Synchronized

This is the more modern way to distribute experience points; it is favored by 4e and more recent games. Characters level at the same xp total and each receive an equal cut of combat, skill challenges and such. Although it is not explicit in 4e rules, but it seems like individual awards to specific characters are frowned on. Even characters whose players are not present for the session are assumed to keep up.

This is very convenient for bookkeeping and planning. You don’t need to take into account a level gap when planning encounters. Only one player in the group needs to keep track of the xp total instead of all of them keeping track of their own. It also doesn’t punish players who have to miss an occasional session.

Individual

The more old school way. In the older editions of D&D different classes leveled up at different experience totals, so there was no point in making sure everyone got the same experience total. Even if everyone in the party had 5,500 xp they would still be different levels.

The advantage is this method frees you up to give out individual rewards. A particular player advanced the plot or had a great bit of roleplaying and you can give them an XP reward. You can also reward the players who make out of game contributions like writing an adventure log or an in-character journal. You can also choose if you want to give xp to absent players. On the one hand it rewards the players who are committed to the game, but can discourage players who might want to jump back in. Besides, we all have other obligations sometimes.

It can be more of a pain for the DM. Planning combat is tricky if you have a big diversity of level. You want baddies that your lower levels have a chance of hurting but your high levels won’t trample over. Ideally you would be encouraging your players to bring their best to the game to earn xp, but you may end up just breeding resentment within the group.

Test Based

Although difficult to implement in D&D, some other games side-step the entire experience distribution system. Games like Call of Cthulhu and Burning Wheel advance entirely by increasing skills through use. Logically it makes sense, the more you pick locks the better you will get at it. It is individual award system but a strictly objective one.

When planning for games like this it is mostly impossible to suit things to the group, you just make things you think are right and let it go how they may. Overall this is the most realistic method but it can lead to test grubbing. Players can try to force skills where they don’t belong or manipulate circumstances for the test they need.

How do you distribute experience to your group?

The curse of the Werewolf has existed for many years, scaring young children and savaging mighty heroes. These days the Werewolf has many companions to share its curse with: Werebears, Wereboars, Wererats and Weretigers are just a few of the many animal types that have become part of the Lycanthropic curse. With all the savage rampages and furious snarling howls filling the nights of the full moon, have you ever wondered if their was a curse or disease that had an almost opposing affect? Rycanthropic curses can affect all forms of life, shifting and morphing them into humanoids. Below are the descriptions and ecologies for some possible types of the Rycanthropic disease.

The Rycanthropic Curse

During the days and nights of the new moon, strange people wander the forests and cities of the world. These lost and confused souls are sufferers of Rycanthropy, simple animals that have been infected and spend three days every month in the form of a humanoids. Over many years of infection, a certain amount of intelligence is acquired and maintained through the constant transformations. For all intensive purposes the cities greatest warrior could actually be a horse, while the savage deaths on the rural farmstead is the vagrant soul of a wolf in human form. The infection maintains the life of these animals for many years past their normal life expectancy, with some Werelves living nearly as long as their namesake. In most cases, confrontations with Werehumans, Werelves and Weredwarves are harmless, as the creature maintains it’s primal mentality for many years. Rangers, druids and any other adventurers with a strong connection to nature can communicate with these frightened and confused creatures. While in the later stages of the curse, open conversations are commonplace as the Rycanthropes travel throughout cities and towns, interacting with the locals. The transformation from beast to human, elf or dwarf is not magical in its origin, therefore magical detection of these creatures shows them as the race they are portraying. This undetectable disguise has lead to some civilised yet sinister beings infecting themselves in order to infiltrate kingdoms or wreak havoc upon their enemies. Goblins masquerade as small children, kidnapping and enticing the young away from their homes, while orcs fill taverns and bars causing fights and killing innocents to sate their blood lust. Several undead creatures also use the Rycanthropic curse to move amongst the living undeterred, Zombies feed relentlessly passing both their undead and metamorphic curse to their victims. Lichs and vampires use the curse to avoid magical detection, with the later walking the sun lit paths for three days each month

Who Man

Werehumans, come in all shapes and sizes. Wide-eyed children skitter across the walkways and alleys. Cow brained farmers wander farms aimlessly, unaware of their altered physical state. When a Werehuman needs to be dealt with, they can only be killed with a weapon crafted from Gold.

Lythi is a sixteen year old Werehuman that has earned a name for herself amongst the local thieves guild. Her cat like reflexes and agility has let her pull jobs and gain access to places other more seasoned thieves have only dreamed of. However this expert thief spends the majority of her time walking the halls of the local lord’s manor in the form of the family cat. The matron of the ‘Silk Orchid’ thieves guild has sought to recruit Lythi for almost a year now, but the lack of reply and the fact that Lythi has been able to allude the ‘Silk Orchid’s’ agents for so long has made the matron furious with the Werehuman. Several law enforcers and ‘Silk Orchid’ agents are hunting Lythi, something the cat is still oblivious to as she searches eagerly for a way to make her transformation more permanent.

