#fizban is the best character

[breadforhowl]

Twisted Wonderland Plays Dungeons & Dragons - Octavinelle

This is a small series in which I explore the reactions of Twisted Wonderland characters to the player character, Yuu, asking the various students to play Dungeons & Dragons with them. Later additions to the series will explore how the different students play Dungeons & Dragons as well as what characters they would create for the campaign or one-shot that Yuu runs.

This is the third segment of the series which will cover Octavinelle. The other dorms will be linked below as I post them.

Heartslabyul

Savanaclaw

Apologies this took me a while to update! I suddenly developed a social life and had a lot of new games/media release that took all of my attention span (the new Pokemon games took up so much of my time lol). I am thankfully mostly caught up on all of that stuff, and I really wanted to work on this before working on some concepts for other fandoms. Thanks for reading!

Azul Ashengrotto

"It's not exactly my normal cup of tea, but I'm interested in the experience."

Externally, his face is as cool and his gaze as calculating as it has ever been. Internally though, he is very anxious as he has never really ventured into the realm of tabletop role-playing games. Board games, he understands and is very excited to play. The rule book for those are normally short, and it doesn't take a horribly long time to learn the mechanics.

Dungeons & Dragons? That is a different beast entirely. The learning curve on that is steep. Floyd mentioned not really getting the hang of combat and the other aspects of the game until he had been in Yuu's ongoing campaign for months. Azul honestly had half a mind to make a deal with Floyd, to once again give him a deeper voice, in exchange for all the knowledge he had on the game.

Then he thought about how much Floyd obsessed over his character and the campaign run by Yuu. That led to him thinking about how much Floyd probably would know about the game. The eel had probably memorized all of the costs of standard items and memorized no less than three formulas for estimating the cost of a magic item. Ultimately, Azul decided that would not be the best option.

He did, however, ask Floyd which books he thought were the most useful and he walked away with a rather large stack of books with strange titles: Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Monster Manual, Volo's Guide to Monsters, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Fizban's Treasury of Dragon, and Monsters of the Multiverse. He memorized the titles after staying up late several nights in a row and taking copious notes on their content. He also received recommendations for streams and creators on MagiTube that primarily posted beginner friendly content, like tips and tricks, for the hobby

Azul shows up to the session with copies of each of those books, with bookmarks marking all of the important pages for quick reference and snacks from the lounge.

Jade Leech

"I would be delighted. Thank you for including me."

Jade is, of course, very polite when Yuu asks him if he would be willing to play in their ongoing campaign as a guest character. He has heard much of the game from his brother, and he knows exactly how much work and thought they put into the story, the setting, and the characters.

The best part of this? Yuu approached him specifically because they know how much he loves mushrooms and other flora. They thought he would be perfect to play a circle of spores druid that the party would be interacting with for the next couple of sessions. Yuu knew exactly how much Jade loves mushrooms and knows about fungi, and they wanted to give him a chance to use that knowledge in a social setting. They, maybe more than anyone, know exactly how cathartic it is to be in a setting with friends where talking about a special interest is encouraged and accepted.

The two of them sit down and are able to flesh out Jade's character to meet both of their high standards. The character has a detailed backstory. The design features many mushrooms and is true to their appearance and functions in the real world. Yuu encourages Jade to bring some mushrooms to the sessions, as long as they are safe for humans, fey, and magical cats.

Floyd Leech

"I've got the perfect character for this. You'll love 'em!"

Floyd was actually never invited to play in Yuu's campaign, despite being a permanent member of their ongoing campaign. He heard faint whispers of the non-magical student running a session of Dungeons & Dragons over the weekend that lasted for hours. Floyd actually didn't know anything about the game, so he looked it up on Magicam. The next week, he showed up to Ramshackle Dorm with a fully fleshed out character and several pages of backstory. The character was actually slightly under-leveled but he managed to scale the level quickly enough and was able to introduce himself in such a fluid manner (and with positive reactions from the party), that Yuu decided there was no harm in keeping him in the party.

