Fantasy
Chultan Armors
Scuta Leather Armor
Best leather armor comes from Chult. Because dinosaurs!
- 135 gp
- Armor class: 13 + dex modifier
- Weight: 17 lb
Zorbo Hide Armor
The bad-tempered Koala-like Zorbo possesses the peculiar ability to transform his skin into whatever he’s standing on. Some clever leatherworker have figured out a way to craft an armor that keeps this amazing power.
- As leather armor but if you attach (bonus action) a special pin (comes with armor) it transforms into a (metal) breastplate.
- 600 gp
- you can buy an adamantine pin for 300 gp more (protection vs critical hits)
- Weight: 10 lb
Ankylo Breastplate
Astutely assembled from ridges, crests and bone-plates, this heavy apparel has the distinct advantage of being a lot less heat-inducing than its metal equivalent.
- 350 gp
And here’s something interesting: https://nhm.org/alternative-armor
Robin Hobb’s Elderlings are Dragonborns well done
I recently read the amazing Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb and one thing that leapt to my mind is how much more interesting the Elderlings are compared to D&D Dragonborns.
In my actual (Chult) campaign, to contrast with my human-centric previous one, I’ve let the players choose any character race, « even the dumb ones » I said. I was kind of relieved when none of them chose to play a Dragonborn as, for me, this race is certainly one of the dumbest fantasy race out there.
Shaped by draconic gods or the dragons themselves, dragonborn originally hatched from dragon eggs as a unique race, combining the best attributes of dragons and humanoids.
A cop-out if there ever was. At least there’s no sexually deviant dragons copulating with puny humanoids, oh wait, that’s where Half-dragons come from! Sigh…
Dragonlance’s Draconians were not much better (I mean, how much stolen dragon eggs you need to make whole armies?!) but at least they replaced the overly used orcs.
Now, what about Hobb’s Elderlings?
They were ancient humans that pretty much lived side by side in a symbiotic society with dragons. Because of their proximity with these powerful beings’ essence and the occasional use of special rituals, they have acquired variable degrees of draconic traits: scaling, greater height, bright eyes, longevity and so forth. The culture of the Elderlings, what few glimpses we have of it, is also quite intriguing. All in all, much more convincing origins…
Magic Items – Chult
Homebrewed magic items for my Ruins of Chult setting:
Amulet of Power
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
Choose a spell you know, when you cast this spell you cast it at one higher spell slot than the one you spend. You can change the spell only after a long rest.
Headrest of Tranquility
Wondrous item, uncommon
Using the Headrest of Tranquility while you sleep, you can recover from one additional level of exhaustion with a long rest. Additionally, you are immune to the Dream spell until next dawn.
Ivory Armband of Ferocity
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
When you hit with a melee attack, you inflict +1 damage
Ivory Cup of Purity
Wondrous item, common
Anything you drink with the Ivory Cup of Purity is under the effect of a Purify food and drink.
Matteba Leaf Garment
Wondrous Item, uncommon (requires attunement)
This garment is the Chult equivalent of a Cloak of Elvenkind.
Sahuagin Shark Tooth Sword
Weapon (any sword that deals slashing damage), uncommon
When you attack a creature with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, that target takes an extra 7 slashing damage.
Velociraptor Feather Cloak
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
While wearing this cloak, you add 5′ to your base speed.
Mask of the Oracle
Carved from the mythic Gboga Tree.
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
While wearing this mask, you can use an action to cast the scrying spell. You can’t use this mask’s ability again until next dawn.
Ikakalaka Sword +1
Weapon (short or longsword), uncommon
Bonehead Helmet
Wondrous Item (requires attunement)
While wearing this helmet, you cannot be stunned. Additionnally, you have advantage on your check when you attempt to shove a creature.
Wand of the Su-Monster
Wand, rare (requires attunement)
The wand has 7 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 charge to inflict 5d6 psychic damage on 1 target, 30′ range, stunned for 1 round (Wisdom saving throw DC 15).
The wand regains 1d6+1 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the wand’s last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into ash and is destroyed.
Shotel Sword +1
Weapon (scimitar), uncommon
A shotel sword can bypass an opponent’s shield (ignore AC from shield).
