Author: Dennis

Kalina’s Ladder

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Previously, the Heroes of the White Eye found themselves at the Scatterfoot farm where they met Dick, James’ childhood friend who helped them find the Reaverhaunt caves, the hideout the bandits were using to lay low. Aided by Emrys’ arcane abilities, the heroes had explored the caves and had found a well-stocked armoury, a large cave with a bunch of resting bandits, and a separate room where Kalina had been hiding out. When discovered, Kalina had attacked and grievously wounded James before escaping into the darkness. Meanwhile, a strange apparition made of pure shadow had been following the heroes, keeping out of the light, but had since attacked Emrys and drained him of most of his strength.

Fifth Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon in high sanction. Darkmoon is waxing.)

James opened his eyes and felt the fog of unconsciousness receding together with the burn of the poison which had turned his nervous system on fire. He quickly assessed the situation and realised that Kalina had made her escape. Astrid had wasted no time to bolt into the darkness to follow the fleet-footed Silesian bandit, but James heard her gasping out a strangled breath that told him his Helmarker friend was in trouble.

Once James had regained consciousness, Luca spoke an arcane command and opened a portal that allowed him to travel small distances in the blink of an eye. He put his hand on Emrys’ shoulder and pulled the sorcerer through with him. The two teleported through the dark portal, eerily reminiscent of the portal through which the Skaven had poured into the catacombs underneath the Sheridan estate. The instantaneously reappeared at the mouth of the cave, and if it wasn’t for the fact that the two immediately stood face to face with the dangerous bandit, they would have noticed the unstable flickering of the portal through which they came.

Despite the strange, ethereal jaunt through the unstable portal, Luca and Emrys reacted swiftly and unleashed a barrage of enchantments on Kalina designed to restrain her; including the most difficult of magics; polymorphism. Emrys turned Kalina into a sheep, which could easily be leashed.

While Luca and Emrys easily subdued Kalina, James and Quentin rushed to Astrid’s aid and found her being attacked by the strange shadow creature. Like Emrys, Astrid was severely weakened. Between the three of them, together with the help of a torch, they managed to drive the shadow creature off and deeper into the cave, towards where the bandits had been spotted.

Once everyone had reunited a decision was made to lead the still polymorphed Kalina back to the Scatterfoot farm, intending to take the horses and head back to the abandoned mill near the Sheridan estate.

Dick was happy to see the heroes returned in relatively good health. Emrys reverted Kalina back into her normal form and James decided to strip her down to her skivvies  and take all of her gear, in case she had any more tricks up her sleeve. When he went out to find Stubbs’ body in order to have Kalina change into his clothes, he noticed more than half a dozen shadowy creatures slowly descending down upon Scatterfoot farm.

Rushing back inside to inform the others, the heroes started to look at ways to keep the shadows at bay; torches, lanterns, candles and anything that could be improvised. Dick wasted no time to smash up one of the old, wooden tables and turn it into kindling. The farmhouse was old and the wooden walls and thatched roof was full of creaks and holes, but the light would hopefully drive the shadows off.

For a few hours the shadows, which were distinctly different from the shadowy creature which lead them, could be seen moving in and out of the light, prodding and probing the heroes’ defences. During this time the heroes rested and bandaged their wounds. The strange withering which the shadowy creature had inflicted on Astrid and Emrys had faded and they felt much better.

But deep in the night, when the moons disappeared behind stormy clouds, the shadows came for them, creeping through the cracks in the walls and assaulting the door, which had been guarded by Quentin. The fight was very chaotic, with shadows coming at them from all sides, draining their strength from their body and proving to be very difficult to defeat. Kalina, though bound, was causing trouble for the heroes as well. Luca shot bolt after angry bolt of eldritch energy, but found that he was hit by vicious feedback from Blackstar.

When the shadows started draining one of the heroes of their strength, it appeared almost as if a new shadow was trying to separate itself from the very essence of the person that was being drained. As if a dark version of their souls was angrily thrashing, trying to escape the bonds of the hero’s body.

Kalina was pummelled into unconsciousness so that she could no longer prove a problem, but while the numbers of shadows were dwindling, the shadowy creature who lead them swooped into the house and set upon Kalina, draining her until she withered and expired. As the shadowy creature tried to escape through the gaps in the thatched roof, Luca ran outside and threw bolts of eldritch fire at it until it dissipated.

Having lost Kalina, James wasn’t sure what the next steps should be to get to the bottom of the situation, or what to tell the day master.

