Author: B.A. Tosczak

Sometimes a Dungeon Master makes changes to the creatures encountered, adjusting to make them more challenging or nerfing them to be dangerous but not unfair.

The Shrine of Shadows pt. 2

• As the final chains break loose and the sacred flames are snuffed, something ancient and undying smashes it’s way out of the coffin, a voice of menace calls out “KNEEL BEFORE MOMBAS THE UNDYING OR RISE AS HIS SERVENTS!”
• Even as the last of the cultist and the fearsome Bone Dragon are brought down, with a word, “RISE!”, the dead bodies jerk once more in a mockery of life, crude puppets reanimated into Undead Minions to attack the Party while Mombas attempts to tear himself free of the chains and escape his prison once more.

Downtime in Evergreen – A Brand New Level 3

• Once more the Party returns to Evergreen, selling and restocking their spent resources.
• Time is spent with the Players reviewing what new features have been unlocked at level three and ponder how they will specialize with a Feat and a Sub-Class.
• A couple of Dungeon Campers decide to try running their own dungeon while other Players learn about how the family of Gary Gygax shaped the names of spells and the names used in the series Stranger Things.

The Shrine of Shadows pt. 2

• A pile of bones animates into Skeleton Warriors and a Bone Knight.
• Entering into the derelict Shrine of the Twelve, carefully stepping over the rotting pews, the Party discovers that there are too many statues in the hall. Four of these Stone Angels spring into action, their claws slowly petrifying their victims.
• In the failing light, the Party manages to rest for the night, protected behind the walls of the sturdiest of towers.
• Come the morning, the party continues their search, finding a Moon Beast from another world in one of the towers, a magically locked box needing a minor miracle to open, a secret door beneath the alter of the shrine, and a frightened half orc healer by the name of Malthus. Malthus agrees to help heal the wounded of the Party in gratitude for his rescue (he had blocked himself in one of the towers to escape the undead, the lone survivor of his party of pilgrims seeking to restore this abandoned shrine).
• Following the stone stairs beneath the alter, deep beneath the shrine, the Party arrive to find chanting cultists attempting to snuff the sacred flames keeping a chained coffin in check and whatever is in it from escaping. More concerning is the Bone Dragon preparing to attack the Party …

Being part of a party means making working together, deciding how to share the rewards, and making the hard choices of splitting up or sticking together.

The Fortress of Wrought Iron pt.2

• The Party accidentally activate an Animated Statue of a dwarven king, but triumph.
• A secret door reveals the diary of the prince and his turning to a devotee of ‘Zardoz the Cruel’.
• A second secret door leads the Party to confront the necromancer Lady Nightshade and her fire-hardened Twisted Minions. She cackles in delight as the Party rebukes her invitation to serve the mighty Zardoz and commands her Minions to attack.
• The Party narrowly defeats Lady Nightshade but Sir Darwin has fallen into the Collapsed Room and into the writhing tentacles of the Thing in the Pit.
• Dispatching the Thing in the Pit, the Party rescue caged prisoners but fail to recognize the brainwashed prince among the cultists, cutting him down with the other robed figures.

Downtime in Evergreen

• The Party Levels up to Level 2 and learn more about their abilities.
• The Party travels to the village of Evergreen, selling loot and buying supplies before once more travelling – following the Mysterious Map carried by Lady Nightshade.

The Shrine of Shadows pt.1

• The Party follows the Mysterious Map through the Midnight Forest, in the final hours of the day finding a ruined keep. They begin to explore, testing the gate, walls, and towers to find their way inside …

What’s Dungeons & Dragons about and how do you make a character?

The Fortress of Wrought Iron pt. 1

• Accepting a quest from the Crown, the Party travels to the ruins of a dwarven fortress in the Iron Peaks in search of an abducted Prince.
• Beset upon by Vicious Dogs and Wicked Guards, the Party breaches the front gate and begin exploring the Fortress …

The Campaign

• Monday – Session Zero to Hero
• Tuesday – Looking for Trouble
• Wednesday – Leveled Up for Action
• Thursday – Making Adventures
• Friday – The Final Showdown

The Party

• Wendys: Half Elf Fighter
• James the Butler: Elf Cleric
• Cassandra Starshield: Human Paladin
• Sir Darwin: Dragonborn Ranger
• Gage: Human Wizard
• Thokk: Human Wizard
• Coolboy: Human Rogue

The House Rules

Every gaming table has it’s own house rules to help enhance the experience. Many were tried out, these are the ones that we decided to keep.

• We’re mostly using the D&D 5E (2014) as per the free Standard Reference Document, with some exceptions as noted.
• No Evil alignments – the theme is heroic, not grimdark.
• Spells are taken from the D&D 5.5E (2024) as they fixed some of the problem spells from the 2014 and we had an app to print them off.
• Initiative starts with the highest roll, then go clockwise around the table. The DM’s turn in initiative will move from table to table for each new encounter so that the enemy doesn’t always follow the same player.
• Healing potions and healing spells are at maximum effect when done out of combat. Otherwise, they will be rolled as per normal.
• Players will start with an Inspiration token in the morning and again after lunch. Inspiration is good for a reroll of any dice roll, including that of the DM or another player.
• Though we will be tracking experience, levelling will be done by milestones after each chapter in the adventure.
• When levelling up, rolled hit points will be a minimum of half the die value (i.e. d6 has a minimum of 3, d8 has a minimum of 4, etc.).
• Natural 1’s are an automatic miss but with no other penalty.
• Fail Dice Option: If you fail on a d20 check (attack roll, saving through, skill check), you get a d6. That d6 may be added to any other roll including attack rolls, damage rolls, and healing rolls. You may roll them one at a time after you see the result of your initial roll. You may have up to 3 fail dice.
• Paladin: Lay on Hands is a bonus action.
• Rogue: Steady Aim (bonus action) to gain advantage on an attack roll, but no movement allowed for this turn (from Tasha’s Guide to Everything)