The Pale Skin orcs have been tormenting local settlements for years under the guise as human bandits. The wizened war chief Grunam, has kept his small tribe safely hidden in the mountains for many years, killing anyone that wanders near their elaborate cavernous stronghold. During the cycle of the new moon, the orcs rush forth from their bastion and assault any human structure they can find, causing mayhem and destruction for three full days. The locals of the area believe the rampaging horde to be a curse. Many warriors and even farmers tell tales of striking down these vicious bandits with mighty blows, only to see the fallen bandit rise up and rejoin the fight in a matter of minutes. The Pale Skin orcs have yet to face an opponent wielding golden weapons and believe themselves invincible, they act rashly and strike in uncoordinated frenzies that could easily be quelled with the right weapons.

Where Dwarves!

Considered a blasphemy against the prestigious bloodlines of Dwarven lineage. Weredwarves a very rarely accepted by the mountainous folk they take after. The lives of any Weredwarf found within the sacred halls of Dwarven kingdom are forfeit, however such drastic actions are not so quickly taken outside the Dwarven bastions. Weredwarves found wandering the world are often left alone, but treated with disgust and hatred when near dwarves. Humans and Elves do not tend to hold the same grudges to Weredwarves. Weapons crafted from the sacred Dwarven metal, Mithral are the only way to dispatch a Weredwarf.

Insatiable greed and a lack of morale fortitude has lead the mining tycoon Alistair to begin catching and training Weredwarves. This foolish human, uses his trained Weredwarves to infiltrate Dwarven holds and steal their most precious treasures and large quantities of Mithral. As time has past, Alistair’s operation has grown to be more profitable than his actually mining expeditions. The constant deaths of his Weredwarf slaves are of little consequence, with his farms churning out several Weredwarves each month, cows being the easiest to train. As the Dwarven kingdoms fury mounts at their losses, they tirelessly search for the cowardly mastermind behind the thefts of their sacred heirlooms and treasures. Their investigation has lead them to the nearby human city, where diplomatic endeavours of enraged Dwarves have not ended well. With tensions between the two mighty kingdoms constantly mounting, the only person set to gain from war and turmoil is Alistair.

We Are Elves

Meandering through the blessed forests and sacred groves of Elven kind are the Werelves. Without the grace and poise of an actual elf, Werelves are often easily identified by their namesake. Instead exiling the impostors, most woodland elves cherish the appearance of Werelves. Believing the appearance of these creatures to be a blessing from Mother Nature. Most elves take in their morphed brethren and help them learn the ways and methods of the elves. On the days of the new moon, many woodland creatures can be found within the grand cities of the elves, trading, talking and learning. Werelves have a strong resistance to all metals and as such can only be harmed and killed by weapons crafted from wood.

Deep within the Underdark a powerful Drow family holds a very powerful secret. Within the ranks of Del’Zaath, an elite squad of Werelves is hidden. With the poise and grace of Drow warriors, the cursed Werelves easily blend within Elven streets. During the three days of the new moon, this small contingent of Werelves is hidden deep within the sacred halls of the families shrine to Lolth, protecting them from the prying spells of a high priestess. The Del’Zaath have used the curse of the Werelf to rise to prominence within the Underdark, the exploits of the Del’Zaath families countless topside missions is legendary. The Del’Zaath has never lost a single skirmish with their forsaken cousins and the matron mother holds the crown of an ancient Elven king. Using the cursed Werelves to infiltrate and sabotage Elven cities before the Del’Zaath army strikes, keep this noble Drow family in very high esteem with Lolth.

After countless years of difficult study and patience, the Werelf Druid, Wilid, is believed to be most powerful druid upon the material plane. Starting life a millennia ago as a small Finch, the bird was quickly infected with Rycanthropy. Finding acceptance and a home amongst the grove of some local Elves, Wilid was cared for and taught the Elven methods. Over the years of her long life, the small bird has managed to retain her intellect and abilities will in her natural form. All animals calm in the presence of Wilid, rabid wolves will quiet and even cower within the graceful presence of the druid. Her healing abilities are second to none and her mastery of the natural forces could sink entire continents. A constant link to her home and surrounds keeps Wilid busy, saving and healing animals throughout the forest. Any would be adventurer and vagrant spirit that gets lost within the grand woods of her kingdom, will often be rescued and led to safety by a small yellow finch, while those that wish harm upon her charge are never seen again.

What weird creatures have you Were’d? What kind of havoc would you play on your party with a Rycanthrope? Tell us in the comments section!

