RPG Carnival: Dragon Neighbors

The current RPG Blog Carnival is hosted by Sea of Stars and involves Dragon Neighbors. 

It stands to reason that having one or more dragons for neighbors makes people smart, tough, subservient, or dead.  Maybe all four.

Still, dragons are sentient (at least in most game worlds, and certainly in mine), which means they might be reasoned with, should the right negotiator be available, and the right terms struck.  After all, dragons understand that sometimes there are better options than naked aggression and extreme violence (too bad most PCs never figure that one out).

Barring deliberate killing, dragons can live for centuries, if not millenia, which is more than enough time to engage in the same pastime of many elves: breeding the perfect human, much like how humans do the same with dogs, horses, and other animals.

While I have written about this topic before as a thought experiment, here it is better fleshed out.

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What this means in practicality is that the Elves, specifically the elf mage-king Lathril of the Gilt-Leaf, made a bet with the Dragon Mage Intet, the Dreamer that they could breed a more perfect champion than the dragon could.  Winner gets control of the continent, loser publicly accepts defeat and leaves the area.  Until the bet reaches a conclusion, all open hostilities are ceased.

Intent, the Dreamer, by Dan Murayama Scott

To make it interesting, other near-immortal beings were also invited to the table: lichlords, vampire mages, lesser extraplanar beings, fey nobles, other dragons, other elves, and at least one sphinx. 

(These gatherings of near-immortals can be contentious but serve to alleviate the boredom of ages that result in them succumbing to torpor and eventually fatal ennui.  While these near-immortals unlikely to admit it, after a few centuries, they look forward to these gatherings.)

The terms of the bet are simple: each bettor has seven centuries to breed the best human champion.  There are other details regarding particulars, but that is the gist of the bet. 

Dius Fidus, the deity of contracts, oaths, and deals, presided over the final signing of the contract, using the same type of contract materials that fiends use to guarantee mortal souls.

Tempting Contract, by Tomas Duchek

Each of the Elves believes they will win, as this is akin to how they create other elves, merely over centuries and with the endstate being someone that is still human.  All of the other bettors believe that they will win, because they believe they are better than Elves. 

Of course, the Dragon Mage Intet will win, because they plan to cheat as needed.

At least, that is their plan.  Other champions that prove more competent than theirs will throw a wrench into the works.  

As will other participants cheating just as much.

After all, with fey and fiends at the contracting table, lots of loopholes based on wordplay, denotation, and connotation were included in the final contract for the express purpose of trying to cheat to victory.

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In the early centuries of the bet, champion bloodlines would be guided to attack others, seemingly by fate more than direct guidance.  But after several centuries, the bettors have lost track of one another's bloodlines, so it is almost inevitable that some become allies, or at least nonaggressors.

Even the dullest among the bettors understands that it is not just genetics, but life experiences that shape a human.  So each of them ensures that there are plenty of physical, mental, and social challenges to forge their bloodlines into the best they can be.  Unfortunately, most of the bettors consider traumatic experiences to be learning opportunities, so those are the lion's share of the challenges.

As the goal is a champion that is likely to see combat and death, having the wildlands be wild actually helps immensely, so all bettors have a vested interest in ensuring that the area doesn't become too settled.  As such, the wildlands around Skara Brae teem with all sorts of trouble for the beleaguered port city, to include the ruins of past would-be conquerors who failed in their efforts to tame the land.

The bet requires a cessation of direct attempts to conquer the continent, but nothing about hostile beings making their lairs in the area.  Besides, these creatures (un)wittingly help shape the various champions that the bettors have been breeding.  Intet itself has ensured that some of its 'children' reside near enough to participate in the forging of this champion, and while it has favorites, it will not go out of its way to assist any of them.

This bet is the reason that Skara Brae's history is one of fire and bloodshed, but also resilience and perseverance.  

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The timeline of the bet grows to an end, and as I type this, the champions of the various bloodlines converge on the city of Skara Brae, where they will unwittingly compete to determine just which champion is, in fact, superior.

