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#I think aarakocras are cool!
wolfdijon · 27 days
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the rat grinders
idk almost anything about fantasy high but I think the rat grinders are hilarious because imagine a group of kids just going into the forest every day to kill hundreds and hundreds of rats for YEARS. pew pew zap squeaks of terror BOOM free xp imagine being level twelve and never seeing actual combat imagine going on your first quest and you just blow everyone else out of the water because you're insanely overleveled. they're the rat grinders because they literally GRIND RATS. RATS. bahahahhahaha imagine being thrown into your first quest and it's something "suitable for your level" and you don't know anything about practical adventuring because all of your xp and so-called "experience" has come from killing beings lesser than you
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quilldesignz · 1 year
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so I was sifting thru my folders for an old reference and I found this.
I. do not remember when I made this??
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like I have references. those are references in the back. that is one of my sketch boards in the background.
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I cannot stress I have no idea when I decided to make this or why its just sitting untouched in my art folder. its not a commission and its a bit more than I usually would do for a warmup. there's the beginnings of a background??? I have no idea.
so.
happy art @redwinterroses i guess???
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niftukkun · 1 year
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for the first week of @shepscapades 's hermitcraft character design event, i offer grian as an aarakocra artificer!
for an elaboration on my choices in character design,
aarakocra was kind of an obvious choice, but as a bonus i made grian a scarlet macaw aarakocra because Pesky Bird.
im not sure how much the design communicates artificer, but that's halfway intentional since i wanted the design to communicate grian more than generic dnd character. i very specifically chose the artillerist subclass because on my brief readthrough on the wiki artillerist is not only apparently the explosions subclass but also on the 3rd level artillerists get eldritch cannons and on the 9th level artillerists get to explode the eldritch cannons! and i thought that was cool so i included an exploding cannon in the brackground of the drawing.
why artificer? uh. mm. i just find them kinda neat. also it kind of fits grian's. researcher? thing?? with the rift and entity this season. im not sure how it translated into amethysts just kind of appearing all over the design but hey i think it fits and the purple accent over everything reminds me of minecraft enchantments so. oh also i couldnt decide on a weapon but when i searched up woodcarver tools (cause artillerist subclass) there was one that kinda looked like what hes holding and i think grian is unhinged enough to use a tool as a weapon so i just gave him that
also i feel like it should go without saying that grian is on the chaotic end of the chart. im leaning towards chaotic neutral but honestly i think that morality is kind of a weird thing to measure in/from minecraft where death more or less holds no meaning and the guy in question has definately killed all his friends at least once and one specific friend about a thousand times so. eh
also sidenote but according to the wiki artificers are more support than anything but you cannot look me in the eyes and say grian isnt the main damage dealer or the guy who causes the most chaos during battle. he has so many counts of property damage and the only reason im not calling him a murder hobo is because hes more creative than that. if he wants to be chaotic he can do better murder is the least creative way to cause chaos; hed eat a plot important object whole in front of the town mayor before going on a murder hobo spree
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audly’s favourite (free) d&d resources
d&d books are really expensive. for beginners, that can be daunting if trying to get into playing. some people are under the impression that you have to have all the books (or at least one or two) to be a good dm or player. 
so i’m here to compile my favourite resources! 
5etools
literally my favourite. it has sections divided by what you’re looking for, and a super easy filtering system. it’s got stuff from most books (except the critical roll ones) and dm screen resources! also has the ua (unearthed arcana) playtest materials. 
D&D wiki
also has pretty much everything! not really divided by books (as far as i can find), which may make it a bit tricky. but if you know what you’re doing, you’re set. especially helpful for spells. 
Fantasy Name Generators
in my opinion, naming things is one of the hardest things to do. like you’ve got this cool axe weapon thing that glows but you don’t want to just call it the “glowy axe”. or a super badass elf character that has a pet raccoon. or a city where your campaign will be. so you go through your brain for a good name and it’s empty. names give things meaning and importance. choosing one is hard. if the name generator doesn’t give you a name, it should at least get the ball rolling. they have one for pretty much everything.
Roll20
basically a dnd specific discord! you can host games, display maps, and have access to all your player’s sheets in one place. i find this one a lil tricky to navigate without a mouse, but i’ve managed with just my trackpad. roll20 also has a fairly extensive compilation of resources like class descriptions, weapons, etc. etc. i use it a lot when making magic items and worldbuilding. 
DnD Disability 
all about incorporating disabilities into dnd! i really enjoy this site. they offer some creative mechanics for varieties of neurodivergence, chronic pain, and mobility aids. a super amazing resource to make your game more accessible. 
Hero Forge
great for making character designs and has the option to buy a 3d print of your mini. some of the race options are little limiting (read: i tried to make a pigeon aarakocra out of a ravenfolk and it did not work), but overall is functional. 
D&D Beyond 
at this point i think everyone and their mother has heard of D&D beyond. it’s essentially the “official” dnd site, with all the official content and boundless homebrew. it has a character creator option too, which is useful for people who need some extra support. the issue is that it exists behind a paywall. if you want to add anything other than the “standard” options or use someone else’s homebrew in your game, you have to buy a membership. you can browse homebrew just fine without one, but can’t put it on your character sheet. for all it’s costly negatives, i do find joy in the unhinged and unbalanced home made things people conjure. worth at least looking at. 
Pinterest 
great for character and setting inspiration! also has some homebrew monsters, items, and weapons which can be meh. if you’re looking for nifty mechanics, pinterest may be your place as well. i have seen both phenomenally cool things i’ve incorporated into my games and the Most Questionable Things Ever.  
Arcane Eye
more of a blog, but does contain exceptionally useful knowledge. much like roll20, arcane eye has resources that can inform you as a player or dm. they have guides to different things.
D&D Compendium 
it sure is a compendium! it’s got the whole kitten caboodle, “how to dm” and “how to play” sections if you need some extra help, map tools, and a bunch of other how-to’s. they have links to other dnd resource sites as well, so if you can’t get it on the compendium, you can get it from one of those. you can also network and find a group to play with via the compendium. (but be careful with strangers from the internet, said the stranger from the internet.)
The Official D&D Site 
has a bunch of free pdfs for character sheets and whatnot, as well as some pre-generated characters and basic rules. they don’t have a huge amount of content for free, but who can blame them with all the pirated content out there. 
donjon
so many free generators. a dm’s best friend. they have map makers for dungeons, towns, npc’s, etc. so much stuff. so much. less useful for beginner players, more for dm’s. also good if you’re super into worldbuilding and want something to help. 
