Spelljammer Spells for DMs

 It's been a long wait, but Spelljammer 5e is finally here! 

Not only is Jammin' in Avernus back up on the DM's Guild, but I've added my Classic Spelljammer Spells as well!


As a little bonus for DMs, I've adapted several truly nasty spells for Neogi! As if they weren't bad enough already!

 

Progress - Flitter vehicle stat block

I am working on things, and as proof: a stat block for a Flitter! (a simple spelljamming ship)

Jammin' in Barovia preview- Strahd's Flying Yacht: The Bloodmoon

I think it is about time I reveal my super secret Spelljammer project: Jammin' in Barovia! Similar to my previous project based on Descent into Avernus, this will be a full supplement on the DM's Guild featuring various ships and other Spelljammer goodies that you can add to your Curse of Strahd campaign.

My original intention was to have the supplement completed before the release of Curse of Strahd Revamped (which comes out today!), but due to my day job and life being-what-it-is in 2020, I was not able to complete it in time. I didn't want to entirely miss out on the fun of Revamped's release though, so here is a little taste of Strahd's flying yacht: The Bloodmoon.

 

The dark powers pull many strange things into the realm of Barovia and there is almost nowhere that is beyond their reach. Long ago, the mists were used to call an entire ship and crew to Lake Zarovich. However, the crew of purple-skinned men with bulbous heads refused to take their unexpected relocation lying down.  

Despite the enormous cannon that took up over half the ship's length, their peculiar vessel lifted up from the lake like a bird and headed for the sky. But Barovia is not so easy to escape, even if you possess a Spelljamming helm. The mists confused and reversed their course at every turn.

Though most Barovians were terrified of their strange appearance, the crew eventually learned that they could only leave with the permission of the Dark Lord of the land, Strahd Von Zarovich. They immediately flew their ship to Castle Ravenloft and demanded passage through the mists. Should they not be permitted to leave, they vowed to rain terrible destruction upon the castle and its occupants.

However, Strahd was not to be threatened. He invited the captain and his officers to join him for dinner. They refused, but for all their bluster and grandstanding they failed to notice the distant look in their cannoneer's eyes. When the order to fire the ship's massive cannon went ignored, the vampire and his minions swarmed the would-be attackers before they could regroup. The brief but furious battle ended as all struggles against the Dark Lord must, with his victory.

Strahd learned many interesting things from the few survivors, before adding them to the ranks of his undead minions and claiming their fascinating ship as his own. Now, stained a deep crimson, The Bloodmoon haunts the skies of Barovia. Strahd has had the interior of the ship renovated to his liking as well, converting it into a flying ballroom with guest rooms below and a balcony to watch the dancers from above. Though usually employed by the Dark Lord for masquerades and other dubious celebrations, on occasion he will swing open the large doors in the side of the ballroom for an execution or two.

As for the enormous cannon that once featured prominently on the Bloodmoon's main deck, nobody seems to knows what Strahd has done with it...




I hope you have enjoyed this little preview. I will try to finish writing and polishing it so I can get it on the DM's Guild as soon as I can! I am aiming for a Halloween publication date, but with the hours at my current job, mid November seems a little bit more likely. Keep your eye on this blog for updates!

And if this little taste of Spelljammer goodness has piqued your curiosity, you can learn more about it in my Spelljammer 101 post, or check out my first Jammin' supplement: Jammin' in Avernus!

Jammin' In Wildemount: The Crown of Wind and Stars

Welcome to the first in a series of posts featuring Spelljammer themed content designed to be used in a Wildemount campaign. This one is a Vestige of Divergence, a powerful artifact that can be given to players fairly early on and they can unlock it's full powers as they progress through the game. At first it is simply a means to travel by sea more quickly (though it will effect any wind powered vehicle), but once it awakens this item allows a ship to fly though the sky or even leave Exandria to explore the crystal sphere that I currently refer to as "Critspace".

If this sounds intriguing, but Spelljammer, crystal spheres, or space travel in D&D is unfamiliar to you, please check out my Spelljammer 101 post!

