Thor's Day Hero: Bruenor Battlehammer

Dwarves were always just that, Dwarves. Another race in the Player's Handbook; they had beards and preferred axes, and got some kind of underground direction sense or something. I was never really intrigued by their entry enough to want to play one. Then I read Salvatore's The Crystal Shard in 1988, and I suddenly loved Dwarves.

One of the main characters, one of the "Heroes of the Hall", was a Dwarf named Bruenor Battlehammer. There wasn't a whole lot of D&D Dwarf fiction out there (other than proto-Tolkien), so Bruenor wasn't anything fresh and innovative, he was pretty much your stereotypical Dwarf. But he was a well-written stereotypical Dwarf, as were his Dwarf peers, and for that I was hooked. Salvatore has gone on to write a lot of books, and his Dwarves don't ever disappoint. I'm getting a wee tired of reading about the goth/emo Dark Elf Drizzt, but Bruenor and his Dwarven cousins are still a lot of fun to read about.

Bruenor's the reason I lean to the Dwarf race nowadays when rolling up new characters and the like. He's a man's Dwarf, tough as the stone he carved an empire out of with a wit as sharp as his axe. He loves beer and is a loyal friend to the end. That's reason enough alone to make him a Thor's Day Hero.

Tuesday Art Leftovers: Loincloths and Greyscales

It's a bit worrisome that I'm posting a "backup" art post two weeks in a row!  Well, on with it!  First up is an idea I had for a superhero campaign, given the age it was probably Champions 2nd edition.  It was a take on the "toy master" villain, but instead of having a horde of evil toys he had one, kind of like a powerful sidekick.  This pint-sized grim reaper-type is the result.  Flames added for hot rod coolness.

This next one really is a leftover and it's only for posterity that I include it here.  I figure if I'm going to to include them, I'll include them all since I bothered to scan this one a dozen years or so ago anyway.  So, he's a swordsman, no big deal.  I was trying something new and he was done mostly in just focused ink washes.

Finally we have one of those pieces you draw because of inspiration directly from a gaming session.  In our very longstanding Forgotten Realms campaign we came upon a portal we had to navigate but it was at the bottom of the ocean.  We acquired a bunch of water-breathing potions, poured 'em into tankards, had a toast, and were off.  In the back you've got three different Elves (Sun, Wood, and Moon in that order) and up front was a barbarian Halfling and a Gold Dwarf (sans loincloth).

LEGO Thursday: Jungle-Based Adventurers

At one point our Forgotten Realms party had to go down the the Jungles of Chult, south of Calimshan. I forget exactly what was going on, but we knew our characters would be there for a while so I decided to whip up new bases for the party. Obviously these are supposed to be dense and lush with jungle-like vegetation. We also had a quickly growing collection of wizard familiars and winged animal companions, and everyone insisted on actually using them too! To accommodate for all the birds I made little tree-stands too.


Halfling wizard with proxy-owl


"big, dang" Elf in third party plate armor


Mulhorandi cleric


Gnome Wizard/Thief with raven


Human druid with eagle

LEGO Thursday: Adventurers Redux

In this episode we see the same Forgotten Realms party from the previous week, only with a few minor tweaks and changes right before the first game of the campaign launched.

The same order applies actually, the Human cleric became a Halfling mage (far left). The Half-Orc fighter became a Human cleric (since we just lost one) from the Eqyptian-styled lands of the Realms. He pays homage to the Mulhorandi pantheon of gods and is an ambassador from those lands. A much better character concept than the Half-Orc beat-stick!


The Gnome thief (center) got a costume change, as did the Elf fighter (with gray hair), and the Human druid on the far right underwent a gender switch!

LEGO Thursday: Adventurers

It's not even an issue really, but when we play a roleplaying game, we tend to play it long term. A short-lived campaign is as sad as, well, something really sad.

What this means for you however is that you're going to witness many incarnations of sometimes the same group of adventurers. Mind you, as the campaign develops new players show up, old players leave and so forth. Sometimes a character dies, or is just retired too.

