Shane Harsch

Shane Harsch lives in Dexter, MI with his wonderful wife for life, two adventurous daughters, and cats named Chubbles and Marshmallow. By day he is a mild-mannered cyber defense consultant, but by night he is the kind of GM that takes players to the edge, let's them dangle, and then enables them to save themselves. He's still paying for all those 50-cent words he was suckered into buying at college, so by hook or by crook he's gonna use 'em.

Spell-A-Day: Beast Hide

Beast Hide

The target’s skin becomes like that of the beast.

Enaros: Vale
Target: Single
Range: Touch
Duration: Blessing
Class: Defensive

Common Modifiers

  • Expanded Effect (x2 Characteristics or Powers simultaneously) (+1/2)
  • Time Limit (Blessing; Adjustment Power; +2)
  • Orison (+0)
  • One Use At A Time (-1)
MAG EFFECT
1 Aid PD & ED 1/2d6 (standard effect: +1)(PD & ED)
2 Aid PD & ED 1d6 (standard effect: +1)(PD & ED)
3 Aid PD & ED 1 1/2d6 (standard effect: +2)(PD & ED)
4 Aid PD & ED 2d6 (standard effect: +3)(PD & ED)
5 Aid PD & ED 2 1/2d6 (standard effect: +4)(PD & ED)
6 Aid PD & ED 3d6 (standard effect: +4)(PD & ED)
7 Aid PD & ED 3 1/2d6 (standard effect: +5)(PD & ED)
8 Aid PD & ED 4d6 (standard effect: +6)(PD & ED)
9 Aid PD & ED 4 1/2d6 (standard effect: +7)(PD & ED)
10 Aid PD & ED 5d6 (standard effect: +7)(PD & ED)
11 Aid PD & ED 5 1/2d6 (standard effect: +8)(PD & ED)
13 Aid PD & ED 6d6+1 (standard effect: +9)(PD & ED)

Spell-A-Day: Avoid Harm

Avoid Harm

Red in tooth and claw, Vale shares the secret of a beast’s ability to avoid harm.

Enaros: Vale
Target: Single
Range: Touch
Duration: Blessing
Class: Defensive

Common Modifiers

  • Orison (+0)
  • Time Limit (Enchantment; Adjustment Power; +2)
  • One Use At A Time (-1)
MAG EFFECT
4 Aid DCV 2 1/2d6 (standard effect: +0)
5 Aid DCV 3d6 (standard effect: +0)
6 Aid DCV 3 1/2d6 (standard effect: +1)
7 Aid DCV 4d6 (standard effect: +1)
8 Aid DCV 4 1/2d6 (standard effect: +1)
9 Aid DCV 5d6 (standard effect: +1)
10 Aid DCV 5 1/2d6 (standard effect: +1)
11 Aid DCV 6d6+1 (standard effect: +1)
12 Aid DCV 6 1/2d6 (standard effect: +2)
13 Aid DCV 7 1/2d6 (standard effect: +2)

Spell-A-Day: Beast Grace

Beast Grace

The target acquires the agility of the beasts.

Enaros: Vale
Target: Single
Range: Touch
Duration: Blessing
Class: Defensive (Complex)

Common Modifiers

  • Orison (+0)
  • Time Limit (Enchantment; Adjustment Power; +2)
  • One Use At A Time (-1)

MAG EFFECT
1 Aid DEX 1/2d6 (standard effect: +1)
2 Aid DEX 1d6+1 (standard effect: +2)
3 Aid DEX 1 1/2d6 (standard effect: +2)
4 Aid DEX 2d6+1 (standard effect: +3)
5 Aid DEX 3d6 (standard effect: +4)
6 Aid DEX 3 1/2d6 (standard effect: +5)
7 Aid DEX 4d6 (standard effect: +6)
8 Aid DEX 4 1/2d6 (standard effect: +7)
9 Aid DEX 5d6 (standard effect: +7)
10 Aid DEX 5 1/2d6 (standard effect: +8)
11 Aid DEX 6d6+1 (standard effect: +9)
12 Aid DEX 6 1/2d6 (standard effect: +10)
13 Aid DEX 7 1/2d6 (standard effect: +11)

Buying Magic Items in D&D 5E

The DMG provides some great guidance on selling items, but I thought it needed a little embellishment for buying items. These rules are meant to be fun and provide a little structure around character wish lists. I found that over the course of a a campaign the players ended up with mostly what they wanted, but never 100%, and it often took several shopping sprees to get those items. The pacing seemed about right to me, and kept items rare (relatively). We also had some fun roleplaying opportunities a couple of times when engaging with certain sellers.