The Crown of Wind and Stars

Long ago, perhaps even before the age of Arcanum, Sehanine the Moon Weaver gifted a powerful magic diadem to her champion, a brave sea captain wrongfully parted from their lover by dark magic and the Ozmit Sea. It made the wearer's ship swift as the wind, helped them find their way across the seas, and even allowed them to travel where a normal ship could never go. No space touched by the Moon Weaver's gentle light would stand between them and their love ever again; not even the sky, or beyond.

This wondrous artifact became known as The Crown of Wind and Stars. Passed down from one Sehanine worshiping captain to the next, it has been kept a closely guarded secret for generations, rarely seen by any besides its wearers. As centuries passed, the crown's true abilities were slowly forgotten and the artifact became dormant. Relegated to a pretty status symbol, few would guess that it is the same artifact that appears in folktales throughout the coastal lands of Exandria.

The Crown:

Crown of Wind and Stars

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a spellcaster)

A silver diadem with rose gold accents and adorned with aquamarines, the Crown of Wind and Stars was gifted to a sailor of Exandria by Sehanine sometime around the Age of Arcanum.

Dormant. While wearing the crown in its dormant state, you gain the following benefits:

• The speed of any wind propelled vehicle you are riding on is doubled.

• You know the location of the stars and constellations even if time of day and weather would normally prevent viewing the stars.

Awakened. When the crown reaches an awakened state, it gains the following properties while you are aboard a vessel weighing between 1 and 100 tons:

• The crown generates an envelope of fresh air around the ship while it is in the void of space (but not underwater). This envelope extends out from the edges of the hull in all directions for a distance equal in length to the vessel's beam, so that creatures aboard and near the ship can breathe normally in space. The temperature within the air envelope is 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

• The crown generates an artificial gravity field while the ship is in the void of space, so that creatures can walk on the ship's decks as they normally would. Creatures and objects that fall overboard bob in a gravity plane that extends out from the main deck for a distance equal in length to the vessel's beam.

• You can use the crown to propel the vessel across or through water and other liquids at a maximum speed in miles per hour equal to half the level of your highest-level unexpended spell slot.

• You can use the crown to propel the vessel through air or space at a maximum speed in miles per hour equal to your highest-level unexpended spell slot × 5.

• Provided you have at least one unexpended spell slot, you can steer the vessel, albeit in a somewhat clumsy fashion, in much the same way that oars or a rudder can maneuver a seafaring ship.

• Drawback. While using the crown to propel the ship, you cannot expend your own spell slots.

Exalted. When the crown reaches an exalted state, it gains the following properties:

• The maximum speed you can propel a vessel in water using the crown is increased to miles per hour equal to the level of your highest-level unexpended spell slot and the maximum speed you can propel a vessel through the air in miles per hour is equal to your highest-level unexpended spell slot × 10.

• While aboard a vessel, you can use the crown to cast the dimension door, disguise self, and fog cloud spells. You can cast each of these spells once, regaining all uses after a long rest. When you cast dimension door or disguise self in this way, they affect the vessel and all creatures and objects aboard, and when fog cloud is cast in this way, it is cast at 9th level.

Where to find the crown

Whether your players are sent to retrieve it or simply stumble across it, there are many possible places to slip The Crown of Wind and Stars into your Wildemount game. Here are some ideas that I came up with:

1. The Retiree: Welens Antoura, elf captain of The Woven Path and current wearer of the crown, is looking to retire soon, but does not have a suitable heir. He and his ship are currently docked in Nicodranas

2. Lost at Sea: The last known wearer of the crown was lost at sea some time ago. They were believed to be somewhere in the Mother's Sigh Reef when their vessel mysteriously disappeared.

3. The Unfaithful: At some point the crown fell into the hands of someone who was less than faithfully devoted to the Moon Weaver. The current wearer is Lawson Whitley, a smuggler on the Menagerie Coast, who has enough magical power to utilize the crown's dormant abilities, and is impossible to catch while at sea.

Final Word

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this artifact and feel inspired to use it in your game! The crown itself is inspired by a type of spelljamming helm known as a "Crown of Stars". It is unusual among spelljamming helms in that it is actually a wearable item (not always a crown), instead of a chair like most other helms.

