Our Dragonstone campaign continued last Friday.
Having chased Vroom Vroom’s Earthvan to an abandoned manor on Aurumdor’s western shore, he and his friends Skarsnik and Fredd continue their investigation. They let Sam, a defeated thug, lead the way to a stash of weapons guarded by his fellows. Upon meeting up with his friends, Sam immediately made a run for it. A chaotic fight ensued between the party, Sam, two archers, a bandit and a hobgoblin. Fredd, now confident in his abilities, dominated the fight with his Eldritch Blast.
The party learned that a few dozen mêlee weapons, each emblazoned with the dual-headed eagle of the United Empire of Aurumdor, were being smuggled by the gang. After recuperating for the night, in the repaired black Earthvan of the smugglers, the party resumed their exploration of the mansion’s cellars.
Proceeding into the room marker with “DANGER”, the party was confronted by six skeletons, soon joined by a skeletal alchemist entering from a secret room. The party, Vroom Vroom and his roundhouse kick out front, managed to defeat the skeletons and gain entry to the hidden laboratory. They looted the gold objects and gained a legendary philosopher’s stone.
With the cellars explored, the trio prepared to explore the rest of the mansion...
zondag 24 mei 2020
donderdag 21 mei 2020
Six Things To Know about the world of Dragonstone
1. Magic is a fundamental force of nature: like gravity or magnetism, magic
shapes the physics of Eredain. It is a force that is inherent in the world, and
can be studied and shaped according to scientific principles. It is this study
of magic, enabled by the abundance of dragonstone, that has given rise to Eredain’s
modern and advanced societies.
2. Dragonstone is the linchpin of the modern
world: 150 years
have passed since prospectors have stumbled upon dragonstone in the wilderness
of Aurumdor. In those 150 years, the magical mineral has been the impetus of
modern advancement. Its magical power and relative accessibility have enabled
millions of humanoids to climb out of poverty and is what make advances in
modern technology possible. Without dragonstone, the modern way of life would
be impossible.
3. Fate shapes Eredain: as common a force of nature as
Magic, Fate drives the schemes and struggles of all beings of Eredain. It is a
force deeply encoded into existence, unalterable and unimaginable. Metaphysicists
often call it the Titanic Ordning, claiming it has something to do with the
design of the Titans that shaped the world. Others of a more religious bent
point to the gods and their divine plan. Whatever its source, no creature can
escape its Fate.
4. Aurumdor rules the world… sort of: The tension of the Silent War has
come to an end. No longer is world peace threatened by the mutual magical
destruction of two superpowers. The United Empire of Aurumdor and its
magic-industrial way of life rules the world as the sole remaining superpower.
Yet out of the ruins of the Dragon Lord, new threats emerge from the Humanoid
Territories. The Alliance of the Nine Kingdoms seeks to galvanize this moment.
And the Dream Lords have opened the ports of the mysterious East. The
Overpriest sees the security of his flock, yet new threats warrant his
vigilance.
5. If it’s in D&D, it can be found on Eredain: the world of dragonstone is
designed to include rules, options, items, spells and even gods found across
the published life of Fifth Edition. No race or subclass is off-limits. The
world of dragonstone is so diverse and magical that it can always fit in
somewhere.
6. Heroes are special: while common guildsmen or soldiers
require an arcane focus, the wizards and warlocks that fight monsters and
plunge forgotten tombs do not. Heroes are a cut above the fold, possessing an
innate quality, or perhaps guided by providence, to innately grasp the
fundamentals of combat, skill or magic.
dinsdag 19 mei 2020
Commodities of the world of Skyscrapers & Sorcery
Personal Wands
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
Many professionals commission the crafting of personal wands, often different copies. Choose a cantrip. Attunement to a personal wand allows the casting of that cantrip while attuned to and wielding this wand.
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
Many professionals commission the crafting of personal wands, often different copies. Choose a cantrip. Attunement to a personal wand allows the casting of that cantrip while attuned to and wielding this wand.
1Up Healing
Soda (5 gp), imbibing this fritzy soft drink heals 1d3 points of damage.
Scrying Screen
Wondrous item,
uncommon
The tube, the chatterbox, the timekiller, all nicknames for this mass-media magical item. The scrying screen is the glue that holds modern society together, allowing visions into other lands and cultures and keeping viewers updated with news and entertainment from across Eredain. Although they can be used as material components of a scrying spell, Scrying Screens are more widely used to tune into one of the many hundreds of broadcasting mediums to watch news programs, sports or entertainment.