The general premise is still the same: use Intelligence (Investigation) to find a seller and make the deal. You can search for as many items as you like, but a failure results in 10 days of your time and ends that cycle of buying. This roll can be eliminated with the right roleplaying or story, but absent any other context the roll is a useful mechanic.

The DC to find the item is as follows based on item rarity:

Rarity DC
Common 13
Uncommon 15
Rare 18
Very Rare 20
Legendary 23

These numbers assume a city. Increase the DC by 2 for a market town or 5 for a small town. Villages will likely not have any items.

Buying A Magic Item

Rarity Base Price Days to Craft Days to
Find Seller		 d100 Roll
Modifier*
Common 100 gp 2 1d4 -10
1d6 0
Uncommon 500 gp 10 1d6 0
1d8 +10
1d8 +10
Rare 5,000 gp Months 1d8 +10
1d8 +10
Very Rare 50,000 gp Years 1d10 +20
Legendary Adventure/Quest† Decades n/a n/a
  • Apply this modifier to rolls on the Magic Item Search Results table.
    † If the transaction is purely monetary, it is likely 10x the price of a Very Rare item

Magic Item Search Results

Search results should always interesting. Shady sellers always have strings attached. I found the easiest thing to do is to use the Magic Item Quirks table (DMG 143) as the reason why, or to exaggerate a Minor Property (DMG 143) to the point of being annoying. Other options include: requiring attunement when the item does not normally require it, limiting the number of uses per day, requiring some other cost (e.g., gp, HP, mundane consumables such as oil, holy water, etc.).

d100 + Mod You Find…
20 or lower A shady seller offering a tenth of the base price
21–40 A shady seller offering a quarter of the base price (50%), or a seller offering half the base price (50%)
41–80 A shady seller offering half the base price (50%), or a seller offering the full base price (50%)
81–90 A seller offering the full base price
91 or higher A seller offering one and a half times the base price

Consumables

This includes potions and scrolls primarily. Scrolls are important as they are the primary means for Wizards to learn new spells. Additionally, scrolls are usable by anyone and can provide useful utility to non-casters.

Rarity Scroll Level Consumable
Base Price		 Days to Craft
Common 1 50 gp 1
2 100 gp 2
Uncommon 3 200 gp 4
4 400 gp 8
5 800 gp 16
Rare 6 1,200 gp 24
7 2,500 gp 50
Very Rare 8 5,000 gp 100
Legendary 9 10,000 gp 200

Healing Potions Too?

That’s up to you. I doubt you can just walk into a general store and buy a dozen Healing Potions, but if that’s the commonality of magic in your game go for it. Personally, I include Healing Potions into the mix.

Scrolls For Everyone

One alternate rule we use for scrolls is that if the spell is not potentially accessible to the character (i.e., not on the class spell list), the scroll requires an Intelligence (Arcana) roll with a DC of 8 + Spell Level. If the roll fails, the scroll is destroyed.

Spell-A-Day: Beast Heart

Beast Heart

The target acquires the resilience of the beasts.

Enaros: Vale
Target: Single
Range: Touch
Duration: Blessing
Class: Utility

Common Modifiers

  • Expanded Effect (x2 Characteristics or Powers simultaneously) (+1/2)
  • Orison (+0)
  • Time Limit (Enchantment; Adjustment Power; +2)
  • One Use At A Time (-1)
MAG EFFECT
1 Aid CON & STUN 1/2d6 (standard effect: +1 CON, +2 STUN)
2 Aid CON & STUN 1d6 (standard effect: +1 CON, +3 STUN)
3 Aid CON & STUN 1 1/2d6 (standard effect: +2 CON, +5 STUN)
4 Aid CON & STUN 2d6 (standard effect: +3 CON, +6 STUN)
5 Aid CON & STUN 2 1/2d6 (standard effect: +4 CON, +8 STUN)
6 Aid CON & STUN 3d6 (standard effect: +4 CON, +9 STUN)
7 Aid CON & STUN 3 1/2d6 (standard effect: +5 CON, +11 STUN)
8 Aid CON & STUN 4d6 (standard effect: +6 CON, +12 STUN)
9 Aid CON & STUN 4 1/2d6 (standard effect: +7 CON, +14 STUN)
10 Aid CON & STUN 5d6 (standard effect: +7 CON, +15 STUN)
11 Aid CON & STUN 5 1/2d6 (standard effect: +8 CON, +17 STUN)
13 Aid CON & STUN 6d6+1 (standard effect: +9 CON, +19 STUN)

Spell-A-Day: Beast Might

Beast Might

The target acquires the might of the beasts.

