[Ebunorun] A Sword & Soul Alternate-Africa Campaign Setting

So in addition to the campaign I am running in the Wilderlands of High Adventure, I am also going to be starting a campaign set in a Sword & Soul campaign setting.

 

Sword & Soul is a subgenre of Sword & Sorcery, dedicated to stories/games set in Africa.

 

Sword & Soul originated in the works of Charles R. Saunders, the author of the Imaro series.

 

Ebunorun grew out of two factors: first, my great enjoyment of the Imaro stories, and second, a friend of mine who wanted to play some Dungeons & Dragons, and he wondered, as an African American, if there were any African campaign settings that did the region justice (and matched the style of play we wished to play).

 

After perusing a number of them, I determined that it would be best to go forward with developing my own Sword & Soul Campaign Setting, ergo, the Alternate-Africa setting of Ebunorun.

 

I must note that the Ki Khanga RPG is very interesting, and was strongly considered; it does not come better in the realms of Sword & Soul than a game designed by the writers who work with Charles Saunders! However, the campaign setting is still much in the works, and the system for the game is unique; with everyone wanting to play D&D, it is something to be considered for the future.

 

I have already posted some information on the Piazza, in the Homebrew Worlds section, though we have moved from going with Labyrinth Lord to 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, so the crunchy bits will change...

 

The map is inspired by the Alkebulan "Africa Uncolonized" map, found here.

 

I should note that the names of the locales were constructed using an English-Yoruba translator; in the history of Ebunorun, the Adeniya (E-Yoruba) Empire was much larger and left a much more lasting effect on these realms, such that the "Common Tongue" of the region is derived from the Adeniya tongue.

 

The map is below. I am working on a brief player's gazetteer that should follow, soon-ish.

 

We hope to begin the campaign in February.

Click here for a larger version of the map on Google Drive. 

Click to embiggen

[New Spell] Investiture of Eternal Guardianship

Investiture of Eternal Guardianship
3rd-level transmutation
Casting Time: 8 hours
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S, M (gems worth at least 10,000 gp, which are consumed in the casting; plus, a single solid object of any value made of any material as the focus of the spell)

 

You transform a living creature into an immortal guardian of a single place; an intelligent creature must be willing (not under any sort of magical duress). So long as the creature so affected does not leave this place, it will not age or die of natural means, though it can be killed normally. It also need not eat, drink, breathe, or sleep (though it may do so if it wishes). It heals normally, even without eating or drinking, and it need not sleep during its long rest, merely rest. The creature also never advances in levels or hit dice, and gains no experience points while thus enchanted. The creature can learn new languages, and can learn new knowledge from willing teachers or from books, though none of this can cause it any improvements in abilities or statistics.

 

I know he aged, so the comparison isn't quite perfect, but it is apt...

The area the guardian tends and must remain in may be no larger than a sphere 10 feet in radius per level of the caster; thus 20th-level caster allows for a sphere up to 200 feet in radius. Often the area the guardian must reside within is smaller, as set by the caster during the casting of the spell, perhaps a single room or cavern or small system of rooms or caverns, and the border is delineated by some design or motif, such as differently-colored bricks or stones, a painted line, a fence, or even a hedge of shrubs.

 

The creature innately knows where the boundary is, and never willingly passes the boundary, knowing it can mean instant destruction. Low-intelligence creatures cannot reason beyond their fear of the boundary, while intelligent creatures might determine that there is no ill effect… within their natural lifespan. Should the creature ever be forced to leave the defined area that it guards, for any reason, the spell ends, and it instantly ages all the years that have passed since the spell was cast. Should it age past its natural lifespan, its body will wither, turn to dust, and the dust will blow away.

 

The creature knows of any being that passes into its guarded area; by concentrating for a round it can view the being(s) remotely, as though present and within 10 to 30 feet. When so concentrating it can also hear the being(s) clearly, as though it were present, though it only understands any languages it already knows. If it is intelligent, it may also speak to the being(s), as though from the air or, perhaps, from some appropriate bit of décor within the area. The creature can always see clearly within its area as though it were perfect daylight, even through magical darkness.