Azggar’s Fantasy Map Generator
again, more for dm’s than players. also just really good for worldbuiling. if you want a unique and comprehensive overview of a world, continent, or country, azggar’s is a good place. when i saw comprehensive, i mean comprehensive. it’s got political state lines, capital cities, ports, trade routes, population densities, distribution of regional ethnic groups, religions, government styles, the whole works - all fully editable. the tools can be a lil confusing at first but they do get easier with practice. 
Kassoon Puzzle Generator 
puzzles and riddles for your players! some are simple, some are more complex, depending on the skill level and knowledge-base of your players. can be worked into dungeons or given as a one off in an encounter. 
NPC Generator 
the title says it all. gives a basic name, occupation, class, race, etc. for an npc. all of which can be edited and randomly generated. 
The Homebrewery
a place to format your homebrews into an official-looking style. requires a smidgen of coding, but they have things that teach you that. it’s mostly for different headings and dispersion of sections. 
Podcasts 
if you’re just starting in dnd, listening to other people play can be informative, and hopefully entertaining. some shows are intended to be listened to as stories, rather than actual-play, other as wholly normal dnd, some a mix of both. they can spark inspiration for characters, settings, etc. i’ll give a mini list of my personal favourites (maybe a longer list later): 
- dames and dragons: so lovely. i’ve been listening since high school, and at this point it feels like listening to old friends. top of my list, highly recommend. 
- girls who don’t dnd: a group of girls who’ve never player dnd before playing dnd. this one is great for beginners who need more clarification on mechanics. 
- dungeons and daddies: it’s about literal dads from earth transported to a magic realm. so so so funny. 
and yeah! that concludes my list of my favourite resources for dnd for dm’s and players of all levels! happy playing! 
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kanohirren · 8 months
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How to Make Grian in DnD
Welcome to my first guide on making Life SMP members into DnD 5e characters!
I’ll go level by level and explain the reasoning behind my decisions and how I think it fits them in character. This build assumes starting at level 8 but includes notes on differences if you start at level 1 and progress to 8. Keep in mind that this isn’t intended as a guide on how to play dnd, just how to build this character. I also don't explain every feature but I may briefly touch on it and explain my reasoning for taking it.
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Class: Fighter 6 (Eldritch Knight)/Cleric 2 (War Domain)
Race: Aarakocra* (can be humanised)
Base Ability Scores: (uses Tasha's Cauldron of Everything rule that allows for reallocating racial stat bonuses)
Str 10 (+0)
Dex 15 (+2) +2 from race = 17 (+3)
Con 13 (+1) +1 from race = 14 (+2)
Int 10 (+0)
Wis 13 (+1)
Cha 12 (+1)
Background: Courtier
Grian is a well-rounded character with no clear weaknesses but a couple of fields he excels at. He’s good at almost all aspects of the game whether it be combat, social interactions or even just survival. I gave him the Fighter/Cleric multiclass because I felt like it would be an interesting build and made him a dexterity-based fighter because Aarakocra cant fly with any armour other than light armour.
Before moving on to classes, let’s go over the race and background features.
Aarakocra race*:
Flight**: Flying speed equal to walk speed, only works with light or no armour.
Talons: Your unarmed attacks do more damage. Not super good because this is a dex build.
Wind Caller: At lvl 3 you can cast Gust of Wind. A cool spell, find some fun situations to use it in.
*The Aarakocra version used here is the nerfed version from “Mordekainnen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse”.
**If having a flying speed is a problem, a compromise I usually default to is only letting flying speed let you move vertically during your turn, but you cannot end your turn in mid-air or you fall.
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Courtier background:
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion
Court Functionary: You are good at hearing things about important people, as you are one of them. Perfect for if you want to start wars.
At 1st lvl, we start with a level in Fighter. This grants us:
Proficiency in heavy, medium, and light armour, shields
Proficiency in simple and martial weapons
Proficiency in Strength and Constitution saving throws.
Skill Proficiencies: Take Survival and Athletics.
Fighting Style: Choose Duelling if you want to use a sword mostly. Archery is fine too if you want to use a bow.
Second Wind: Bonus action healing. Nice to have.
As a dex build, Grian will be using light armour and finesse or ranged weapons mostly. Ideal weapon would be a rapier and a longbow. The Courtier background involves knowing what’s happening amongst a group of interest, much like how Grian is involved with many major Minecrafters
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At 2nd lvl, we take a second level in Fighter, which grants us:
Action Surge: Have a second action in one round once per short rest. Good early for having another attack and scales very well.
At 3rd lvl, we take a third level in Fighter, which grants us:
Subclass: Eldritch Knight
Eldritch Knight grants:
Weapon Bond: Find a shiny weapon? It’s yours now and no one else can have it!
Two Cantrips: Mage Hand (lots of trickery you can do with this) and Blade Ward (in case taking damage is inevitable)
Three 1st lvl spells: Magic Missile (just in case), Shield (good defensive spell) and Fog Cloud (cause lots of chaos and confusion)
As Grian’s Intelligence stat hasn’t been prioritised, I chose spells that don’t involve any rolls so that it’s not really a problem. He’ll get more chaotic use out of the cleric spells that we get later.
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At 4th lvl, we take a fourth level in Fighter, which grants us:
Ability Score Improvement OR Feat. Take the Ability Score Improvement and +1 your Dex up to 18 (+4) and your Wisdom up to 14 (+2).
One more spell: Take Tenser’s Floating disk (Take people’s doors and stack them on the disk and then run away without being weighed down)
The dex is always important, improves your stealth so you’re less likely to be caught placing tnt and the wisdom helps your perception but more importantly helps after becoming a cleric.
At 5th lvl, we take a fifth level in Fighter, which grants us:
Extra Attack: More damage output!
With this fifth level in Fighter, we hit the important damage power spike. Now we can get to the more chaotic side of Grian.
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At 6th lvl, we multiclass into Cleric, which grants us:
Three Cantrips: Take Guidance (good spell), Thaumaturgy (fun spell) and Spare the Dying (mainly for Scar)
1st lvl spells: As a prepared caster, Clerics can swap out their spells after a long rest. My suggested default spells are: Bless, Sanctuary and Ceremony (get that marriage buff).
Subclass: War Domain
War Domain grants:
Extra Prepared Spells: Divine Favor and Shield of Faith
Bonus Proficiencies: Martial Weapons and Heavy Armour. Both redundant because we started Fighter.
War Priest: Another attack as a bonus action with number of uses scaling with Wisdom. Goes well with being a fighter.
Ready to start a war? Cleric and this subclass especially makes Grian extra ready to start a war and fight his way to victory. As a Cleric, Grian of course worships the mighty Boatem Pole!
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At 7th lvl, we take a second level in Cleric, which grants us:
Channel Divinity: Turn Undead. Good for all the zombies and skeletons that keep spawning around you.
