venomni

[venomni]

Don’t feel like you need to answer if u don’t want to, but do you have any advice for stopping dnd combat from dragging on for too long?

the sweet spot for 5e combat is 4-6 rounds. any more and it does start feeling tedious. obviously how to resolve that depends on the encounter itself, but an important thing to keep in mind that as the dm, you can end combat when you want it to end. enemies can retreat, teleport away, just straight up run. or--and i don't personally do this because i have a pretty good understanding of my party's damage outputs these days--some dms will give enemies an HP range; in other words, when an enemy gets between x and y HP, they'll die (usually at a cool or climactic moment). again, i don't usually do that (and i don't think you should tell your players if you do that bc it might make the combat feel arbitrary) but it's definitely an option if you feel like combat is dragging.

but really, your game will benefit if you break out of the mindset that "okay now we're doing combat and i have to make enemies attack and keep attacking until everyone's dead." like, getting out of that mindset in general has helped me! I've mentioned this before but strategic retreats are key. with the added bonus of, if the enemy gets away, the pcs have a loose end out there in the world that might come back and mess their shit up.

#dnd tag #dm ref tag

[venomni]

combat additions to make it actually take more than a round for your players to kill your cool boss

difficult terrain. flood that cavern! oops the floor is lava! make the walls attack and grapple!

environmental effects in general. make an avalanche happen as soon as combat starts. combat during a storm is a great opportunity for lightning to strike. rain, snow, darkness, distance, fog, anything that'll impose disadvantage on their hits.

charm and fear effects. charm/fear conditions on a PC or two can totally turn the tide of an encounter.

straight up just swallow a PC or two. sometimes ingestion is the answer.

official statblock be damned, your boss should ALWAYS have additional legendary actions and/or resistances, condition and damage resistances/immunities, multiple attacks (probably more than the statblock says) and a motherfucking escape plan!

portals. seriously, just chuck some portals in there. I've never run a combat that couldn't be improved by the addition of a portal or two.

time constraints, mid-combat puzzles, a non-combat goal, anything the PCs have to do during the fight that isn't actually fighting.

in general, just get weird with it! wizards of the coast doesn't own you! no gods no masters! hit harder and have more fun!

#dnd tag #dm ref tag

[venomni]

Sometimes i think about the idea of Common as a language in fantasy settings.

On the one hand, it’s a nice convenient narrative device that doesn’t necessarily need to be explored, but if you do take a moment to think about where it came from or what it might look like, you find that there’s really only 2 possible origins.

In settings where humans speak common and only Common, while every other race has its own language and also speaks Common, the implication is rather clear: at some point in the setting’s history, humans did the imperialism thing, and while their empire has crumbled, the only reason everyone speaks Human is that way back when, they had to, and since everyone speaks it, the humans rebranded their language as Common and painted themselves as the default race in a not-so-subtle parallel of real-world whiteness.

In settings where Human and Common are separate languages, though (and I haven’t seen nearly as many of these as I’d like), Common would have developed communally between at least three or four races who needed to communicate all together. With only two races trying to communicate, no one would need to learn more than one new language, but if, say, a marketplace became a trading hub for humans, dwarves, orcs, and elves, then either any given trader would need to learn three new languages to be sure that they could talk to every potential customer, OR a pidgin could spring up around that marketplace that eventually spreads as the traders travel the world.

Drop your concept of Common meaning “english, but in middle earth” for a moment and imagine a language where everyone uses human words for produce, farming, and carpentry; dwarven words for gemstones, masonry, and construction; elven words for textiles, magic, and music; and orcish words for smithing weaponry/armor, and livestock. Imagine that it’s all tied together with a mishmash of grammatical structures where some words conjugate and others don’t, some adjectives go before the noun and some go after, and plurals and tenses vary wildly based on what you’re talking about.

Now try to tell me that’s not infinitely more interesting.

#dnd tag #worldbuilding tag #dm ref tag

[venomni]

afternoontime reminder that i have now in fact made a game :) it is not ready to go on itch.io yet... but if anyone has feedback (just from reading or from actually playing???) perhaps one day i will go publish it somewhere besides my personal google drive.

'for some reason this gives me big tbi vibes' - tumblr user coralreefskim on an early version, entirely correct but unaware that tbi was legit one of the main inspirations

'algie this SLAPS' - tumblr user ineskew, who helped talk me through the mechanics thank u so much

#bookshelf tag

[venomni]

Jaya the Tigress - one troublesome weretiger druid.