Building off of (ha, no pun intended) all of our Forgotten Realms action is this party, the first party of that long campaign actually. As you can see, some of the characters made it for a while, while others are nothing more than an interesting footnote.


From left to right; a human cleric, a Half-Orc fighter, a Gnome thief, an Elf fighter, and a human druid

Mail Call

Yesterday's mailbox venture yielded more than bills and spam fliers for new roofing contractors, it yielded free geek stuff. Plus the two items cover the two main genres of my gaming world, tabletop minis and roleplaying games.

First up is issue number one of Loviatar, a 'zine dedicated to fleshing out an urban fantasy setting. To boot it's set loosely in the Forgotten Realms for those franchise-inclined but can easily be ported to a homebrew setting. It's also neat because it takes me back twenty years to the indie-published days full of these types of endeavors. Head over there now and get a subscription, you won't be disappointed.

Speaking of places you need to head over to Land War in Asia, this blog never disappoints in the batrep department, beautifully done tables and armies, and a scope of genres across the board. His content is consistently solid and always a good read. Recently Donogh held a reader contest, and I won two excellently painted mounted cavalrymen from Dixon's American Civil War range.

LEGO Thursday: Giant Green Dragon!

A bit of shenanigans during a mid-game break...

LEGO Thursday: More Liberators of Shadowdale

Well here we are with the first of many, many "LEGO Thursdays". No, seriously, I've got them queued up, quite literally, until two days before the new year. For the most part, you'll be seeing RPG stuff and the like, because LEGO figs make the best adventuring parties, hands down, accept no substitutes.

I had to say "more" in the title only because some of these Forgotten Realms heroes have made an appearance here before. Some of the party has stayed the same at this point, just a costume change here and there, and some of the adventurers are later additions as characters retire or die off and new party members sign on.


Plucky Halfling Wizard!


Solemn Human Cleric from Lands Across the Sea!


Dashing Human Druid!


Gnome Inventor and Wizard!


Slinging spells, hurling insults, and throwing monkeys!

The Pirate King

Lockwood's cover for Salvatore's latest Drizzt book

Following up the first book of the Transitions trilogy is the latest "king" titled installment, the Pirate King. Drizzt and company are back at it again, romping to and from, scimitars flashing away. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I don't want to disparage the book, it was actually pretty good, but it is very familiar territory, only the foes change.

The Pirate King felt like it was simplified somewhat, and it also felt it had set out with a very real goal to tie up certain loose ends that had been cropping up over the last few books. It does well, to Salvatore's credit, and by the end of the book, all those little nagging details you've been wondering about for a while are cleaned up.

I was surprised by the amount of time the book lets go by, almost a year, and I was even more surprised by the amount of glossed over space in many of the scenes. Entire books could've been written about some of the side quests mentioned half-heartedly and quickly moved past. For one, and this is no spoiler, Cattie-Brie continues her magical training with the archmage of Silverymoon. A journey to take them "halfway around the world" learning along the way. Literally that was all that's said of it, see ya later Cattie-Brie.

In the beginning of the book, you see most of the hero characters, but soon after the story becomes all about two, and just two; Drizzt and the halfling Regis. This was quite refreshing because there weren't too many characters taking up screen time, and you get a lot more insight and development to the halfling that usual, since he's always dwarfed by the other larger-than-life characters he keeps company with.

The story really only involves the duo because they happen to wander into it, they are heroes, but not the main characters. That role falls on the stalwart Captain Deudormont, who has made appearances in many of the past books. It is a tale of the Captain leading the forces of good to retake the City of Sails, Luskan, from corrupt forces that have exploited their positions of power for too long. The primary adversaries are the wizards belonging to the Arcane Brotherhood led by their Lich master, but there is also complex intrigue as the five pirate high captains who control parts of the city also become involved, manipulating the events along the way. Drizzt and Regis assist Deudormont, but the book really is about him.