 

Casting dispel magic on the creature or the entire area is inefficacious; the spell can be dispelled only by casting dispel magic (or other such spell) specifically, intentionally, and directly on the singular item that acts as the focus of the spell. This focus item cannot be removed from the area of effect; any attempt to do so merely causes the item to disappear from the hands or pockets of whomever attempts to remove it and causes it to reappear elsewhere within the area of the spell. The spell is also dispelled if the object is ever destroyed (thus the object is usually of some strong metal). Note that the object cannot be enchanted against destruction, nor with any other magical ability; the item detects as magical, while the area and the enchanted creature do not detect as magical or enchanted.

 

If the focus item is destroyed, or if the spell is dispelled, the guardian creature does not age instantly, and merely continues aging as normal, no longer having any benefits of the spell.

At Higher Levels. The spell cast with a 3rd-level spell slot only affects beasts, oozes, and plants. The spell affects low-intelligence (Intelligence 6 or less) elementals and monstrosities when cast with a 5th-level spell slot. A spell cast with a 7th-level spell slot affects higher-intelligence elementals and monstrosities, as well as low-intelligence aberrations, celestials, dragons, and fiends. A spell cast with a 9th-level spell slot affects high-intelligence aberrations, celestials, dragons, and fiends, as well as fey, giants, and humanoids.

 

Designer Note. I thought of this spell while playing the other day, wondering just how certain living creatures guarding a treasure remained alive and whole after centuries of being locked away in a dungeon with no "natural ecology" on which to survive...

[Pokémon Campaign] Pokémon Campaign

I've been pretty quiet here lately, been concentrating on playing games rather than writing about them... well, of course, I have to do SOME writing about most of the games I run. I've been running two campaigns, both 5th Edition.

 

I recently put the bigger campaign on hiatus, as I've got less time right now. The campaign is set in Kvin Mondöj, though less Heavy Metal and more Kitchen Sink. I ran the campaign at a local game store every other Sunday for several months, and even though we'd have an average of 8 to 10 players at a time, most of the characters reached 5th or 6th level... and that's where I find 5th Edition to kind of break down, with twice as many characters at that mid-level. I hope to pick up the campaign again, but first I'll have to figure out how to run it in a balanced yet challenging fashion for that many players at that level and higher...

 

It got a little weird at times, almost but not quite this weird...

 

The other game is a one-on-one I've been running with my wife. She's a huge Pokémon fan and so she introduced me to the anime midyear last year. After watching several episodes, I commented on how it would make a wonderful tabletop RPG, and wondered why such had not appeared as yet (in official licensed form)... and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

At first I looked through the usual suspects for a system to use (all the old Guardians of Order systems, for example), but I felt that they really didn't capture the experience just right. So I punted and started designing a Pokémon trainer class for 5E. I also snagged the Kanto Pokédex from Caniswolfman24 on Reddit; though it is a very good start, it only captures each Pokémon in a snapshot, and even then, as mix of each of the various generations as the author preferred... and as I wanted the Pokémon to be able to level up, just like they do in the game (and the anime), I had my work cut out for me...

 

And then, too, I needed a world... well, a Region, really, as these adventures needed to take place in their own region. I could have used Kanto, or Johto, or any of the already defined regions, but I wanted something that would be unknown and wild and open... a real Pokémon Sandbox, so to speak. So I created the Byoga region (not based on any real Japanese region or other worldly region), and set about creating the region based on my wife's favorite artist. Try to figure it out...

 

The main map isn't finished yet; I just wanted to get a decent feel for the overall region, and then drill down to the individual hexes. The campaign started in Café Town, and her first adventures were all in the Café Hills. The region hexes are 5 miles, and the township hexes are each 0.20 miles. I packed a LOT of stuff in each hex; with the way Pokémon trainers wander, they tend to miss a lot, so she was guaranteed to find SOMETHING each session (each session is one or more "episodes," depending on the action that takes place and the length of the session).

 

Anyhoo, here are three of the maps, and I'll see about posting some of the information about the Pokémon Trainer class and the various Pokémon Racial Classes...

 

 

[Now Available] Realmscrawl Campaign Map 05: Tilverton

Realmscrawl Campaign Map 05: Tilverton

Realmscrawl Campaign Map 05: Tilverton is the first in what is hoped to be a series of maps and gazetteers detailing the Eastern Heartlands of the Forgotten Realms at a six mile per hex scale.