If you like this article then you might want to check out my Balder's Gate: Descent into Avernus supplement. Jammin' in Avernus is where I put my Spelljammer obsession to work adding some 'Jammery goodness to the wastes of Avernus. I'm still working on getting a better cover, but I had a lot of fun making it, so please give it a look!

It's my birthday, so I gave the Scarlet Marpenoth a stat block!

Just a quick post today, I decided I would create a Ghosts of Saltmarsh style vehicle stat block of the Scarlet Marpenoth for my birthday! So here it is, Jarlaxle's submarine from the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure!

Just wait until I get a spelljamming helm in this bad boy...

Wildspace Magic - Lost Spells

In my wanderings through the various Spelljammer related content in the old Dungeon and Dragon magazines, I came across an adventure that wasn't exactly a Spelljammer one, but included a friendly NPC that was an Arcane. The Arcane are blue skinned giants known for being sellers of magical artifacts of all types, including a near monopoly of spelljamming helms.

The adventure itself was an interesting read (maybe I'll work it into my Spelljammer game), but something unusual about it was that it had a couple spells at the end: Arcane Runes and Read Arcane Runes.

I decided to add them to my playtest Spelljammer spells as wizard spells, and give them a little extra flavor. So, I present to you: my 5th edition adaptation of the spells from Dungeon magazine #53' "Clarshh's Sepulchre".

~~~~

Arcane Runes

4th level Alteration (ritual)
Casting time: Special
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (A pinch of dried and powdered lemon, which the spell consumes, and a stylus)
Duration: Permanent or until dispelled

Silently mouthing the words as you write, you inscribe a message or longer text, hidden invisibly within a scroll, book, paper, or parchment. It can be hidden within another text, such as a secret message hidden in a letter or an entire book hidden inside another book. For longer texts, a single Arcane Runes spell can be used, the casting time ending when you close the book or scroll you are working on.

The effect of the spell is not detectable with a detect magic spell, but can be seen by you and anyone designated during the casting of the spell and creatures with truesight.
~~~~


At first, this seems like a really nice, though complicated way to send secret messages, but there is a twist.


Arcane can see any text hidden by the spell, without even trying. (Don't tell your players this, or if you are a player, your character doesn't know this!)


This, of course, would be a carefully guarded secret. They would gladly sell scrolls (probably at a discount, but not so much for one to be suspicious), hoping to let it spread and increase the chance that they could see something secret that could be profitable for them.

The knowledge of this spell would lead others to seek a way to see secrets hidden away by Arcane Runes, and some such wizard managed to create a way.


 ~~~~

Read Arcane Runes

4th level Divination (Ritual)
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (A lit candle held behind the paper or parchment to be read and a magnifying lens)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Upon casting this spell, you are able to see all text hidden with the Arcane Runes spell as though you were designated by the caster to be able to do so. You are still required to understand the language that the hidden text is written in.
~~~~



And woe to the unfortunate fool that is found with this spell by an Arcane. Not only do they want their clients to feel secure in the knowledge that their messages are being kept hidden from prying eyes, but they want to be the only ones doing the prying. Depending on the Arcane, they might act curious about where you found the spell, and perhaps slip you some gold to remove it from your spellbook, but some might just skip to destroying you and everything you love for encroaching on their terf. Possibly without you ever knowing why or who.


You probably don't want to get on any giant's bad side, but definitely not one that buys and sells magic items for a living. You never know what they have on hand.

Of gods, spheres, and magical chairs: A short examination of Spelljammer and 5th edition D&D Part 2

Note: Check out the apparently ill timed Part 1 of this short series of articles (WotC has a helm in the just released Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage).

Divine Spellcasters Outside of Their Home Sphere. 

 

In my Spelljammer 101 post, I have a quick note that clerics are unable to communicate with their deity outside of a crystal sphere. Traditionally, this is mechanically reflected by not allowing clerics (priests, back then) to prepare their spells above 2nd level. So if they used a decently powered spell, they would be unable to recover it until they returned to a sphere where their deity had influence or managed to talk a similar, friendly deity to help them out.

I never got the chance to play in a 2nd edition AD&D Spelljammer game, but I can only assume this would be quite annoying.