#dnd tag #art tag

[venomni]

The final version of my tarot game, Anamnesis, has been released!

Anamnesis is a 24-page solo game about self-discovery, reflection, and identity.

You play as someone who has woken up with memory loss. You do not remember who you are, where you are, or what you care about. As you draw tarot cards, you fill the blank spaces of your past and learn more about your present.

There are also free community copies available - please help yourself to one if you're from a marginalized group or experiencing financial hardship.

#ttrpg tag #bookshelf tag

[venomni]

🔹 – “Hey, listen!”

My Fairy Glade battle map is finally done! It’s 44x32 all by itself, but it also connects with four others to create an even bigger forest scene. You can now find it on my D&D art blog: The Fairy Glade Forest Battle Map

My biggest map to date!

Keep reading

#dnd tag #dm ref tag #map tag

[venomni]

Rations for various RPG Races

[[ Source. Original creator: wats6831. Additional information and images linked under each one. ]]

Universal:

Homemade artisan herb bread, home grown and dried apples and prunes, uncured beef sausage, munster cheese. Made a small bag from cheesecloth and tied it closed.

Discussion thread here.

Dwarf:

Garlic chicken livers, smoked and peppered cheese, spiced pork sausages, hard tack, dried vegetables, dried wild mushrooms.

Discussion thread here.

Elf:

Top left to right: Evereskan Honey Comb, Elven Travel Bread (Amaretto Liquer Cake with custom swirls), Lurien Spring Cheese (goat cheese with garlic, salt, spices and shallots), Delimbyr Vale Smoked Silverfin (Salmon), Honey Spiced Lichen (Kale Chips), and Silverwood Pine Nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Halfling:

From upper left: “Honeytack” Hard tack honey cakes, beef sausage, pork sausage mini links, mini whole wheat toast, cranberry cheddar cheese mini wedge, mini pickles, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, lower right is my homemade “travel cake” muesli with raisins, golden prunes, honey, eggs and cream.

Discussion thread here.

Half-Orc:

Wrapped in cheesecloth and tied in burlap package. Forest strider drumsticks, molasses sweet wheat bread “black strap”, aged Munster, hard boiled eggs, mixed wild nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Orc:

Orcs aren’t known for their great cuisine. Orcs prefer foods that are readily available (whatever can be had by raiding), and portable with little preparation, though they have a few racial delicacies. Toughs strips of lean meat, bones scavenged from recent kills, and dark coarse bread make up the bulk of common orc rations.Fire roasted rothe femur (marrow is a rare treat) [beef femur], Strips of dried meat (of unknown origin) [homemade goose jerky], foraged nuts, only edible by orcs….nut cracker tusks [brazil nuts], coarse black bread, made with whatever grains can be pillaged [black sesame bread], Pungent peppers [Habanero peppers stuffed with smoked fish and olives].

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Gnome:

Pan fried Delimbyr smelt, spiced goat cheese (paprika crusted hand pressed Fontina), Gnome shortbread (savory pistachio), glass travel jar filled with Secomber Red (wine), hard boiled quail eggs packed in rolled oats (to keep safe), dried figs from Calimshan, and Southwood smoked goat sausage (blood sausage).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Lizardfolk:

Lizardfolk are known to be omnivores, forage for a surprising variety of foods found within the confines of their marshy environs, in this case the Lizard Marsh near Daggerford. Fresh caught boiled Delimbyr Crayfish on wild chives, coastal carrageen moss entrapping estuary brine shrimp (irish moss, dried brine shrimp), Brackish-Berries (blackberries), Blackened Dart-Frog legs (frog legs) on spring sprouts (clover sprouts), roasted bog bugs on a stick!

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Drow:

From top left: Menzoberranzan black truffle rothe cheese (Black Knight Tilsit), Donigarten Moss Snails (Escargot in shallot butter sauce), Blind cave fish caviar in mushroom caps (Lumpfish caviar), faerzress infused duck egg imported from the surface Realms (Century egg), Black velvet ear fungus (Auricularia Black Fungus Mushroom).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

#dnd tag #dm ref tag #worldbuilding tag

[venomni]

More inadvisable Dungeons & Dragons characters, grifters edition:

A fighter who makes a habit of escaping debts by faking their own heroic death, counting on their extraordinary resilience to let them sneakily walk away from fates that “everybody knows” they couldn’t possibly have survived. So far they’ve given their life 17 times; one town even put up a statue.  

A wizard who’s perfectly capable of performing all the magical feats they claim to be able to do, but cheats people anyway using a combination of stage magic and simple pyrotechnics because they believe casting real magic spells in exchange for money diminishes the dignity of the craft.  

