PaganMegan Posted July 4, 2019 Author Share Posted July 4, 2019 8 minutes ago, Balgin Stondraeg said: Like a crude and hastily erected nidstang? Exactly like a cursing pole. Seeding fear and doubt, harvesting blood and strife. Bugbears are not nice people. Ogres are devourers, killing all in a farm, leaving nought but cracked bones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 We just got some minis in the mail that may change my plans for the curse poles. Kind of shambling mound things. With horse skull heads. I will probably just reskin shambling mounds, make them something created but not controlled by the bugbear witches and druids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 So, Grump gave me a map for Mimir's Well. I had no plans for it, but suddenly hsd an idea for a mashup - one that relies on the players having meta game knowledge. Grumsh=Odin. The orcs are worshipping the god of madmen, murderers, poets, and berserkers under a different name. But the name the PCs will hear the orcs use is Grumsh, not Odin. it will only click later, if the players realize that Grumsh and Odin are one and the same. I LOVE American Gods! Book AND TV series! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 (edited) I am starting with the Thing, I think, when King Olaf Lacksilver banishes them, until the payment of 100 pounds of gold is made. I may go back further, and give Grump, Jon, and Julie a really GOOD reason reason to murder the hell out of his son. Grump's character has daughters, Jon and Julie's characters are married, and Nils Olafsen was just the sort to demand a night with a sworn man's wife or daughter. I may have to draw lots for who gets to slaughter him and his shield bearers. Maybe something like the "accidental" death of William Rufus. Accident my BEEP! Accidentally shot A DOZEN TIMES?!! I have my doubts. Quote I say to the gods, and the sons of the gods, those things that whet my thoughts. By the well of the world, there is none with the might to bend me to his will! Loki was a mean drunk. The events that lead to Ragnarock start with Loki getting drunk, and murdering the wrong people. Edited July 10, 2019 by PaganMegan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balgin Stondraeg Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 15 hours ago, PaganMegan said: I am starting with the Thing, I think, when King Olaf Lacksilver banishes them, until the payment of 100 pounds of gold is made. Vikings actually valued silver above gold because they preferred the way it looked. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 Yeah, but modern players don't know from hack silver. I have found a use for the Mimir's Well map. The magic version of poisoning the waterhole. It is the key for removing the curse. Guarded by monsters that don't consider it a curse. Including the elves that created the curse in the first place, and became the drow. Removing the curse won't affect the people already changed, just their yet to be conceived children. Infanticide will be a real problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattnuke Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 From a historical stand point, keep the orcs, but file off the serial numbers and treat them as having different amounts of troll blood. I just watched an interesting video that discusses how real world myth ties into the newest ‘God of War’ game. It’s probably worth the view. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-4PEuM_OEK4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 No. Trolls and trollkin are trolls and trollkin. They exist, and are called trolls. Orcs are curse changed humans for this. I am kind of tired of suggestions of not-orcs. They. Are. Orcs. And Orc is not just from Tolkein, it's Old English for ogres, goblins, or sea monsters. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 I am pretty sure that no matter what I call them, the players will call them orcs anyway. I think my base giants may be thursir. But they are to the north, maybe month 3? 4? Into the kingdom warfare stage, anyway. Orcs will be pushed north by the PCs, and the thursir - empire builders themselves - will take exception. I may steal Grump's hill giants throwing big hardened balls of dung, both dried and squishy. Hill hiants are a good stand in for catapults. Hill giants leaning toward chaotic evil only in the Strongest Is Boss way. A few are downright civilized, and BUILDERS. Need a BIG wall? Hire a hill giant. I am putting in a small civilized hill giant kingdom, PCs can fight them or trade with them. But outcasts from the hill giant kingdom are a menace to everyone. If trade ensues the holl giant kingdom will be a good ally against the thursir. Ettins are one of the things the curse can do to giants.Fomorians are another. Ettins from hill giants, fomorians from thursir. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iix5MdZiNQg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 20, 2019 Author Share Posted July 20, 2019 Got a couple of maps that I can see a few uses for. The first is a ruined and abandoned village. The second is that same ruined village, fortified and occupied. Maybe let the party find the village, then have them find it again a few months later, after orcs move in. The other is the party finds the ruined village early on, and fortify it themselves against orc raids. I have an idea on the big female fire giant model Grump has. An emissary, possible trade partner with the fire giants - IF the PCs don't mistake her as a raider. Frost giants ARE raiders, but don't show up until winter. I need a frost giant winter druid mini. Well, and one frost giant ranger that is just sort of THERE. If you aren't a caribou, she's not interested. I have her back story, she HATES one of the frost giant steadings. And they want her for what they call murder and she calls self defense. A frost giant necromancer has a spot as well, blame the frozen undead in GoT. He is another loner, on the I Hate Everybody side of chaotic evil. He is terrorizing a civilized hill giant tribe. I need lesser Winter foes as well. That chapter has the working title Cannibal Winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 I just took Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands for the first settlent and dungeon in one. Once they cleanse it and repair it they will have a nice keep, and some of the money to get started. Too bad about the undead in the basement. Bugbears might be what the Curse does to goblins, but nowhere near as often as what happens to humans and elves. Bugbears tear themselves out of their mother's womb, and can survive on their own at birth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 27, 2019 Author Share Posted July 27, 2019 (edited) Reading the AD&D 2e Vikings historic supplement. Why didn't Wizards make the historic supplements for 3e? Definitely worth doing. Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands starts with the players arriving while the local bandits are warring on the local goblins. The bandits have a morale problem, and some desert even as the PCs are in the area. One even takes his dog with him. Neither the bandits nor the goblins have infinite supplies or people. The goblins are also justifiably terrified by their own chieftain. Now add the players. Not a lot of information about the area around the keep, which works for me. The keep is on a wooded bluff, the woods will need clearing if my group wants to use it as a fort. One of the towers is held by the bandits, and the goblins are below the donjon. Three dungeon levels below the keep, so it all needs clearing to hold. Undead in the basement, and the goblins have a nasty little kingdom for themselves. A small section with images that I think come from stock art collections, not made for this adventure. I think I want the woods to be around fifty years old, reclaiming the older settlement. Tangled new growth, lots of thorns and blackberries. Player characters so far Grump - paladin Jon - bloodrager - a barbarian/sorcerer hybrid Julie - witch Duncan - skald - a barbarian/bard hybrid. Dennis the younger - ranger/scout. He wants a half orc, so I may make him a local. No clerics, and only one tin can. No real blasty mages, Julie is going to be their main caster. DtY is starting with ranger, but will be doubling as their rogue. So no lockpicking at 1st level. I may ask him to swap to rogue for 1st level, they need lockpicking. Edited July 27, 2019 by PaganMegan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balgin Stondraeg Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 23 hours ago, PaganMegan said: Why didn't Wizards make the historic supplements for 3e? Definitely worth doing. 3rd ed was all about pushing Greyhawk (the 1st edition setting that they'd ignored during 2nd editon because they thought Forgotten Realms their single worst setting ever apart from Spelljammer was the only setting anyone would want to play in during the 2nd ed years). When 3rd ed came out WOTC were all about shoving Greyhawk down everyone's throats (their re-imagined Dragonpunk version of Greyhawk) and anything else like Ravenloft got shuffled off and licensed out to third party companies who basically didn't support the other settings enough or ignored them entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganMegan Posted July 29, 2019 Author Share Posted July 29, 2019 Gygax took Greyhawk with him when he gout ousted by the Blumes, I think. I know TSR tried to kill Greyhawk with delibrately bad releases. Castle Greyhawk turned it into a pun filled joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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