Mapping

Operating online is quite a boon to a non-artistic type like me. On a normal battle mat I can only manage some simple shapes and meandering lines. It is fast and easy to improvise, but far from pretty. I used to use dungeon tiles, but it takes a lot of prep time and more stuff to carry if the DM isn’t the host. With Map Tools, I can make really detailed and beautiful maps despite my lack of drawing skill.

On the con side, there is a steep learning curve at first. You need to find all the art assets you want to use in your maps and spend a lot of time learning a fairly complex software. After a few sessions I found that I can improvise up maps almost as fast as sketchy on paper, but getting to that point is a substantial.

An unexpected bonus on my maps is the software being able keep track of lighting conditions and line of sight, even including things like low light vision. It makes a big difference when players can only see what their characters can see. I recall a memorable combat where most of the party was fighting undead in a house, while the wizard was outside. He kept yelling about approaching zombies but the rest of the group could only go by his cries of fear.

Combat

In a lot of ways, combat is improved over the internet. I don’t need to worry about minis because I can turn any image into a digital token. Thanks to Google image search, I always have exact what I need for my monsters. It’s very easy to track all of the conditions through Map Tools. I easily set up 4e customized conditions for my game. When tokens have a red dot at the bottom right they are bloodied, blue triangle means they are slowed, and so on. It saves a lot of forgotten conditions in the heat of battle. Additionally we are able to easily draw and erase color coded areas for bursts, blasts and zones.

Roleplay and Story

Okay, this is where things suffer a bit. When I DM I tend to make faces, wild gestures and generally make a fool of myself to enhance the point I am trying to make. When I do this in my online game I’m just a mad man putting on a show for an uncaring screen. It is possible to set up webcams, but multiparty video is difficult to pull off even without the problem of having to switch between the video and map. Regardless, it is still very possible to get some great roleplaying going, but you miss out the visual element.

As a slight consolation, without being able to see me it is harder for players to see if I’m scrambling or going completely off the rails. I’ve managed to search the Monster Builder for participants in an unexpected combat, make tokens for them and run the whole encounter without my players knowing I was winging it.

Verdict

D&D over the internet can still be D&D if you put the effort in to create the same experience. Given the choice I would gather all my friends around the table, but that’s just because I like seeing my friends, munching on snacks and all the traditional stuff. Gaming online does offer the advantages discussed above, but it’s not impossible to do around the table. Maybe in the future we’ll all have the best of both worlds with tabletop projection or D&D on the Microsoft Surface.

What is your medium of choice? What is better about it?

A pact can be a very powerful tool for adventurers, however the empowering agreement does not always have to arranged through the blood contracts of demons or the riddled words of dragons, for a Warlock or any adventurer to benefit from them. Awhile ago there was a great article about ‘Star Pacts’ in Dragon Magazine and below are the outlines for several more pact possibilities for Warlocks and any other character class.

Conclave Of Blood

To agree to something in blood is a very powerful and ancient agreement, with the right rituals a pact between two or more people when sealed with blood can empower all parties exponentially. Witch Covens and Hags will often insight the blood pact to connect their powers and mentalities, assuring fealty to the coven and greater power.

A secret sect of monks also employs the use of a Blood Pact ritual to empower all members of the martial order. Any monk that proves worthy through his enlightened studies enters into the fold of the Darah Elegit or Chosen Blood. Through a sacred ritual the monk bleeds into a relic in which all others have bleed before him. Each member of the Darah Elegit gains the power and strength of all other members combined. Making the monks of this sacred ritual extremely skilled and powerful warriors.

Kadahan was a member of the monastery who was found to be lacking in morale fortitude and was banished from the sacred temple, but not before he stole the rights and rituals needed to enact the blood ritual for himself, only with some slight adjustments. The deranged exile has altered the pact to feed only him and drain all power and life from those that bleed within the circle of his ritual. As Kadahan becomes more powerful he kidnaps more powerful people and warriors only furthering his ever-growing power.

Curse Of Revenge

When tragedy befalls the young and innocent or families are torn apart through the evil deeds of monsters or murderers it is common that any left alive swear vengeance upon those that wronged them. In some rare cases or people that have an innate magical presence such as Sorcerers, this promise of revenge acts as a pact to the Ether or Fates. Whilst seeking revenge and hunting their adversaries, people who have instilled the revenge pact upon themselves find their abilities heightened and an continuously mounting rage. As they continue upon the path of revenge, they only grow stronger the more they enact their justice upon anything that can hold a slither of connection to those responsible, the growing rage can take over reason and rational thought often causing them to commit atrocities of their own in their pursuit for revenge. If their revenge is completed within the belief of the pact bearer, than all gained powers and rage fade away, leaving them to deal with the atrocities and crimes they committed in order to achieve their own justice.