The tube, the chatterbox, the timekiller, all nicknames for this mass-media magical item. The scrying screen is the glue that holds modern society together, allowing visions into other lands and cultures and keeping viewers updated with news and entertainment from across Eredain. Although they can be used as material components of a scrying spell, Scrying Screens are more widely used to tune into one of the many hundreds of broadcasting mediums to watch news programs, sports or entertainment.
Leather jacket of charisma
Wondrous item,
uncommon (requires attunement)
These designer jackets, sold by an assortment of fashion Guilds, provide wearers, be they male or female, with a boost to their confidence and personal magnetism. Your Charisma score is 19 while wearing and being attuned to a leather jacket of charisma.
These designer jackets, sold by an assortment of fashion Guilds, provide wearers, be they male or female, with a boost to their confidence and personal magnetism. Your Charisma score is 19 while wearing and being attuned to a leather jacket of charisma.
Spellcard
Scroll, varies
Printing technology has greatly improved since the age of penning parchment over two centuries ago. These days, spells can be inscribed on laminated cards, easy to mass-produce and carry around.
Printing technology has greatly improved since the age of penning parchment over two centuries ago. These days, spells can be inscribed on laminated cards, easy to mass-produce and carry around.
zaterdag 16 mei 2020
Game Report - Dragonstone session 2
Our Skyscrapers & Sorcery campaign continued last night.
Vroom Vroom the Kenku Monk, Fredd the Warforged Warlock and Skarsnik the Goblin Druid were in pursuit of Vroom Vroom's stolen elemental vehicle, an Earthvan. Asked by the mysterious Mr. Jones to retrieve a package from it, they tracked the van to a lonely house on the cliffs north of New Aurora City. When we last left our heroes, they were about to enter the cellar when they heard a blood-curdling scream...
Descending the stairs, they found an abandoned wine cellar with a corpse lying in the middle. Kneeling to inspect the body, Skarsnik suddenly was overrun by milky white grubs! Vroom Vroom enters the fray but soon two grubs burrow under his feathers, making a go for his heart. Lighting a small stick, Skarsnik and Fredd succesfully burn the grubs after which Vroom Vroom disposes of them in a fell swoop.
After resting for a bit, they find a secret door leading to a large basement. But the basement is being guarded! Three thugs, armed with a wand, try to incapacitate the heroes but the heroes manage to gain the drop on them.
Inspecting the basement, they find a scrying screen displaying the news of the day, a sixpack of 1Up healing soda and a rattling cage. In the small cage, a pseudodragon is held captive. Fredd and Vroom Vroom free the pseudodragon, who immediately takes a liking to the warforged. The noise he repeatedly makes can only be described as "Smaug."
Leading from the basement are a stairway, a normal door, a door with "DANGER" written in chalk all over it, and a secret passageway into a network of caves. Skarsnik continues into the caves to narrowly avoid being eaten by green slime. He reconnotoirs a few passages and returns to his friends. The trio then inspects the room behind the normal door, finding a trenchcoat, a spellbook and three common books, including a tome about the Cult of Phaeton the Sun God and their diabolical customs.
The party enters the cave network, going into the unexplored portion of the passages. There, they find a well lit cavern with four humanoid figures. With a well-placed cantrip, Skarsnik snuffs out the torches and the heroes engage their foes in darkness. Vroom Vroom engages a hobgoblin and a bandit. Skarsnik immediately goes for their leader, a spellcaster, who gets a nasty slash from the goblin's scimitar. Fredd meanwhile fires his eldritch blast arm-cannon at the hobgoblin, staggering him. Vroom Vroom finishes the job and drops the bandit soon after. The magic-user uses color spray to temporarily blind Skarsnik and escape, but to no avail. Even blinded, the little goblin manages to cut down the mage. The remaining humanoid, an archer, surrenders.
The party searches the bodies and interrogates the archer. They find papers of Eldrich Anatomy, a wealthy medical guild, and an imbued wand (+1 damage with cold spells). The mage, who is identified by the archer as "Sanbalet", wears a leather jacket of charisma which is quickly acquired by Fredd. They learn that Sanbalet hired the thugs to perform crimes in the city and that the mage has ties to shady types at Eldrich Anatomy. The archer, who gives his name as Sam Garrett, tells the party that he'll cooperate if they keep him out of prison and offers to lead them to stolen/smuggled weapons. The party follows him back into the caves...
Vroom Vroom the Kenku Monk, Fredd the Warforged Warlock and Skarsnik the Goblin Druid were in pursuit of Vroom Vroom's stolen elemental vehicle, an Earthvan. Asked by the mysterious Mr. Jones to retrieve a package from it, they tracked the van to a lonely house on the cliffs north of New Aurora City. When we last left our heroes, they were about to enter the cellar when they heard a blood-curdling scream...