Mu-Ngyengyue Bracelet
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
While wearing this bracelet, you have advantage on saving throw to resist entangle and ensnaring strike spells
Ubtao’s Maze Earrings
Wondrous Item, rare (requires attunement)
While wearing the maze earrings, you have advantage on Intelligence (Religion) skill checks.
Want more? Magic Items – Chult II!
Exotic Chult
Here’s a few random things (from real life) to spice up a Chult campaign:
Shell Money
Padawakang boat
Shrine/Ancestor Statue
Music: mbira (thumb piano)
Music: zither
Scarification
Tree house
A note on Jungle Dwarves
I’m going against the Tomb of Annihilation lore, again.
The only Jungle/Albino Dwarf NPC in ToA is Musharib, a guide who will forgo his pay if the PCs help him reclaim the dwarven forge of Hrakhamar.
A forge.
I mean, come on Musharib, what will you do with the damn place? That’s not who you are anymore!
Here we have Dwarves radically different than the usual tolkienesque cliché. What’s the point to sorta get them back on track? That’s lame. In my campaign, the Albino Dwarves don’t want anything to do with their (distant) past. Indeed, it’s taboo for them.
The Earth Shook and Spat Fire
The ancient way of life led to apocalyptic disaster (many generations ago). Better forget about it. And better make sure nobody sneak around and mess with the sites and artefacts of the ancient ones!
So yeah, the PCs will have to deal with that particular prejudice…
Also, in my campaign, there’s no wild dwarves or gold dwarves (as per 2e lore), just albino dwarves (and foreign typical dwarves).
Session 6 – To Catch a Stirge
Back to the adventure… Who wants to fight pirates?!
Characters (Seven Associates) (Well, five actually O_o)
- Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
- Varis, Drow Elf Rogue (Thief), Far traveller; exiled scion of a noble family on the losing side of a feud
- Lucky, Half-Elf Cleric of Tymora (Trickery), Street Urchin; the lowly will be exalted
- Shin, Tabaxi Fighter (Arcane Archer), Outlander; big-game hunter, has no patience for weakness
- Pocor, Human Druid (Circle of Spores), Outlander; member of Chultan Diaspora, returned to his roots, literally
Against the Pirates
Both Zhanti and her son Shago had a strong interest in defeating the pirates that scourged the Savage Seas around Port Nyanzaru which after all, you have to remember is a MARITIME city. They had a plan to inflict a first blow to the pirates and, of course, it involved using the Seven Associates. The PCs would accompany a selected force on board of a seemingly vulnerable merchant ship.
Hidden in the cargo hold, they waited for the pirates to find them, cramped quarters being the main foe in the meantime.
Goals
- Capture at least a few pirates
- Capture the Captain
- Capture the pirate ship
Capturing a Stirge
The pirates did showed up (how boring would it have been otherwise!). The pirate ship had a kind of giant mosquito on its flag revealing that they were prey to The Stirge!
The false merchant ship did try a token escape tentative so it wouldn’t look too suspicious. The pirates boarded as the crew on deck seemingly surrendered. Half a dozen pirates were sent below to take a look on the merchandises. But the Cleric of Tymora had prepared a nice trick for them: a Zone of silence, so that when the hidden ambushers jumped on the surprised pirates it did not alert their comrades above. Next, the pirates’ second in command, a burly Orc, went below to see what the heck took so long. He had time to swing his large cleaver at Flyzus once, wounding the Wood Elf, before he was cut down too.
The already suspicious pirate captain, still oblivious to what happened, decided then to listen to his instincts and called a retreat, dashing back to his own ship. The PCs and their allies rushed out at once, throwing more grappling hooks as simultaneously the pirates tried to cut free. Two planks were still in place and fierce fighting ensued. The pirates were now outnumbered but a priest of Umberlee amongst them managed to summon a water elemental in the hope of turning the tide (!).
With the Tabaxi firing arrows after arrows from the crow’s nest and the battle for the planks going in favor of his opponents, despite the water elemental wreaking havoc, the pirate captain decided to surrender.
As for the priest of Umberlee, he jumped into the water, disappearing under the waves, never to be seen again. No, really, he won’t be seen again. I’m telling you!