A rogue who commits logistically improbable acts of thievery, then poses as a private investigator and offers to “solve” their own crimes. The evidence they gather convincingly points to some unpopular member of the town’s upper crust, whose protestations of innocence typically fall on deaf ears.  

A cleric who claims to be a priest of a different god in every village they visit. It’s probably not a profit-making scam, since they don’t take payment or solicit donations unless doing so would be in character for whatever priesthood they’re impersonating this week, but they’re clearly up to something.

#dnd tag #character idea tag

[venomni]

Filibusterfrog Worldbuilding etc. Masterpost

some links for you folks, easy access

General worldbuilding

Half elves’ Home Made Families

The Orc Smear Campaign

Orc Smear Campaign Updated

Chameleon Dragonborn

Elf Hair

Elf Hair Updated

Dwarf Hair

Albinism pt 1/ pt 2

Halflings and Adoption

Prosthesis

Disease

Magic Seals

How magic works

Elf Eyes

Magic tattoos

Tiefling Horns (+ cultural practices)

Fae carapaces

Changelings

Glowing Elf Hair

Plague Doctors

plague doctors pt 2

Kobolds!

Undead Druids

Eldest Elves

Hybrids

Tieflings

Dragonborn 

Orcs                                  

Wood Elves

Drow

Dwarves

Tabaxi

Aasimar

Kobolds

Halflings

Living Islands

Eggs

Islands pt 1

Desert Biome

Islands part 2

Bestiary

Packs

Explorers Pack

Priests Pack

Burglars Pack

Entertainers Pack

Dungeoneers Pack

Diplomats Pack

Monster hunters pack

Spell Scars

Cantrips

1st level

(1st level updated)

2nd level 

(2nd level updated)

3rd level

4th level

5th level

6th level

7th level

8th level

9th level

Commissioned

Catalogues for toe-in-the-water furries and monsterfuckers

Cats

Metallic Dragons

Chromatic Dragons

Harpies

Cervitaurs (deer-centaur)

½ Minotaur/ quarter bulls

Seasonal Fae

Dream fae

Dryads

tiefling horns (1) (2) (3)

Doggys

Fish

Eldritch horrors

Horses :)

#dnd tag #character idea tag #worldbuilding tag

[venomni]

I wrote a TTRPG!

The Organ Stays is a silly rules-light tabletop roleplaying game about protecting your church’s organ from being destroyed. It’s inspired by the Home Alone movie franchise and micro-RPGs such as John Harper’s Lasers & Feelings.

A game is led by a GM and at least 2 players. It takes approximately 3-6 hours and is composed of 3 Movements:

1. Set the Scene - Map out the church, choose the setting, and discuss character relationships.

2. Plan and Prepare - Gather materials, lay traps, and strategize.

3. Defend the Organ - Fight for the organ. The organ stays.

The game is FREE and can be downloaded here!

#ttrpg tag #bookshelf tag

[venomni]

Originated by @axellenobody  in this reddit thread - “I have a few players in my games that have various degrees of Dyslexia, and one of them - u/Axelle123 - worked with me to make a Character Sheet that’s helped several of my players read and comprehend what’s going on on the character sheets…”

Personally I think that these sheets look exciting and fun to play even if you don’t have dyslexia, everyone should use ‘em!

(Also, check out the use of Comic Sans, a notably dyslexia-friendly font, in action!)

#dnd tag #resource tag #player ref tag

[venomni]

The fourth installment of the d100 Common Magic Items. A warning that some might be verging into ‘Uncommon’ and some are sinking into joke territory.

Created with lots of help from @korvusdnd

Note: These range from common to uncommon. In general, their cost can be higher than what it says on the sheet (Common magic items run from 50gp to 100gp, and uncommon can be as much as 500 gp, but they might be worth more in settings where magic is rarer). They are intentionally vague at times, so that the DM can fill in whatever details are appropriate.

Support me on Ko-Fi

#dnd tag #dm ref tag

[venomni]

I needed to indulge in some mindless drawing, so I found a fun D&D character generator and went a little crazy with character concepts :)

#dnd tag #art tag

[venomni]

Hotlinks to all Tables: A complete list of every trinket table for quicker access compared to scrolling through the entire blog or sifting through the archive. This also functions as the easiest link to reblog or save for reference purposes as it’s updated with each new table. Now with 90 full d100 loot tables, category specific rolling tables a working rollable Omni Loot Table.

