#VROCK

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

Vrock, the wrath demon! Hateful souls glad for another chance to spread ruin. They can stun you with a painful screech, teleport short distances at will, and have a group dance that can summon lightning! So the can work with others at least. Small groups though. Oh, the can also emit spores that dig into you and sprout vines. Fun fact, they're always angry, and if you calm them down it actually deals significant mental damage. Like as much damage as this 8 ft (2.4 m) vulture demons tearing into it with claws.

[gewska]

| COMMISSION INFO | TWITTER | INSTA | PATREON |

DnD sketch commissions for @/Yu_Yonji on twitter

[cursewhale]

I really like the idea of runnning a fantasy ttrpg campaign set in a world ruled by a cabal of vain and capricious vulture demons and seeing how long it takes the players to realize they're basically the skeksis.

[dianeramic]

A series of fantasy-themed ink illustrations I did for my TTRPG stock art venture! There's a lot of these coming up, so stay tuned for more!

My DriveThruRPG store, where I upload these for game developers to buy and use, is here!

[sheppi-isometrics]

⚔️ Vrock Hatchling tokens on Patreon

- 🌟 Get access to more than 200 creatures, maps and assets by supporting us on Patreon! Complement your campaigns with hi-res monster tokens and start building the adventure of your dreams with our isometric assets 🏰!

[trenphimdang]

CHUNG CƯ by THEMÈO 

would it surprise anyone that my after a while of not posting my comeback post would be another vietnamese pop punk song?

a high-spirited, vital, and zealous song, "CHUNG CƯ," or "apartment" uses the apartment complex as a microscopic stage to meditate on the ongoing loss of community and interrelatedness in our prevailing late stage capitalist world. pop punk is the perfect genre to do so with its resistance of oppressive institutions. if there is anything to get my spirits up, let it be this song's energetic and dynamic electric guitar riff.

the song starts "Sáng sớm bên kia nhà, Chỉ thấy có ông mặt trời, Xung quanh là bao căn nhà, Hàng trăm dân cư mà chẳng quen biết ai," or "In the morning, in the apartment next to me, all I see is the sunrise. There are over a hundred tenants but no one knows each other." these lines bring to the center the declining sense of community and familiarity in our immediate communities. why have we have lost the connection in the people directly around us, in a physical sense? i relate a lot to this song in the context of my own life as (1) i live in an apartment complex and (2) for as long as i've lived in this complex, i really have not had a conversation with anyone. i will admit this is partially my fault but when i visited viet nam last summer, i was able to witness how much of a role neighbors play in people's daily life. in viet nam it is normal to go over to your neighbors and casually ask for a meal when you're too lazy to cook. people rely and lean on each other. they gossip, they talk shit, they talk with each other. they laugh, they cry, they mourn and grieve together. they are a community together.

then comes the chorus: "Một mình trong chung cư, Ta lãng quên bao chuyện ngồi hàn huyên bên nhau từ bao giờ, Người ở trong chung cư, Chẳng thấy ai nói lời chào thăm nhau đã hơn vài năm nay," or "Alone in this apartment complex, we have forgotten how to talk to one another, oh person living in this apartment complex, we have never asked about each other." as bright as this song is, it really does the work of mourning what we have lost to late stage capitalism. that is we have lost interpersonal connections with the people around us. what this song does beautifully is offer us a simple solution to the waning sense of connection: asking someone how are you? as cheesy and corny as this sounds, what the song is urging us to do is to start trying to connect with others the best way we can and that is to talk and converse with our neighbors and the people around us.

i end this post with this question: what else have we lost to late stage capitalism?

afterword

i hope this post encourages you check out THEMÈO. if not, i hope this post offers you some insight into the diverse musical landscape in viet nam. 

as always, thank you for reading. i greatly appreciate your time and attention. 

with warmth,

phim

p.s all these songs can be found under the “phim’s playlist” tab on the homepage. the link will redirect you to a youtube playlist :)

[adndmonsteraday]

Vrocks (pronounced: /vrɑːkz/ vrahkz), or type I demons were tanar'ri with a taste for carnage and human flesh that appeared to be humanoid vultures. They were known among Abyssal denizens as untrustworthy and flighty creatures ruled by greed, but their selfishness and fractious natures were paradoxically paired with uncanny synchronization.