DM’s notes
- The Stirge and its crew comes from ToA
- The PCs found some valuables, including an old Omuan tapestry, a first inkling of things to come
- reward: 2000 gp or a first payment if the PCs want to keep the ship
Session 5 – Tournament of Liberation Day
Ditching the Death Curse of ToA gives me, and the players, time to do as we please. The downside, maybe, is the possibility to, huh, not advance anything at all, as this session demonstrates…
Characters
- Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
- Varis, Drow Elf Rogue (Thief), Far traveller; exiled scion of a noble family on the losing side of a feud
- Lucky, Half-Elf Cleric of Tymora (Trickery), Street Urchin; the lowly will be exalted
- Phileas, Half-Elf Bard (College of Swords), Archeologist; “it’s not tomb-robbing if you do it respectfully”
- Shin, Tabaxi Fighter (Arcane Archer), Outlander; big-game hunter, has no patience for weakness
- Pocor, Human Druid (Circle of Spores), Outlander; member of Chultan Diaspora, returned to his roots, literally
- Corpos, High Elf Wizard, Archeologist; antiquary, strange fixation on the undead
Also, show me something like a Grand Coliseum as a location, and of course I will want to stage battles in it!
I offered the players a 8 teams Gladiatorial Tournament. The way I planned it, I told them that as first time participants (low-level characters) they really had not much chances to win this. The point would be to go as far as they could in the competition.
The teams:
- The Seven Associates (PCs) (strength ?): newcomers, have done a couple of prelims combats in the past two weeks
And the other teams, roughly in order of strength:
- Disciples of Kossuth (+0): cultists dedicated to Everburning Kossuth – forced to fight
- Flaming Fist (+2): mercenaries based at Fort Beluarian – here for the money
- Sons of Malar (+4): local gang of thugs – here for the fame
- Resilient Ferns (+5): Jungle Dwarves in town for the event only – here for the thrill
- Gnoll Marauders (+6): evil, mangly typical gnolls – here for the blood
- Claws of Destiny (+10): Tabaxi monks – here to test their skills
- Liberators (+16): All-Stars Team of Chultans – here to win
Quarter Finals
The teams were randomly picked for the quarter finals as follows:
Block 1:
- Seven Associates (PCs) vs Gnoll Marauders
- Disciples of Kossuth vs Resilient Ferns
Block 2:
- Flaming Fist vs Liberators
- Sons of Malar vs Claws of Destiny
Seven Associates vs Gnoll Marauders
The Maurauders: 3 gnolls (2 with longbows), 2 gnoll whiterlings, 1 Dire Hyena, 1 Pack Lord.
A well placed entangle spell from Pocor ensured that the 7As had time to make the most of their ranged firepower: arrows and spells bombarded the Gnolls. Shin’s explosive arcane shot in particular proved very lethal. Unfortunately, he missed his second shot. The two gnoll archers tried to retaliate but weren’t very successful. The Whitherlings were blasted to bits before they even reached the middle of the Arena. The Dire Hyena moved fast but only managed to get itself impaled on Pocor’s waiting spear.
The confidence of the PCs was understandably high at this point but it was soon to be shaken as the Pack Lord and another Gnoll reached their side of the Arena and rampaged through their ranks, felling three of them in no time.
Judicious use of healing – Pocor, Phileas and Lucky all had such magic at their disposal, ultimately made them prevail, but not without a bit of luck.
Rewards: 50 gp and an Ikakalaka +1 sword
Semifinals
Block 1: Seven Associates vs Resilient Ferns
Block 2: Liberators vs Claws of Destiny
Seven Associates vs Resilient Ferns
Resilient Ferns: 1 Girallon, 1 Albino Dwarf Druid, 5 Albino Dwarves Warriors (two with a barkskin spell effect on, one with a triflower strapped to his back).
The opening round was much like the previous fight with the 7As peppering their opponents with arrows and spells while the Jungle Dwarves dashed forward to get in melee quickly. Three RFs were slowed by a grease spell from Corpos. The Girallon (with its aggressive feature) got to the other side of the arena and pummelled Flyzus the very first round. The Wood Elf then retaliated with two sword slashes that inflicted heavy damage (one critical hit). Phileas then played a mind trick on the beast with a dissonant whisper, that made it flee. Flyzus killed it with a sword stab in the back.