A Chase in the Dark

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Previously, the Heroes of the White eye had found their way to the Scatterfoot farm where they met up with Dick; a close childhood friend of James and fellow member in the guild of the Steady Hand. He had been conscripted to work with Kalina, James’ target, and was her newest crew member. He had immediately agreed to show them where the hideout was; a large cave system out in the Avondale woods. The heroes descended into the system in search of Kalina.

Fourth Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in high sanction. Bloodmoon in high sanction. Darkmoon in low sanction.)

Having made their way past the first guard, who now lay strangled into unconsciousness by Astrid’s hand in a cubbyhole, the heroes had already found several rooms in the sprawling cave, some of them old and unused, while others were properly secured with a sturdy door and a modern lock. The locks had succumbed quickly to James’ steady hands and often revealed armouries and stock rooms, filled with all manner of provisions that suggested that the caves were more than just a convenient hideout for some bandits raiding the stables of the estates around Northshire.

The heroes had also found a large cavern space where the bandits had made their home. At least half a dozen of them had taken up residence in a space which held cots and fire pits and the group had wisely chosen to let sleeping dogs lie. With the use of Blackstar’s morbid ability to detect the presence of souls, they had come to the conclusion that there were a small group, or several lone individuals, were residing away from the other bandits.

Quentin’s companions, aided by magic or genetics, were able to see in the dark to some extent, but he himself had to be aided by a torch. This meant he had to be much more careful so as not to give away the presence of the group, but it also allowed him to discover that the group was being followed by a mysterious, dark apparition that was repelled by the light.

One of the rooms the heroes had discovered proved to be a well-stocked armoury, holding blades, javelins, crossbows and munitions. It also held a collection of light armour. James found one suit of armour which fit him well, which he donned. It was embossed with the symbol of the crescent moon of the Dark Queen. Luca discovered that the leather was unlikely to come from any of the beasts found in the Verdant Kingdoms, and he was once again reminded of the strange leather armour the heroes had encountered at the Landsdowne auction house in Bournemouth. Quentin was used to stocks of arms to have a quartermaster overseeing its administration, looked for a ledger and was surprised not to find one.

Eventually the heroes found another door behind which they saw a soft light glow. James spent a moment listening for sounds on the other side of the door and was witness to a conversation between who he assumed was Kalina and another person. The conversation came to an abrupt end and there was a small disturbance on the other end, which culminated in the light behind the door turning low. James let his deft hands take over and unlocked the door and pushed it open. He, Quentin and Astrid stepped inside and peered into the darkness.

Like an apparition, Kalina burst forth from the darkness, daggers drawn, pouncing on James. Her daggers bit deep and set fire to his nervous system and before he could react his felt himself losing control of his body as well as his consciousness. Astrid and Quentin immediately engaged Kalina and drove her back, deeper into the cave at which point she disappeared from sight again.

Meanwhile, Emrys was guarding the rear and was set upon by the apparition, draining the strength from his body until he almost couldn’t stand on his own feet any longer. Luckily, Luca heard his cries and came to his rescue, noticing the apparition’s aversion to light and immediately conjuring a flame to his hand, driving the shadow creature away.

Once the shadow creature was driven away Emrys and Luca immediately went to the aide of James, rummaging through the confusing, magical bag he had in order to find something — anything! — that would be able to save his life. Eventually they found the healing ointment that was given to James by Father Devon, the priest of the healing light.

Quentin and Astrid had since lost Kalina, who had escaped through an underground pool leading back towards a part of the caves that lay closer to the exit, and as James awoke the heroes had a choice to make; regroup and reassess, or continue their pursuit of the elusive Silesian bandit.

Picking Locks

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Overview

During our game it became clear that there was some confusion around picking locks. We were using Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks in order to resolve these. Here are the rules around picking locks and the different scenarios in which it can occur.