Once that is decided, the winner of the bet will claim the continent, and open war will likely break out, as most bettors have no intention of honoring the deal. 

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In short, dragons, much like elves, are jerks.

Quantum Everything

Part of PC creation is determining languages known, skills known, and spells known.

In the interest of faster PC creation and in the interest of player choices not being wasted, I started using Quantum rules for these options.

By this, I mean I do not require the players to choose these things before the game starts, but rather they declare them and fill in the blanks on their character sheet as the game progresses.  This not only feeds into the emergent stories that I prefer, but it also guarantees that players make useful choices.

As a bonus to me, the DM, it means I don't have to be overly concerned with adventure contents, as odds are good - especially early on - that a player can just declare their PC knows a language, spell, or skill to further the adventure.

For me and my games, this is a fine option.

I will say that part of my job as DM is to remind players that they have X amount of blank spaces left.

These work best with lower-level PCs, but in theory, someone could hold one of those languages until a higher level... but our adventures don't go that high before TPKs with the scheduling beast, so use these with a grain of salt.

And if it turns out that someone else came up with this before me, please tell me, so I can give credit where credit is due.  I have read lots of blog posts over the last decade, and I know I am not smart enough to come up with this in a vacuum.

 

Monday MtG: Artisan Commander

To meet my goal of three posts per month, I've decided to resurrect an older feature of mine, Monday MtG.  As before, it will focus almost entirely on the Commander format and today is no exception.

It seems there is a format called Artisan Commander, where only cards that were printed at common or uncommon at some point may be used.  In theory, building these decks ties in with my desire to reduce spending on MtG, but we shall see.

Happily, much of the best removal and card draw show up in these rarities, so that shouldn't impact my deckbuilding too much.

The big change is that most of the combo-related wins and all of the alternate win cards are no longer options, leaving damage and mill as the main threats, perhaps the only threats.  Frankly, this is a wonderful thing for me, at least.

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Honestly, I suspect it's the limited commander choices that will stymie me.  Then again, Scryfall kicked back just under 400 Common and Uncommon legends.  Subtracting the Universes Beyond (I refuse to run such cards - if I want those IPs, I will play those games/watch those shows), I end up with 300ish options that are mostly one or two colors, with very few three-color outliers.  30 of these have Partner, and 20 allow for Backgrounds, opening up more options.

Still, that is too many options for me to absorb, so I will break it down by color and theme. 

Hearkening back to my Away Decks, I will go with two color pairs and a monocolor deck, to keep things interesting.

I think I want GW, BR, and U for my decks. I know that RW allows for several strong equipment-based commanders, as well as usable equipment and Boros Charm, but that seems too easy.  

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Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar is draw in the command zone, which is always welcome.  Yes, it is conditional, but that condition is easily met with cards that add +1/+1 counters, Giant Growth and Anthem variants, and equipment.  While I doubt I can go all-in on cat tribal, that won't stop me from trying.

I'm wondering how many hatebears I can find in these rarities.  Hopefully more than I can call to mind.

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Tor Wauki the Younger is a deck I have tried in the past, but it didn't gel.  With Firebrand Archer, Guttersnipe, Thermo-Alchemist, and Josh Lee Kwai's decklist as a start, this should be a playable spellslinger deck, quickly built out of what I have lying about.

That said, my favorite B and R (and BR) instants and sorceries tend towards rare, so maybe not.

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Callaphe, Beloved of the Sea effectively gives my critters Ward while encouraging me to go heavy on the devotion.  While I love the devotion mechanic, this deck will force the most research as my go-to heavy Blue devotion cards are all rares and mythics.  

To be honest, though, I am looking forward to it, if only because it gives me the best reason to run Thassa's Rebuff, as well as all the U enchantments that render opposing creatures harmless. 

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All that said, I don't know how these will fare against non-Artisan decks.  I guess only time will tell.

To the card boxes and binders!