Channel Divinity: Guided Strike. Give yourself a +10 to an attack roll once per long rest. Really good if you just desperately need to land a hit.
One more prepared spell: Command (Need a war started? Just point at a button and tell someone else to “Press”!)
At 8th lvl, we take a sixth level in Fighter, which grants us:
Ability Score Improvement OR Feat: Take the ASI to bring your dex from 18 (+4) to 20 (+5)
Maxed out dex is good. Alternatively, you could bump your wisdom up to 16 instead if you want stronger spells.
Summary:
Final stats:
Str 10 (+0)
Dex 20 (+5)
Con 14 (+2)
Int 10 (+0)
Wis 14 (+2)
Cha 12 (+1)
Two Attacks as an action, a third as a bonus action (limited uses)
Rapier (if Duelling was chosen): +5 (dex) +3 (prof. bonus) = +8 to hit. 1d8 + 5 (dex) + 2 (duelling) piercing dmg.
Longbow (if Archery was chosen): +5 (dex) +3 (prof. bonus) +2 (archery) = +10 to hit. 1d8 + 5 piercing.
And that’s it for Grian! I hope this build captures the chaotic nature of Grian while also maintaining his prowess a just about everything. If you have any feedback or questions, I’d love to read them! ^^
Next will be Scar!
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laxyaklovesloz · 13 days
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DannyMay 2024 #13 D&D AU
I made character sheets for the characters in Danny Phantom and my OC.
Sam: Tiefling Sorcerer “Moondagger” https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/124056875/ImInp2
Danny: Aasimar Druid https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/124057969/SWBt4k
Tucker: Rock Gnome Rogue https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/124058942/pwd63N
Jazz: Aarakocra Bard https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/124059885/uz3kI3
Chelsea: Wood Elf Cleric https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/124059256/YITS3E
Jacob is the DM, so he doesn’t get a sheet.
Now let’s see if I can actually write something about it. LOL!
≈∞≈
“I’m going to start you all out at level five,” Jacob said, passing out blank character sheets. “That will give you more options.”
Chelsea groaned, “More options? How am I supposed to pick with what options we already have? It’s so confusing.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you out,” Jacob said confidently.
“I’m with Chelsea,” Jazz said. “We’re all new to D&D. Shouldn’t we start with the basics?”
“Trust me, level one isn’t nearly as fun as level five,” Jacob said. He gave everyone a copy of the Player’s Handbook. Why he had so many copies was anyone’s guess. “Start with level one and I’ll help you level up. It’s a lot easier than you think.”
“If you say so…” Chelsea said. She wrote down the first name that came to mind on her character sheet: Khend. “Well, I’m definitely going to be a healer.”
“So you’ll want cleric,” Jacob said, pointing to the class spot on her sheet.
“Is there anything to do with technology?” Tucker asked eagerly.
“Gnomes have the tinker feature,” Jacob said. “That’s probably as close as you’re going to get. I don’t have any of the artificer material. I just have the basic books.”
“Okay, whatever you say, man,” Tucker said, writing things down.
“Danny,” Jacob started, “you can be an Aasimar. That’s a special class in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Here, I’ll show you.”
“What’s an Aasimar?” Danny asked.
“It’s an angel basically,” Jacob said. “It’s the closest we’ll get to a ghost.” He moved over to Danny’s spot at the table and flipped open the DMG to the correct page. “Here, read up on it.”
“Thanks,” Danny muttered.
“Is there anything relating to motivational speaking?” Jazz asked.
“Actually, there is!” Jacob replied. “The bard is the perfect class for you.”
“Oh, cool!” Tucker said suddenly. “The rogue looks totally fun. I’m picking rogue.”
“Good choice,” Jacob said. He was glad someone was getting into the spirit of things. “What about you, Sam? You haven’t said anything yet.”
“I’m thinking this demonic-looking thing is good,” Sam said casually, pointing to the image of the tiefling.
“That’s a tiefling,” Jacob told her. “You might try the sorcerer class to go with it.”
“Nice,” Sam said.
The six of them continued working on characters for a few minutes, Jacob jumping around the table to help where needed.
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randoimago · 2 years
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Hello! May I please request headcannons for Vax, Cad, Molly & Ashton with a crush that loves birds? Seeing a hawk or vultures circle in the sky makes them smile, they love to hang out with the chickens whenever the inn they're staying at has them, they collect feathers.. Stuff like that? My bird-nerd ass would love you (more) forever! Thanks bunches!! <3
Having a Crush that Loves Birds
Fandom: Critical Role
Characters: Vax’ildan, Mollymauk Tealeaf, Ashton Greymoore
Type of Request: Headcanons, Spoilers to Campaign 1
Notes: I'm not writing romantic asks for Caduceus!!
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Vax
He does have a bit of an attachment to ravens lately so if you want to see one close up, he could probably make it happen.
Absolutely tries to get you matching raven feathers to put in your hair.
Vex has matching feathers with him and you’re his second favorite person so you’ve got to have some of your own.
Considering how his fate is set in stone, he's glad you like birds. He'll be sure to visit you as a raven when he gets a chance.
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Molly
Maybe you can find wherever the hell Beau’s hawk flew off to with your love of birds.
Would love to find some peacocks with you. He’s only really seen them when he was traveling with the carnival. I mean, he’s got a whole complicated tattoo based off of that bird.
Might make a couple jokes about having to keep you away from aarakocra or kenku’s. He can’t have you leaving him because he doesn’t have enough feathers.
Yasha tends to collect flowers while traveling. Molly decides to steal that idea but with getting different bird feathers (or he thinks some are different, he's not knowledgeable about birds).
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Ashton
You know, good for you liking birds. He likes bird people. Actual birds are menaces. The amount of shit he’s had to wipe off himself...
Since you're such good friends with birds, how about you tell the crows that they can't take his shit, no matter how shiny it is.
Does know quite a few bird people that he can introduce you to to make up for the fact that he fucking hates actual birds.
Seriously, you like birds? Why? How? Yeah, he gets the idea of flying being cool to some people (another thing he hates, flying), but birds? He doesn’t get it.
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serpentineshine · 3 months
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Letters A, K, J, and P?