The Rules

  • You have thieves’ tools and you are proficient with them: you can roll a Dexterity check and add your proficiency bonus to it.
  • You have thieves’ tools and you have expertise with them: you can roll a Dexterity check and add twice your proficiency bonus to it.
  • You have thieves’ tools and you are not proficient with them: you can roll a Dexterity check and you do not add your proficiency bonus to it.
  • You don’t have thieves’ tools but with the DM’s approval you have improvised some, and you are proficient with thieves’ tools: you can roll a Dexterity check and add your proficiency bonus to it, but you have disadvantage on the roll.
  • You don’t have thieves’ tools but with the DM’s approval you have improvised some, and you have expertise with thieves’ tools: you can roll a Dexterity check and add twice your proficiency bonus to it, but you have disadvantage on the roll.
  • You don’t have thieves’ tools but with the DM’s approval you have improvised some, and you are not proficient with thieves’ tools: you can roll a Dexterity check, but you have disadvantage to the roll.
  • You don’t have thieves’ tools, nor any improvised tools: you have to find another way to open the lock.
Tools Proficiency Roll
Thieves’ Tools Proficient Dexterity + Proficiency Bonus
Thieves’ Tools Expertise Dexterity + (Proficiency Bonus * 2)
Thieves’ Tools Not Proficient Dexterity
Improvised Thieves’ Tools Proficient Dexterity + Proficiency Bonus at Disadvantage
Improvised Thieves’ Tools Expertise Dexterity + (Proficiency Bonus * 2) at Disadvantage
Improvised Thieves’ Tools Not Proficient Dexterity at Disadvantage
No Thieves’ Tools NA None

Dual Wielding, Rules, Interpretation and House Rules

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Overview

During our game sessions I have gotten increasingly confused about dual wielding weapons (known in the rules as Two-Weapon Fighting) and I’ve seen our group make some similar mistakes and have overlooked some limitations. This is meant as a reminder. At the end, I house rule dual wielding slightly to accommodate our game somewhat without drastically changing the game.

The Rules

Two-Weapon Fighting

According to the Player’s Handbook, it says the following on Two-Weapon Fighting:

When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.

If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.

This means that anyone can use two weapons, regardless of class. Keep in mind that in order to cast a spell which has a somatic component does require you to have at least one free hand, as per the somatic Component rules in the Player’s Handbook.

So while you can use a bonus action to make an off-hand attack, you can only do so if both your main hand weapon and off-hand weapon are light. Also your off-hand attack does not benefit from ability modifier bonuses to damage (strength modifier or dexterity modifier in the case of finesse weapons), unless that modifier is negative.

Light Ranged Weapons

While the rules explicitly state that only light melee weapons can be dual wielded, the Hand Crossbow is also designated as light, which suggests that any light weapon can be an off-hand weapon, even ranged weapons.

Feat: Dual Wielder

The Dual Wielder feat in the Player’s Handbook provides the following benefits:

  • You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.
  • You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren’t light.
  • You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.

This means that only with this feat you can draw two weapons at once, and fight with two weapons where one or both weapons aren’t light.

Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting

The Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style in the Player’s Handbook provides the following benefits:

  • When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

The only three classes that can learn fighting styles are Fighter, Paladin and Ranger, and only the Fighter and the Ranger can choose the Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style.

House Rule

While dual wielding, the main hand weapon can be either a light or finesse weapon, while the off-hand weapon should always be a light weapon.

Consequences
  • Dual wielding will become easier, allowing weapons like the rapier as well as the whip to be the main hand weapon with another, light weapon as the off-hand weapon.
  • The Dual Wielder feat will diminish slightly in value, as the group of weapons that can be used to dual wield is expanded by the finesse weapons as main hands.
  • In the event of someone using a finesse weapon to dual wield, then we’ll have to be mindful of how D&D Beyond responds to it. We might have to create a custom weapon which has all of the same properties but also has the light weapon property.

House Rule: Identify Spell and Material Components

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Overview

This is a house rule intended to make the Identify spell a little more limited and define what the spell provides in terms of information.

Material Components

The rules around spellcasting components in the Player’s Handbook state the following:

If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell.

The identify spell has a material component requirement of an owl feather as well as a pearl worth at least 100 gold pieces. However, it does not explicitly state that the pearl is consumed, meaning that the same pearl can be used again and again.

House Rule

The Identify spell requires the pearl to be crushed, dissolved in liquid, the liquid needs to be stirred with the owl feather, and the liquid needs to be consumed. This means that the pearl is consumed during casting.

According to the Player’s Handbook, any component that has an explicit value, or is consumed, cannot be replaced by a spellcasting focus. In this case, only the owl feather can be replaced by a spellcasting focus, which will need to be on hand while the crushed pearl is stirred by other means.

The effect of the spell is that it gives insight into the item’s abilities, but the history of the item will still be unclear. While certain bits of information about the history of the item might become clear through the Identify spell, a Legend Lore spell is required to learn the precise history of the item. The less frivolous and more powerful the item, the more likely there are important details to its history that will impact the character using the item.

A number of items up to the spellcaster’s proficiency modifier can be identified with a single casting of the spell.