Enaros: Vale
Target: Single
Range: Touch
Duration: Blessing
Class: Utility

Common Modifiers

  • Orison (+0)
  • Time Limit (Enchantment; Adjustment Power; +2)
  • One Use At A Time (-1)
MAG EFFECT
1 Aid STR 1/2d6 (standard effect: +2)
2 Aid STR 1d6+1 (standard effect: +4)
3 Aid STR 1 1/2d6 (standard effect: +5)
4 Aid STR 2d6+1 (standard effect: +7)
5 Aid STR 3d6 (standard effect: +9)
6 Aid STR 3 1/2d6 (standard effect: +11)
7 Aid STR 4d6 (standard effect: +12)
8 Aid STR 4 1/2d6 (standard effect: +14)
9 Aid STR 5d6 (standard effect: +15)
10 Aid STR 5 1/2d6 (standard effect: +17)
11 Aid STR 6d6+1 (standard effect: +19)
12 Aid STR 6 1/2d6 (standard effect: +20)
13 Aid STR 7 1/2d6 (standard effect: +23)

We just finished Tyranny of Dragons…

…and I am glad it is over.

The Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat are not my favorite modules. In fact, they are some of my least favorite modules ever. There are minimal spoilers below, but in general I don’t recommend you run the modules so what does it matter?

The Good

It is an epic storyline and in general I think it approaches the story well. There are grand councils, and epic dragon fights, and a generally good narrative tying it all together.

It has some episodes that are engaging and fun. My group enjoyed the Caravan episode most, with the Tomb of Diderius a close second. And that’s it I guess.

The Bad

Now before I get into some of the specifics I do want to clarify a key element of my review. I spent $60 on the modules to run for my group. What I expect out of that $60 is to have an architected and executable adventure that requires only that I read it to be able to run it. Looking back, there are a number of ways I could have fixed the issues in the adventure, including the ending, but I don’t spend money on adventures to have to revise them.

I think this quote from Episode 7 of Rise of Tiamat (Xonthal’s Tower, p. 66) sums up much of the adventure design:

“The adventurers must deduce the correct path from among multiple shadows, but those solutions aren’t obvious or even fair.”

I about had a player mutiny when they discovered the puzzle maze was basically just a grind.

Go – Go – Go

The fate of the world is at hand, so there is no time to rest. Especially once the characters start engaging with the cult there is a this overriding sense that doom is on its way. You never feel like you can take time off to buy a magic item (let alone try to make one), work on scrolls, or scribe new spells into your spellbook.

Boss Fights A-Plenty

That’s pretty much it. It always seemed that everything was about the next boss fight, the exception being the Caravan, the Tomb of Diderius, and the Mission to Thay.

Density of Information

When the characters can encounter Rezmir (half-dragon) in Episode 6 of Hoard of the Dragon Queen, it gives guidance that Rezmir tries to avoid combat at all cost. My group, being crafty, was able to pin her down and force her to fight. It was tough, but they defeated her. What the text doesn’t say is that the Black Dragon Mask is not supposed to be on her (even though it is listed in her stat block), so naturally the group got the mask when they weren’t supposed to. There are other examples like this where there is so much information to read, and it is spread out in different parts of the book, that it becomes challenging for a DM to run it without making continuity errors. Really, there is no reason they couldn’t have added “She is not wearing the mask in this episode – the mask is at location X” to the paragraph describing that she wants to avoid a fight.

The Final Battle

Frustrating in about every way possible. Either I am supposed to architect this grand battlefield engagement involving fiends, dragons, giants, human, elves, orcs, cultists, etc. or I just narrate through it (which I did). Then, they either find the direct path into the final battle, or they slog through one combat after another trying to work their way in.

Luckily they found a way.

So, now, we are presented with stopping the ritual or facing Tiamat. They stopped the ritual in 4 rounds. Like stop stopped. It was so anticlimactic is was stunning. They used Arcane Gate to rush Severin, killing him in a single round. They then began killing 2-3 Red Wizards per round. The ritual could not continue.