Yippee! Thank you tumblr mutual starredforlife <3 Oh boy, D&D NPC time, this post might be a bit of a long one… I may not be the best explanatory writer right now, but I tried. :’)
Alba Elûmoine (World Setting: Trita, Deltarra, Other)
A is pretty easy since Alba is a beloved recurring NPC of mine. Alba Elûmoine, or stage name “Alba Alabaster”, is a Tiefling with Ice Devil heritage. He’s a cleric, usually of a setting’s moon goddess (Selûne, Deonora, etc.), and is legally blind. He’s typically soft-spoken, polite, and pleasant to talk to, but can be stubborn and brazen if the situation calls for it. Born to be sassy, forced to be classy.😔 It depends on what setting he appears in, but he typically works as a courtesan and often attracts clients wishing to keep their identity a secret(in his early life he makes a lot of extra money blackmailing clients who think he is more blind than he actually is). In settings where he is older and more wealthy he’s an avid collector of magical and historical artifacts and will often hire adventurers to fetch things for him. Love this guy, he’s so fun, I think I’ve had him as a character since maybe like 2018, maybe 2017? Thankfully he’s been very beloved, so I was not short on finding art of him. <3
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My most recent sketch of him is with a werewolf, I thought you’d appreciate that info :)
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Khovid Va Otsukimi (World Setting: Deltarra)
This is my warning and reminder to all GMs and OC creators to say your characters names out loud, or mid D&D game you might accidentally end up with a character named Covid, even though it’s not spelled the same way... Khovid Va is Elven and a shopkeeper in the city of Ebon'rana. His shop is called “Glasshopper” and he specializes in selling magical weapons. He’s mute and has a large horizontal scar across the front of his neck, as well as a scar across his left cheek by his mouth and right eyebrow. He can do that cool thing where he can write upside down and does that at his counter to communicate with guests (and show off). His fun trivia and secret lore is that he faked his own death and ran away from his noble family in the Feywild because they wanted him to basically become the next leader of the Autumn Court and he couldn’t take the responsibility. Khovid Va is his full first name! He just has a two-part first name. Yes, I created him in 2020, no I did not realize at the time that I named him Covid until it was too late… I don’t have many drawings of him, but here’s a very small old sketch of him.
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Jortly (World Setting: Deltarra)
I actually have very few NPCs who have names starting with J so this took me a sec, but then I was reminded of Jortly (thank you hedgie). Jortly is a Tortle monk and a son of one of my player’s characters. Think about combining a turtle with one of those stretchy blue sticky hand toys and that’s basically Jortly. He talks like he’s so worried all the time and his catchphrase is “Oh gosh”.
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Phonoko Silverscribe (World Setting: Trita)
Archivist Phonoko Silverscribe is one of the three head mages of the Harmonic Circle Mage’s Association, and right-hand to the High Mage. He’s an older Aarakocra gentleman with a bit of a nervous demeanor. He and his team are in charge of magical archival information for the association as well as he basically keeps everything in order for the other two top archmages. There’s more to him as well, but I have a couple of my players following me here who are playing in this setting right now, so I can’t reveal too much at the moment, he might be a more relevant character at a later time. :)) this drawing and design of him is by @hedgehogofspades!
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Oof ok wow that took a while, thank you for the ask!
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quilveor · 1 year
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It's 4 AM, I had to do half of it twice because MS Paint betrayed me and I didn't notice, but I am SO incredibly proud of this.
Quick, my aarakocra cleric struck by wanderlust, often writes in notebooks and does small sketches. He's not an artist, but he likes it. So I figured, the best way to have his short story would be in a diary form.
There's a lot of character lore included, but I'll keep it brief [I want to sleep.]. Quyeekrraouhsh/Quick is very friendly albeit haven't seen his family in a while. Gwynddu, an albino black dragonborn warlock under Tiamat, is his boyfriend. Duke is a hedonistic kobold rogue, Kenku is a wizard/bard who sings by illusions, and Korek is an insane kobold bard. Jalan'lham is a lizardfolk ranger obsessed with fishes and not a part of the team. Skweerk is not a character, I made her up JUST for this.
It's getting bright.
This was an insane thing to do, making everything just so manual, even though you can clearly tell it was just a computer font [Ink Free, with a guest visit by Segoe Script]
And for people who can't view images, the entire transcript: [Every time [Kenku] appears, it's a drawing of a kenku [crow] head.]
Dear diary I am in such a good mood! I haven't been writing in a while but -t- there was just no time! We just left this big city, [very big] [Baldur's Gate -> [map of region]] heading northways, but omigosh it's SO COOL. There's SO MANY PEOPLE. I didn't meet any Baldur though… There was one dog named that though! [though though though] Very cute doggo. [Doggy.] [Doggerino.] I got to pet it!
Also I think Gwynddu is happier we left. He seemed so tired lately, ,some peace will do him well. He's been tossing and turning last few days, but he says it's "fine". [Sure.] He always has so much to think about. Can you BELIEVE I saw him in the [Pictures of Bahamut and Tiamat] temple of Bahamut?!‽ He went there few days ago to meditate in silence and, to be fair, it was pretty quiet there, but it's still so surprising! [on hush hush he was like 'me and the priest made a pact of non-aggression' and that's just the cutest thing ever] Anyway! So! SO! Today, right, I wake up, Gwynddu wakes up, Duke wakes up, Korek and [Kenku] too, we leave the tavern saying good byes, everyone in GREAT mood honestly except Gwynddu but that's normal for the grump <3 [he's so cute i swear] [the owner wanted us to stay because apparently they really liked [Kenku] singing but we gotta keep moving!!] ANYWAY so we leave, go to the gates [of Baldur Gate [haha]] and there was another aarakocra! Can you imagine that! I haven't seen one in so long! Apparently there's a city in Chult, but it's a bit of a travel there. I already already wrote to check it out later in a different notebook but I [picture of T-Rex] ABSOLUTELY have to go there. Skweerk was really lovely though, it was so nice chatting with her. -> [picture of Skweerk] She was in the city to get some -unusa- unusual materials that usually don't go to Chult! I guess it's harder if you live on an island. I think it's an island. [How big is Chult, anyway.] [I know it has like, [at least] [two cities.]] And a jungle! And those bizarre creatures called dir dinosaurs! -> [towards the T-Rex picture] And temples and tigers and AAAAAA i want to go there so badly! [just on description from Skweerk] [friend] We do need to first go to Daggerford. It's a bit -aft- before Water-deep, and so it's gonna be a few days at least, but we got a letter saying a friend's gonna be staying there and we DEFINITELY -gonna be- have to be there. Jalan'lham!!! Maybe FINALLY he will teach me fishing! He promised!! i wanna catch a fish he does it so -easy- easily [it's probably not actually that easy!] So I think the plan is, Daggerford -> Waterdeep -> [maybe?] Chult so that is probably it for today! [oh but shhhhh i see [Kenku] and Duke sneaking out. Both are far more nocturnal so I bet they're gonna just stay up until very late again. I don't think they know I know but I heard Duke getting some singing lessons from [Kenku] once when I woke up in the middle of night.] [But,] yeah! Gwynddu's getting ready to sleep, I should join him soon. [And where's Korek oh he's already out [okay]] imma go join them then. Until next time! Quyeekrraouhsh
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fawnheartedly · 2 years
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Some Cookies as DnD classes and races
Because some cookies are walking DnD character tropes, they very much have dungeons and dragons and I'm both cookie run and critical role brainrotting so enjoy :D
Starting with the ancients cause they're basically an ex DnD party
Pure Vanilla Cookie : a cleric for sure. Probably life or light domain. He would be an Aasimar because cookie jesus.