The barbarian, Herdran watched his entire tribe slaughtered by orcs whilst still a teen. Being the sole survivor he cried murderous vengeance to night sky, a sky thick with Ether. With the pact in place he began to hunt the orcs responsible, his rage being fuelled by the growing bloodlust as he tracked down the horde of orcs. Once he finished the orcs responsible he felt hollow and unfulfilled and whilst orcs roamed free his vengeance was not complete. For many years Herdran has hunted orcs relentlessly, his pact intensifying with every orc he slays. Recently his search for vengeance has encompassed all sentient beings. In his rage filled mind, the armies and kingdoms of the land did nothing to save his people and do nothing to stop the orc threat, for this crime they are just as responsible for the deaths of his tribe as any orc. Now Herdran slaughters whole villagers and farms to sate his blood lust of revenge.

Code Of Honour

Many warriors, swordsman and knights adhere to a code of honour. There are knightly orders and sacred martial codes that require their code of honour to be a sworn fealty. Relics, rituals and other forms of magic can be used to apply an Honour pact. Whilst a member of the strict honour codes adheres to them completely, his powers and abilities grow over time. Whenever a worthy opponent is defeated in even combat, the power of the honour pact instils large gifts of power upon the victor. If the code of honour is ever broken or the warrior ever defeated, the pact is nullified and their abilities removed.

Tales speak of a master swordsman, who has for centuries wandered the planes for a worthy opponent to defeat him in combat. Known only as Meiyo Senshi, this master swordsman has existed for many lifetimes, kept alive through the power of his pact. Countless warriors have fallen to his blade, many of them spared the final blow, only to hear him utter the word ‘unworthy’ as he departed. The Meiyo Senshi is believed to have slain dragons, demons and entire armies with the power and skill of his blade alone. When he encounters warriors he believes to be worthy, a polite request for a duel is offered. Any that fall beneath his blade empower the ancient warrior more so, however he kills only those he believes to be truly honourable and worthy. If ever defeated in combat the Meiyo Senshi will pass peacefully after finally having found an opponent worthy enough to defeat him.

Nature’s Guardians

Mother Nature provides for all life and those that respect her and follower her ways often-lead fruitful and happy lives. Many people ignore the presence of nature and act harshly to the land they live upon. Druids, Shamans and Rangers understand the presence of nature to some extent, but those that learn to truly revere nature are often gifted by the earthly presence with the Guardian Pact. This gift from nature protects the user from untoward harm, avalanches, storms and earthquakes do not harm Guardians of Nature and very rarely occur in their vicinity. They can stand upon shores with titanous waves and never be swept to sea as the water flows around them gently. For this gift of protection the guardians will often seek to ensure natures balance and true place in the world, they will not receive healing magic and do not condone it’s use, as death is part of the natural cycle. Cities are eyesores and abominations upon the world. Some guardians even take actions to destroy cities and towns in an effort to let nature reclaim the scarred land. Most importantly, guardians will hunt down and execute any that commit a crime against nature.

An elven druid was once gifted with the pact of the Guardian, her reverence for nature so pure and true she protected an entire continent ensuring cities never scarred the land and all people treated the land with the respect it deserved. This Elven queen parted the world many millennia ago. Now upon her final resting place a sprawling human empire harvests the forests for lumber and hunts her treasured creatures for sport. Such atrocities have awoken the Guardian for her peace, her baleful spirit now guides the forest to fight back and reclaim the land for nature. Treants awaken from ancient trees and animals attack in unison to drive the invaders from the forest. People go missing from camps, to never be found again, while storms and earthquakes tear at the city constantly. Any that choose to face this angry guardian must find a way to either appease the spirit of the elf queen or combat all the forms of nature.

What do you use Pacts for? Can other classes harness the power of Pacts? Can a demonic Warlock really be Good? Let us know your thoughts and comments!

Goblins are an RPG staple, they constantly harass small towns and travellers and wreak havoc in general. However goblins never really amount to anything more than being a dominated minion or some low priority threat. You very rarely see goblins involved in apocalyptic scenarios or great kingdom shaking threats. This green skinned menace is considered to be the lowest form of Goblinoid, often taking orders and commands from Orcs, Hobgoblins and the like, but what if Goblins could shake kingdoms or single-handedly threaten courageous heroes? Below are some sample goblin species that can provide a threat to higher level characters and maybe even end the world.