Since then, even if Yuu has made no direct mention of a one shot or a session to him, Floyd has showed up to every single Dungeons & Dragons event without fail. He even showed up to several that were not full-on sessions but funny scenarios the players would roleplay as their characters while hanging out. He even managed to find out about the Heartslabyul one-shot and helped Yuu run it as an assistant dungeon master of sorts.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland plays dnd #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floyd leech #disney twst #headcanon #twst headcanon #koda writes

[thetoxicgamer]

Expand Baldur’s Gate 3 with over 50 races from DnD and even FFXIV

In contrast to Baldur's Gate 3, which is set in the realm of Faerûn, Dungeons and Dragons features a vast multiverse of locations, people, and stories. Due to a massive RPG game mod, you may now choose from over 50 races throughout the DnD world, which is amazing. Previously, the races you could play as in Baldur's Gate 3 focused on the Sword Coast. With many gamers finishing their first Baldur's Gate 3 session, this is the ideal moment to use this mod to play as a completely different character. One Baldur’s Gate 3 mod already lets you play as an honest-to-goodness skeleton in Larian’s excellent adventure, but this is next level. Fantastical Multiverse from modder ‘DungeonsAndSouls’ has seen a 1.0 update now that BG3 is out of early access, and it includes a staggering 54 races from across the DnD multiverse and beyond. “Playable races from Legacy, Grim Hollow, and my Homebrew have been adapted to be relevant for any class in any world in the multiverse,” DungeonsAndSouls writes. “All races are revised or made compatible with the new era of DnD if they are not officially updated to the One DnD format or Monster’s of Multiverse Fantastical Race already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RqYrvExVT0 “Races found in One DnD have been upgraded to their new version. This means Baldur’s Gate 3 vanilla races have been upgraded to their new versions but still keep the racial tags they have in Baldur’s Gate 3.” As a lot of this comes from homebrew material, there are even a few Final Fantasy 14 races now playable in Baldur’s Gate 3, but the roleplaying possibilities are now even more endless with all these extra DnD races, which you can see below. I want to play as a Minotaur and I want to play as one now! All new Baldur’s Gate 3 races in the Multiverse mod - Elf (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) three Subraces - Pallid Elf - Sea Elf - Shadar-kai - Avariel - Grugach - Tiefling (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) nine Subraces - Githyanki (MoTM) - Dwarf (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Duergar (MoTM) - Half-Elf (Mark of Detection) - Half-Elf (Mark of the Storm) - Gnome (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Dragonborn (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Dragonborn (Gem Dragonborn (FIZBAN’S)) - Half-Orc (Mark of Finding) - Goliath (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB + MoTM) - Orc (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Aasimar (MoTM) - Genasi (Air, Earth, Fire, Water)(MoTM) - Bugbear (MoTM) - Changeling (MoTM) - Firbolg (MoTM) - Githzerai (MoTM) - Goblin (MoTM) - Kobold (VGTM + MoTM) - Minotaur (MoTM) - Shifter (MoTM) - Triton (MoTM) - Yuan-ti (Pureblood + MoTM) - Kender - Astral Elf - Lineages (Dhampir, Hexblood, Reborn) - Kalashtar - Verdan - Vedalken - Locathah - Laneshi (Grim Hollow) - Ogresh (Grim Hollow) - Downcast (Grim Hollow) - Dreamers (Grim Hollow) - The Disembodied (Grim Hollow) - Krsnik (D&S) - Moroi (D&S) - Mušḫuššu (D&S) - Tydelvian (D&S) - Lunari (Hemato-Kai + Crepusriel) (D&S) - Gwŷddpāla (D&S) - Nephilim (D&S) - Malformed (D&S) - Hyur (FFXIV x D&S) - Elezen (FFXIV x D&S) - Roegadyn (FFXIV x D&S) - Garlean (FFXIV x D&S) The massive BG3 races mod is available in 1.0 form right now, and keep in mind that it requires a handful of other mods to get working. I really want to try out either playing as a Minotaur or Kobold, if I’m honest. If you need a little help in the Forgotten Realms we’ve got the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds for your deserted playstyle, alongside the most optimal Baldur’s Gate 3 settings for your PC considering Act 3 is causing a few people some trouble. Read the full article

[traderdales]

Part two sweetheart let's tackle the next ask:

cleric - what magic items would you give the party or any individual character?