There are some work-arounds:

• Spells that let you communicate with your deity
• The above mentioned getting help from a deity that is a friend of your deity's
• Worshiping an entire pantheon and hope at least one of them in that sphere
• Worshiping a deity that lives in the astral plane (and is therefore accessible in any sphere)
• Just be part of a non-deity religion, or worship ALL THE DEITIES!

There are two main problems with this mechanic in 5th edition:

1. It’s no fun to not get all your spells back, which could discourage people from playing clerics in Spelljammer games, especially if there will be a lot of travel between spheres.
2. Spell slots are based on your combined spellcaster level where multiclassing is concerned.

#1 is why it needs to be changed, #2 is why it won’t work without new, overcomplicated rules.


Is this a necessary part of spelljammer? I would say… Mostly. It’s a good way to mechanically explain why the deities of one setting aren’t the same ones in another setting, but the players end up with most of the burden of the current mechanics. What can we do? We change it, of course. The question is, how?


The first thing to look at is the way that spell slot progression has changed in 5e, which makes it so that either we create an elaborate method of calculating how many spell slots you get, subtracting some based on the cleric levels but not the others…


Or we just ignore spell slots.


Yup, ignore ‘em. You get just as many spell slots.


But classes still know/prepare spells based on the individual class levels, maybe we should focus on that instead. If you are outside of a sphere that your deity has influence in, you are unable to change prepared spells above… say, 3rd level. You can swap out spells of a higher level, but you can only swap in 3rd or lower.

If you go to another sphere with a begrudgingly friendly deity, maybe they would let you change out 4th or 5th level spells, and a very friendly deity might let you swap out 6th or 7th level spells. A deity that you complete a quest for would let you prepare 8th level spells, maybe even 9th, if the quest was of enough importance.

If you gain a level, and you would gain an additional prepared spell, your deity prepared for this eventuality and implanted the knowledge of the spell inside you, to awaken when the time was right.



There! I did it!


…but there is something else:



Spells aren’t the only thing that clerics get from their deity, they also have abilities like Channel Divinity and Divine Intervention. How do we make that fit into this?

Channel Divinity is also a paladin ability, paladins don’t even have to worship a deity, and trying to argue whether “justice” exists in a sphere doesn’t sound very fun, so I’ll probably leave that one alone.

But Divine Intervention. Your deity acting on the world on your behalf wouldn’t be possible in a sphere where they have no influence, let alone in the phlogiston! So maybe this should be it?


Let’s examine it:

• Most games only go to 10th level, where a cleric gets Divine Intervention. So this wouldn’t affect most players anyways. (I dislike this logic, so I would never stop at this)
• Deities have no ability to affect things outside of a sphere they have influence in, so this one makes sense for a cleric to not be able to use.
• If there is a similar deity that is friendly with yours, and they are willing, it might be possible to call upon them, especially if you perform a quest or task for them. If you are likely to spend a lot of time in a given sphere, this would probably be a good idea.

I think I will make a table that describes how the friendliness of a deity affects the Divine Intervention roll…



What do you think? Is my logic sound? Does this seem to fit 5th edition D&D? Is it staying true enough to Spelljammer?

Expect a third part of this series, where I will take feedback into consideration and write out more "official" rules that I will use in my Spelljammer game.

Of gods, spheres, and magical chairs: A short examination of Spelljammer and 5th edition D&D Part 1

Note: For a quick lesson on the basics of Spelljammer, check out my Spelljammer 101 post.


Way back in time, back before Wizards of the Coast owned D&D, it was owned by TSR. Due to management decisions, many strange things came about, best of which is Spelljammer.


I love Spelljammer, and though it has it’s problems… quite a few of them… the heart of it is of silly space adventures, swashbuckling action, and weird creatures not seen elsewhere in D&D.

…And it sadly hasn’t gotten any real support since its original line ended back in 2e.


So, of course, the fans have done their best to adapt it to newer editions, including 5th, but there is a problem. Two major ones in fact, in my opinion. Both of them stem from a conflict with 5th editions’ design philosophy: Spelljamming helms leave their user magicless until they can regain their spells, and divine casters can’t gain spells from their gods outside a sphere where their god has influence.