So, I decided to let Tiamat come through, weakened as per the ritual damage they had caused, and Tiamat killed them. Now, many of them ultimately survived or were raised, so the encounter with Tiamat was probably as it should have gone, but it was such a downer. It wasn’t an epic victory they had been building to over the last 6 months, or an epic defeat that showed them giving their all.

Conclusion

So far my read on Princes of the Apocalypse looks a lot better. However, my group is so burned out on D&D right now that we are going to play an 80’s era Champions campaign, starting with Aaron Allston’s Strike Force. That should be refreshing.

Spell-A-Day: Swiftrunner

Swiftrunner

Vale bestows a blessing to move as the swiftest of animals to the target of the channeler’s choosing. The blessed can then move without tiring and may also be unaffected by difficult terrain. At its basic level (2 MAG), this orison will enable an average atlan to run at noncombat rate, nonstop and without exhaustion, about 14kph (9mph). At 6 MAG and bestowed on someone under the effects of Beast Stride (+8m for a total of 20m), this orison could allow a SPD 3 target to move 72kph (45mph), or half that if Surfooted and Forestrunner were chosen instead of x4 Noncombat multiplier.

If bestowed in a fight or flight situation, the blessing has a normal duration. However, if bestowed in a noncombat situation with the intent to travel long distance, the duration will last until the destination is reached, or until interrupted by combat. If interrupted, Blessing Continuance Roll (p. XX) is required at the end of the combat to determine if the blessing will continue to persist to the original destination.

The formula is SPD x Movement x 0.3kph.

Enaros: Vale
Target: Single
Range: Touch
Duration: Blessing
Class: Utility (Restricted)

Common Modifiers

  • Orison (+0)
  • Time Limit (Blessing; Constant Power; +1/4)
  • Usable On Others (+1/2)
MAG EFFECT
2 Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) for up to 15m Running
4 Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) for up to 24m Running
2 Environmental Movement (Surefooted and Forest Running)
2 Running 0m, x4 Noncombat

 

Spell-A-Day: Animal Form

Animal Form

Enaros: Vale
Target: Single
Range: Touch
Duration: Blessing
Class: Utility (Restricted)

Common Modifiers

  • Reversion (-1/2)
  • Usable On Others (+1/2)
  • Time Limit (Blessing; Persistent or Continuing-effect Power; +0)
  • Costs Endurance (Only To Activate; -1/4)
  • Orison (+0)

You channel Vale’s gift to experience the world as another creature. Each Animal Form orison must be learned separately. When channeled, the target retains personality, skills, and mental abilities, but loses powers that require a Focus or have a Physical Manifestation, as well as any power that reflects a physical trait or aspect of the character (e.g. Strength). The character also loses the ability to speak, but not the ability to comprehend. Abilities requiring Gestures or Incantations (e.g. Essence Shaping) must be executed in a way to avoid those requirements.

Animal Form (Avian)

MAG EFFECT
1 Raven/Homing Pigeon/Songbird:Multiform (40 Character Points in the most expensive form) (+2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Flight)
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Eagle)

MAG EFFECT
4 Eagle/Hawk:Multiform (125 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+4 plus Enhanced Form: +2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Flight
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Owl)

MAG EFFECT
3 Owl:Multiform (100 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+4 plus Enhanced Form: +2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Flight
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Wolf)

MAG EFFECT
4 Wolf:Multiform (104 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+4 plus Enhanced Form: +2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Running
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Rhinoceros)

MAG EFFECT
8 Rhino:Multiform (229 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+4 plus Enhanced Form: +2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Running
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Tiger)

MAG EFFECT
8 Tiger:Multiform (227 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+4 plus Enhanced Form: +2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Running
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Bear)

MAG EFFECT
5 Black or Grizzly Bear:Multiform (153 Character Points in the most expensive form)
6 Polar Bear:Multiform (181 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+4 plus Enhanced Form: +2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Running
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Tiny Mammal)

MAG EFFECT
1 Fox/Rabbit/Raccoon/Squirrel/Rat:Multiform (45 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+3 plus Enhanced Form: +1 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +1 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +6m Running
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Falcon)

MAG EFFECT
7 Falcon:Multiform (200 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Chameleon)

MAG EFFECT
2 Chameleon:Multiform (50 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+4 plus Enhanced Form: +2 DC, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 BODY, +2 PD/ED, +1 SPD, +10m Flight
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Animal Form (Alligator)