Descending the stairs, they found an abandoned wine cellar with a corpse lying in the middle. Kneeling to inspect the body, Skarsnik suddenly was overrun by milky white grubs! Vroom Vroom enters the fray but soon two grubs burrow under his feathers, making a go for his heart. Lighting a small stick, Skarsnik and Fredd succesfully burn the grubs after which Vroom Vroom disposes of them in a fell swoop.
After resting for a bit, they find a secret door leading to a large basement. But the basement is being guarded! Three thugs, armed with a wand, try to incapacitate the heroes but the heroes manage to gain the drop on them.
Inspecting the basement, they find a scrying screen displaying the news of the day, a sixpack of 1Up healing soda and a rattling cage. In the small cage, a pseudodragon is held captive. Fredd and Vroom Vroom free the pseudodragon, who immediately takes a liking to the warforged. The noise he repeatedly makes can only be described as "Smaug."
Leading from the basement are a stairway, a normal door, a door with "DANGER" written in chalk all over it, and a secret passageway into a network of caves. Skarsnik continues into the caves to narrowly avoid being eaten by green slime. He reconnotoirs a few passages and returns to his friends. The trio then inspects the room behind the normal door, finding a trenchcoat, a spellbook and three common books, including a tome about the Cult of Phaeton the Sun God and their diabolical customs.
The party enters the cave network, going into the unexplored portion of the passages. There, they find a well lit cavern with four humanoid figures. With a well-placed cantrip, Skarsnik snuffs out the torches and the heroes engage their foes in darkness. Vroom Vroom engages a hobgoblin and a bandit. Skarsnik immediately goes for their leader, a spellcaster, who gets a nasty slash from the goblin's scimitar. Fredd meanwhile fires his eldritch blast arm-cannon at the hobgoblin, staggering him. Vroom Vroom finishes the job and drops the bandit soon after. The magic-user uses color spray to temporarily blind Skarsnik and escape, but to no avail. Even blinded, the little goblin manages to cut down the mage. The remaining humanoid, an archer, surrenders.
The party searches the bodies and interrogates the archer. They find papers of Eldrich Anatomy, a wealthy medical guild, and an imbued wand (+1 damage with cold spells). The mage, who is identified by the archer as "Sanbalet", wears a leather jacket of charisma which is quickly acquired by Fredd. They learn that Sanbalet hired the thugs to perform crimes in the city and that the mage has ties to shady types at Eldrich Anatomy. The archer, who gives his name as Sam Garrett, tells the party that he'll cooperate if they keep him out of prison and offers to lead them to stolen/smuggled weapons. The party follows him back into the caves...
woensdag 13 mei 2020
Dragonstone - Skyscrapers & Sorcery session 1 - Into the Ring
We played our first game of Skyscrapers & Sorcery last sunday night. Due to time constraints, we were only able to play for 1 hour. Being able to play online though, none of us was required to drive or travel to another place so the limited time slot was acceptable to us.
We started at the dungeon! I kicked off the campaign with an intro describing the lead up to the dungeon. One of the characters, Vroom Vroom, is a package courier whose van was stolen by questionable types. Before the authorities could be alarmed, the party was approached by a large man who calls himself "Mr. Jones" and asked the characters to recover a package addressed to him in the back of the van, promising a reward upon delivery. And so our cast of characters found themselves at the gate of a delapitated and abandoned mansion north of New Aurora City.
Cast of Characters
Fredd - Warforged Warlock (Great Old One) 1, Lawyer
Skarsnik - Goblin Druid 1, Doctor
Vroom Vroom - Kenku Monk 1, Driver
The party made the rounds of the mansion grounds, having two options of entering: via a hole in the surrounding wall to the east, or through the front gate. Through the gate could be seen Vroom Vroom's stolen van and a black, unmarked van. Choosing discretion, the party entered the grounds through the hole in the wall, stumbling upon a well. Various small critters - hares, squirrels, mice - were active around the well and Skarsnik cast Speak with Animals to determine the nature and demeanor of the squatters in the mansion. Proving very cooperative, the small animals provided that about a dozen humanoids were active in the mansion, using the black van to come and go as they please.
With this information, Vroom Vroom stealthily rounded the corner of the house and sneaked towards the black van to investigate. Picking the lock of the back door with one of his darts, Vroom Vroom snuck inside to find the black van featureless and empty. He quickly collected the contents of the glove compartment - a selection of Orcish gangsta rap - and popped the hood from inside the van. Under the hood, he used his knowledge of vehicle mechanics to sabotage the van, taking out its brakes and disconnecting the dragonstone matrix containing the Air Elemental that moves the vehicle from the van. He then motioned his comrades to join him and investigate his own, white, Aurumdor Express van.