—Note: The links sometimes don’t work on mobile devices or some apps. Try using a desktop or browser extensions if they aren’t working. 

-The Omni Loot Table: A loot meta-table that allows the user to roll randomly on the 90 tables this blog has collected. This grants a DM literally billions of unique trinkets, equipment and items that players can find to enrich their world and playing experience.

-All Unique Armors: Splint mail, studded leather and sturdy shields of all shapes, sizes and mysterious backgrounds. Distinctive armors that can serve as the basis for family heirlooms, legendary artifacts and magical or masterwork weapons.

-Unique Armors, 1

-Masterwork Armor Bonuses: Over a dozen homebrew armor improvements, enhancements and modifications created though superior craftsmanship. These masterpieces though more powerful than ordinary armor would not be considered “magic” or “+1” objects. 

-All Unique Minor Magic Weapons: A collection of flavourful weapons of artifact level quality suitable for low level characters. Much like the Minor Weapon Enchantments that some of them draw inspiration from, they provide small bonuses and combat options that are restrained by limited uses, niche situations or come with risky drawbacks. 

-Unique Minor Magic Weapons, 1   /   -Unique Minor Magic Weapons, 2

-Minor Weapon Enchantments: A collection of minor bonuses that are weaker than a standard +1 weapons, as they come with trade-offs, risks, prerequisites, limited uses or niche benefits. These enchantments provide feat-like bonuses, low level class abilities, modify damage types, provide short bursts of power or replicate the effects of low levels spells. Rollable Minor Weapon Enchantments Table. 

-Random Weapon + Random Minor Weapon Enchantment.

-Random Unique Weapon + Random Minor Weapon Enchantment.

-All Minor Magical Items: Semi useful magical objects (If not always useful to an adventurer) that have little to no drawbacks associated with their use and are perfect for low level characters.

-Minor Magic Items, 1    /   -Minor Magic Items, 2

-Minor Magic Items, 3    /   -Minor Magic Items, 4

-All Unique Weapons: Blades, bludgeons and bows of all shapes, sizes and mysterious backgrounds. Distinctive weapons that can serve as the basis for family heirlooms, legendary artifacts and magical or masterwork weapons.

-Unique Weapons, 1   /   -Unique Weapons, 2

-Unique Weapons, 3   /    -Unique Weapons, 4

-Unique Weapons, 5   /    -Unique Weapons, 6

-Unique Weapons, 7   /   -Unique Weapons, 8

-Masterwork Weapon Bonuses: Over 20 homebrew weapon improvements, enhancements and modifications created though superior craftsmanship. These masterpieces though more powerful than ordinary weapons would not be considered “magic” or “+1” weapons. Compatible with Pathfinder, D&D 5e and other D20 systems. Rollable Masterwork Bonus Table

-Running the Numbers: On Balancing Homebrew Masterwork Weapon Bonuses

-Random Weapon + Random Masterwork Weapon Bonus.

-Random Unique Weapon + Random Masterwork Weapon Bonus.

-Wild Magic Surges: A collection of Wild Surge options for DMs and PCs who find the published tables limiting, repetitive or boring, three things wild magic by definition, should never be. Rollable Wild Magic Surge Table.

-All Sealed Glass Vials: Faulty potions, weak elixirs, alchemical supplies, spell components, ritual elements, enchanting materials, crafting ingredients and magically preserved biological samples.

-Sealed Glass Vials, 1   /    -Sealed Glass Vials, 2

-Sealed Glass Vials, 3   /    -Sealed Glass Vials, 4

-Sealed Glass Vials, 5   /    -Sealed Glass Vials, 6

-Sealed Glass Vials, 7   /    -Sealed Glass Vials, 8 

-All Books: An eclectic library of dusty tomes, fictional textbooks, pocketbooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, booklets, leaflets and magical manuals.  

-Trinkets, Books, 1   /   -Trinkets, Books, 2 

-Trinkets, Books, 3   /   -Trinkets, Books, 4

-Trinkets, Books, 5   /    -Trinkets, Books, 6

-Trinkets, Books, 7   /    -Trinkets, Books, 8 

-All Rings: Enough rings and bands to wear three on every finger and toe while still having dozens to spare. These small circular pieces of gems, metal, wood or bone always add more to the story than the sum of their parts. 

-Trinkets, Rings, 1   /    -Trinkets, Rings, 2

-All Necklaces: Pendants, amulets, lockets, chokers and other “Neck Slot” jewelry that grant an immediate glance into the bearer’s personality, wealth, rank or social class and often serves as an iconic part of that character’s look. While a locked metal torque can instantly mark the bearer a penniless slave and a string of lustrous pearls mark their owner a flauntingly wealthy noble, so can an adventurer’s necklace mark them as a creature to bestow quests upon.