Now there's a lot of magic items in DnD so I'm just gonna set this limitation for myself

The DMG says that around 5th level, players might get their hands on a Rare magic item. This is pretty much always up to the DM anyways but I'm gonna stick to that.

With that being said, I'll be answering both parts of this question, I'm gonna assign magic items to each member to the best of my ability and also give one that the party as a whole might enjoy!

Fenix - Magic items for Fighters are pretty hard to choose since unless you're an Eldritch Knight you won't really be engaging with spells as often BUT that doesn't stop us! I considered the Boots of Levitation for Fenix, because seeing her float would be incredible I think. But, I think I found something even better:

Chromatic Rose Wondrous item, rare Source: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight (2021)

Basically this is rose that can have a variety of different colours, each one providing a harmless little effect as you hold it (things like crackling lightning and dripping acid). While you hold the rose, you're able to gain resistance to it's associated damage type, and it might even negate the damage entirely! You can also blow the petals to have a sort of breath weapon effect creating a cone of damage (areas of effect baby we love those!) that does 3d10!

The main downside is the roses do get destroyed after being used, but maybe Fenix could get her hand on a few of these?Either way it would suit her in a lovely way.

Daezonik - You run into a similar scary place with the rogue when it comes to magic items, so many options, especially if you aren't an Arcane Trickster! But let's try it. We've gotten to see some fun things from Daezonik in play so I'm taking some of that into account when I suggest:

Cape of the Mountebank Wondrous item, rare Source: Dungeon Master's Guide (2014)

Now what we discovered a while back was that Daezonik can glide (help?). That is an AMAZING movement option and so I wanted to add a lil' umph with some more movement. The cape gives the wearer the ability to cast Dimension Door once per dawn which is incredible! Imagine Daezonik teleporting up in the air and gliding onto enemies with an aerial sneak attack y'all it'd be wild just nghhhh ok let me calm down.

Veks - Oooooh a magic item for a warlock could be anything. We still don't have confirmation for his patron, so it leaves more options but a magic item for a caster is always exciting. I mean ok like, I think I'm really funny for this choice guys please laugh with me... So we all know Veks' relationship with Cauliflower right? Well-

Ring of the Ram Ring, rare (requires attunement) Source: Dungeon Master's Guide (2014)

So listen the ring has 3 charges and you can use those charges to summon a spectral ram's head and deal 2d10 damage by having that head ram into enemies. Please guys it would be so iconic I'm begging you annnnnddd there go all my followers.

Seth - Yeah, you know that's right, Seth is next! Our sweet silent paladin deserves a magic item too. Paladins are pretty damn versatile so they can find some use with a lot of different items, and I found something that might just compliment his style quite a bit.

Crystal Blade Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement) Source: Fizban's Treasury of Dragons (2021)

Seth has expressed how important that Greatsword of his is so this coul be given through an enchantment or something of the sort idk babygirl there's so many options! But the sword let's you add 1d8 radiant damage and you can spend a charge to regain some hit points equal to that extra radiant damage! The mf can live longer which is great for what is the closest thing this party has to a healer (christ almighty save these poor fuckers). The blade can also shed some light in a pretty good area!

Alto - Our local Air Genasi Ranger is the last party member we're giving a magic item too. He's got a lot going on with his characters power but I thought this item should be pretty fitting for him as well (but just know there's a lot of damn options I could see).

Eagle Whistle Wondrous item, rare Source: Tales from the Yawning Portal (2017)

This whistle has three uses. For each use you can blow the whistle continuously, and while blowing it you can fly at a speed equal to twice your walking speed! You can blow the whistle for a number of rounds equal to 5 + five times your damn Constitution modifier holy crap y'all. Alto has a surprisingly high CON score too so he could get a lot of use out of it. Air Genasi belong in the damn sky anyways!