Click to embiggen this snippet of the map.

Continued support for this line depends primarily if it is worth my time to continue to develop this campaign setting as a product line, rather than merely for my own campaign use. This depends entirely on how well these products sell. If this map doesn’t generate enough interest, then I’ll know there is no interest in the gazetteer, the hex-based encounter and event generator, or other expansions of the product line.

Thus, your donations through the Pay What You Want system will decide if I publish further support materials. In fact, your payments will also guide what products are published after the gazetteer for this map is published (if it is published). As I cannot use Patreon to make this work, here is the way this will be done:

When you make a payment for the map, send an e-mail to jamesmishler@gmail.com, letting me know what you paid and when. Also include your vote as to which of the following items should be published after the Region 05 Gazetteer:

1)      Region 05 Hex Encounter and Event Generator; or

2)      Map and Gazetteer of the Underdark of Region 05; or

3)      Map and Gazetteer of another region.

Regarding option #3, these are the nine regions of the Eastern Heartlands that I am developing. As my campaign has pretty well stuck to Tilverton so far, I am not attached to any of the other regions specifically.

Region 01: Old Arkhosia (includes the Kingdom of Takhasia)

Region 02: Northern Dales (include Palandria, Daggerdale, Teshendale, and Shadowdale)

Region 03: Western Moonsea (includes Zhentil Keep, Phlan, Thar, Hillsfar, and northern Cormanthor)

Region 04: Goblin Marches (includes northern Cormyr, southeastern Anauroch, and western Stonelands)

Region 05: Tilverton (this map)

Region 06: Eastern Dales (includes southern Cormanthor, Battledale, Scardale, Featherdale, Tasseldale, Harrowdale, northern Sembia, and the Dragon Reach)

Region 07: Heart of Cormyr (includes western Cormyr, the Tunlands, the Dragonmere, and the Dragon Coast)

Region 08: Way of the Manticore (includes eastern Cormyr, western Sembia, Highdale, Archendale, and Westgate)

Region 09: Sembia (includes central Sembia and the northwestern Sea of Fallen Stars)

If I reach my goal for sales for this map and the gazetteer, I will tally the total votes by dollars to decide which product will be next.

NOTE: Reaching the goal for the sales on the map and the subsequent gazetteer is NO GUARANTEE that I will necessarily publish further products. So pay ONLY what you want for the CURRENT product, with the HOPE that further products will be forthcoming. There is NO guarantee of further products AT ANY STAGE of this process.

ALSO: Do NOT send me any payments for these products in any way EXCEPT through the Pay What You Want system on DM’s Guild. I CANNOT accept payments or donations for these products in any other way.

My sales goal for Campaign Map 05, which will determine whether I even go on to publish the gazetteer, is net $100 (total sales on this map thus being $200). Running total sales and vote totals will be posted every Friday on my blog at jamesmishlergames.blogspot.com (more often if developments warrant it).

I plan, at the same time, to publish notes on the history, races, cultures, events, and other broader elements of the Realmscrawl Campaign, which differs in ways from the core Forgotten Realms campaign, as outlined below. All these notes will also be Pay What You Want, and any payments made for these items will count toward the overall goal of the current product and votes for the next product… so email me with your votes when you purchase them as well.

Note that the entire background of the Realmscrawl Campaign and all elements thereof are entirely optional; use whatever bits you want however you want in your own campaign. And of course, under the terms of the use of the Dungeon Master’s Guild, you are free to re-use, alter, and expand upon any of these materials for your own products. The maps, of course, remain copyright © 2016 James Mishler, however, if you want to license them for your own products, my terms are simple and relatively cheap.

NOTES ON THE REALMSCRAWL CAMPAIGN

The year is 1287 DR, the Year of the Smoky Moon, near the end of one era and the beginning of a new. The Eastern Heartlands are in chaos, as Cormyr and Sembia are wracked with civil war and the Dalelands and Cormanthor are under siege by dark elves, humanoids, and other monsters.

It is a time of war, a time of heroes, and a time of villains. It is a time of change, a time of opportunity, for good and for evil. The old traditions of feudal kings and the sacred bonds of barons and knights are giving way to the customs of mercantile princes and the profane contracts of guildmasters and adventurers.