The Jungle Dwarves joined the fun and soon everyone, except Shin who, again, had climbed up a spike on the wall, was in a confusing brawl. Varis got into deep trouble when the triflower covered him in corrosive sap AND poisoned him with its grappling pistil. Meanwhile, Lucky’ scale mail offered good protection against the wooden clubs of the jungle dwarves but that made him the target of the druid’s heat metal spell that nearly did him.
Phileas’ quick thinking saved the life of Varis as he correctly guessed that pouring water would wash away the corrosive sap. He even asked the assistance of the spectators to shower the poor Drow with, well, anything they had!
Flyzus slashed and stabbed, right and left, very efficiently. The triflower was dispatched with a firebolt and an arrow. The Seven Associates yet again managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!
rewards: 100 gp each and a ankylosaurus breastplate
Final
Seven Associates vs Liberators
Liberators: 7 gladiators (4 with added quirks)
It was already surprising that the newcomers had managed to get to the final. An impressive feat indeed, but they were clearly not in the same league with the local favorites and long time gladiators: the Liberators. The best of the best of the Grand Coliseum assembled in one team for the Tournament of Liberation Day.
The Seven Associates did all they could but predictably, they could not avoid defeat. Between Sukomo the Fragrant and his unnaturally good scent, Wèwè the Killer, a ferociuous woman who didn’t seem to feel pain, Mkongu Lightfooted, faster than even a Wood Elf, Skanga the Ripper and his many shongo throwing knives and the other fearsome gladiators, there weren’t any way to win for the less experienced team.
Nonetheless, the Seven Associates gained valuable combat experience and a challenge for later.
DM notes:
- Before the session, Corpos’ Player asked to change his rock gnome to high elf, he read somewhere that gnomes are silly, duh…
- Corpos’ Player finds the 5E grease spell underwhelming and changed it for cause fear.
- This session was pure, undiluted, tactical combat. It did help us get used with combat options that we had skipped, somehow, in the previous campaign.
- I was a bit creative with the Resilient Ferns, with the girallon and triflower added to the jungle dwarves and it was a great fight!
Session 4 – Extraction in Malar’s Throat
I was more than happy to make a special session to my friend and his son who managed to be there again, despite the distance (300+ miles!).
After a bit of survey of Flyzus’ new abilities (young Félix is fairly new to D&D after all), I had them choose a side quest among some they could hope to achieve with only the two of them.
Characters
- Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
- Varis, Drow Rogue (scout), Far traveller; exiled scion of a noble family on the losing side of a feud
Rescue Mission
They opted for an extraction mission given by Captain Soshen (with the backing of City Councilor Ekene-Afa). They had to bring back an informant whose task had been to spy on underworld boss Jobal’s activities. The informant had been captured by the Bridgerunners (a gang of thugs in Malar’s Throat). Unfortunately for the adventuring Drow, who would have liked to do it at night, time was of the essence as they were informed that it was quite possible that the gang would soon give over their captive to the fiercer Sons of Malar.
They had basically two ways to get to the thugs’ den on the cliff side. The first was by simply crossing the suspended bridge but that would surely get the attention of the thugs. The second was by climbing down on the west side of the canyon to get on the precarious ledge beside the wooden shack. They choose the latter and managed to accomplish the feat without being seen. The two Elves then waited for the right time and it came when the thugs got together to eat a meal, leaving the target tied upside down nearby.
The PCs quickly seized their chance, approached the prisonner with discretion, untied him and made a diversion with a good ol’fashionned oil fire. They killed two thugs efficiently. The swiftness of it meant that they had time to flee before more Bridgerunners could do anything about it.
They escaped by exiting Malar’s Throat at the edge of the city.
The Old Man’s Pet
A little Arena fun was now in order to call it a night.
They had to defeat an innocuous looking old man holding a cloth covered cage. The fight was on and the old man let go of his caged pet: a cockatrice! Varis got bit once and shook off in extremis the incoming petrification. A few sword slashes sufficed to slay the small beast, despite its master doing his best to heal it with magic in the fight.
Streets & Spores 