The Chosen

Throughout the world Goblins have begun worshiping an unknown deity. Through faith, prayer and blood rituals, some Goblins are becoming smarter and more cunning in their tactics for raiding and attacking farms and travelers. Hierarchies are being established within the caves of the Goblin hordes, while the clerics and paladins of the Goblin deity maintain order and peace between the usually savage goblins. While the goblins maintain their normal appearance they have begun wearing more armour and clothing, as well as taking some sort of pride in their appearance. Polished armour instead or rusted and dinted shields, and cleaned ceremonial robes adorn these zealous fanatics. Badges are made from human appendages to ascertain rank and standing in this ‘civilised’ Goblin community. Toes, fingers, ears and teeth are the most common badges of rank, with the highest ranked leaders and clerics adorning treated pieces of human organs to show their position of power.

This previously unknown god is called Krak’Tak by his followers. This newly worshiped deity rose to power through years of servitude in the ranks of a demonic god, slowly usurping power and artifacts until the creature was able to separate from the demon and rise to deity hood, gaining the power it had sought for it’s entire existence. Krak’Tak is still feeble compared to the other gods of the realm, yet his powers and divine presence has empowered his Goblins beyond their normal capabilities. Krak’Tak rewards his followers for acts of trickery and cunning, any that prove to be nefarious tricksters and vicious warriors earn his most praise, quickly becoming Paladins within the new divine order. Worshipers employ blood rituals and offerings of stolen objects of power to commune with Krak’Tak. The goblin deity enjoys watching his followers stealing power and information from others in an effort to emulate his ascension.

While known to other deities and scholars, Krak’Tak is currently viewed as a harmless and inconsequential pest. However as time goes on the Trickster Lord of the Goblins slowly accrues power through his followers and their actions. It has yet to be discovered, but when goblins within Krak’Tak’s fold have been raiding towns and farms, small hexes are being placed within churches and temples. These powerful blood hexes slowly siphon small amounts of faith away from worshipers within these holy shrines. Offerings and prayers directed to various gods are shared with Krak’Tak, empowering the Goblin deity. Once Krak’Tak has stolen enough divine power his presence will grow exponentially gaining dominion and influence over all goblins, using them as his personal army and ascending some of the vilest goblins to the state of Archons, to serve as his personal guard within the Astral Sea.

The Infected

An odd disease has begun infecting goblins, placing them in a constantly enraged state of vicious destruction. Strips of flesh and dried blood cover these wraith like Goblins. The little skin that is still attached is discolored in hues of a yellowish gray. Dark sickly green eyes flicker and roll as ragged breaths and blood curdling screams erupt from the broken fang filled mouths of the infected goblins.

The origins of the rabid and highly infectious disease has been identified to be within an old series of caves below the sheer limestone sea cliffs of the coast. The years of erosion has created an immense labyrinth of tunnels and caves that over time eventually connected to an already existing pocket of caves. As the seawater mixed with the newly aired caves, a small parasite was awoken by the water. This parasite quickly infected the goblins within the caves as a source of food. The parasites reproduce extremely fast and only hours after infection the host is completely occupied by the constantly feeding organisms. As the brain becomes infected the host acts upon the driving urge of the parasite, an unquenchable hunger. Hosts that feed, infect victims through saliva and other bodily fluids, which in turn spreads the infection. The ancient parasite has bonded with some of the goblins genetics and upon infecting other species they morph into goblin like hybrids. Bears, wolves and other wildlife scatter through trees and farms in odd goblinoid forms, hungrily feasting upon any flesh they can find. Civilized races are not immune in any way to the infection or accompanying metamorphosis. Any one infected with Goblin Rage has two hours before they turn and become incurable. Once the infection becomes complete they will survive without food for two days, at which time the parasites consume too much muscle mass to sustain the functions of the host body.

Magic and divine spells work on curing the Goblin Rage before the change and nothing has been found to reverse the infection after the metamorphosis. A sample of the pure parasite from deep within the sea caves could provide a cure, but nothing has returned from the caves since the infection begun. Within the caves the first goblins to be infected have further mutated to become hulking, bulging masses of bloated green skin, parasitical feelers and tentacles burst forth, ever touching and feeling for fresh food to consume.

The Perfect

From the depths of the Underdark, a kingdom of Goblins has erupted upon the surface. Covered in well-crafted chain mail and equipped with elegant weapons of mithral. The Thetrit Kingdom has amassed a powerful army and numbers in the thousands. Under the rule of the Goblin King Grazzlot, the goblins are unlike any seen before upon the surface world. Taller in stature and more muscular than an average Goblin, all Thetrit goblins have an intelligence that rivals great generals and wizened scholars. Many warriors and kings have underestimated these goblins and all have fallen in battle beneath their mithral blades.