The old world, however, does not give over gracefully to the new, and the fading lords of chivalry cleave desperately to their waning treasure and power, even as the rising masters of trade seek to claim the wealth and authority they feel more fit to wield…

INTRODUCTION

As can be seen from the above scrawl, the Forgotten Realms (hereafter simply referred to as the Realms or the FRC) of the Realmscrawl Campaign (henceforth abbreviated as the RCC) isn’t quite the same as the standard Realms. It is an alternate version of the Realms, with several major and numerous minor changes in history and geography. The reasons for this are several:

First, the origin of this version of the Realms is in my own campaigns and campaign styles. I generally prefer a campaign setting that is more Dark Ages to High Middle Ages than Renaissance, and so my campaigns focus more on knights and chivalry than merchants and trade, though both are a factor.

Second, when 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons was released, and I thought of re-launching my Realms campaign, I decided to make it even more of a “What If?” by positing a whole new beginning for the Realms. That is, rather than adopting all the changes that had occurred over the years, all the great events in the “past” that were caused, in our reality, by new editions of the system, I decided to simply re-present the campaign as though it had originally been developed with 5th Edition races, classes, and concepts from the get-go… though informed by the themes and ideas from the Old School Renaissance movement that is near and dear to my heart.

Third, I decided to set the campaign at a time of great strife, to drop the characters in the midst of world-changing events, though close enough to the original timeline that, if the players chose, they could still be “at home” in the familiar Realms. Thus, I chose to set the campaign at a slightly earlier date than the Realms had been set before (save, of course, for the Age of Netheril mini-campaign). And so the campaign opens in 1287 DR, 71 years before the Year of Shadows (1358 DR), which was the suggested starting date in the original FRC.

The grand struggle between feudalism and mercantilism makes for an excellent backdrop to the campaign. It is a time when players could choose to make a quick buck as mercenaries for either (or both) sides in the broader struggle; righteously defend the rights and prerogatives of feudal society; honorably embrace the new way to the mercantile princes; support one faction or many among above others in the overall anarchy; defend their homes or explore the growing wilderness amidst the sputtering points of light of civilization; or, if they were of the mind, to even carve out an empire of their own.

Unlike the grand events of previous editions, there is no “right” way for a Realmscrawl campaign to end… the future of the Realms, for better and worse, is entirely in the hands of the player characters, should they so choose…

PERTINENT HISTORICAL CHANGES

There are only a few pertinent changes between the core FRC and the RCC that need be mentioned in this gazetteer:

The dragonborn Empire of Arkhosia once stood where now can be found the wastelands of Anauroch. It was from the fading remnants of this empire, not the elves, that the Netherese first learned the ways of civilization and magic. Dragonborn are still found in great numbers in Anauroch, particularly the powerful realms of Palandria and Takhasia, which follow Bahamut and Tiamat, respectively.

The descendents of the Old Netherese, known today as Anaurians, are the dominant culture of the city-states and wild tribes of the wastelands found between the dragonborn realms. The wandering Bedine are found in the Shaar; there are no Zakharan-based cultures in Anauroch.

Thauglorimorgorus, the Purple Dragon of Cormyr, wasn’t a black dragon; he was a purple dragon, born of a union of Dragorgonos (the Dragon-Demon, three-headed son of Tiamat and Demogorgon (with red, purple, and blue heads)), and Khyrexandretha, herself a purple dragon born of the union of a red and blue.

Rauthauvyr “The Raven,” who founded Sembia in 913 DR after unifying the major city-states and most of the regional towns under his banner, kept the new realm as his own, crowned himself king, and founded the Ravencrown Dynasty. Following last year’s untimely death of King Rauthauvyr IV, with no less than seven pretenders to the throne, Sembia has fallen into anarchy. Each pretender is backed by a mix of factions of Traditionalists (feudalists) and Modernists (mercantilists).