Finding the back of his van open and its contents jumbled and tossed around, Vroom Vroom and his friend Skarsnik entered and investigated. About half the boxes were ripped open or destroyed, their contents now worthless. The other half was thrown about the back of the van. Mr. Jones' package was nowhere to be found, however.
Determining that the package they sought must be inside, and seeing humanoid footsteps leading from the parked vans to the front door, the party again chose discretion and entered via the mansion's back door near the well. Exploring a small hallway, the entered a door into what in older days had to be the kitchen. Through another door they entered a small chamber containing only a broken copper casket, and a stairs leading down to the cellar. Again seeing footsteps leading to the stairs to the cellar, Vroom Vroom prepared to descend. As soon as his foot touched the first step down, all three heard a maddening scream, prompting a wisdom save (which all succeeded in).
That's where we ended the session. We pick up next friday as the party descends into the cellar of the old mansion, in search of a mysterious package...
All in all, we had fun, even though it was short. Two of the three players hadn't played D&D in maybe three years and both expressed contentment with returning to the game. All three have created absolutely delightful characters that will be my pleasure to challenge and roleplay with.
So there you have it! The start of Skyscrapers & Sorcery.
We started at the dungeon! I kicked off the campaign with an intro describing the lead up to the dungeon. One of the characters, Vroom Vroom, is a package courier whose van was stolen by questionable types. Before the authorities could be alarmed, the party was approached by a large man who calls himself "Mr. Jones" and asked the characters to recover a package addressed to him in the back of the van, promising a reward upon delivery. And so our cast of characters found themselves at the gate of a delapitated and abandoned mansion north of New Aurora City.
Cast of Characters
Fredd - Warforged Warlock (Great Old One) 1, Lawyer
Skarsnik - Goblin Druid 1, Doctor
Vroom Vroom - Kenku Monk 1, Driver
The party made the rounds of the mansion grounds, having two options of entering: via a hole in the surrounding wall to the east, or through the front gate. Through the gate could be seen Vroom Vroom's stolen van and a black, unmarked van. Choosing discretion, the party entered the grounds through the hole in the wall, stumbling upon a well. Various small critters - hares, squirrels, mice - were active around the well and Skarsnik cast Speak with Animals to determine the nature and demeanor of the squatters in the mansion. Proving very cooperative, the small animals provided that about a dozen humanoids were active in the mansion, using the black van to come and go as they please.
With this information, Vroom Vroom stealthily rounded the corner of the house and sneaked towards the black van to investigate. Picking the lock of the back door with one of his darts, Vroom Vroom snuck inside to find the black van featureless and empty. He quickly collected the contents of the glove compartment - a selection of Orcish gangsta rap - and popped the hood from inside the van. Under the hood, he used his knowledge of vehicle mechanics to sabotage the van, taking out its brakes and disconnecting the dragonstone matrix containing the Air Elemental that moves the vehicle from the van. He then motioned his comrades to join him and investigate his own, white, Aurumdor Express van.
Finding the back of his van open and its contents jumbled and tossed around, Vroom Vroom and his friend Skarsnik entered and investigated. About half the boxes were ripped open or destroyed, their contents now worthless. The other half was thrown about the back of the van. Mr. Jones' package was nowhere to be found, however.
Determining that the package they sought must be inside, and seeing humanoid footsteps leading from the parked vans to the front door, the party again chose discretion and entered via the mansion's back door near the well. Exploring a small hallway, the entered a door into what in older days had to be the kitchen. Through another door they entered a small chamber containing only a broken copper casket, and a stairs leading down to the cellar. Again seeing footsteps leading to the stairs to the cellar, Vroom Vroom prepared to descend. As soon as his foot touched the first step down, all three heard a maddening scream, prompting a wisdom save (which all succeeded in).
That's where we ended the session. We pick up next friday as the party descends into the cellar of the old mansion, in search of a mysterious package...
All in all, we had fun, even though it was short. Two of the three players hadn't played D&D in maybe three years and both expressed contentment with returning to the game. All three have created absolutely delightful characters that will be my pleasure to challenge and roleplay with.
So there you have it! The start of Skyscrapers & Sorcery.
zondag 10 mei 2020
What is Skyscrapers & Sorcery?
Short answer (TLDR): my brainchild, a flavorful mix of D&D tropes, Final Fantasy-inspired setting, Planescape Torment-ish background elements and Eberron magitek.