I looked up Luskan in my 4e Forgotten Realms Player's Guide, and wow, it's quite the cesspit. I think the book literally said it was "the most miserable place in all of Fåerun". Undead roam the streets, acid rain unleashes mutants on the populace from a floating island. Crime and vice, murder and extortion are the way of life in the streets. A far cry from what Deudormont is trying to achieve. Salvatore does a good job in setting all of this up, these "transitions" from old DnD3.5, to a hundred years later with 4e. You can see the cracks appear, and know ahead of time (thanks to the sourcebook) that Luskan is swirling the drain.

The book isn't out of place, but it feels like it rushed things a tad to squeeze them all in succinctly into a rapidly degrading timeline. 4e's been out for a while, the Spell Plague has ravaged the Realms for sometime, and it feels like these books need to hurry up a catch up with the current fluff. It can't be overly rushed, but some semblance of pace needs to be kept. I feel like that balance isn't quite obtained in this one.

Having said all that, it's not a bad read. There are some very surprising revelations near the end, and the beginning of the books takes care to bring the reader to speed on what's been going on during the downtime. In the middle of the book, Regis and Drizzt take off to attempt to find an old friend lost to the group as well as pay a visit to the place where they first met. I was not a fan of the glaring gaps in the action, and events seemed to be handled too quickly for my taste. I was pleased with all of the characters, both old and new, and their interactions with the surroundings. Drizzt's typical, heavy-handed philosophizing is present, but you get used to it after so many books I guess. Well, there you have it, enjoy!

From the Quill of Eö Starfall

First Kill; Dunbar Brasstwister dispatches a Drow

The odds are beyond reason that we stumbled upon members of Rhystell’s former adventuring party in the Underdark. Their numbers had dwindled immensely, but the reunion was well met, it seems my group and this new one could find gainful allies in one another.

There is a stark contrast between my friend, Dunbar, and this newly met Dwarf, master Torik. Dunbar conducts himself with a solemn, stoic grace, and in combat he uses sound tactics to dismantle his foe. Master Torik is gruff and reckless in combat and uncouth in his mannerisms. However, to see the two fight side-by-side, I note instantly the unspoken bond of Dwarven brotherhood. I cannot fault Torik for his lack of manners given his heart is pure and his arm is strong.

There is an Elf among the new group as well, a Moon Elf with no apparent name. His skill set seems to that of ranged combat, scouting, and stealth, yet he does not outwardly revere nature, thus I’m inclined to assume he is no Ranger. He wears an amulet of an origin I’ve yet to determine, but I’m close. He seems to be the most serious of the group, and given his Elven lineage I can only assume he is the party leader. It is a pleasure to meet a fellow cousin and I look forward to talking with him even more.

Nine is a mystery to me, he is obviously gifted in both the arcane and divine arts, and speaks for the Goddess Mystra herself. He has a childlike countenance however, in both mind and body which betrays the power he could wield at his fingertips if he only applied himself. I fear his kind, the Ghostwise Halflings, are not long for this world, so it is refreshing, yet sad, to see him adventuring as such.

The paths of our two parties are inexorably intertwined, and our goals are mutual, thus this partnership should continue unabated for some time. With the apparent loss of their Cleric, Evoker, and Druid (a heavy blow indeed!), and the loss of my party’s own cleric and monk, perhaps we should extend this partnership beyond the scope of our immediate task at hand. Time will only tell.

The Army of Shadowdale

The liberators of Shadowdale, toppling the Zhentarim network.


Nine, Ghostwise Halfling Mystic Theurge


Rhystell, Wood Elf Fighter


Eö Starfall, Star Elf Bard


Nonamé, Moon Elf Rogue


Meti Kumawatti, Human Cleric of Mulhorand


Thorik, Shield Dwarf Barbarian


Collect all six!

Man, err, Gnome Down! Medic, err, Cleric!

Saturday's 3.5 DnD game started off with a big ole tavern brawl.

So we've been playing Dungeons and Dragons for...ever. I've sat at the table with no less than three guys of our current group on a regular basis since high school (going on nineteen years now). Everyone else I've known just about as long, and have gamed with them in one form or fashion almost as long, just not on the "regular" part. We don't have all the time in the world, but we still manage to get in a game a month and we're currently hammering through the Forgotten Realms Weave-Tearing trilogy.