The fateful meeting between King Salember and Prince Rhigaerd, during which Jorunhast slew the Red Dragon King in the FRC, did not happen. Thus today, after two years of small skirmishes and street fighting, Cormyr is rent by civil war, with the Uncrowned King (already called the Purple Dragon Prince) and the Red Dragon King each gathering their forces for major battles…

EXAMPLE GAZETTEER ENTRIES

0814 CASTLE FALCONBRIDGE is a castle-bridge complex, with a five-story square keep and walled bailey at each end and a fortified stone bridge, complete with shops and upper level, crossing the Stonerun River. Built by a consortium of merchants from Tilverton, Bloxham, and Ravensden, Falconbridge is governed by Starjan Coelwren (LN male Cormyrian Human 3 HD Trader) and guarded by a garrison of 60 Guards led by Captain Kharwyn Hastler (NE male Cormyrian Human 5 HD Captain, secretly a Zhentarim agent).

Use of the bridge costs 1 sp per man and beast and per wheel of cart or wagon. The castle-town, which is built on and above the bridge, consists of 90 Commoners, including a Smith, a Wheelwright, a Tavern Keeper (The Dragon & Eel) and an Innkeeper (The Falcon’s Nest).

1611 THE CITADEL OF VALDYR’S FORGE is a massive three-story stone keep atop Mount Moeglidh (“Old Grumbly”), a (mostly) inactive volcano. It is home to the eponymous Valdyr Ironforge (LN male Shield Dwarf 14th level Artificer), one of the mightiest artificers in the Eastern Heartlands; he goes about his forge wearing only an apron, bracers of defense, and a ring of fire resistance. Young when Thunderdeep was overthrown, he has sworn not to rest until the Beast of the Deeps is slain and his people return to their home; to that end he perfects his arts, hoping to forge the blade that will be the Bane of the Beast.

Valdyr is served by 60 dwarven men-at-arms led by his nephew, Valkyr Ironforge (LN male Shield Dwarf 6th level Fighter (Battle Master)), who wears a suit of magical +2 plate and wields a magical +1 battle axe. He is served at the forge by eight 1st level, four 3rd level, and two 7th level dwarf Artificers. His complex system of magma-based forges is maintained by four stone giants. Six brown bears, allies of dwarven rangers among Valdyr’s men, prowl the mountainside hunting any stray goblins from Duskdale or the mountains to the east.

The seven major and three sub-levels of the dungeons beneath the keep are home to many dwarves, half being the remnants of the Ironforge clan, the rest from a mix of clans, including an additional 220 males, 177 females, and 88 children, plus seven 1st level, two 2nd level, one 3rd level, and one 4th level Fighters, plus eight 1st level, four 2nd level, two 4th level, and one a 9th level Clerics of Moradin. The 9th level cleric, Brynd Shieldbreaker, wears a suit of magical +2 splint mail.

1711 THE RUINS OF DUSKVALE consist of the tumbledown remnants of an un-walled village of 656 gnomes and dwarves; these were slaughtered, every man, woman, and child, during the fall of Thunderdeep, when a whole horde of goblins fell upon the village without warning. The bleached bones of the victims are scattered amidst the fallen stones of their homes and workshops.

The ruins consist of the remnants of 72 buildings, including temples of Moradin and Garl, a village hall, a merchant hall, and a large keep. There is a three-level dungeon beneath the ruined keep, home to a guard outpost of 33 goblins, three goblin bullies, and a goblin boss; the bullies and boss are worg-riders, with their worgs stabled in the 1st level of the dungeon. The goblin boss also possesses a pair of boots of springing and striding. The goblins are served by ten gnome slaves; these slaves are from the slave pits of Thunderdeep, have been raised to slavery, are thoroughly broken, and will raise the hue and cry if anyone attempts to rescue them.

Unbeknownst to the goblins, a hidden chamber on the 3rd level of the dungeon (used as a midden, and occupied by vermin and slimes) contains 1,187 sp, 280 gp, a jar of universal solvent, a jar of sovereign glue, and eyes of minute seeing.

Click here to buy Realmscrawl Campaign Map 05: Tilverton at the Dungeon Masters Guild

[Ekosia] The Story So Far...

Well, we've now had several sessions of our 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign set in Ekosia, and things have gone quite well, both with the new system and with the campaign.

Most players have had two characters, as we never know who all would be able to make it, and we've had two separate though related parties pursuing different goals.