As the Thetrit Empire rapidly overruns the surface world, the massive king Grazzlot rules from his throne in the sprawling subterranean city of Thetrit. Upon his head the crown and relic that has empowered these once normal goblins into the global threat they now are. The Crown of Perfection is a sentient relic of immeasurable power and ability. Crafted by a demon prince twelve millennia ago, the gods first attempted to destroy the relic, but after many attempts and wars the gods believed the crown indestructible. In one final assault upon the demon’s realm, the armies of the unified gods managed to steal the crown after suffering nearly total annihilation against the perfect demonic armies. The gods sent the crown to the material plane, buried deep within the molten core. The ever-shifting magma eventually moved the relic into a subterranean volcano, where it erupted in an empty cavern to be found by the now mighty goblin Grazzlot. Once the crown is worn it empowers and evolves the bearer to the most perfect state of intelligence and physical prowess possible. The bearer can then ascend any he wishes into a slightly less perfect form. Stealing the crown from the king’s head would be an epic task, as adventurers would have to venture past the armies of Thetrit and into the immense Underdark city. Within the city all citizens are artisans, mages or mighty warriors as no goblin is left unperfected, with such intelligence and abilities intruders are easily found and dealt with. There are some murmurs of goblins that covet the power of Grazzlot, and promises and deals could be made with the right goblins for some minor assistance. Once the crown is removed by another from Grazzlot’s head, a rushing wave of power instantly bursts forth, restoring the goblins to their old form. However the crown calls out constantly, willing those near it to experience the demonic perfection for themselves.

What Minion monsters to you hold a soft spot for? Do you use versions of stronger monsters in your campaign? Could a Dire Bear kill a Dragon? Ever? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section!

Secret lairs and gloomy castles, villains and bad guys always seem to have some hidden fortress or base of operation hidden in remote locales or within ominous monster infested dungeons. One evil being has become bored of hiding his presence from the world and over the years has built a dominated army of ever-loyal followers and a highly fortified and respected position within a city. Silva is an ancient lich of untold years, with an influential presence and extremely potent subjects. Disposing him from his seat of power is a task suited to only the greatest of heroes.

The Handsome Lich

A well toned, raven-haired man of his middle years, Silva is considered by all to be extremely handsome. His extravagant clothing is always of the best make and cut, usually violet or red in colouring. His mysterious auburn eyes hold untold wisdom and their gaze can swoon maidens or chill the greatest warriors. The lich’s origins are unknown to any alive today apart from the lich himself. Silva’s unlife counts back innumerable years, he has seen mighty empires rise and fall, and cataclysmic events remake the world several times over. Close to two hundred years ago the necromantic master began to desire more power and influence than he could achieve from his onyx spire on a remote island. Since that day Silva has worked tirelessly to achieve his substantial influence and power over the denizens of the city. Silva’s entrepreneurial presence within the city earned him a powerful presence within all guilds in the city, especially the Thieves and Merchants guild. Manipulating these two guilds Silva obtains any priceless and powerful artefacts he desires, while secretly usurping control of the economic trade away from the royal family and their advisors. His powerful presence within the city has not gone unnoticed, but through careful diplomacy and constant use of his mental abilities, Silva has become a close and trusted friend of the royal family, especially the young prince who unwillingly sees Silva as a spectacular role model and second father. The queen also sees the manipulative lich as a very suitable bachelor for the young princess.

While being a diplomatic and strategic genius, the lich is also a master of necromantic magic, Silva has a dominating grasp over the dark magic with access to countless spells and rituals. He uses this ethereal magic to maintain his handsome exterior and appearance by draining the youth and life essence from orphans within his personally owned orphanage, as well as young adventurers new to the city. On top of his necromancy, Silva’s greatest talent are his psychic and mental abilities. Powerful seers and psychics have effortlessly succumbed to Silva’s commands and dominion. He uses these abilities to prevent curiosity into his agelessness, while he quietly achieves his endless goals. Silva’s grand plan is to be chosen and accepted as the suitor of the young princess. Then dominate the prince into assassinating the king, removing the prince from contending the throne in the process. Dominating people into such drastic actions requires finesse and years of subtleties to allow onlookers to willingly believe the actions. Once king of the powerful nation, Silva’s dominated and undead army will go forth in search of a rumoured crystal relic that is said to exponentially amplify psychic powers. Once found Silva plans to dominate the entire world continuously in a sort of morbid puppet show.

The Rebellious Consort

Anyone who discovers Silva’s true identity will more than likely seek the aid of the lich’s only known adversary. Dalarist is a powerful merchant queen who has built a powerful empire in open resistance to Silva’s death grip on the city. A waif like woman, Dalarist’s pale blue eye’s pierce through souls, while her seductive smile warms and coerces hearts. A blessed figure is hinted and teased at through suggestive yet respectful clothing of the highest quality. When away from her mansion, Dalarist always wears a silver scaled mask that perfectly hugs half her face. This odd silver scaled mask is said to be a magical item that wards off any mental intrusion, thus allowing Dalarist to openly oppose the influence and power of Silva. Many men within the city of all walks continuously seek to court Dalarist, yet all have been turned away as the powerful woman already has a secret consort.