It's not a bar fight unless the Dwarf Barbarian starts swinging a chair...


The Moon Elf Rogue shows off his amazing tumbleness.


No one expects the Ratinator! Although, we never really fought this guy anyway.


Squaring off against a Beholder in the Underdark.


Zap!

Well, I've already told you all about my character, a major geek faux pas I know. Since you've studied him I'm sure, you'll note those two little six level spells lurking down there at the bottom of his spell list. There's some cool stuff at six level, including the 22d6 damage spell called Disintegrate. Fun stuff, and I was eager to tag the giant floating eyeball of anti-magic death aberration arrayed against us.


Alor 'SPLODES!

Ahh, the ironies in life. Well, Beholders are pretty nasty, and we are an eleventh level party, so it's not like he was serving up cupcakes. Well, the round after I cast Disintegrate, it did the same back at me, to a little bit more devastating effect than I had hoped for, heh. So my character that I've invested a couple of years in 'crafting' died a quick and painless death, but died nonetheless. This vexes me, I'm terribly vexed.

Alor Frus, War Wizard

Frus, my character for our 3.5 Forgotten Realms campaign

Name: Alor Frus
Race: Rock Gnome
Class: Wizard (Evoker) 10, War Wizard of Cormyr 1

Stats:
STR: 13
DEX: 17
CON: 19
INT : 20
WIS: 12
CHA: 13
Armor Class: 19
Saves:
Fortitude save: 9
Reflex save: 6
Will save: 12 (+2 vs. Illusions)

Skills:
Concentration 20, Craft: Alchemy 12, Appraise 14*, Decipher Script 5, Hide 12*, Knowledge: Arcana 19, Knowledge: Waterdeep 7, Knowledge: Planes 18, Listen 4*, Profession: Arcane Instructor 2, Spellcraft 24, Spot 5*, Survival: Planes 5*, Use Magic Device 3*

*cross-class skill

Feats:
Alertness, Discipline, Enlarge Spell, Martial Weapon Proficiency: Gnome Hooked Hammer, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus: Spellcraft, Spell Focus: Evocation, Combat Casting, Widen Spell, Weapon Focus: Quarterstaff

Spells per Day:
0/0/0/0/0/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/2/2/2/2/2/2/3/3/3/3/3/3/4/4/4/4/4/5/5/5/5/6/6/

Items:
Ring of Protection +3, x2 Bags of Holding (small), Heward's Handy Haversack, Visoth's Ring of the Warmage, Staff of Fire, Wand of Aganazzar's Scorcher, Elven Cloak, Raven familiar

Despayr!

In the finale of Cormyr, the Tearing of the Weave, our as of yet unnamed adventuring company stumbled upon the lair of a Shadow Dragon named Despayr. Parlay was not an option, and the fray began. The battle was fairly swift, but admittedly, the psychology rules weren't entirely enforced. It was still a fun battle, and nice to close the first of three chapters in the Weave saga.


A newcomer to the fight, a mysterious Moon Elf with the skills both of a locksmith and the blade skills of an assassin joined the party after being liberated by them.


Yodin, the Human Druid, wild-shaped into a huge bear and attempted to use its weight to ground the dragon for most of the fight.


Alor Frus, Gnome Evoker, stood back and hurled both lightning bolt and fireball. His trusty familiar tactfully stayed as far from the dragon as possible.


Rhystell, the Elven wielder of the Mountain-Killing sword squares off face-to-face with Despayr.






Meti Kumawati, the Human Cleric hailing from Mulhorand, braved the maw of daggers and flash of fangs on the frontlines.


Newcomer Thorvall Nonamé stayed close to the shadows, but lent his bow and blades to the fight.

DnD 4e: Second Look

Technically this is not a second look, maybe a third look...but a lot more in depth. Last month we all got together, and rented a cabin in the mountains and geeked out all weekend for my Master's graduation, it was cool, and come to think of it, I should do a post on it. Anyway, while we were there, of the many games we played, one was a quick run of the new 4e DnD run by our buddy Rucht. It was a cursory look at best, but did illustrate a lot of the new changes going down with the new set. We were a little pushed for time, I would've loved to have played more.