Long answer: I've long wanted to develop a unique D&D setting, something that hasn't been done before. And then somewhere during the fall of 2019, WOTC announced it was bringing Eberron to 5E. I like Eberron. Haven't gamed in it, but I like its shiny bits - warforged, dragonshards, skyships, lightning rail - and its deep lore as well. I've been using warforged, kalashtar and something like the quori in various campaigns over the years (none of which were set in Eberron). But then I thought: what would Eberron look like 100 years after the Last War?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to advance Khorvaire's timeline and wreck the setting. Instead, I started creating the answer to that question by imagining a new setting. A world akin to our own, modern Earth. But where the modern way of living was achieved not by scientific inquiry into technology, but into magic. A world where Hogwarts is the model for all high schools and every professional knows a cantrip or two and even 1st or 2nd level spells as rituals. A world where mankind struggled with other humanoid races and mythic monsters for ascendance.
What would a fantasy world like Faerun, Oerth or Krynn need to enable such staggering progress and advancement? In our world, coal was the substance that fueld the industrial revolution, followed by oil which propelled us to the current level of technological development. What if, in a fantasy world, there existed a magical mineral that would enable the masses of humanoids to procure cheap (magical) energy, subjecting the world to population growth and mass urbanization and magical development?
It was then that I invented dragonstone, a magical substance, widely available (if tightly controlled by economic interests) on which a fantast world would sail into a magical revolution, giving rise to corporations, modern comforts, new weapons and powerful states.
Dragonstone: Skyscrapers & Sorcery is a fantasy world in which I very much explore contemporary issues: control of resources, the economic power of corporations vs. state power, ecological impact of technology and societal issues. It is a setting much like our own, but with a different energy source providing the power. In the world of Skyscrapers & Sorcery, oil is unknown, but dragonstone is in high demand.
The current state of world affairs has allowed me to develop and explore this world beyond a seed in my mind. Due to the current pandemic, much of us are staying home in social distancing. An online tool and weekly schedule was quickly agreed upon by three friends and myself. Get ready to explore a world of Skyscrapers & Sorcery!
Long answer: I've long wanted to develop a unique D&D setting, something that hasn't been done before. And then somewhere during the fall of 2019, WOTC announced it was bringing Eberron to 5E. I like Eberron. Haven't gamed in it, but I like its shiny bits - warforged, dragonshards, skyships, lightning rail - and its deep lore as well. I've been using warforged, kalashtar and something like the quori in various campaigns over the years (none of which were set in Eberron). But then I thought: what would Eberron look like 100 years after the Last War?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to advance Khorvaire's timeline and wreck the setting. Instead, I started creating the answer to that question by imagining a new setting. A world akin to our own, modern Earth. But where the modern way of living was achieved not by scientific inquiry into technology, but into magic. A world where Hogwarts is the model for all high schools and every professional knows a cantrip or two and even 1st or 2nd level spells as rituals. A world where mankind struggled with other humanoid races and mythic monsters for ascendance.
What would a fantasy world like Faerun, Oerth or Krynn need to enable such staggering progress and advancement? In our world, coal was the substance that fueld the industrial revolution, followed by oil which propelled us to the current level of technological development. What if, in a fantasy world, there existed a magical mineral that would enable the masses of humanoids to procure cheap (magical) energy, subjecting the world to population growth and mass urbanization and magical development?
It was then that I invented dragonstone, a magical substance, widely available (if tightly controlled by economic interests) on which a fantast world would sail into a magical revolution, giving rise to corporations, modern comforts, new weapons and powerful states.
Dragonstone: Skyscrapers & Sorcery is a fantasy world in which I very much explore contemporary issues: control of resources, the economic power of corporations vs. state power, ecological impact of technology and societal issues. It is a setting much like our own, but with a different energy source providing the power. In the world of Skyscrapers & Sorcery, oil is unknown, but dragonstone is in high demand.
The current state of world affairs has allowed me to develop and explore this world beyond a seed in my mind. Due to the current pandemic, much of us are staying home in social distancing. An online tool and weekly schedule was quickly agreed upon by three friends and myself. Get ready to explore a world of Skyscrapers & Sorcery!
vrijdag 1 mei 2020
Welcome to Skyscrapers & Sorcery
80 years ago, mages discovered a way to
harness dragonstone, giving rise to wondrous arcane applications. Magikars
running on arcane fuel clog the streets of inner cities. The nights are lit by
cheap arcana energy. And a globe-spanning communication network - the Wiznet -
has turned the world into a global village.
But progress and cheap energy harnessed from
dragonstone take its toll. In the wild places, nature rises up against
civilization, driving refugees into civilised lands. Religious extremists
target arcana-bloated corrupt societies. High-magic warfare rends nations. And
the world is running out of dragonstone...
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