Zeitgeist: The Gears of Revolution session 1

I will attempt to avoid spoilers just in case anyone ever wants to run this AP, which I highly recommend. Expect some to get in there despite my efforts.

So, some madness overtook me and I decided to translate the Pathfinder version of Zeitgeist to 5e. Zeitgeist is an excellent adventure path from En World that takes your characters from 1st to 20th level. Lot's of good stuff. Half my players have defected from Pathfinder to 5e, so I thought why not give it a go.

I've only finished the first adventure. Fortunately, some swell folks in the En World forum had already taken the time to translate the theme packages in the player's guide into 5e backgrounds. They worked out quite well, and took a bunch of work off of me.

We had our first session today. I'm not a game designer or 5e expert, but so far it seems that the translations work pretty well. One thing I've noticed is that it seems pretty easy to disarm someone, possibly too easy. It's one of the optional rules in the DMG. Handily enough, the DMG also has rules for guns, and guns are pretty common in this setting. The basic gist of things is that the AP takes place in a setting where the industrial revolution has finally made its way into a fantasy setting. It's actually pretty awesome.

If you don't know, the PCs start out as members of the Royal Homeland Constabulary. Kind of like an old timey Secret Service. They have taken the place of the plucky adventurers that people used to go to for taking care of trouble. Zeitgeist starts out with the party doing crowd duty looking for possible miscreants at the unveiling of the Coaltongue, the newest, bestest, first steam powered ship in the naval fleet. The party tackled this job well enough, and made all the roles they needed to to ID the miscreants in question. And that's when things kind of ground to a halt for a few minutes.

My party didn't seem very comfortable with the idea that they had authority. Or at least they didn't know what to do with it. They just set to watching the suspects, waiting for them to do something. Only problem is, if it reaches the point where the suspects are actually causing a problem, then the party has already failed in its mission. I actually had a NPC police officer try to prod the paladin into action, who simply responded by being snarky and annoyed and telling the officer to go arrest the man if he wanted. So the officer did just that, and a fight broke out.

I won't go into details, but it was kind of a messy fight, though no one died. It would have been a very bad thing if this fight had broken out in front of the nation's king. But it all worked out, though the paladin and the officer with him did both get a serious beating (being disarmed is a bitch). Fast forward through a party full of nobles and industrialists and onto the ship they went.

Needless to say, things happened. My player's initial confusion as to what was happening totally made sense. Once they realized their initial thoughts were wrong, they kind of got stuck again. Granted, the session ended before they had time to fully process the situation because much of their attention was focused on beating down the meanest halfling they've ever seen. This AP is pretty different from the usual things your players will likely have encountered. They're police, with authority, and paperwork. They can't just go all murder hobo and expect to get anywhere. There are clues to follow, NPCs to talk to, and quite a lot of non-combat encounters. I think my players are going to have to take a little time to adjust to a whole new approach to things.

Someone I know who is running this AP in Pathfinder has expressed skepticism that this will work out. He seems to think that at higher levels things are going to get screwy. I haven't played with a party past 4th level yet, so I guess time will tell. 1st level is working out pretty well so far, even if some of my conversions may not be exactly right. Anyway, let the investigation continue!

My very own 5e race: The Treeling

Someone was talking about his girlfriend wanting to play a plant race in his 5e game. So it caused a bit of random inspiration and this is the result, slightly modified based on feedback from reddit.

Picture copyright of izabeaubo over on Deviant Art.

Treeling

Treelings are beings of the forest, who appear to be small trees that have grown into the semblance of the human form. They delight in nature, but also in music and artistry. When provoked, they can also be tireless defenders of their forest home, and implacable enemies.

Slender But Sturdy

Treelings stand anywhere from 6 to 7 feet in height. Though slender, they are quite sturdy, with their bark-like hide giving them additional protection against possible injury. Despite their slender build, treelings can be quite heavy, ranging in weight from 200 to 250 pounds.

They have clearly identifiable features, with black eyes and slender branches growing from their heads in the resemblance of hair. Their features are typically serene, projecting a sense of patience and tranquility.

Timeless Tranquility

Treelings live as long as elves, and have some similar views on things as a result. They rarely get excited or rush to action. They take their time deciding on matters of importance. They value peace, and will frequently simply withdraw from an aggressor, confident that they will outlive the invader. They can be provoked, however, and when they are moved to war, their fury can be devastating.

