3/10/24 – Alright, forreal this time, we’re back to our weekly newsletter. Trent and I have spent a lot of time talking about our next project and while initially it was going to be another one shot, we’re thinking much bigger. We’ll have more details soon, but it’s going to be exciting once revealed.
How’s that for vague, eh? Anyway, here are some creators, DnD highlights, and encounters to take a look at for your upcoming sessions. Also a reminder to set your clocks forward to anyone who observes.
Reminder, we’ve opened up commissions on Ko-Fi for those of you looking for custom encounters that fit your table or upcoming event, more details here. Great for bachelor(ette) parties, bonus podcast content, or even online games!
DnD Creator Spotlight
DM Resource: This week has been all about gathering inspiration and we’d be remiss if we didn’t add Might of Merchants to that list. A unique map-making tool, Might of Merchants has Canvas of Kings, a Steam “game” with a wonderful style. Listed as “a minimalistic mapmaking tool that focuses on randomness and auto-generated elements on user-definable and interactive paths and plots,” it’s definitely worth a look if you want to add depth and flavor to your world-building.
Artist: Fernando Salvaterra, an ENnie-nominated TTRPG illustrator and map maker. His style and use of hexagons to encapsulate landscapes has been a big inspiration over the last week and he’s also got some great maps as well! Isometric and standard battlemaps, we really like what Fernando is doing. Check him out (especially his 2023 mega dungeon)!
More Resources:
- A thread from Craig of Inspiration on Splitting Up The Party
- We’ve not had a chance to kick the tires here yet, but I asked about keeping track of sidequests this week and was directed to Goblin’s Notebook. Worth a look for any DMs out there looking for better organization!
- The Spider Queen, a free one-page dungeon adventure for Levels 3-4 from Sahaak Games.
- I’m always looking for ways to spice up taverns with different gambling games and came across Assassins this week. Haven’t tried it yet, but looks promising.
- Extremely interesting Reddit thread on “What DM Taboos do you break?”
- Deep dive into Arcane Hand/Bigby’s Hand RAW, History and Uses.
Have other creators we should feature? Let us know
Free NPCs
We’ve been posting a ton of NPC names over on Threads every weekend, so be sure to give a follow there if you’re not already.
- Bog – A human male bandit who was taken is as a boy when a firewood cutting incident in the Dreadwood went sideways. After accidentally chopping down an Awakened Tree, the forest grew angry and a group of Treants began to attack him. A bandit leader named Miss Sonya was nearby and fended off the Treants, saving Bog. He has been with the bandit group ever since.
- Darius Grucker – Lawful Good Male Half-Orc and local wheelwright, specializing in wooden wagon wheels. While his boss Hootie is off on fishing ventures, Darius takes over the shop and ensures customers get exactly what they are looking for. He is not great at haggling and gets confused when deals become too complex, but he means well.
This Week’s Encounters
- Dohwar The Explohrar – Dohwar the Explohrar is a famed Dohwar adventurer who, with her trusty map, spends her days locating rare and exotic treasures from around the realm. Recently, her backpack of holding, which is also charmed to speak its contents in a sing-songy way, was stolen.
- Four Borks and Seven Dog Years Ago (Levels 4-7) – The party enters a town where local voters have just elected a blink dog named Abraham Blinkin as their new mayor. He can’t speak, but recently he has been popping out of existence momentarily in meetings, returning with decrees and mandates on strange parchment, including some recently disturbing requests. Can the party assist?
- Thomas the Thank Engine – Local merchants have invested in mechanical “greeters” to stand outside their shops. These constructs, called Thomas the Thank Engines, are very friendly, wishing customers well, thanking them for their patronage, and encouraging them to come back again soon. But something has gone awry.
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