-Trinkets, Necklaces, 1   /   -Trinkets, Necklaces, 2

-All Artifacts: Artist masterpieces, rare magics and opulent combinations of jewels and precious metals. These objects can be found in the throne rooms of kings, the demiplanes of archmages and the pinnacle of a dragon’s hoard.

-Trinkets, Artifacts, 1

-All Valuables: More useful than regular trinkets, these items have either a clear purpose, a reliable ability or are made from a fairly costly material.  

-Trinkets, Valuable, 1   /   -Trinkets, Valuable, 2 

-Trinkets, Valuable, 3   /   -Trinkets, Valuable, 4

-Trinkets, Valuable, 5   /   -Trinkets, Valuable, 6

-Trinkets, Valuable, 7   /   -Trinkets, Valuable, 8

-All Trinkets: Interesting baubles or semi magical items that have little to no practical in game or mechanical use for an adventurer.

-Trinkets, First

-Trinkets, 1   /   -Trinkets, 2   /   -Trinkets, 3

-Trinkets, 4   /   -Trinkets, 5   /   -Trinkets, 6

-Trinkets, 7   /   -Trinkets, 8   /   -Trinkets, 9

-Trinkets, 10   /   -Trinkets, 11   /   -Trinkets, 12

-Trinkets, 13   /   -Trinkets, 14   /   -Trinkets, 15

-Trinkets, 16   /   -Trinkets, 17   /   -Trinkets, 18

-Trinkets, 19   /   -Trinkets, 20   /   -Trinkets, 21 

-Trinkets, 22   /   -Trinkets, 23   /   -Trinkets, 24

-Trinkets, 25   /   -Trinkets, 26   /   -Trinkets, 27 

-Trinkets, 28   /   -Trinkets, 29   /   -Trinkets, 30

-Trinkets, 31   /   -Trinkets, 32   /   -Trinkets, 33

-Trinkets, 34   /   -Trinkets, 35   /   -Trinkets, 36

-All Worthless Trinkets: Vaguely interesting garbage, vendor trash and junk loot. Not magical or mysterious like regular trinkets or worth anything more than a copper piece or two even if you could find someone to buy it in the first place.

-Trinkets, Worthless, 1   /   -Trinkets, Worthless, 2 

-Trinkets, Worthless, 3   /   -Trinkets, Worthless, 4

-Trinkets, Worthless, 5   /   -Trinkets, Worthless, 6

-Trinkets, Worthless, 7   /   -Trinkets, Worthless, 8

-Trinkets, Worthless, 9

-All Mottos: Whether they’re called adages, maxims or creeds, these simple statements are essentially promises made to oneself, family, or institution. A character’s motto can be a goal in itself or a moral anchor that centers his life and guides his action. A mixed collection of real life and fictional mottos that can aid a DM to quickly expand the history of the campaign or to aid a PC in a richer character creation.

-Mottos, 1   /   -Mottos, 2   /   -Mottos, 3

-Mottos, 4   /   -Mottos, 5   /   -Mottos, 6

-Mottos, 7   /   -Mottos, 8   /   -Mottos, 9

-Mottos, 10   /   -Mottos, 11

-Battle Cries: Simplistic and bone chilling warcries, complex and inspiring calls to arms and primal wordless screams of rage that shakes the enemy down to their iron-shod boots. A collection of simple phrases, threats, insults and violent promises for creatures to yell before and during combat to add verbal spice to each attack.

-Battle Cries, 1   /   -Battle Cries, 2   /   -Battle Cries, 3

-Battle Cries, 4   /   -Battle Cries, 5  /   -Battle Cries, 6

-Battle Cries, 7

-All Reference Tables: When a trinket calls for a Random Weapon, Random Color or Random Godly Domain and you can’t think of one offhand, just go here and either roll a die or select one of your own choosing.

—Keep reading for all reference and resource tables.

Keep reading

#dnd tag #dm ref tag

[venomni]

#dnd tag #meme tag

[venomni]

“Orc rogue is terrible at stealth” is a classic gag, but I’ve always preferred taking it to the opposite extreme, because turning around and suddenly there’s this absolutely enormous fucker all up in your personal space with no clear indication of how they managed to approach undetected or how long they’ve been standing there will never stop being funny.

#dnd tag #character idea tag