A nice magical brew to complicate and and to the intrigue of any political/royal campaign. One can expect dire consequences awaiting the poor soul who unwittingly gives a 5th addition bottle to the prince they are courting, (Or the king to gain his favor when courting the princess)
I'd have to agree with with Echo though about the wizard being able to somehow influence these merchants to his own ends, or at the very least realize their threats of imprisonment were empty given without him to produce the enchanted booze they'd have no product at all. (And his influential magic could surely convince the judge/duke to let him off with a mere fine.)
An interesting read, but I'm not sure I see much HP inspiration to warrant the intro warning. (aside from coming from a long line of wizards) Then again I never read much HP beyond the first book or two, preferring RA Salvatore and Piers Anthony's works when it comes to fantasy. *shrugs*
That bit aside it is a set of very well detailed (if rather old) individuals which makes it a bit difficult to use in a campaign as readily. (especially given how fragile and rare 70+ year old people usually are in a fantasy world, although these are wizardly/heroic types...)
The first and best use I see for this is as a background and family legacy for a young PC to be based off of, and the letter making for a great plot hook to draw them into their (great?) grandmother/fathers personal problems and intrigue.
A well put together sub over all if a bit dry, a section at the end for plot hooks would be a nice addition and help bring it all together as well as provide ideas on how to include this in ones campaign.
It reminds me a bit too much of Daern's Instant Fortress from D&D 3.5 for my taste, that aside however it is well written and a bit more useful then the original artifact.
I am curious though if the fortress mirrors the damage it receives when being used a shield? (Is it magically healed when shape shifting? Does the shield regenerate damage?)
What happens if the tower shield is destroyed? Is the contents of the fortress suddenly expelled?
Also, what about removing some of the items that were inside when it was created? (Such as a cloak, or books) Can it be done? If so can they be re added at a later date? What about maintenance to the furniture inside? Would reupholstering a chair or new down for the pillows expel the entire object or be considered part of the original and allowed to stay?
As it is with nothing new able to be kept inside having to lug around enough candles and/or lamp oil to light the tower could prove to be a pain for any owner that doesn't know magic for lighting. (Scavenging enough firewood to heat the thing in colder climates would be a serious hassle as well.)
A nice galactic introduction, and provides a good backdrop of first contact history without niggling too much over the specific details.
It feels like the prelude to something more, that it stops just shy of the next chapter involving humanities first steps into the stars. (Similar to Star Trek Enterprise?) A creative Gm could easily use this as the spring board for a space faring campaign involving the crew of Earths first FTL capable starship.
Much enjoyed, and gave me lots of ideas, nicely done!
A simple weapon perfect as a family heirloom and well suited for beginning adventurers. (Especially if the swords unique method of gaining it's magical properties still makes it appear to be a mundane weapon even when subjected to magical scrutiny and detection.)
Very unique, and intriguing although it does leave me with a few small questions.
Are these creatures able to reproduce like normal? (Similar to mermaids and naga) Or are they essentially asexual in nature?
From what's been observed of these creatures is their life span significantly longer or shorter then the human norm?
Is the upper torso always of human appearance or have Elven, Dwarven etc.. features been seen? (Assuming such creatures exist in the world)
These questions aside it's an interesting piece, I look forward to seeing more of the setting.
A nice beginning, although I would have preferred to see some details surrounding how the chair came to be either possessed, or enchanted with the truth power.
The sub also leaves me with a lot of questions. How did this carpenter imbue the chair with such magic without his knowledge? (Or did someone else enchant it?) Why does it always tell the worst crimes a person has committed?
What is the reason for its intolerance of innocents? (It leads me to assume it's a malicious force rather then a pure truth teller?)
Can the chair only lie when innocents set upon it? Or can it mix truth and lies as it wishes to further discredit whomever sits within it?
Lastly does the chair have any sort of magical resistance to damage? (Like Mystic said, one would expect an angry sitter would have taken an ax to it well before this, or doused it in lamp oil and a torch.)
I hope to see this fleshed out more in the future, it;s got a great beginning and is a somewhat unique artifact, it just needs more back story and details to feel "complete"
My first thought when giving this a brief once over was "Is this a sub or an excerpt from a source book supplement?
It's going to take me the better part of a day to have the time to read through it all, but so far it's of remarkable quality and one of the subs I'd love to have as a .pdf for simplicity sake.
5/5 (Will change my vote later after reading through in its entirety in the highly unlikely event that's necessary)
An interesting creation myth with solid reasoning how it was recorded and preserved through the ages.
There are a few bits that are somewhat ill defined int he battle account, such as "devastating viral theurgies, reality-skewers and vacuum-lances." Defining these strange weapons in a separate sub might help make the battle sound more epic and less confusing.
Another small bit that confused me: "while the heavens were rent asunder by pleromic battles" IS this to mean "God like battles" or "battles of holy light?" clarifying this as well might make it easier to envision the battle and be less jarring to readers. (That and pleromic is one of those rarely used or referenced words few will understand the potential definition of without looking it up)
Those few issues aside though the sub makes for a good creation myth to add in to a fantasy game easily, or even as recovered scrolls of a long dead civilization in a sci-fi setting, nicely done.
31. With a scroll containing the giant growth spell you have giant beast more then the equal of a small band of brigands.
32. Keeping unruly prisoners under control won't be a problem any longer. (Interrogations will be much easier as well with a hungry croc at hand.)
33. Haggling with shopkeepers will be easier then ever before!
34. You can impress anyone in town by "wrestling" the croc into submission.
35. If properly trained, a mini catapult can turn your pet into a deadly airborne projectile!
36. "My Croc ate it." The perfect excuse for forgetting to bring along any item on a quest. (Also good for explaining what happened to that small pouch of gems, or magic ring you'd just as soon keep for yourself.)
37. Makes purse cutting in a crowd tons easier. (People are far more likely to watch the croc in their midst then their coin purse and your hands.)
38. Can easily bust open any small locked treasure chests you come across.
39. Room service at any inn is guaranteed to knock before entering your room.
40. A perfect guardian for night watch that will easily blend in with the fallen logs in the forest near your camp. (Or anywhere else with a little paint/dye and some skill)
41. Cuts down on ration wasting. (Any rancid and rotten meats your party owns can be fed to the croc rather then thrown away.)
42. If you're a gal, a croc at your side is guaranteed to keep anyone from feeling you up in a crowded market.
43. Anyone who owes you money is sure to pay up after the first visit.
Plots (Hired) (Single-Storyline)
A fun adventure and good use of the five room dungeon format that's flexible enough to plug into most fantasy campaigns.
I did notice a few small issues however, in a few places damage is listed in specific dice (for example 3d6) and some of the images don't really fit with the sub. (A burning American flag and plaque of Pennsylvania?)
Still it's a good adventure and worthwhile read, nicely done Cheka.
(On a side note are all of the images you used open source or used with permission? Strolen's and the author can get in trouble if they use copyrighted pics in stuff like this without contacting the image owner first.)
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