Party - For this I tried to think of something that basically everyone could benefit from which is a bit hard, but there were a few options that I liked. Here's the one I settled on:

Deck of Illusions Wondrous item, uncommon Dungeon Master's Guide (2014)

It's a simple item in it's essence, a deck of cards that casts the illusion of a monster. It's an item that can be used for a long time in very creative ways and I trust that the Arcanenites would find many unexpected ways to utilize it's power.

That's all I've got! I hope you enjoyed my suggestions for this ask! I've got some more asks but I'll get to them tomorrow because time flies by when you look up every rare and uncommon magic item in dnd 5e believe it or not. Rest well!

#we love magic in a fantasy setting #but also give them a deck of many things go for it #also idk if this got less coherent over time it's... 3am #arcanenites

[44gamez]

The best stuff from Amazon and Target’s buy 2, get 1 free sale

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#Amazon #buy #free #Sale #Stuff #Targets

[sharry-arry-odd]

They saw an old man, dressed in long robes that once might have been white and a battered, pointed hat. He appeared to be talking to a tree. "I say, did you hear me?" The old man shook a worn walking stick at the oak. "I said move and I meant it! I was sitting on that rock"–he pointed to a boulder–"enjoying the rising sun on my old bones when you had the nerve to cast a shadow over it and chill me! Move this instant, I say!" The tree did not respond. It also did not move.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

#page 294 #the dragons of autumn twilight #dragons of autumn twilight #dragonlance #dragonlance chronicles #margaret weis #tracy hickman #fantasy #quote #quotes #literature #book #booklr #reading #fizban #fizban is the best character #and i will not tag this spoiler #as much as i'd like to #the other spoilerish thing i didn't mind tagging #but i will not this one #i will not

[not-an-anagram]

I’m saying this once and I’m not saying it again, Dragonlance fans are way too obsessed with Raistlin. Where are my Tanis-DILF-Half-Elven fans? Where are the Tasslehoff loving gremlins? Where are the people posting about how they want Kitiara uth Matar to step on them (I know you’re out there, don’t lie to me)? I’ve seen enough of the broody goth mage, give me some other character love.

#dragonlance #original trilogy group #tanis half elven #tasslehoff burfoot #kitiara uth matar #my favorite will always be fizban #specifically him not the full god #followed by tasslehoff because who doesn't like tasslehoff? #best character in the whole series #so good they had to include him in the twins trilogy #he goes through the most character development honestly #reads like that d&d pc that starts off as a goof #and then slowly over time the player starts to add to the character #and allow their character to grow a little and experience things #and they're still the same character in the end but they're not untouched #they are impacted by the adventures #both the good stuff #and the bad

[tigerkirby215]

5 Multiclass builds I love (THAT DON’T INCLUDE WARLOCK)

(Man Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons has some really cool artwork.)

My exams are finally done but I don’t exactly have much time to write anything fancy. I’m sorta rushing out another build but to keep y’all tided over here’s a bit of a general blog post. These aren’t ranked in any particular order so consider them more as fun build ideas or recommendations on my behalf.

And because it’s a big gag on my blog: I’m restricting myself from mentioning Warlock builds. Because if I did Warlock would probably be 3 out of the 5 builds lol.

#1. Bard + Cleric

Starting off with something that’s a little MAD but still a lot of fun. I’ve always seen Cleric and Bard as the two most supportive classes in D&D 5e, so merging them is a fairly natural idea for a support main. Having two primary stats can be difficult to manage but if you can also get a 14 in DEX for Medium Armor you can usually survive. With that being said: mixing both Cleric and Bard can be a lot of fun! Most of your Bard abilities can keep the party topped off in the average encounter but your Channel Divinity combined with your stronger Cleric spells can really turn the tides when needed.

But I mostly like this multiclass because of the flavor more than anything. Singing gospel and the power of scripture are two powerful mental images for me and invoking those ideas into D&D are very fun. The image of the musician with a holy voice is also beautiful to me, and it allows for a lot of great characters, even if you decide to take them in a morally obtuse direction.

Honestly I really like light Bard or Cleric dips a lot for roleplay. Druid would’ve had an honorable mention but the only Druid I’d find myself dipping into is Stars. (Ironic since my only Stars Druid character is a full Druid.) Wildshaping is a lot of fun though and if you’re more creative than me I think a light Druid dip for Wildshaping utility can be good.