The first party has been trying to capture Bandit King Heydut Shafee, whose gang lairs in the Lost River Caverns. During the adventure the party -- as yet unnamed -- successfully burned down a goodly portion of Pooftos, a local, innocent village, slaying the village leader and a dozen or more villagers in the process. Seems that though the villagers were in the middle of a festival celebrating the overthrow of Nothos, the Demon-Son of Dionysus, they felt it a good idea to suddenly appear in the midst of the celebrations with the Tiefling sorceress (Charisma 20) -- casting impressive, demon-like spells, no less -- as their speaker. Chaos ensued, the villagers were slaughtered in defense of the sorceress and her companions, and now several of the party members are themselves wanted men (and women).

After resting up at the Pike & Shield Roadhouse, they went on to find the Lost River Caverns, and instead of camping and scouting after a long day's travel, went straight into the caverns, stumbled into the bandit lair exhausted, and ended up in a two-session running battle, slaughtering many of the bandits and nearly losing two of their own members (death saves were lucky). They were then later beaten back by the Bandit King who had brought in some allies, Wretchlings and Bear-Headed Ogres.

Overwhelmed, they fled to the sea-side town of Karkeros, to heal up and find out more information. The paladin of the group, feeling guilty of his involvement in the slaughter in the town (he thought the villagers were the bad guys), ended up speaking with the High Priest of the local Church of the Risen Son (Egyptian pantheon) and got both more information on the bandit and a way to gain absolution for his actions in Pooftos... by bringing the Bandit King to the church rather than to the secular authorities, as they had discovered that the Bandit King -- a Tiefling -- was in league with the Cult of Nothos.

Of course, he also made sure that his companions would get the reward, as he wasn't so foolish as to assume that they would be interested in the state of his soul. So armed with further knowledge, they went back to the caves... and there found, on the other side of the mountains, a camp of barbarians (well, more like local hillbillies, really), who were now allied with the bandits and the cult, and had apparently made a few raids toward Pooftos and Lukopolis (a village to the south). They found the bandit lair abandoned, and figured the bandits had joined the barbarians en mass. Finding only Wretchlings left in the caves, they concocted a plan...

Together with a new ally, Dan the Bard, they bought barrels full of good beer, along with a sufficient amount of drugs and herbs to spike the beer and knock out most of the barbarians and bandits. They also had a "Plan B," which was to go up the mountain and make it look like a dragon was attacking. Fortunately, Plan B wasn't needed, as Dan the Player played up Dan the Bard's part very well, passing himself off as a representative of the Empire of Bael Norradh, a nearby Evil Empire who was allied to the Cult of Nothos. The beer and a chest full of treasure (mostly copper and silver with gold and a few cheap gems on top) were presented as a gift to the Barbarian King. As the leaders, unbeknownst to the players, were actually awaiting a representative from the Empire, this was not surprising, and a stroke of good luck for the players; that it was a Karnusian player of the bagpipes was confusing, but he successfully passed it off as needful use of foreign spies to put off suspicions from the local powers-that-be. He also rolled very well, and I rolled very poorly...

So the bandits and barbarians got stinking drunk and knocked out, though the Barbarian King and the Bandit King were still standing (being good drinkers and of stouter constitutions than their minions). Dan (who had not been drinking) convinced the Bandit King that he had a special treasure for him in his gypsy-style wagon; a bottle of good whisky to start, which finished off the Bandit King, who was then bound and gagged as Dan raced his wagon out of the camp...

As Dan the Bard had not gotten out in a timely fashion, the rest of the group thought things had gone wrong, so started burning the forest at the mountain heights, seeking to draw out the barbarians and bandits so they could go in and get the Bandit King. Only three scouts, not party to the beer-fest, found them, and were slaughtered, Dan rode by laughing like a madman and yelling that he had the Bandit King. And so they raced to town, even though they were exhausted. They holed up half-way there, and were fortunate that there was too much confusion at the camp the next morning for search parties to be sent out. They turned the Bandit King over to the High Priest and were handsomely rewarded (major milestone achieved).

Most of the party has just now squeaked past 3rd level, and everyone spent an hour after the last session picking archetypes, spells, and other specials for their new levels.

They're going to need them, as they've stirred up a bit of a hornet's nest...