MAG EFFECT
6 Alligator:Multiform (161 Character Points in the most expensive form)
+2 plus if Target Total Points greater than 199
+3 plus if Target Total Points greater than 399

Image Link: Red-Izak

Spell-A-Day: Beast Shape

Beast Shape

Enaros: Vale
Target: Self Only
Range: Self
Duration: Blessing
Class: Offensive/Utility

The channeler shifts form and becomes like the beasts. He must choose one of three forms (Inspired, Basic, or Advanced) and then may choose a size power and movement powers appropriate for the animal. No other powers may be applied. Regardless of form, this orison cannot provide a true transformation — it simply changes the channeler’s size and appearance.

The Inspired form is an impression of the target animal. If the Inspired form were a bear, the channeler would become hairier, his hands would become paw-like, his mouth would extend with hints of bear teeth. All witnesses to this blessing will recognize that the channeler has bear traits, but this is purely cosmetic.

In the Basic form, the channeler looks and smells like the animal, but does not feel or sound like one.

The Advanced form is indistinguishable from a normal animal.

Common Modifiers

  • Time Limit (Blessing; Constant Power; +1/4)
  • Orison (-1/2)
  • Costs Endurance (Only To Activate; +1/4)
MAG EFFECT
1 Inspired Form: Shape Shift (Sight Group); Affects Body Only (-1/2), Perceivable (-1/4), Limited Effect (Normal Sight Only; -1/4), Hybrid Form Only (-1/4)
3 Basic Form: Shape Shift (Sight and Smell/Taste Groups, Any Animal)
5 Advanced Form: Shape Shift (Sight, Touch, Smell/Taste and Hearing Groups, Any animal)
+2 Extra-normal (gorilla): Growth, (2.5m, 200kg, STR +5, CON +3, PRE +3*, PD +1, ED +1, REC +1, END +5, BODY +2, STUN +8, Running +2m, Knockback Resistance -2m)
+5 Semi-Large (horse, bear): Growth, (3m, 400kg, STR +10, CON +5, PRE +5*, PD +2, ED +2, REC +2, END +10, BODY +4, STUN +16, Running +4m, Knockback Resistance -4m; Attackers +1 OCV, +1 PER)
+7 Large (grizzly bear, moose): Growth, (4m, 800kg, STR +15, CON +8, PRE +8*, PD +3, ED +3, REC +3, END +15, BODY +6, STUN +24, Reach +1m (Total 2m), Running +6m, Knockback Resistance -6m; Attackers +2 OCV, +2 PER)
+10 Extra-Large (Hippopotamus): Growth, (5m, 1600kg, STR +20, CON +10, PRE +10*, PD +4, ED +4, REC +4, END +20, BODY +8, STUN +32, Reach +1m (Total 2m), Running +8m, Knockback Resistance -8m; Attackers +2 OCV, +2 PER)
+1 Small (Goat, Dog): plus Shrinking (1 m tall, 12.5 kg mass, -2 PER Rolls to perceive character, +2 DCV, takes +6m KB)
+2 Diminutive (Cat, Fox): plus Shrinking (0.5 m tall, 1.5625 kg mass, -4 PER Rolls to perceive character, +4 DCV, takes +12m KB)
+4 Tiny (Rat, Bird): plus Shrinking (0.25 m tall, 0.1953 kg mass, -6 PER Rolls to perceive character, +6 DCV, takes +18m KB)
+5 Minuscule (Mouse): plus Shrinking (0.125 m tall, 0.0244 kg mass, -8 PER Rolls to perceive character, +8 DCV, takes +24m KB)
+6 Minute (Baby Mouse): plus Shrinking (0.0625 m tall, 0.0031 kg mass, -10 PER Rolls to perceive character, +10 DCV, takes +30m KB)
+7 Insectile (Spider): plus Shrinking (0.0312 m tall, 0.0004 kg mass, -12 PER Rolls to perceive character, +12 DCV, takes +36m KB)
+8 Wasp Sized: plus Shrinking (0.0156 m tall, 4.768E-5 kg mass, -14 PER Rolls to perceive character, +14 DCV, takes +42m KB)
+4 Swift: plus Running 15m
+3 Aerial: plus Flight 15m
+2 Aquatic: plus Swimming 15m
+1 Bounding: plus Leaping 7m