Let’s take a look at these two issues and consider how necessary they are to Spelljammer, and how they might be made to work in 5th edition. Starting with:

Helms taking all spells from their users

You are a powerful mage, the forces of the universe bend to your whim, you are ready to take to the stars and explore wildspace! You gleefully move to the spelljamming helm, curious to see how quickly you can master this new toy. Sitting down, preparing for this artifact’s power to flow through you… and then your magic is gone. All your spells have been drained from you, into the chair. How can you defend your ship if you get attacked? If you need to send a Message or escape quickly?

Basically, having to lose your magic just to pilot a ship kinda sucks. Sure, it FLIES, but you are just useless until you take a long rest, from the very start of the adventure!


How does this conflict with 5th edition?

Losing all your spells isn’t very fun. Having your powerhouse spellcaster reduced to a slightly tougher commoner isn’t very fun.

Is this a necessary part of Spelljammer? definitely not. Spelljammer does not need its helmspeople to be magicless. That said, it can add an interesting cost to piloting a spelljamming ship though, so should it stay? It certainly doesn’t have to stay in its current form, but let’s look at the options, as a sort of scale:

1. Leave it as it is. (The purist’s stance) Honestly, I’ve never played Spelljammer, not back in the day and I’ve only DM’d a 5e Spelljammer game which I’ve been putting off solidifying rules for. It’s possible that I’m overthinking it and it isn’t as big of a deal, but I don’t feel like that is true. The PCs could hire a spellcaster NPC to pilot for them, but that is also a trade off of losing all their spells or not getting to pilot the ship themselves. Might not be an issue for some people, but I wouldn’t want to impose that on someone that does see that as an issue.
2. Leave them with at-will abilities. A slight step away from the original “lose all spellcasting”, leaving the helmsperson with cantrips and other spells they would be able to cast at will would at least allow them to defend themselves and contribute to the adventure. Definitely preferable to option #1, but only a little.
3. All spell slots of highest level. It’s a bit jump from “all your spells” to “your most powerful spells”, and now that I think about it, it really does work. It’s a bit of a moot point for first or second level casters, but Spelljammer really seems to be more designed for fifth level and higher. And honestly, now that I’m writing this out, this one makes a lot of sense. It has a cost, that cost makes sense with how much the helm is powered, and it leaves the helmsperson enough magic to feel at least somewhat useful.
4. Helmsperson chooses a number of spell slots. Now we are letting the players make the decisions, how much are they willing to sacrifice to improve the ship’s maneuverability? This can also have an added limit to the number of spell slots, both to keep them from dumping all of them in and then feeling useless later and to reduce any decision paralysis. Limited to one spell slot would be simplest, but more might be more interesting.
5. Attunement by spellcasters only. Attunement is a wonderful mechanic, and with a slight tweak can work decently for helms: Multiple people can attune to it. Because nothing would be more annoying than stopping after each helmsperson’s shift to let the next one attune.
6. Attunement by anyone. Similar to the previous, but obviously, not limited to spellcasters. This is kinda where I feel that it begins to lose flavor. I suppose if it isn’t requiring the loss of spell slots, then it isn’t super dependent on spellcasters, and this allows non-spellcasters to use it, it might make it more fun for players who aren’t currently/don’t like playing spellcasters to try to pilot the ship.
7. Sit on helm. No attunement required, just need to put your butt in the chair. Why am I even putting this here? I don’t like it for several reasons, most of all because it feels lazy.

What option will I go with in my game? This has basically been my way of forcing myself to think about this and make a decision and I am definitely leaning towards #3 or #4. Honestly I really would like to test out #4 to see how the players react to it. 1 and 2 seem too harsh to be fun, and 5 to 7 lose a bit of the flavor in my opinion. I will probably write up rules for #4 and maybe #3 and post them at a future date.

Something else that I will need to address when I write those rules: The warlock problem, how to handle short rest spellcasters? I could either impose that it doesn’t last as long or isn’t as powerful… I will have to think about it.



Next time, I will examine the other big issue: Clerics being unable to regain their spells outside of a sphere where their deity has influence.

Wildspace Magic - First Draft

Spells for Spelljammer adapted to 5e

 Spelljammer is... unusual. There are very few settings that take the usual high-magic fantasy  formula and put it into space, as space is typically seen as the purview of science fiction. As there was no precedent for High-Fantasy-In-Space (and other circumstances), the creators of Spelljammer were able to mold it as they saw fit.