[5th Edition] 5th Edition Campaign Setting Idea

So I am hoping to run some 5th Edition this Sunday, and am already considering what setting to use for an ongoing 5th Edition campaign. It seems ideal for a campaign idea I have had for some time, one that combines all these factors:

While I would, myself, hope for something more Castle Waiting, I know with my players it would end up much more like Shrek, so I might as well prepare for that, anyway. This would be unlike my Sixth Age setting in that it would be pure fantasy, rather than a post-Apocalyptic, post-Change setting.

Still... I might also start out smaller, just to keep it simple. I've always wanted to delve into the classic Rythlondar style campaign, and I think 5th Edition fits that quite well... so I might just whip out a blank sheet of paper and have at it and draw up some sort of Borderland Realm focusing on dungeons filled with whimsy and old-school oddities...

If this all works out well enough, and 5th Edition plays as well as I hope it will, I might just have to consider doing some Olden Lands products using 5th Edition...

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Review

So at Gen Con I picked up a copy of the new, 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook.

I hadn't really followed much of the brouhaha over the new edition, nor had I play-tested it; while I had downloaded the free starter set information, I hadn't even read it yet. But, it was the new edition of D&D, so I had to give it a try. Heck, I even gave 4th Edition a try... howsoever brief. So why not, too, 5th Edition?

Here's the short of what I think: 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons is a lovely home-brewed, house-ruled version of the Castles & Crusades system and the ideals of Labyrinth Lord with a dash of Dungeon Crawl Classics and HackMaster 4th Edition for flavor.

The long of it: Based on the PHB, this is probably a game I would play. Heck, if the MM and DMG live up to what I've seen in the PHB, I might even want to run a 5th Edition game. I would have never said that about 4th Edition, and after running a fair bit of 3rd Edition, I gave up on that, too.

But this game really tickles my fancy. And by my fancy, I mean my desire for a nice, simple system. And the new edition honestly delivers. It basically strips the d20 System down, much like Castles & Crusades does, and rebuilds the system using the ideals of the original and early editions... again, much like Castles & Crusades does. It makes certain different assumptions on making the numbers work, but it really feels like a Castles & Crusades variant.

So while I won't be changing my core, go-to game systems... Castles & Crusades and Labyrinth Lord... I will definitely be adding 5th Edition to my repertoire of playable games.

A few specific notes, good and bad, some to chew on, others just to remark upon:

I really, really, REALLY like the way they do spell memorization and spell slots. I'm going to have to steal that system for my house-rules for both C&C and LL.

The halfling art in the book is ridiculous... horrendous, even, in some spots. Otherwise, the art is quite nice. Very medievalesque, yet very inclusive and diverse. Really, better art than any they've had since 2nd Edition.

Oddly, there is no one place where the skills Open Locks and Find/Remove Traps are defined, systematically. You kind of have to piece together bits from the descriptions of Thieves Tools and Dexterity Ability Checks. Would have thought there would have been something definitive in the Rogue description, but no... I guess that is all for the DMG.

There are three Arcane spell-casters, the Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard, each doing magic slightly differently. I could see having maybe one, maybe two in a single campaign, but three... I dunno. Seems a bit heavy. And then, too, you have the Eldritch Knight and the Arcane Trickster Archetypes/Demi-classes (shadows of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea), so really there are five arcane spell-casting classes...

Grappling is nice and simple, as is Two Weapon Wielding. These I like.

Feats are optional, seriously optional, and I think work much better than they did in 3rd Edition. I also like the Backgrounds. One minor note, that I know is going to be a complaint from some players, is moving Charge from a combat option to a feat... I think that will be house-ruled in my games, considering how charge-happy my players are...

And then there is Healing. Using Hit Dice for Healing in Short Rests, recovering all HP and all HD during a Long Rest... that is likely to change. Maybe requiring a Full Day Rest to recover a used HD. Though really, you know, using the rules as written would just make the game go that much faster, with less down-time going back to town to rest and relax. We shall see...

Some of the spells are nerfed, others go way up in power. I think it balances out to make arcane spell-casters more useful in general, especially when combined with the new memorization and spell-slot system. I've usually given wizards a "mage-bolt" power as it was, so it fits in with my way of gaming pretty well.

Essentially, as I went through the book, my thoughts went more often to "ooh, I can use this/steal this" rather than "this makes no sense," as it did often when reading the 4th Edition books.

So the upshot is, 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons is a game I would like to play... maybe even run. I can't really give it a better recommendation than that...