5th Edition Builds: Rogue (Thug)

Not all rogues are either dextrous or smart. Some have learned the tough lessons of the street and turned to their strength and presence to stay alive. Commonly called a thug, this rogue archetype is the cornerstone of many a thieve's guild. Untrained in the fancy techniques of the fighter, the thug relies on brute force and cheap shots to get the job done.

Guest on the Dungeon Master's Block Podcast

Just finished recording a guest spot for DM Mitch and DM Chris at the Dungeon Master's Block podcast. Huge thanks to my wonderful hosts. Had a great time discussing aquatic campaigns from fantasy to scifi, plus classic D&D modules, cross-genre games, and more. I even snuck in some DC comics love; Mitch was very gracious letting a little DC into his Marvel world. :-)

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why we didn't fold the superhero genre more into this discussion. Probably need to save that for its own podcast since Mitch and I may devolve into a Namor vs Aquaman debate.

The episode is due for posting on Sunday, Feb 1st. I'll update this post when it does.

5th Edition Class Builds: Alchemist (Pyromancer)

The Pyromancer is an archetype for the Alchemist class and is one of eight traditions, including Metamoporhs, Poisoners, Artificers, Reanimators, Herbwardens, and more. You'll need the core class presented in the original article and this to play the pyromancer.

Pyromancer

Bonus FormulaDespite their nom de guerre, pyromancers are experts in fireworks, explosives, and energy manipulation beyond simple fire. Sought after by royalty and warbands alike, both for their ability to entertain as destroy enemies en masse, the skills of a skilled pyromancer go for a high price and their names reach farther and wider than many wizards. 

The majority of mixtures created by pyromancers take the form of bombs, rockets, explosive vials, and empowered ranged weapons and ammunition such as sling bullets and crossbows. Many pyromancers devise their mixtures in the form of primitive firearms and cannons.

As with other alchemical traditions, pyromancers can create simple mixtures outside of explosions. Skilled pyromancers not only create fireball-launching mortars and melf's acid arrow firing crossbows, but healing mixtures and defensive devices such as potions of expeditious retreat, automated field defenses (shield), and force field projectors (mage armor).

For the full archetype, link over to Rich's Gameroom at: http://tribality.com/2015/01/19/richs-gameroom-the-alchemist-pyromancer/

5th Edition Aquatic Builds: Cacaelia

Art by riviel

The history of the cecaelias as a race is all but unknown to scholars of the surface world. Though some surface dwellers believe they are a subrace of merfolk, this race of cephaloids, and indeed the merfolk, would take great offense at the comparison. Most merfolk scholars attribute the race's origins to the Age of Aboleth, paralleling the race's creation to that of the tieflings of the surface world. The subrace of Deep cecaelia embrace the comparison, while the more social and civilized cecaelia found in tropical regions claim no such association.

Cecaelia are not nearly as wide-spread as the ubiquitous merfolk and rarely have direct contact with air-breathing cultures. Cecaelia live in small, nomadic family groups, living with their families until they reach maturity around age 10, at which time they may leave the family group and strike out on their own. Cecaelia settlements average a few dozen members, with any larger than a few hundred being extremely rare. Individual members are often found within the settlements of other sentient aquatic races, such as merfolk, sahaugin, and koa-toa.

Magical Weapons of Magnamund for 5th Edition

The lands of Magnamund were created by Joe Dever for the 1984 Choose Your Own Adventure novels of Lone Wolf, a Kai monk who finds himself the sole survivor of a massacre that killed his friends, colleagues and mentors. In the series, Lone Wolf travels the world, facing Dark Lords and retrieving the lost knowledge of the Kai monks of Sommerlund. Over nearly 2 dozen books, Lone Wolf encounters numerous magic items and in the later books crafts new items for the New Kai Order. Below you will find a range of items usable in your 5th edition games.

For more information on the world of Aon, the lands of Magnamund, and the Lone Wolf Adventure Gamebooks, including a Kai monk class designed for 5th edition, link over to "The Kai Monks of Summerlund". 

5th Edition Builds: The Kai Monks of Sommerlund

The Kai Monks of Sommerlund

The Kai monks of Sommerlund first appeared in the Lone Wolf Choose Your Own Adventure game book, “Flight from the Dark” by Joe Dever and Gary Chalk, published in 1984. Until that time, Choose Your Own Adventure novels told you who you were and what you could do, allowing you to choose which road to follow, what tunnel to explore, or whether to face a monster. What made the Lone Wolf series a fan-favorite was that you could create your own character, choose from a list of interesting powers, select your starting gear, carry items from book to book, and fight monsters using a combat system. Not only could you choose from ten different powers (called disciplines), you gained new powers for each book in the series you completed; effectively leveling up after each book. The Lone Wolf series allowed us to play a solo roleplaying game long before video games became the norm.

5th Edition Aquatic Races: Merfolk

The human equivalent under the seas, merfolk are far more than a single race. This highly adaptable race varies in size, coloration, features, culture, and religion across the world.

Merfolk Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity increases by 2, and two other ability scores increase by 1.
Age. Merfolk have lifespan similar to humans, reaching maturity by their early teens and rarely living longer than a century.
Alignment. Merfolk, like humans, tend toward no particular alignment. Many tribes have a balance of lawful and chaotic elements, so are often perceived as neutral.
Size. Merfolk come in a variety of lengths and weights, ranging from 5-7 feet in length, and from 100-300lbs. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 10 feet and you are always considered prone. You have a swim speed of 30 feet.
Adaptable. Like humans, merfolk are adaptable to a wide range of environments and social structures. Merfolk may select any three skills, tools, or languages to become proficient in.
Amphibious. You can breath both air and water.
Languages. You speak, read and write Aquan as well as one other language (typically Common)