This led to some... interesting components for the setting, but it is one that fascinates me to no end (which probably annoys my wife to no end).

While 5e has been almost entirely focused on the Forgotten Realms setting, with a short foray into Barovia, WotC has been hinting more and more that there might be expansions into new settings in the not-so-distant future. I fear that Spelljammer might be in the more distant future than some other settings (despite hints dropped into the adventures), so I figured that I would not be stepping on WotC's toes if I adapted Spelljammer spells to 5e.


This is the first draft of these spells, and I would really appreciate some feedback on wording, balance, and anything else that you think might be improved.




This is my first time embedding a PDF in my blog, so hopefully this looks alright.

Two big ideas to add to D&D 5e

I have been thinking about 5e for some time, and it has occurred to me that there are some things that could be implemented to benefit the D&D community and WotC alike.

Idea the first: Add a Legendary Player's Bundle to DnD Beyond

This one is pretty simple, and I'm kinda surprised that it has not already been implemented:  Make a trimmed down version of the Legendary Bundle (which is every piece of official content available on DnD Beyond at once, for 15% off, plus 15% off any future purchases) that only has player content. While the normal bundle comes with EVERYTHING, the player's version would only have content that is useful to players, making it much more appealing to players who don't DM.

Being generous, including all class options, race options, backgrounds, feats, and spells, the total value of player options comes to $100.90 (By my calculations, at time of writing this).

At 15% off, that would come to $85.77, which is much more reasonable than the $360.70 for the full Legendary Bundle, less than a quarter of the price! Since there are a lot more players than DMs, this would likely appeal to a wider audience than the Legendary Bundle ever could.

 The only things (that I can think of) that this would take to implement, are a few interface changes on the website, adding tags to all of the player content to mark them as a part of this bundle, and figuring out prices of future books with the player content discounted (or implement a system to do this automatically).

This idea originally also included all beasts that a druid could wildshape into and adventure specific familiars, but these seemed like something that could be cut for the sake of lowering the price a bit more (~$30).

Idea the second: Introduce setting guides to the DM's Guild

This idea would definitely take more effort to implement, but it would likely be extremely profitable for WotC.

Release a pair of PDFs (with print on demand options) every so often on DM's Guild (and probably DnD Beyond as well): 

This plan comes in three parts:

Part one is "The Player's Guide to [Setting]", with everything that someone from that setting would know: Major locations, people, creatures, culture, etc., maybe using condensed and/or edited versions of older setting guides, throw in some race and class options and everyone is happy. (and of course setting specific rules, such as for Spelljammer ships and travel)

The second part is "The Dungeon Master's Guide to [Setting]", which contains everything that the above player's guide has, plus further detail on everything. Where the pg has a note about some strange creature that the PCs might have heard of, this one has details about its behavior, habitat, diet, and of course, it's stat block (or at least what Monster Manual monster to use for it). It would also include quest ideas and potential dangers.

Beyond expanding upon details of the world, this book has a guide on how to run a game in that setting, how to capture the feel of it and express that to the players. How to run a pulp adventure in Eberron, get that post-apocalyptic feel in Dark Sun, portray the philosophies of the factions in Planescape, or the high-seas-in-space hi-jinks of Spelljammer.

Finally, the third and most important part: Open DM's Guild to submitted content for that setting.
Once the third part is done, all WotC has to do is sit back and watch the D&D community create multitudes of content for that setting. Adventures, more detailed location descriptions, more monsters, and a multitude of player options. A guide for creating content in the setting, and probably several Guild Adept adventures/supplements would be advisable, but not as required.

I feel that this idea is the less likely of the two, for several reasons:
1. It would take a lot more effort and possibly forming a whole new team just to tackle it (unless they want to at least partially hand certain settings over to Guild Adepts, like entrusting Eberron to Ruty Rutenberg and Satine Phoenix).
2. It could distract from whatever storyline the current adventure is focusing on, reducing sales of that adventure book and Adventurer's League adventures.
3. This idea has the possibility of getting rushed, just to get the content out there without sufficient playtesting or progressing the story of these worlds to keep them fresh for those who played them in past editions. This is a small thing, and might not bother people who just want their favorite setting adapted to 5e, but it could also cause those who are new to the setting to not be as interested.