Woodland Realms

Treelings live deep in the forest, rarely having a need to venture forth from their homes. They don’t have the same need for housing as other races, and what structures they do create are grown from trees carefully cultivated into the forms they desire.

They get on well with elves as well as the fairies of the forest. They appreciate what the arcane can do, but tend to favor nature magic. While they do have a small need for food, they are very selective and careful in their cultivation of the bounty of their homes.

Adventuring

Most treelings are content to remain in their forested domain. Some, however, do experience wanderlust and a desire to see new places and things. Sometimes a lone treeling is an orphan seeking out more of its kind.

Treelings rarely feel strongly about any particular moral cause, though the obviously destructive can drive them into opposition. They don’t particularly value money, and when adventuring, they are more likely to choose items for their beauty or utility over their monetary value.

Treeling Names

Treelings don’t seem to feel the need for names when they are interacting with each other. As a result, they tend to be known to members of other races by nicknames. There seems to be little difference in the nicknames used by male and female treelings, and in fact, it can be difficult to determine if a particular treeling is male or female.

Treeling Traits

Boosted Ability Scores. Your Constitution score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Age. Treelings age at a rate similar to elves, reaching maturity at about 100 years and living to 750 years or possibly more.

Alignment. Though tending towards benevolent rather than malevolent, Treelings do not usually think of terms of good and evil, law and chaos. As a result, Treelings are most often neutral in alignment. Their ideas of morality are typically shaped by a very practical viewpoint.

Size. Treelings range in height from 6 to 7 feet. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Natural Armor. Due to their bark-like skin, Treelings have a +1 bonus to Armor Class.

Photosynthesis. Treelings are able to use photosynthesis to meet some of their sustenance needs. As a result, Treelings do not need to eat food provided they have access to sunlight for at least an hour every day, two hours in overcast conditions. However, they require twice as much water as other races.

Berries. If your water needs are met, then you may cast Goodberry once per day.

Forest Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks in forested terrain.

Tree Shape. Once per day, you may take the shape of a medium sized tree for an unlimited duration. While in tree form, even the closest inspection will not reveal you are anything other than a sapling. You are able to observe you surroundings as normal, your base armor class becomes 16, but your speed drops to 0 and attacks have advantage against you. Any items you wear or carry merge with your form when you change and do not function while merged.

Taking Root. Treelings must spend 24 hours per month in tree form so that their roots may take up nutrients from the soil. These hours do not need to be consecutive, but must be in hourly increments.

Speak with Plants. Upon reaching 5^th level, you may cast Speak with Plants once per day. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Sylvan.

Edit: I've changed photosynthesis and added taking root based on feedback I've gotten.

Ahool for 5e

I present to you the Ahool, a mysterious cryptid of the jungle. Part bat, part ape and all predator.

This lovely picture is by Haley Dubay.

Ahool

Medium monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 26 (4d8+8)

Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

16 (+3)             15 (+2)             15 (+2)             6 (-2)               12 (+1)             6 (-2)

Skills Athletics +4, Perception +3, Stealth +4

Senses Blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 13

Languages –

Challenge 1

Echolocation. While it can’t hear, the ahool has no blindsight.

Keen Hearing. The ahool has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.

Actions

Multiattack. The ahool makes two attacks: one with its bite, one with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) slashing damage.

Ahools are reclusive jungle predators that combine the features of a bat and an ape. They have the head, body and legs of an ape, though their feet end in vicious claws, while their arms are large bat wings with a ten foot wingspan. Their head sports a pair of bat-like ears. They can be quite vicious, but are smart enough to know when they are outclassed by another creature.

Treetop Predators

Ahool typically stalk prey from the branches of jungle trees. After they have had time to study their chosen prey, when the time is right, they swoop down in a vicious attack. Their attacks are swift, and ahool don’t do protracted battles. If they are not able to swiftly make off with their prey, they will withdraw and find a better hunting opportunity. They view just about every other species as possible prey, unless it’s too big, in which case they view it as a threat.

Family Units

Ahool males are usually loners, only briefly joining a female ahool to mate. A male will warn off other males intruding into his territory, but there are rarely battles between rivals. An ahool killing another ahool is almost unheard of.

Ahool females usually form units, so that they may share the rearing of young. Upon reaching adulthood, females will typically continue on with the troop, while males go off to establish their own territory.

Marscon 2015

Last weekend was Marscon 2015, in sunny Bloomington, MN. It was relocated to the Hilton near the Mall of America. All in all, a good time. Unfortunately, I had a somewhat disorganized weekend, so I probably didn't take full advantage of what the con had to offer.