#2. Artificer + Rogue

But I think that just about every Artificer is good to mix with Rogue with perhaps the exception of Artillerist. Alchemist’s potions can help you sneak around, keep yourself safe, or increase your damage output. (Or help your team.) And while Battle Smith is perhaps not the best multiclass you can get Sneak Attack with the help of your Steel Defender (depending on how your DM allows turn order), and the Steel Defender’s Deflect Attack to keep yourself (or your allies) safe. It presents a fairly compelling argument for a frontliner Rogue, or alternatively a marksman with a mechanical scouting hound.

This should be no surprise for anyone who’s read my Kai’sa build, but I think Artificer and Rogue combine very well. Well more specifically I think the Armorer Artificer Infiltrator suit is an insanely good combo with Rogue.

But even just 2 levels into Artificer is great for a Rogue, as both the Returning Weapon (on a dagger) and the Repeating Shot Weapon are very strong for a Rogue. If you can invest a little bit to hit 6th level both the Cloak of Elvenkind and Boots of Elvenkind are available to you, making this multiclass investment good even if you don’t go Armorer. Basically my point is that while Armorer is arguably the best multiclassing option this works well even if you use another subclass. I think a Rogue / Artificer works very well with a variety of Homebrew Artificers, but I won’t suggest any of them now because well... this isn’t a Homebrew recommendation post lol.

I also love the Artificer + Rogue multiclass for roleplay. I think the idea of an inventor who fights dirty is quite an appealing image in popular media. The combat doctor, the scientist with hidden weapons... These are all very popular archetypes. Having a smart character who fights smart instead of fighting tough makes a lot of sense, and it works even better for Battle Smith and Armorer who can use their Intelligence as their attack modifier.

#3. Artificer + Fighter

Okay Artificer is my favorite class (despite my insistence to use Warlock for everything) so of course I’d recommend it again. The Artificer gets the ability to improve their equipment which makes it a natural choice for a Fighter, but I think the choice is far better than just getting unlimited arrows. Two out of the four Artificers give you a weaponized bonus action, which can help increase your action economy. And Armorer... well why not skip the middleman of getting infusions for your weapons and your armor and just go for them outright?

The only subclass I’d be cautious to consider is the Alchemist because uhhh... Alchemist is kinda bad? But even then the potions can help you in combat, especially if you’re willing to invest 9 levels (for that sweet 11/9 Fighter / Arti multiclass) you can make use of the Temp HP and the limited uses of Lesser Restoration. But ima be honest: If you’re going for Alchemist either go for 4 levels, 6 levels, or 9.

I think Artificer can really help spice up a rather mundane Martial class with a bit of magic. I also think that Fighter presents a lot of great stories by multiclassing: you can have a Warhammer-esque Space Marine holding the front line with both a flamethrower and a sword (Artillerist + Cavalier), a studios inventor who uses their contraptions to be in 3 places at once (Echo Knight + Battle Smith), a master marksman who uses their alchemical knowledge to enhance both their arrows and their physical abilities (Arcane Archer + Alchemist (I’ve played this before!)) or... literally just Iron Man, with powerful weaponry, deflector shields, and flight! (Psi Warrior + Armorer.)

I think Artificer + Fighter is best done with the classes that require Intelligence, so Eldritch Knight, Psi Warrior, and Arcane Archer are all worth mentioning. I’m also going to make a passing comment towards Rune Knight who I didn’t mention anywhere else but I think is a perfect multiclass with an Artificer thematically. Despite mentioning it earlier I don’t know if I’d make an Alchemist + Cavalier because Unwavering Mark scales off your Strength, but if you’re playing one of the subclasses with a weaponized bonus action the lack of  Unwavering Mark‘s bonus action attack won’t be that bad. Oh and also on a similar note perhaps don’t multiclass Artificer with Battle Master and go MAD lol.

