam and Theran, recognizing them as the heroes who helped them complete the rogue modron march. They bopped up and down, letting out the AOL dial-up modem noise.

One modron agreed to help the group traverse the mines. It knew exactly when the cubes would collide, and could provide a countdown.

2. The group found a really cool item - a metal carriage with demons carved into it. The main demon was Nocticula. Waldgrave offered to use his magic power to store it, and made up some story to get them to let him do it in private.

Theran used Selinza's mirror to peer around a corner. Yep, the portal was in his butt. The carriage went in. The portal stretches... you don't want to know.

3. The group needed to cross a rusted bridge. No check was needed. Bidam ate a goodberry and healed the metal of the bridge.

4. They heard the sound of battle in a side-tunnel.

Rust Monsters

The slave miners were being attacked by rust monsters! The group dropped some fireballs and Bidam used his breath weapon. The rust monsters were wiped out and the heroes had found the prisoners!

These were indeed the political prisoners Factol Nilesia had sent away simply because they didn't agree with her politics. I used some more planetouched races for NPCs:

• Atromesia: A fey'ri (half-elf/half-demon). She was tall, had reddish skin and batlike wings.
• Dromos: An azerblood (half-dwarf/half-azer). He had brass skin and his irises danced like flames.

After a bit of talking, everyone was on the same page. They wanted to get off this cube and expose Factol Nilesia as the maniac she really was.

The modron blurted out: "T-minus 5 minutes and counting.." The collision was imminent! The group needed to get to the gate to Mechanus deeper in the mines immediately. This was a skill challenge that was fated to be interrupted:

1. Help the prisoners who were wounded so they could keep up. Fall From Grace used the rest of her lay on hands to heal them.

2. Most of the shackles were rusted off by the rust monsters, but three remained. Bidam used his sword of sharpness to slice them off.

3. Head to the gate..

The skill challenge was interrupted. The group was racing through the mines when a massive creature came out around a corner - Coirosis the rust dragon!

The Rust Dragon

George rolled an arcana check. It turns out Theran knew a lot about rust dragons. He knew that if rust monsters live long enough, they turn into rust dragons! How crazy is that?

Bidam tried to play the dragonborn card. He told Coirosis that the collision was imminent and that they were both dragons, so they should just go their separate ways.

Coirosis didn't seem worried about the collision. Jessie rolled high on her diplomacy, so Coirosis told Bidam to move on. Coirosis wanted the others. Bidam refused. We rolled initiative!

Bidam and Selinza dropped more fireballs. Theran also used an ice storm.

The dragon's legendary actions were devastating. Three tail swipes that do 15 damage each!

The dragon breathed oxidants and reddish-brown liquid that destroyed all metal. Dex save DC 18. Saves were failed.

I declared that magic items were not affected. To me, that would be a really harsh thing to do. The sword of sharpness rusted into oblivion? Not cool, IMO.

Bidam's plate mail was gone. He was completely naked. Fall From Grace's chastity bodice lost all the clasps. The chastity bodice is what keeps her on the path to goodness! It never comes off. She had to spend a round to secure it.

The Iggwilv dress

Worst of all, Selinza's Iggwilv dress was mauled! You might remember that Iggwilv let Selinza take one of her dresses when the heroes broke in to Graz'zt's palace. If you look at the art of the dress, there's a lot of metal on it.

Selinza flipped out and dropped big spells on the dragon.

The modron blurted out: "10...9...8.." The collision was about to happen! The dragon flew away, down a mine shaft.

The group wasn't going to make it to the portal. They had a goodberry that could create a protective dome, but there were 50 prisoners! Only a few could fit in the dome.

There was one other option. They had to climb into Waldgrave's butt of holding. They did, all cringing and holding their nose. Bidam picked up Fall From Grace, who was unconscious, and put her in there.

Bidam got a glimpse of the Keister-Realm: There was grass, light, piles of weird items... and yes, a mountain of feces off in the distance.

The cubes collided with a deafening thud. Huge chunks of metal fell from the ceiling. Theran created the protective dome. It blocked the falling debris for 6 seconds, then shut off.

More debris fell, injuring and partially burying the group. Waldgrave failed his save. Metal fell on his head. He died. All those people were trapped in the Keister-Realm!

The heroes got up, coughing. They were covered in dust and were generally in shambles. Bidam picked up Waldgrave's body, intent on having him raised. The group limped to the portal to Mechanus and uttered the portal key: A math equation whose answer was 3.14.

Escape to Mechanus

The heroes entered Mechanus, the bright realm of giant gears. Home of the modrons!

To their surprise, high-ranking modrons were waiting for them. It turned out that a prescient visitor had known the group would come here and wanted to have a special meeting. That visitor was Quimath the chain devil, agent of the Iron Shadow!

He looked down on the group from a balcony, with his devil allies beside him. He held up a wine glass and in his German accent said, "You have nussing to fear! Ve are going to make a deal..."

That's where we stopped.

The whole thing flowed real nice and it was a lot of fun. The less I prepare, the better the game is.