Hollyberry Cookie : Barbarian. Let this woman rage. Path of the zealot or berserker. As for race, goliath or orc. That would have fun consequences for Princess and Tiger Lily
Dark Cacao Cookie : Paladin. He broke his previous oath and is now following an oath of vengeance. He's a dragonborn.
Golden Cheese Cookie : Hard to figure out just yet. Pretty sure she would be an aarakocra but class... Hmm... Fighter the safest bet for now ? Maybe possibly monk.
White Lily Cookie : She's a druid. I don't care if it turns out to contradicts when she's released, she's a druid in my heart. A circle of moon druid, specifically, let her turn into sabertooth tigers when she craves violence. As for race, either tiefling or fey being. Little chaos and small mischiefs behind those sad eyes and innocent smile.
Other cookies I have a take on for a DnD AU :
• Madeleine Cookie : He's the one I was refering to saying some cookies are just DnD tropes. He's a textbook Paladin. He's an Aasimar, like PV. I know they're very rare but... only those two I swear. And that would explain why he's so beloved be almost everyone.
• Espresso Cookie : Wizard tiefling. Nothing else to add. You know i'm right.
• Sparkling Cookie : Half elf. And he's the owner of the tavern everyone meets in. Since he's a healer I was first inclined to say cleric but then I thought that his best stat being charisma would make more sense so sorcerer. I think he's cool enough to be a sorcerer and some subclasses provides healing.
• Herb Cookie : Druid druid druid druid. No one is more druidic than him. He's a fey being as well, maybe a satyr or faun ?
• Vampire Cookie : A Dhampir. I feel like Rogue would be a good class for him, funnily enough.
• Mint Choco Cookie : I mean... He's a bard. Cannot possibly pick anything else than a bard for him. Charisma duo with Sparkling, they're here to smile and wink at people until they get what they want. Species I've not made up my mind yet. Tiefling is my first thought but i'll come back on that probably.
• Cocoa Cookie : I hc her as being smol, so a dwarf maybe. I feel like it fits her. Now she's a tricky one for class. She's one of the least dnd tropey character. However, Devsisters made the very interesting choice of putting her in the defence class. And if you think about the amount of milk she must be drinking everyday from her cocoas, she got tough bones. So she tanky. I'll make her a barbarian. Soft but can take a hit or ten. Not afraid of punching <3
• Cherry Blossom Cookie : Rogue. Rogue who wears pink and pink only. Rogue who isn't edgy. Rogue who loves people and picnics and making food and having a good time with friends. Softy rogue. I love a good trope subversion sometimes. She's an air genasi, idk it makes sense.
• Red Velvet Cookie : Ranger or fighter. I thought about Blood Hunter but killing monsters is quite literally the opposite of his goal. As for race, elf with dragon traits due to an incident.
• Pastry Cookie : Human. And the most ecclesiastical class would be cleric. Let's say she just doesn't like to heal. Or a domain that's less healing based.
• Latte Cookie : Elf sorcerer.
• Milk Cookie : I wanted to have him be the basic-est thing possible in DnD, an human fighter, but then realised I could just have Gingerbrave be that and Milk is closer to be a paladin so... Human Paladin.
• Purple Yam Cookie : Textbook barbarian. He's a goliath.
• Dark Choco Cookie : Human with dragonborn traits but not in the same way as RV. And he's a paladin.
•Crunchy Chip Cookie : Ranger. I've never seen someone as ranger as him. Halfling because smol~
• Caramel Arrow Cookie : Fighter for sure, proficiency in ranged weapons. Race i'm not sure yet again. Shoot me ideas o/
• Wildberry Cookie : Human. But a very tall one. And a Barbarian too.
• Financier Cookie : Part of me wants her to be a Firbolg or a goliath (have you noticed how big her sprite is in game ? She's taller than Dark Cacao). One of the half giants races at least because she's huge. And she's a paladin, there again cannot pick anything else.
• Clotted Cream Cookie : Human or half elf. And I want him to be a warlock. I know a sorcerer would make more sense but ... Ok ok, compromise. Both. Multiclass Sorcerer/Warlock. He can do it, I believe in him.
I do have some more ideas but it's getting long. If you want my input on other cookies, a more in depht research on those cookies or just to talk about DnD AU, don't hesitate ! I might even draw them, who knows :D
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dmsden · 1 year
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Taking the Low Road - Tips for a low-magic campaign
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Hullo, all. This week’s Question from a Denizen comes to us from yet another Anonymous source. They ask, “ So, I have this idea I have had on the back burner for a while that I now want to try and commit to putting it into practice. What are some tips you would provide to someone wanting to run a lower magic setting, specifically one with a horror-survival elements?”
Well, my Anonymous friend, I actually just did an article on survival horror fairly recently. Here’s a link to it so you don’t have to search backwards: https://dmsden.tumblr.com/post/697733766358171648/survive-the-night-using-survival-horror-tropes
So, having addressed those types of elements, I thought I’d look instead at the low-magic aspect, with an eye towards how that would work in concert with a survival horror campaign.
D&D is not a game that immediately lends itself to low magic. Many of the classes, sub-classes, races, and so on trend in the direction of a high magic setting. As a result, the DM of a prospective low-magic/survival horror campaign (let’s just say LMSHC from now on) has a bit of an uphill battle. The first thing I would do if I wanted to run such a campaign would be to (say it with me folks) Talk to My Players. I swear, if I ever have a shirt made for the blog, it’ll say that on it.
If I ran a LMSHC, I would explain to my players what I had in mind. I would make sure that they were all cool with the idea before I got far in development. After all, if I say “I want a campaign of all humans,” and my players have their hearts set on being an aarakocra, a rabbitfolk, and a firbolg, then this might not be the best campaign for them. In a situation like this, I might offer this campaign to other players, or I might plan a different sort of campaign.