#4. Fighter + Rogue

I swear this post isn’t just Artificer, Rogue and Fighter! I like Rogue + Fighter for the same reason I like Artificer + Fighter: and that’s the Bonus Action economy. Only difference is that Rogue can greatly increase your mobility which can be a major boon to a Fighter. And Rogue can increase your damage output and out of combat utility!

I feel like Rogue and Fighter complement each other quite nicely to make a well-rounded character. Rogue brings the skills, mobility, and nova while Fighter brings the AC, health, and ability to hold oneself in a fight. Add in the fact that you are mixing two classes that are operational pretty much 24/7 and you have a very good package.

My favorite classes to do this mix with are Battle Master, Rune Knight, and Echo Knight on the Fighter side and either Mastermind, Soul Knife, or Swashbuckler on the Rogue end. Having a brigand / highwayman type character who fights dirty and fights to win is really fun.

#5. Ranger + Any

Jokes on you this was Ranger propaganda the whole time! If you haven’t come to realize I really value action economy when I play and if there is one class that has action economy in spades it’s Ranger. I’m not just talking about Hunter’s Mark: four out of the eight available Rangers have a bonus action you can use every turn. That also conveniently means that if you already have a bonus action the other four Rangers can be adapted to your build anyways!

Ranger sorta hits the midpoint between Fighter and Rogue to me, with a bit of spellcasting to boot. The extra skill proficiency and Canny ability from Deft Explorer can really help round out a character in the roleplay department by giving them Expertise in something related more to their background than for min-maxing. (Or I mean you can also take Perception Expertise.) Almost every Fighter has a source of extra damage that’s extremely easy to apply, meaning that often times Ranger can serve as a flat damage increase for a mere 3 to 4 level investment. And being a Wisdom class it works great when multiclassed with a lot of the other Wisdom classes, two of which don’t normally get Extra Attack.

But probably the best part about Ranger is that (despite being a martial class) now with the Druidic Warrior Fighting Style you can take levels in it as a spellcaster and still get value! Both Beast Master and Drake Warden don’t require your attack modifier to be good, and hell even if you have a midway decent attack mod (14 for Medium armor) you can still take Gloomstalker for all the boons it gives because... well let’s be real Gloomstalker is a little overpowered. My point is that a Cleric, Druid, or even an Arcane caster like Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard can get value out of 4 levels in Ranger for Guidance (and one other cantrip) (or just the Defense Fighting Style) Medium armor proficiency, Shield proficiency, Expertise in one skill of their choice, and a combat familiar to take up your Bonus action.

I could preach more about Ranger but all I can say is try some Ranger levels in your next character! It doesn’t have to be a lot as Ranger is extremely front-loaded, so often you’ll get all your key features at level 3 and can basically ignore the class from there. But Tasha’s made an already good class remarkably strong and if you read into it you can see how crazy some of the features it gets truly are. “Ranger bad” is dead; long live the Ranger.

#dnd #dnd 5e #dnd build #dnd multiclass #I don't have enough tags :( #I told you #I'd have a post #by Wednesday #:)

[tediousreviews]

The Second Generation

Back to Dragonlance, and it's time to advance the plot. Unfortunately, I don't have the Legends trilogy so we have to skip Raistlin's entire quest for godhood, Kitiara's death, and Caramon's workout montage. Pity.

Instead we get to skip ahead to the next generation of heroes. Sort of.

It's five separate stories, in no particular order: three of the stories serve primarily as character introductions, one is an apocryphal romance set before the original dragonlance novels, and the last is a madcap adventure starring three of the new heroes.

Kitiara's Son

A woman shows up at Caramon and Tika's tavern in Solace with a wild tale of how Caramon's evil older sister Kitiara seduced their mutual friend and paragon of chaste virtue Sturm mostly for shits and giggles but forgot her birth control.

This isn't the apocryphal romance.

Steel Brightblade is real, and he's his parent's son. He has Sturm's honor, courage, and integrity and Kitiara's wits, ambition, and skill. And he uses all of those traits to their fullest as a member of the evil goddess Takhisis's new knightly order. Caramon and Tanis do their best to save him, but saving a true believer from themselves is easier said than done.