Dwarves: Clan Steelbeard

Some time back, I wrote a post about the Source of Dungeons.  Among other things, it posited one or more clans of Dwarves that specialized in digging dungeons for wizards that lacked the ability to magic one up themselves.

Here is one such clan.

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History

Clan Steelbeard dug its first dungeon for a human wizard several centuries ago, in exchange for services rendered.  Enjoying the challenge of the construction, as well as the wizard slaying a dragon for them, the Dwarves' leaders began hiring themselves out to other wizards wanting dungeons dug.

Within a century, Clan Steelbeard became the go-to diggers, generating much of their wealth and fame through these projects.  As might be expected, they also developed a series of best practices, as well as standardized offerings for complexes.  Between dungeons, the Clan contracts out to dig small tomb complexes for nobles and temples.

While Dwarves never turn down gold, mithral, or mead as payment, they know that most people - even Wizards - do not have enough to pay them in full.  This being the case, the Dwarves accept (and perhaps prefer) services in exchange.  These services being completed either before or during or after the contract, depending on negotiations.

Early on, and maybe once a century since then, some Wizards have attempted to renege or otherwise cheat the Dwarves.  In those situations, the Clan has collapsed the entrance(s) of a dungeon until payment is made in full.  Clearing the blockage is an extra fee.  If the offending Wizard still doesn't pay up, the Dwarves send someone to collect.

Dwarven Demolition Team by Kev Brockschmidt

Being Dwarves, the Steelbeards keep records of all the dungeons and tombs they have designed in a hidden, secure, guarded vault.   After all, integrity is something that Dwarves in the business of working with Wizards need.   Attempts to steal or purchase this information has so far failed.

So far.  

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Contracts

Contracts are drawn up by teams of skilled negotiators and barristers, and address all aspects of dungeon building: planning, siting, digging, procuring supplies (such as dressed stone or iron-bound oaken doors), provisioning the diggers, protecting the diggers, stocking the dungeon (with either caught wild beasts or the semi-tame dungeon beasts that the Dwarves raise for this purpose, like mimics and carrion crawlers and a wide array of fungi, molds, and slimes), found mineral rights, etc.

For planning purposes, the Steelbeards start with a decade per level of a complex, adding time in yearly increments from there. As might be imagined, Clan Steelbeard never has more than three or four projects going at one time.  The wait list is long and rumors suggest that for the right price, construction might move up (or down) the priority list.

When it comes to any discovered veins of ores or gems, a new contract is drawn up to dig them out.  The same goes for any ruins or caverns discovered.  Standard Clan Steelbeard practice is to block those areas off and continue around them until a mining or exploring contract is drawn up.  

Understandably, the more the Dwarves do, the more it costs the wizard.  

Given the nature and length of time to complete these dungeon-building contracts, the Clan often negotiates payment - in full or at least partially - in services, such as monster slaying, retrieving a specific item from elsewhere, item creation, or collecting debts from wizards that reneged on their contract.

Truth be told, the Dwarves especially enjoy the latter service, as it provides an unsubtle hint to the negotiating wizard about what happens to those that renege.  Incidentally, the negotiating wizards don't mind collecting these debts for the Dwarves, as they often score some potent arcane treasure for themselves in the process.

Having built these dungeons for centuries, Steelbeard Dwarves have an excellent idea of what some wizards are capable of, and as such, suggest to them that using certain specific spells may reduce costs and time of construction.  Veteran Steelbeard negotiators keep a list of known helpful Wizard spells and will suggest them in the course of negotiations.

Note that the Steelbeards will subcontract certain parts of its negotiated tasks to other Dwarf Clans and adventuring companies once the contract start date is reached.

All things considered, negotiating a contract can take months, but once it is locked in, it is locked in. 

The contract complete, the Dwarves celebrate with ale and song, as Dwarves do.

Dwarven Song by Dan Frazier

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Call to Adventure

PCs might be engaged to clear a discovered cavern, protect Clan builders and property, run or guard supply caravans, acquire plans to a different dungeon or tomb, dig out a closed dungeon, capture monsters for use in a dungeon, relocate or create undead for a dungeon, spread rumors about a new dungeon, convincing Clan leaders to move a specific dungeon up or down on the priority list, acquire prizes to bait a dungeon with, to test parts of a dungeon, or to clear a dungeon entirely. 