You don’t have to play all humans to be a low-magic campaign, but it helps. Human, half-elf, half-orc, halfling, and dwarf all lend themselves easily to such a setting. Wood elves could work, but high elves tend to be a bit too magical, as are dragonborn, gnomes, and tieflings. Some other races, like orc, kobold, goblin, hobgoblin, could fit as well. Other races, especially ones with inherent spellcasting, flight, waterbreathing, and other, similar effects, are likely inappropriate for such a setting. If you really want it to be all humans, you might even work with your players to have them play a character who is cosmetically human but who has the racial traits of another race, such as a dwarf. In a situation like this, they might just be a very hardy human who’s very knowledgeable about stonecraft and smithing.
Many of the classes are likely going to be off-limits. If you’re trying to keep things to low-magic, then you pretty much need to eliminate bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard. You’ll probably need to think about classes like paladin and ranger, too, although the powers these classes have could work, depending on how the players role-plays them. Some of the sub-classes like eldritch knight, soulknife, arcane trickster, arcane archer, and the like are probably out, too. On the other hand, Artificers might shine in a campaign like this, especially the artillerist.
Now all of this is not to say there can’t be any magic or spells. Usually in a low-magic setting, however, magic is mostly in the hands of the enemies. Wizards aren’t trusted by many, and for good reason, as they’d tend to be more like warlocks, trucking with dark powers for the magic they possess. This will make the magic they wield feel special and scary, since the players won’t have access to the same abilities.
Monsters in the classic sense should be rare, with most combat encounters happening with other humans or humanoids, animals, giants, giant animals, strange beasts, and the like. Even something as “mundane” as an owlbear or an ankheg could be a sign of a sorcerer going rogue, or maybe they spring from ancient evils. A monster like a chimera is an absolute abomination, while summoned devils or demons are blasphemous entities that must be sent back to their home planes. And a full-on dragon should be an encounter that the players will never forget.
For magic-items, things like a wand of wonder or an apparatus of Kwalish isn’t something very low-magic feeling. Appropriate items would include basic magic weapons and armor, enhancing items like an elven cloak, amulet of health, or gauntlets of ogre power, some potions, and similar items. Ultimately, you’re the right judge of power levels and what feels right for your LMSHC. To get any magic-items, however, especially powerful ones, there should be a big adventure. Such items were obviously made by the gods, by magical beings, or by ancient empires using long-forgotten techniques...perhaps the vanished dwarves and elves.
The nice thing about a LMSHC is that it makes running the Survival Horror elements much easier. Undead are WAY scarier when there’s no hope of a cleric to turn them or to use radiant magics to combat them. If there’s no character with the ability to create food and water, then you don’t have to worry about supplies not being an issue (a staple of survival stories and often a powerful motivation).
I hope these suggestions are useful, Anonymous, and you have a good time with your LMSHC. Until next time, may the dice fall ever in your favor.
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Aarakocra Boyfriend: Enzo 2
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A/N:
Started my new job so that means updates maybe once a month now. I will try and get more updates down during the weekend, but I will try to keep writing as I am slightly stiff at it now.
Support me on Ko-fi!~    -   Patreon
Part 1
Relationship: male monster x female reader
Burning Heart Part 2
Soft snow had never stopped falling, cascading like silver droplets over a landscape of white, a perfect backdrop that no one could grow sick of.
Yet, you found yourself sick of the view. Stuck within the cave's confines, the backdrop of snow had become your constant view day in and out, surrounded by the heavy flurry that never seemed to stop.
The only warmth that came to you was from the dimly lit fire, slowly dying as its embers cooled, needing to be rekindled once more. Not long before they die down. You thought. Perhaps, I could be rid of this Hell.
There was some movement that came from the entrance of the cave: the howling wind died down for a moment when you heard the sound of shuffling snow and someone approaching. Your fingers the small hunting knife, heart palpating uncomfortably in your chest.
When the dread settled emerged the culprit: the red-brown feathers seemed to dampen from the cold and hailing blizzard, Enzo entered the cave and carried some sticks for the fire, mind overtaken with the thought that reached his neutral face.
For a moment, you only watched, watched the way he approached the dwindling flames, kneeling as he prepped the logs. His eyes seemed to care for the fire as he poked and prodded, cinders and ash that once seemed blackened, emerged with life and roared slowly, a proud look reaching his features.
Unexpectantly, his eyes moved up and met yours, and neither of you could react. You felt as if you were too scared to look away, watching those hawk-eyes bore into yours with such a look that you couldn't decipher.
Finally, Enzo clicked his tongue, rolling his shoulders back as he poked the flames.
"Still cold?"
"Always."
He didn't answer back, tending to the flames before they were soon coming back to life, and when he moved away from them, you felt the warmth wash over you the same way a blanket would be pulled over you; familiar and tender.
"I don't get how you humans haven't keened over from your lack of wits." Enzo mocked wryly, though it seemed as if he was nervous about something, his body seemingly inching closer to get to yours. "How can a race that's survived thousands of years be so clueless?"
"Beats me," you rolled your eyes, shivering when the cold caught you by surprise, and you hugged yourself as tightly as possible. You tried to stop yourself from shivering, but your chattering teeth gave it all away, the pinpricks of your hairs pointing upright.
Enzo made no noise as he watched you silently, before he sighed heavily, shifting to come over to you. He plopped himself onto the rock beside you, taking in the flames, and you had to pretend you didn't see the wing come over your shoulder and awkwardly pull you into his chest.
You squeaked when your face fell into contact with his chest and was surprised by the warmth that followed. It felt endearing, being swaddled by him and being looked after.
The two of you sat in silence, enjoying the sounds of the flames as you felt your heart heat up with warmth. The sounds grew silent outside, which you grew to ignore. Yet the Aarakocra seemed unsettled.
Enzo's head pointed upright, shoulders straightened, hawk-like eyes peering out from the small crack of the outside world, squinting them inquisitively. "What's the matter?"
"We cannot stay here much longer. Grab your things, we're leaving." He was suddenly up faster than you could predict, nearly falling face-first into the dirt, staring up at him in disbelief and confusion. "What do you mean? Are we in danger?"
"The snow has settled," was his only response, "I don't think you would like to be stuck here with me much longer, hmm?"
You looked away, cursing yourself for the warmth to reach your cheeks that you knew he would've spotted, grabbing your things in a hurry as you readied to breach the outside air.
The clothes you wore didn't help suffice the warmth, hitting you square in the face with such a force that you nearly fell sideways. Enzo was moving ahead, readying himself for what you could only dread.
When you finally reached him, he knelt into the settled snow, looking back up at your expectantly. "Well?"
"Well, what?" You blinked.
"What? Afraid of flying?" Enzo chimed, and the look he gave you sent a shiver not from the cold to be sent down your spine.