The Legacy

We're back to Caramon's family again for story two. This time it's to meet his three sons, Tanin, Sturm, and Palin. Tanin and Sturm take after their father, although they're a bit more concerned with honor and glory than Caramon ever was. Palin, on the other hand, takes after his uncle. Which is why every living male Majere is sitting in the Tower of Wayreth when the story opens.

The mages say they're trying to keep Raistlin from stealing Palin's body to resurect himself. The truth is that they're trying to trick an overprotective father into letting his magically gifted son take the Test. The truthier truth is that is isn't a good idea to toy with the most powerful magic user in history, even if you think all you're doing is creating an illusion.

Palin passes his Test and his test of character, and he gets a nifty new glowing stick as a souvenier. A glowing stick that is one of the most iconic magical artifacts on Krynn and could only have been given to him by Raistlin himself.

"Wanna Bet"

In almost any fantasy setting, almost every tavern that serves a multi-raciel clientelle comes with an engraved plaque that says "Do not try to outdrink the dwarf". Palin doesn't need to read that sign. Unfortunately, his brothers are the sort of young men who take good advice as a challenge.

It wouldn't be a major Dragonlance adventure without a deity wandering around in the flesh. Reorx, as Dougan Redhammer, is a nice change from Fizban. But... he isn't quite so farsighted.

Reorx created the tinker gnomes on purpose. The dwarves and the kender were and accident. But all three races are Reorx's children through and through. And it shows.

Plotwise this is the most important story in the book. And it's far and away the silliest. Palin’s the central character, and we get to see both his wits and his insecurities on display. More than any other character in the book, Palin’s kind of a study on what it’s like to be both very talented and nearly crippled by the knowledge of how thoroughly overshadowed you are by the one person you can’t stop comparing yourself too.

Raistlin's Daughter

Raistlin wasn't exactly known for his womanizing ways. In part, that was because he was cursed to see anyone he looked at as though they had been aged hundreds of years. But the simple truth was that by the time he became an adult, Raistlin didn't have room inside for any real human connections beyond the one with his brother that he resented so much.

It'd take some convoluted circumstances to get Raistlin into a situation where he'd be likely to get a woman pregnant. Magic and curses and an impossibly beautiful woman from an ageless and mythical race add up to convoluted and then some even before adding in the whole 'we have to huddle together for warmth, naked' thing.

It's no wonder the story starts off with a note from Caramon saying that he doesn't believe it.

The Sacrifice

Back in the Chronicles, Tanis was known for his wisdom and written as being unable to bring that wisdom to bear in her personal relationships. It's no exaggeration to say that Tanis's poor handling of his romantic life was central to the fate of the world during the War of the Lance.

Is it any surprise that his poor handling of fatherhood becomes central to the fate of the elven nations and by extension the world?

By contrast, Laurana was pretty much pure distilled awesome except for a bad habit of walking into traps. So is it any wonder that after he lets himself get tricked into becoming a puppet-king, her son shows signs of making the forces of evil thoroughly regret his coronation?

I’m always confused about how elven aging work. Even now, Laurana is barely considered an adult by elven standards, and she’s roughly a century old. Gilthas is 16 when this story happens, and he’s indistinguishable in maturity from a human 16-year-old. So do elves physiologically mature at more or less exactly the same rate as humans, and it’s just cultural that they aren’t considered adults until they’re at least several times as old as they were when they hit puberty? Or is it a brain chemistry thing, like how they say that our brains don’t finish maturing until our mid-twenties. That sort of matches how Laurana herself is written in the Chronicles. 

That last idea is truly horrific. I remember being a teenager. Can you imagine how much it would suck to mentally and emotionally be a teenager for eighty years?

Final Thoughts

It's a good collection, and the stories almost all do a good job of setting the stage for what's coming. But that’s also the flaw. This is a collection of introductory and stage-setting stories, so it’s hard to fairly judge it on its own. That said, every story in here was a good read and only The Sacrifice bogged down even a little for me.

There's one thing that really bothers me though. The 29 page preview of The Dragons of Summer Flame comes with a truly brutal spoiler.

#dragonlance #the second generation #margaret weis #tracy hickman