All for the sake of Wizards wanting to farm magic items and monster parts.

While the Steelbeard Clan (or one of its negotiating teams) might be a solid patron to PCs, the paying Wizard or a rival Wizard might also hire PCs on for any number of tasks.  

Of course, a rival Wizard will be hiring to disrupt the construction, so planting monsters, sowing dissension among workers, reducing or poisoning supplies, or outright attacking the Dwarves might be on the table.  Crossing an entire Clan of Dwarves that have several allied Wizards as business partners may not be the smartest thing PCs do, but PCs aren't known for exercising high wisdom scores outside of spell bonuses for specific rulesets.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Happy New Year, everyone!

To commemorate it, I'm trying a new method of goal-setting, inspired by this post at The Dododecahedron. 

While I had no specific goals for 2024 beyond game more (a wash) and spend less (I spent more), I feel that for 2025 I need to set some more specific goals.  Therefore, I present these:

1. Write at least three blog posts per month.  Today counts, so only 35 to go!

2. Publish a free adventure - I have several in varying stages of completion, tied to published posts, but this year I want to share examples.

3. Game more.  While I'd love to get more than 8 sessions of RPGs in, I suspect that this will be another year with more Magic than RPGs - it is far easier to squeeze in pick-up games of Magic.  Regardless, more gaming means more substantial topics to write about, even if they are only session logs and play reports.

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All that said, it looks like I'll be taking classes this year, cutting back on available game time, but we shall see.

If nothing else, I can content myself with occasionally spending an hour or two at a local Game X Change store sifting through boxes of poorly sorted Magic cards in a never-ending quest to find treasures, or at least playables.   

I do this because I get a thrill when I pick up a dollar card for ten cents. Not that it matters, as I don't sell the cards and only rarely trade them away.  The endstate is that I hoard cards, but only the best cards, for a somewhat refined hoard.  

A cardboard hoard.

A cardhoard.

Dragons have hoards, and I have a hoard, so that makes me a dragon (but not like Eustace; as an aside, here is a great read about Eustace's un-dragoning).  

2025 is looking up already!

Rapacious Dragon by Johan Grenier - lovely art and somehow fitting.

Summer Games: Session Seven

Even though summer is over and we finally have some blessedly cool weather, I will be calling this the Summer Games until we no longer meet.  My hope is that it lasts until next summer, at least.

Earlier logs: one, two, three, four, five, six.

It has been several weeks since our last session because we're adults.  Still, we finally met and it was both productive and fun.

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Covered in gore, the party wanders the first level, seeking the exit to the surface they know exists.  Perhaps this gore will tempt them to bathe in whatever pools they may discover, regardless of possible consequences.

DM Note - After all, they once heard a rumor about how bathing in a pool changed someone, so odds are good one (or more) will bathe in or drink from discovered pools.  I'll need to have a water feature table ready, if only for inspiration.

Orcs slain, our heroes found themselves at a four-way intersection and opted for the left-hand corridor over the double doors in front of them or the right-hand corridor.  Still, they dithered enough as they scouted down the corridor that a wandering monster appeared.

The PCs heard a chittering sound heading towards them, and while some ducked into a side corridor, TruggleDave stood his ground and readied his bow.  The chittering and skittering grew louder as a long greenish multi-legged horror moved towards them, its many tentacles writhing and dripping, along the ceiling!  DM Note - It turns out that two of the PLAYERS are freaked out by spiders and were visibly moving away from me as I described it heading their way - I need to get with them to see if I need to not use spiders, as we meet rarely enough as it is.  

Dave got off one shot, hitting and rolling max damage, but it wasn't nearly enough to slay the carrion crawler!  It closed with him, hitting with multiple tentacles, paralyzing Dave (for 12 turns) in mid-shot, leaving him looking like an awkward ugly cupid! 