Your cheeks grew warm, "N-No... oh, shut it." You huffed, moving behind him as you awkwardly climbed up his back. The first thing you noticed was how long the feathers were along his back, the wind flurrying as they danced back and forth with force, bronze feathers shimmering in shades of red to gold in glory.
You dug your fingers into the warmth of his back, keeping your head as close against his back to hide the shame on your face before the Aarakocra got the message and began to move to take off.
The air flushed against your face, a cold so great that it made you yelp and shield your face into his feathers, the drop leaving your stomach as the ground left you.
-
The flight was dreadful.
It took everything in yourself not to throw up the food that was being thrown around in your fluttering stomach, the cold that stung your cheeks no matter how much you tried to shield your flesh. The Aarakocra didn’t help in soothing your flight, maybe even making it worse with how reckless he flew, ducking and weaving with you on his back as if you were nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
By the time you landed, your feet were wobbling and failing you, and you had to be awkwardly held up by Enzo.
Your cheeks were flushed with either bashfulness or the cold as you looked away. “Thanks.”
The Aarakocra’s chest huffed in haughtiness. “I am true to my word after all. You’re back in your insignificant camp.”
You looked around in disbelief, mind still fraught with the thrill of being thousands of feet up in the air, body adjusting to the level ground, seeing that familiar camp that you and your feel students would set up, decorated tents with the emblem of your symbol for knowledge.
You turned back to the bronze Aarakocra, turning your head too fast that it almost gave you whiplash. “Where is everyone?”
“Why am I supposed to know?” Enzo scoffed, crossing his wings. “Perhaps doing what they do best, collecting samples of every sample of rock.”
You would’ve rolled your eyes to his antics had your questions not been bubbling away. It was way too quiet for your fellow students to not be eager in knowing you were alive and well. Why was there no one to greet you—Calder was nowhere in sight.
Enzo noticed the way you shifted from one foot to the next, the uneasiness settling on your face. “You don’t seem pleased.”
I’m not. “This doesn’t seem right,” you murmured more to yourself, eyes darting from tent to tent in hopes of spotting anyone, “where could everyone be?”
You may have missed the following sound: the sound of a loud shout, broad and bold in sound, resonating and thundering the very ground you stood on. It hammered in your heart and when you looked to find the source of the noise, you couldn’t help but feel relief settle for the person marching towards you both.
Your smile fell from your face, hands coming up in defence as you watched the haggard figure approach with large strides, steam practically rolling off him. The rugged black beard of an infuriated Calder comes into view.
“Get away from her, bird.” There was a flash of silver in his hand, a long dirk pointing in his direction. “Or must I skin you right here?”
The bird eyebrow of Enzo’s rose inquisitively, a chuff snort leaving his sharp beak as he directed a jab, staring over to you, not appearing threatened by the blade. “Your dog is loyal, it seems. Shame the rest of you aren’t the same and quick to listen to orders.”
“Calder, step down. He is a friend. He saved me.” You jumped into the middle of them, heart racing at the sight of a blade pointing in your direction, directed to the arrogant bird behind you. Neither stepped down without the other growing enraged and doing something to regret. You could picture it now, and how you would have to explain to the higher-ups of this expedition how your guide had been slain. “He was the one who saved me from the avalanche.”
Calder gave a look of confusion your way, thick eyebrows knitted. “You were missing for four days. Everyone assumed—everyone assumed the worse. And nothing was told to us if you had lived.”
Now you were looking back at the bronze Aarakocra, heat rising in your chest from uncertainty and growing rage. “You kept me secluded for four days? Away from getting medical help.”
“It was for your safety-- our safety,” Enzo coolly replied, shrugging his shoulders. “You make it seem like it was easy to carry you across a tundra back to your camp.”
“Yet, you didn’t even relay a message that I was still alive?” You asked exasperated, looking down at your fists, trying to stop yourself from having an outburst. "Un-fucking-believable."
The Aarakocra clicked his tongue, irritation slowly settling over him. “You speak to me as if I was the one who saved you?” His laugh was mocking and jarring, and the bond you once had disappeared. “Pathetic, if you ask me.”
It had been you to grow hot with anger. “No, you don’t talk to me like that, Enzo.” You spat back, pointing irately towards him, watching the flinch come from him and for once, feeling gratification that your words did penetrate the thick bird skull of his. “You treat me and my people like children, just for your satisfaction, yet you need our help. Belittle us all you want, but when the snow falls a hundred feet deep and your village is swallowed, don’t come flying back to me.”
His face resumed a face of shock, peeled with a vulnerability that you never thought you would see from him, for him to present to you. It was a relief to know he cared, that maybe he had said too much. But it was too late for that. Your satisfaction fell short when his face reverted to the snarky scowl, eyebrows hunched as he crossed his arms boyishly.
“Fine, run back to your camp, and don’t even think about coming back into my village, not if you or your men wish to have arrows rained down upon you.”
“With pleasure.” Were you only words back, turning heel as you stormed off.
-
“We are ready whenever you are to leave.” Calder’s voice interrupted your thoughts, your mind preoccupied with the papers surrounding you. Sleep had not come nicely to you in the last few days, bags had formed under your eyes from lack of sleep and from the dried tears that stained your skin. You were cold, tired and finished with Oakendenn. Not even looking back on the man standing behind you, you gave a sad dismissal with a wave of your hand.
“Thank you, Calder. We will take our leave tomorrow at first light. You may get on with what you must do.”
You heard his heavy footsteps leave behind you and you were taken back to the sadness that sat in your chest. No matter how you felt for the Aarakocra, you were grateful he saved your life when he could’ve left you for dead.
Coming from behind, footsteps returned, and you sighed from your peace being interrupted. “I’m sure you do not need my help once again-”
“Hello, little scientist.”
You turned in your seat, having nearly fallen off of it when you glared back in horror and shock at who stood before you. You stood to your feet, posture hunched as if you were protecting the papers surrounding your desk, eyes glazed with a hunger to be as menacing as possible. “What do you want?”
“I’ve come to see you,” there was a strain in his words, strained from awkwardness and in the way he was holding himself, like a boy being told off. “I was told your last day here was today.”
“What do you want, Enzo? Haven’t you done enough?” You tutted, turning away from him to resume packing, a great deal faster this time. There was a silence that fell in your tent, and it was enough to feel uneasy, saved from the howling of the winds outside.
Enzo coughed again, and it brought your attention to watch him shuffle from one claw to the other. “I came… to apologise.” He twisted the last two words with some effort, wincing as doing so, gauging your reaction.
You didn’t answer at first, watching him as the awkward demeanour resumed. “What?”
“You were right… it was wrong of me to judge you for your anger and confusion. Truth be told, I was wanting to keep your company for as long as possible. My kind would’ve thought of this as pitiful weakness, but… your kind would call it a crush.”