The sinister truth behind Dalarist is quite disturbing and closely linked to Silva’s plans. Dalarist is an exiled and hunted, ancient Silver dragon that has been the lich’s partner for over five hundred years. After committing an inexcusable crime against Bahamut and her other dragon kin, she was sentenced to death. Barely escaping with her life and magical abilities drained, the silver dragon sought refuge and possible ways of regaining her former power. Silva and Dalarist entered a now ancient agreement, whilst he protected and hid her from her draconic pursuers, she would serve him in any way he desired. Since then they have become partners and almost implicitly trust each other. Dalarist’s role within the city is to provide an open and obvious source of rebellion against Silva, so that anyone who either opposes him or discovers his true identity, will more than likely seek the aid of the merchant queen. Only to be double-crossed and swiftly dealt with. Over the years, Dalarist has regained many of her banished powers and abilities, whilst also gaining some more nefarious necromantic ones. However her ability to shift into human form has not completely returned to normal and several parts of her body maintain silver scales whilst in her human form. The only visible place being the ‘mask’ she wears.

A Secret Seer

Silva’s most ancient ally is a vampiric nymph, who lives in a misty grove within a dark and dangerous jungle half a world away. The once pure nymph, Ha’Rih was sired thousands of years ago by a vampire within Silva’s army. The beautiful sight of the nymph blinded the vampire while the pure blood burned the unholy creature to death from within. Ha’Rih’s turning unlocked some very powerful and useful abilities that has saved and served the lich extremely well over the years. Ha’Rih has become a very powerful seer and telepath in her vampiric form. It was Ha’Rih that originally unlocked Silva’s mental powers and still to this day the lich uses her formidable abilities to read minds and find people. Whilst the nymph continues to serve Silva from her mystic grove, the lich will always know what his enemies are doing. Disposing of the blindingly beautiful vampire is not an easy task. Within her jungle, countless animals and birds have been infected over the years and anyone that wanders across her grove is hunted relentlessly by swarms of vampiric creatures. Facing the nymph is all but impossible, with her beauty intact, blindness is almost a certainty to any intruders but the affects of undeath cause the added effect of insanity on any that view her, combating her telepathic abilities will also require heroes of enormous skill and ability.

Where do your villains reside? What is your favourite city intrigue moment? How would you combat Silva’s dominating presence? Leave your ideas and feedback in the comments!

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Fey Pact

When I think of fey pact Warlock I think about the witches from fairy tales. They are mysterious, entrancing and have an otherworldly connection to nature. Fey pact warlocks have powers to beguile their enemies, fly and teleport around and use illusions and other trickery. For instance, they is a fey pact power that makes the Warlock invisible, but leaves behind an illusionary version of them. If anyone attacks the illusion it turns into a pile of leaves. Outside of mechanics, that sounds like something that would happen in a fairy tale.

Fey pact Warlocks also have the stats to fit the flavor. Good witches and fey warlocks in the stories are always kind and beautiful. Mechanically, those of the fey pact have good charisma to back that up. Evil fey casters typically assume a pleasing form, even if it is unnatural, but can also twist the minds of mortals. Fey pact offers several powers of magical confusion and the old fashioned bluff skill.

Infernal Pact

The classic Faustian bargain. The Warlock made a deal with some big bad devil, but the rules don’t cover motives, terms of side effects. There are two types of infernal warlocks, those who understand what they are doing and those who don’t. One of my favorite things about Warlocks is that the arcana skill is not automatic, some may not have it. That means there are warlocks out there who have no idea what forces they are dealing with. You can easily have an infernal warlock without arcana or religion, do they even know what bargain they made or who they made it with?

Even more frightening is those who enter the deal with eyes wide open. Do they need the power for some higher goal or is merely greed? Even the evil characters likely don’t want to be servant to some demon, so how do they plan to avoid paying their dues?

Star Pact

Star pact is a bit hazy, depending on your view it can go two very different ways.

There’s the literally star powered Warlock. Intense study of astronomy have taught the Warlock how to call down their power, the same way a Wizard learned the secrets of terrestrial magic. Replace the spellbook with hand made star charts, astrolabes and an obsession with staring at the night sky.

The other view of star pact is as a deal with entries from the Far Realm, the area beyond the stars. Creatures from the Far Realm are essentially behind mortal comprehension. Their forms and thoughts are completely alien to us. It takes a greedy and reckless person to deal with a devil, but it truly takes a mad man to align himself with entity from the Far Realm.

On other path, star pact Warlocks are always a little bit creepy.