Initiative was tied, so the other PCs responded as best they could, with Varda casting her lone spell - a Magic Missile that dealt near-max damage, and Brother Frank finishing the beast off with a crushing blow from his mace.  Roro missed, Alistar missed, and Dack the Boar ran about helplessly as he couldn't reach it.

DM Note - I've been wanting to use one of Toren Atkinson's drawings for some time now, so I am thrilled that the random table brought me a hungry Carrion Crawler.

Paralyzed Dave was dragged into the side corridor, itself quickly opening into a room featuring yet more corridors and a fountain in the corner, featuring a mannish-lionish face spewing water into a shallow bowl.  

The PCs then spent some time trying to unparalyze Dave, first by pouring fountain water on him, and then trying to get him to drink said water (neither worked).  Enough time that wandering monsters were indicated, and the party heard what sounded like large doors opening.  Bracing for the worst, they were shocked when a giant face appeared in the opening asking if they wanted the dead Carrion Crawler because "that's good eating with orc sauce."  A goblin joined the ogre, bree-yarking at the party until it was realized that Roro spoke Goblin, then I dropped to English.

The Goblin wanted to verify that his friends (presumably the visible ogre and maybe another making noise in the corridor) named Smash and Grab could have the dead things for a meal.  Satisfied, they dragged the bodies away, and a door was heard to close.

Combat averted, Varda began examining the fountain itself and discovered that the eyes appeared to be buttons of some sort.  Pressing them both dropped a fancy jeweled key out of the fountain's mouth.

Art by Jim Holloway from Dungeon of Dread, pg 79.

As Varda examined, and then pocketed, the key, Roro tossed a coin into the fountain and made a wish for the party to return to the surface. To everyone's amazement, smoke started billowing out of the fountain mouth, quickly taking the shape of a balding, goateed, blue man on top and smoke on bottom.  

He introduced himself as Djinn Carrey (because L1's Djinn Belushi was a dated reference) and after negotiations, the wish was granted - and as the smoke cleared, the party rejoiced because it let them skip the taxman at the main entrance!  At this point, they noticed the shrieks of fright and calls for the guard - Djinn Carrey had teleported them into the center of Skara Brae's market, so our heroes scampered off to the Green Dragon Inn to split loot and bathe.

Djinn of Wishes, by Kev Walker

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MVP for the session was TruggleDave for his bold portrayal of a cupid statue for much of the session.  

As DM, I'll let the group know how much they earned and let them split it as they see fit.  Some of them might level up.

Next session will be in Skara Brae, so I need to revise the rumor table, if nothing else.  That said, Frankie Breakbone will likely send an emissary once word is out the PCs have returned.  If they're smart, they'll pay off their debt for some more carousing to continue the cycle!

Still Contributing

I despair of ever getting to play a seventh session in our summer game.  We've decided on a day (Wednesdays) but have yet to be able to play due to everything else in an adult's life.

Still, I want to write.

Therefore a small post today, inspired by How to Contribute, written by Papers and Pencils (a fine blog worth mining for ideas and downloads). While I am too new to have spent time on Google+, I am old enough to remember people discussing the high-quality discussions and games that went on.

So I try to contribute.  

That said, today I want to talk about others' contributions, specifically the podcast Between Two Cairns.  

I've been listening to it for several weeks now,and have so far successfully made my saves vs. buying the adventures they speak highly of, as well as the other publications they mention in passing (like A Rasp of Sand and The Valley of Flowers, among others).

It's not so much the reviews that pull me in, but the banter and question-answering at the start of each episode.  The hosts, Yochai Gal and Brad Kerr (and occasional guests), engage in wide-ranging conversations in the opening 30-45 minutes, often spurred by whatever question they're answering.  These discussions never fail to keep me entertained, and often have me researching whatever books, blogposts, or names are mentioned.

The reviews themselves are thorough, addressing not only content, but art, layout, and usability.

All that said, give Between Two Cairns a listen.   

Try not to buy anything.