You blinked at this sudden bashfulness, eyes taking in his appearance as you watched his shyness take over. Oh. You gripped the table in awkwardness as you tried baring your surroundings, suddenly taking in his words. “I—er, I didn’t think-”
He was quick to find your bashfulness endearing, stepping closer to you. “Didn’t think what?”
Heat flashed to your face quick. “Look, I’ve never had to think about anyone like me. I mean, look at me.” You directed to your entire self, laughing wryly. Enzo did not laugh, instead, the look he gave you was soft and it made your heart rise in beat. “I am looking at you.”
You averted your gaze as he stepped in closer towards your tent, closer towards you. “I want to know what you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“What you think about me, about us?” He asked softly, and when you looked back, he had been standing so close to you that you could see the individual feathers on him ruffle each movement. The way his hawk eye peered down to look at you expectantly, begging for you to answer.
“I… I like you too. Though your words did hurt, I apologise too that mine were just as cruel.” You sighed. Enzo looked to be in relief that you answered, gingerly taking your cold hand into his, the warmth that surrounded it as his large hand engulfed yours. “Maybe we are not so different from one another after all.” He mused.
“Perhaps.” Your lips pursed.
His thumb circled your knuckles in thought, and when he looked at you, there was a hope that what you would answer back would be what he wanted. “Will you return? Return to Oakendenn.”
“Only if I am welcomed back.” The laugh that came from him was sincere and it rumbled in your chest, embracing you lovingly. “Only if you can handle the cold, dear.”
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dude1818 · 1 year
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Saw the D&D movie this afternoon. First time I've been to the theater since Detective Pikachu, I think, which is somewhat appropriate (Justice Smith was again fantastic)
It was a pretty decent movie. The main plot (a heist, the core competency of the game) was solid, with a nice amount of twists and turns. The secret bad guy didn't get much development beyond evil for evil's sake, but the rest of the characters felt like they had good depth. There was a chance for them to turn the found family at the end into forced romantic pairings, and I'm glad they respected the characters' histories and didn't do that
Visually, it was hit or miss. I liked that they used practical effects for the "exotic" humanoid races, and they looked terrible in the best way. (The aarakocra looked like a guy in a chicken suit and I loved it.) The CGI for the spells and monsters sometimes worked and sometimes looked terrible. The displacer beast was incredible, though
Unfortunately the movie suffered from the Marvelification of modern cinema. It felt a lot like a knock-off Avengers movie. The characters spoke almost entirely in quips (but when they didn't, the dialogue was really good and could still be funny). A lot of the visual gags felt recycled from the MCU; Doric taking down the boss was shot-for-shot the Hulk vs Loki scene at the end of the Avengers. That was disappointing, but not surprising given what else WotC is doing. gestures broadly at the recent Phyrexian arc
People were expecting this movie to be terrible at first, and it's not that bad. It was legitimately cool recognizing aspects of the game during the story (the spells, the monsters, the stupid floor tile puzzle). I just wish it was a little more earnest and wasn't trying to ape Marvel so much
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christopherburdett · 1 year
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On the blog today, I am sharing details of the metal print featuring the return of my D&D Aarakocra art that I discovered thanks to a FB ad. I think it looks pretty cool and even better on the studio wall. RAWR!
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monoghosttv · 11 months
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I think playing with newbies in DnD is fun, sorry to you but im different. You get frustrated because they dont know everything yet? weak, is it really too much work for you to explain?
Hell, make it fun for everyone, I started my campaign in a festival with games that would introduced players to some of the mechanics! idk do something dynamic like that to teach them about the game without making it really boring or something its not that hard to do?
Anyways this is a safe space for newbies or people who want to play an aarakocra because they are fun bird people, and people who want to have super edgy backstories and shit like that, its a game of make believe im not gonna ruin peoples fun because they dont know every single rule and im also not a sticker, if my players want to do something that doesnt go with the rules but it makes sense and is cool, why the fuck not
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bnprime · 2 years
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so i’ve been DMing my first dnd game for about a year now. three of the five players are new to the game, and two are experienced. the title of my homebrew game is “the king in yellow journalism” and it’s a mishmash of cosmic horror, x-files references, jokes about new england and america in the late 1880’s, and having to write articles for one of the two magazines (one is based on national geographic, the other is based on “the fortean times.”). in order to generate excitement and subscriptions for both magazines, the editors have decided to send the writers out to cover the same thing from their different perspectives. as the players are slowly discovering, there are many things wrong with their world. aside from the prevalent racism and oppression, i mran… they explored a farm which was the site of a meteor impact, where all the people got turned into monsters (the color out of space). they visited a pirate village which had gotten too friendly with fish people (shadow over innsmouth). they’re currently investigating a west virginian miners strike, involving a missing union leader, and a bunch of other weird crap. anyway, it’s wild. but here’s the cool bit. of the five players, i think only the two veteran players and this other guy caught onto the cosmic horror vibe from the start, when i told everyone the title of the campaign. the other two are both entirely unfamiliar with the genre stories, and the general way people play dnd. which is great, because the new players are gonzo. one of the characters is a halfling who is pure id. they will just eat anything i put in front of them. cursed fruit? poisoned food? yes! they are ready for adventure! and they also roll very high for lore checks. so anytime someone mysterious wanders past covered in mysterious symbols, our halfling immediately recognizes them and knows their significance. uh, for example. they were camping in a cursed orchard (two of them had just eaten some weird contaminated fruit) and our halfling was on watch duty. and they saw a weird robed guy harvesting the contaminated fruit, so they went over to talk to him (!!) and then (when seeing that they had eaten the fruit and become contaminated) he invites the camp to go to a meeting. and they say yes, on behalf of the camp (!!!) . so he teleports them to a big cult gathering (!!!!) where the halfling eats more of the fruit and then can see the goddess they are worshipping, and because they always roll high on lore, they know that the thing being worshipped isn’t the goddess they are naming and oh boy. another new player is a aarakocra bard who plays a cursed viola (leading to a ‘the music of erich zann’ subplot somewhere in the future). and he is just terrific. like, he’s just this bro guy, but he’s always excited to perform and people just like.. want to be his friend and tell him everything. he’s become the group’s “face man,” and he also makes unpredictable choices. like adopting a partially monsterized little girl who had a horse head, and then asking his parents to take care of her. i really love our other characters too, but that’s probably enough for now. but if you have a fun setting you’d like to play in, and know some people who and clever, playing dnd in your homebrew universe with your friends is really great because everyone gets invested into your story, and things work out in really unexpected unpredictable ways. especially of the characters your friends make have no impulse control.
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