Dark Pact

It is unlikely that any truly sane person would enter into the dark pact. Beside speaking to whispers in the darkness, dark pact Warlocks spread madness, poison and disease. Essentially they are plague bearers, spreading around magical contagions but they might also be carriers for mundane illness. A player character with the dark pact is likely a bit twisted, but trying to redeem himself or use these wicked powers for good.

Vestige Pact

Vestige pact Warlocks are essentially mediums. They take on the spirits of long deal entities, but what are the physiological effects of having multiple, willful ghosts sharing your body. Do they have any physical or mental control? Do they whisper things secrets to you? The answers could be different for each person with the vestige pact.

These Warlocks seek out these entities to join their arsenal, but what if they are not looking? Apparently they are more sensitive to ghosts. Perhaps a vestige pact Warlock is constantly haunted by the dead, seeking answers, restitution or trying to freeload inside the Warlock.

What is the true nature of your favorite Warlock? Tell us in the comments!

• Geeks Next Door archive
• Previous Strip

Thoughts from the Geeks Next Door

The GND crew agreed to give their thoughts and comments on the strips they write for Dungeon Mastering. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment. I hope you enjoyed the webcomic.

JESSI – It was a lot of fun to draw the monsters – that goblin was my favorite out of the bunch, followed closely by the dire boar. I think one of the more interesting parts of D&D is the large variety of monsters that populate the D&D world. Do you have a favorite monster out of the bunch? Is it because of its capabilities? …or because you were the one who brought down that one epic creature that nearly cause a TPK? (There’s nothing wrong with that, either! You bring down something epic, you deserve bragging rights!)

MATT – Ah, the old-school traditions.  Kill ‘em all, and let your deity of choice determine what afterlife it gets you into.  It’s also nice to see the traditional array of monsters (carefully selected for a level 3 fighter in 3.5E to be able to take down single-handedly.  That’s right, we actually put some thought into it.)

MAGGIE – I LOVE THIS COMIC. This describes me as a person. That’s seriously my attitude towards any mission in my life.  Whether it’s going to the grocery store, going to work, or trying to conquer small nations, that’s how I roll.  The kobold looks like it would be delicious if I put it on a spit with a little teriyaki sauce, though. Asian-style BBQ, y’all.

The point I’m trying to make is that the progression of fame and power is a delicate thing. Too slow and players get bored and discouraged. Too fast and it just feels false, undeserved and boring. So how do you handle the progression?

Up the Steps

In 4e in the tier system is meant to be something of a guide of the progression of power, although the rate at which you achieve it is still variable. Although the tiers give a good guide of what sort of threats people in that tier should face, but not the other sorts of perks.

In my opinion, the first few levels build up a reputation in the local city and probably the surrounding ones. People buy them drinks in taverns and people talk about their exploits to friends. By the end of heroic tier the heroes should be doing their first jobs for the highest levels of government, like kings and emperors. They will be acknowledged by some of the most famous heroes. Perhaps even be offered to tag along on a mission or offered their own work by one of the greats.

In the paragon the names of the group will be known across the whole land. People who have never met them recognize them based on reputation and tales, perhaps exaggerated ones, will pass down through generations. Rulers from exotic lands will want to meet them, perhaps even great figures from other planes. They can stand on even ground with the contemporary great heroes.

By the epic tier they should be getting recognized everywhere, probably even have their own major holiday! Audiences with gods are possible and their words should move the minds of mortal kings. They are recognized as the equals of the greatest heroes in history. Their stories will be told and retold forever.

Taking the Highway

Well, that’s the path, but how do you walk it? Well the straight forward way to do it is the standard rate of about 1 level every 4 sessions. That’s awesome if you have a few years to do weekly games, but many groups don’t have the consistency, endurance or will to do one campaign for so long. That doesn’t mean you need to miss out on the development arc. You could try a simple trick of increasing the xp rate to produce that same rise to power, only on fast forward. Alternately, if you just want to play a paragon or epic tier game you can do a prologue adventure. Show the characters’ humble origins to give a sense of where it all began and then time skip into the glory days. Or you can have multiple time skips. Give the players a few session adventure and then jump them ahead two or three levels and repeat. Let them will in the cracks in between.  Like an episodic TV show, you are only seeing the highlights but there are more mundane missions going on off camera.

However you advance, I don’t recommend just jumping into the later levels. You lose a lot of context when their characters just spring into prominence from nowhere. Have an intro adventure or a collaborative background to ground them in some origins!

A Few Big Things

It is easy to go overboard on fame and power. Odds are good your players don’t want to be pestered by groupies at all times, constantly listening to stories about themselves or fielding invitations from all of the upper classes. It takes a light touch, owning an item of legend, recieving expensive gifts or having one session revolving around a holiday based on them lets them know how awesome they are without constatly cramming in down their throats.

How prominent is your party? Do they feel their place in the world?