Conclusion

Perhaps these are things that WotC has already considered, perhaps they even have them planned for some point in the future. I think they have a lot of potential, the first as a way to generate more (likely lasting) support from non-DMs in DnD Beyond, and the second as a way to open up the worlds of D&D to the community, and let their unlimited creativity add to the amazing possibilities that D&D allows us.

That and I want to see all the amazing spelljammer ships that the community can come up with.


I am curious to hear what people think of my ideas, so please leave a comment!

Weapons Not in the PHB That Monsters Use

Some time ago, I posted a small supplement to the DM's Guild called Monster Weapons!

It is an adaptation of all the weapons used by monsters and NPCs that aren't in the PHB, so that players can use them. It's good for games where you or your players want a few more options for their weapons, or so you don't have to panic if a player decides to pick up whatever wacky weapons their defeated foe may have been using.

Click here to check it out!

It is pay-what-you-want, which basically means it is free! (Unless you want to send a few bucks my way, I won't complain.)


Some of my favorites:

• Sword Cane
• Scythe
• Garrote
• Clawed Gauntlet
• Harpoon
• Sharktoothed and Spiked Weapons

Please check it out and feel free to leave a comment or send me some feedback.

If they ever post some new monsters with different non-PHB weapons, expect an update! (I'm looking at you, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes!)

Reflavoring to get Avenger in 5e!

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted here! Almost 8 years! A new edition has come out, going back to more traditional D&D systems, rather than 4e's "POWERS FOR EVERYONE!" system. I love 5e and wish I got to play more often, but there are some things from 4e that I miss.

The one I miss most is the avenger class.

WotC tried to fit it into 5th edition.

The Paladin's Oath of Vengeance was their attempt to cram the avenger into 5e. It's better than nothing, but it was still built upon the base paladin class. It's a good option to play as, but it just doesn't FEEL like 4e's avenger.

And then Xanathar's Guide to Everything came out, I read through it, and I realized that it was finally possible (with some reflavoring) to have a proper avenger in 5e.


It's... Stay with me... The Hexblade Warlock.


Don't give me that look. It takes a bit of reflavoring, as I said, but it fits better than trying to paint a paladin as one. So, here we go:

Avenger in 5e!
 
Step one: Warlock core class 
Not everyone has played 4e, so lets start with a quick rundown on the avenger: Avengers are Divine Strikers. Divine meaning they are powered by the gods and Strikers being characters that focused on dealing damage. These descriptors came together to create what was something of a holy rogue, who would hunt and destroy their deity's enemies. Imagine a paladin, minus the armor, healing, and protection, leaving behind just the oaths and smites.

There is more to it than that, so maybe I will write another post later, to describe how avengers would fit in more with the 5e aesthetic. But for now, lets focus on the reflavoring!

• Patron - Your avenger serves a god, cause, or ideal, and receives power from that. 
• Pact Magic - Oath Magic, derived from your unwavering devotion to your cause. You are able to cast your magic using an arcane focus due to it sometimes being necessary to hide who you serve.
• Warlock spells - Avenger spells (obviously)
• Eldritch Invocations - Divine Gifts, what few things the hexblade doesn't provide to make a near perfect avenger, the invocations fill in a few.
• Pact Boons - Divine Boon, gifts bestowed upon the avenger to aid them in their task: A weapon, a guide/companion, or a book of secret magics.
• Mystic Arcanum - Mystic Invocations
• Eldritch Master - Divinely Favored

Step two: Hexblade abilities
Now we get into the interesting stuff that really makes it fit with avenger, in my opinion. The hexblade's curse makes a perfect Oath of Enmity,