First off, the hotel. The Hilton was a new location for Marscon. A pretty nice hotel, but the parking lot was a bit too small. The Hilton did have some overflow parking down the hill that it shares with, I think, the Park Plaza. Two issues with this: 1. there is nothing to indicate that this is overflow parking, and 2. as you may or may not know, some con goers can't handle hills as well as others. But, the hotel was pretty nice otherwise, and easy to get around. The staff seemed decent as well. Some people complained about the heat in their rooms, but I didn't have an issue with that.

Second, the programming. Marscon had a nice spread of programming, and it's upped its game with educational programming and things for the youngsters. There appears to have been some last minute chaos, though. I found out Wednesday night that the con had decided to use two of my panel ideas and that I was on both panels to act as moderator. Both went okay, but only one other person was on one panel with me, and I was the only person on the other panel.

I wish I'd hit the movie room. It appears to have had a good selection of movies and people seemed happy with it. And as always, there was karaoke. And room parties. A fair number of room parties that ranged in quality from 'meh' to pretty darn cool.

I think the con staff did a pretty good job overall. There was one incident with a security volunteer, but I won't go into the specifics because it would just be hearsay and it seems to have been dealt with appropriately. The consuite staff in particular did a great job.

All in all, a pretty good con. It was perhaps a little disorganized, but this was a new hotel and I expect things will run more smoothly next year.

The Keythong for 5e

Picture by Scatha the Worm on Deviantart.

The Keythong is a heraldic beast like the Griffin. It differs from the Griffin in that it has spikes instead of wings, and in some myths, it is supposedly the male of the species with only the females having wings. For my purposes, I'm treating them as separate species.

Keythong

Large monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 59 (7d10+21)

Speed 50 ft.

Str                    Dex                  Con                  Int                    Wis                  Cha

18 (+4)             15 (+2)             16 (+3)             2 (-4)               13 (+1)             8 (-1)

Skills Perception +5

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages –

Challenge 2

Spiky Hide. At the start of each of its turns, the keythong deals 4 (1d8) piercing damage to any creature grappling it.

Keen Sight. The keythong has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Actions

Multiattack. The keythong makes two attacks: one with its beak, one with its claws.

Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) slashing damage.

Keythongs are wingless cousins to the griffin, with the body of a lion and the head and forelegs of an eagle. A pair of slightly curved horns grows from their heads and spike-like spines sprout from their backs, particularly dense in the shoulders where a griffin’s wings are located. They live in mated pairs, and coordinate their attacks with their mate when they hunt. They do not seem to possess the same fondness for horse flesh as the griffin, though they certainly wouldn’t hesitate to take one if the opportunity presented itself.

Fierce and Loyal Mates

Keythongs mate for life and will not take another if their partner dies. They are also fierce combatants, and will not hesitate to defend their mate or young. They never surrender, fighting to the death if need be.

Guardian Beasts

A keythong can be raised from an egg to serve as a companion and guard beast. Due to their spikes, training them to be mounts isn’t practical. Training a keythong can be a dangerous and resource intensive process, and typically requires a trainer well-versed in their ferocious nature.

Once trained, they are completely loyal to their master, defending him or her as readily as they would their mate or young. They will also guard their master’s property with that same feriocity.

Con of the North

Every year on Valentines Day weekend Con of the North takes place in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. I'm not a fan of the date, for what should be obvious reasons, but I've managed to go to this con for a few years now. Con of the North is a gaming convention that currently happens in Plymouth, MN, which is a lot closer to where I live than its last location in St Paul.

The Crown Plaza is a pretty nice hotel. Parking has been mildly problematic, but the hotel & con have worked together to alleviate the problem, & they did a pretty good job this year.

There is generally a good mix of games. Pathfinder Society seems to have pushed out some of the other RPGs, but they seem to be slowly coming back. I don't play PF Society, so that makes me happy. There is also quite a lot of miniature gaming, with some nice terrain. For the 40K fan there is a Rogue Trader tournament. Every year there is even Battletech! Can you believe it? I love that game!

Overall, it's a good time. I highly recommend Con of the North if you can manage it. I'm lucky to have a very understanding girlfriend.

Monarch of the Monsters 5 is upon us!

I'm sure most interested parties have already seen this, but if you haven't, Kobold Press' Monarch of the Monsters 5 is underway. Go flex some of those creative muscles.

http://www.koboldpress.com/k/front-page19084.php