Well, Andy (do I really need to keep putting in links for this guy, it's freakin' Andy!) and I have been trying to get some more gaming lately, but with our core group being pressed for time, we reached out to the Wizards website and found a local RPGA group getting ready for a 4e campaign, Forgotten Realms at that. This week they were running a Forgotten Realms preview adventure, the third one so far, titled Death in the Skyfire Wastes. The action took place in Almraiven, which was cool because my longest stint as a 3rd edition DM in the Realms centered around this very city. Before posting this entry I tried to find a map I had made of it, but couldn't for the life of me; too bad, it was a killer map!

Anyway, it was neat to see, first-hand, finally what had become of the Realms for the new edition and post-Spellplague, officially. Apparently Calimshan, the "Arabian Nights" metropolis of the Realms was ransacked and taken over by the Djinn that had been imprisoned there forever. This is a pretty serious turn of events for the once bustling city of the south. Well, it's neighbor, Almraiven is now besieged by Djinn armies, but it won't fall. Through a series of portals and mythals it maintains minor trade and contact with the outside world. Well, a long lost relic has been uncovered in a desert tomb and if the bad guys get to it first (a pair of nefarious merc Tieflings) the city is doomed, so us heroes are called in to snatch it first.

About the system. It's great, plenty of options and feels more charged or energetic than ever before. I will say this though, when it's time for combat, the game turns into a miniatures tabletop affair, no bones about it. This is a good thing though, combat is not bogged down at all, it is streamlined, fast, and very intuitive. It leaves little room for roleplaying, but it's up to the individual player to interject a little of their own character into their actions. Plus, combat is over quicker, which allows more time for roleplaying anyway.

Combat doesn't get old either, with all of the new abilities (at-will, encounter, and daily) you have a host of things to do that are different every time. No more, "I swing, I hit/miss, rinse, repeat...) you've got 'powers' that do all kinds of cool things; and every character class has them. There is the whole notion of 'roles' in the party, like strikers, controllers, leaders, etc. I'm a bit fuzzy on it, but basically every character has a specific role to play in the party. If you know what that role is, and how to utilize your powers to facilitate said role, then the party functions on a level of efficiency like never seen before. It wasn't just combat either, we entered a whole 'skills challenge' phase too while trekking through the desert. It was kinda like a mini game by itself where we were sort of in combat, but it was all skills related with checks being rolled. It was cool, and just added a nice mechanic that didn't exist before.

The other thing I like is the way they handle magic items now; everyone, they're no longer impossible to obtain at low levels. Mind you, they're not great items, but they do add a little extra something to your character that sets them apart and makes them unique. There's also a great way they do magic item 'levels', basically if you're an 8th level character, you'll probably have an 8th level magic item. This also means you'll have a handful of lower level magic items too, but you won't be uber-powerful, because everything is scaled. A 20th level character isn't sporting an edge because they still have their 3rd level magic weapon.

The new edition sports all kinds of other bells and whistles too, I won't go into too much detail here on them. You've got new races, news classes, new ways to heal yourself for everyone; no longer just divine characters, and all kinds of other things we haven't seen before. It's not a rules update, it's not even a rules overhaul, it's a completely new game built from the ground up.

For the Skyfire Wastes preview adventure, we used pre-generated characters. Andy and I coincidentally ended up as a pair of Dwarven brothers (imagine that). He was a Cleric of Moradin and I was one of the new classes, a Swordmage. It was certainly a fun dynamic in the game, with our two characters having a little extra backstory. I could go on about how the Swordmage class was new and different, but with the new rules even the standard Cleric is "new and different". Did I like it? Yeah, now that I've got a little more 4e under my belt I have certainly "drunk the Kool-aid". In fact I was inspired to whip up a character portrait, which is a rare thing, drawing has been on the backburner for me ever since I went back to school and I haven't got back in the swing of things; I'm certainly out of practice. So here he is, Murtun Ironnblade the Dwarven Swordmage, shown with Surge Armor and a +1 Defending Longsword. Oh yeah, don't you just love pre-gen character names?

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