• Hexblade's Curse - Oath of Enmity: Instead of cursing your foe, you swear an oath to destroy them, so strong are your words that your attacks become stronger, you become more likely to deal devastating blows, and even your wounds are healed when you fulfill your oath.
• Hex Warrior - Faith Warrior: You trained at a temple devoted to your god/cause/ideal to fight. As such you became proficient at battling in stronger armor and with more weapons. You also gain the ability to use more than just your physical abilities to attack.
• Accursed Specter - Accursed Specter: As you slay your foe, you bind its soul to temporary service of your deity/cause/ideal. Maybe with a cool catch phrase, "You serve my god now." (this ability doesn't really fit with the 4e avenger, but I think it is still really cool.)
• Armor of Hexes - Armor of the Oathbound: Those you have sworn an oath to destroy have a more difficult time hitting you. (I'm sure some of you would have expected this to be "Armor of Faith", but I felt that name fit better elsewhere.)
• Master of Hexes - Oath Master: When you defeat an enemy, instead of healing your wounds, you can instead swear a new oath of enmity on another foe.

Step three: Pact Boons/Divine Boons
 While it seems obvious that a warlock reflavored into an avenger would take Pact of the Blade, I think it would be silly to rule out the other options.

• Pact of the Chain - Divine Companion: Even the lone hunter can use a companion. With this Divine Boon, the avenger is gifted a magical companion to guide them along their path, assist them in battle, and give them a compatriot when nobody else understands them and their mission. While some would only want to use an imp or quasit with avengers serving evil gods, I like the idea of an avenger who used a questionable ritual to bind an enemy to their service, in this case it's already what they can do with Accursed Specter. If you don't want your avenger to have a fiendish companion, maybe they could just have an animal familiar or if they serve a dragon god, a psudodragon would be appropriate. 
• Pact of the Blade - Divine Weapon: Your avenger is granted the ability to summon a divine weapon. Honestly, this is what most avengers will choose, as it fits with the avenger's hunt and destroy mentality.
• Pact of the Tome - Divine Knowledge: You are granted a book of prayers that gives you the ability to cast magic that may have been lost or is forbidden to members of the church. This option would be good for the more studious or magic focused avenger, granting them more cantrips and ritual spells.

 
Step four: Warlock Invocations/Divine Gifts
Some of the Warlock Invocations are actually perfect for the avenger, mimicking abilities from the 4e version and filling out some of the abilities. I don't think that all of them need new names, but these are the ones that I felt would fit avenger best.

• Armor of shadows - Armor of Faith: Here is the one that fits better with the 4e avenger's Armor of Faith ability, especially since it can be gotten at a much earlier level and protects you from every attack, not just those from your oath of enmity target. It's not as versatile as the 4e version, as it only works on those with no armor, but I think it should work fine.
• Improved Pact Weapon - Improved Divine Weapon: Woo! A blessing to your attacks! It's not really that avengery, but it's one that is likely to be picked, so I thought I'd give it a rename.
• Thirsting Blade - Thirsting Blade: I honestly couldn't think of an alternate name for this one, but I don't really think it needs one.
• Eldritch Smite - Divine Smite: I kind of felt obligated to include this one on the list, though I might just be happy with the smite spells... Might want to have a slightly different name for this one if there is a paladin in the party though, maybe "Oath smite"?
• Maddening Hex - Shared Madness: I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is not one, but two 4e avenger powers that are similar to this invocation. Shared Madness's name even fit with it, so I had to add it in there. 
• One With Shadows -One With Shadows: I think everyone wants to be able to turn invisible, right?
• Relentless Hex - Censure of Pursuit: This is the ability that made things click to realize how well this would setup would work as an avenger, as it is very similar to one of the 4e avenger's core class options.
• Whispers of the Grave - Whispers of the Grave: I like the idea of the hunter that can ask questions of the dead to find his quarry. It's not for everyone, I suppose.
• Shroud of Shadow - Shroud of Shadow: See One With Shadows.
• Witch Sight - Divine Sight: Seeing true forms of creatures would definitely come in handy for someone who hunts monsters.

Step five: Spells
 Warlock spells have a distinct flavor to them, which don't necessarily fit with the flavor of the avenger. If you like you can rename and/or reflavor them, and maybe I'll do another post about it later if it seems like there is interest.


Wrap-up
I am excited to try this out, whenever I get a chance to actually play. I know it isn't a perfect match, especially with a focus on charisma instead of wisdom, but overall I think it is close enough. If you want to try it out, maybe surprise some of your fellow players, talk with your DM (make sure they know what's going on), and have fun with it!