“Vrocks are fighters, and they work together with other vrocks with uncommon grace and ability. That is a big thing for the tanar'ri!” — Xanxost the blue slaad

Vrocks stood 8 feet (240 centimeters) tall and weighed 500 pounds (230 kilograms), appearing as a cross between a vulture and a human. Their bodies were twisted and gnarly with a long neck and limbs all covered in sinew. The rest of their body, especially their broad wings, were coated with small gray feathers, and their body stunk of offal and carrion. Their bestial appearance was magnified by their long talons and vulture heads, but burning in their terrifying eyes could be seen a keen, predatory intelligence.

Once thought to be loyal only to their own kind, vrocks turned out to be treacherous even towards each other, betraying their fellows for simple, cheap jewels. They were capricious in the extreme, only working together due to their ability to coordinate, and were well-known for abandoning their jobs and joining with new masters they believed to be more powerful.

Vrocks were dull-witted demons, but smart enough to keep an eye out for targets. Trying to bribe them was normally a mistake, as they also harbored a strong, demonic bloodlust, relishing the screams of their victims and the taste of humanoid flesh. They saw no reason to accept a bargain when they could simply kill the diplomat, take his treasure, and then have the added benefit of sating their need for carnage and having a fresh meal.

A gathering of vrocks was known as a "murder", and the size of the group could vary wildly. Typically they moved in groups of under eight members, but they were known to organize into squadrons of ten and perhaps greater numbers in times of war.

Vrocks were employed as guards, elite assault troops, infiltrators, and covert operatives due to their quality skills in these tasks. This was despite the fact that they were known to scheme against their superiors, as they were not so intellectual as to be likely to succeed. They were still carefully watched for disloyalty however, as they were likely to switch sides without any notice.

Although they made excellent bodyguards and enforcers for stronger and smarter demons, vrocks truly came into their own during massed battles as aerial strike teams. They flew above enemy forces with various debris in tow, raining rocks and the like down upon their foes before plunging into the fray.

Relations Among other demons, vrocks had a poor relationship with chasmes, another group of flying tanar'ri. The two mutually hated one another, the chasme seeing the vrocks as rivals. Vrocks also had a bitter feud with bulezaus, who they rivaled as the toughest front-line troops of the tanar'ri. The bulezaus lacked the magic and mobility of a vrock band, but compensated with sheer stubbornness and fury that led them to never stop fighting. The two bloodthirsty demon breeds would almost inevitably fight upon meeting, unless baatezu were present for them to attack instead.

Besides demons themselves, vrocks would associate with demonic cults, as well as evil fey and wicked giants. Magic Vrocks followed a peculiar system when it came to learning magic. No matter how intelligent, individual vrocks couldn't become wizards, but a collective of five or more could. The downside of this was that all vrocks had to study a spell before any of them could cast it, but this was compensated for by their increased group adeptness, since a murder of vrocks had the spellcasting strength of some of the most powerful mages.

Source: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Vrock

[the-time-lord-oracle]

Is anyone else disappointed that Vrock and K-DST aren't real radio stations? I'd listen to them!

[descent-of-the-lightbringers]

post by reddit user PlaneswalkerHuxley

[ember-mclain]

Gotta throw some Zap! to that weird person 😄

[luxurysystems]

hi again lux!! Ur local Vice City DJ coming in with another hit for the Money Inc AU ... Blue Morning, Blue Day by Foreigner!! Would love to hear ur thoughts :3c

"Somehow We Keep It Together"

[Money Inc. x Vice City AU- 1019 words]

Summary: Ted doesn't realize how much he's been pushing Irwin until the latter starts becoming increasingly hard to get a hold of.

[6:38 am, Ocean Heights Apartments, Ocean Beach, Vice City]

It was unlike Irwin to mess up on a job.

A shaky hand, a twitch in his trigger finger.

Recently, deals have been going south and Irwin hated to admit how it was starting to affect him. He always fancied himself as a machine, or something close to it– unrelenting, unstoppable, averse to mistakes other people would make.

But still he needed rest.

His head turned, shying away as the morning light hit his eyes; it served as a reminder that he too can bruise, hurt, and fail.

Three cups of bitter coffee were gone; a couple of cigarettes were reduced to smashed filters in a crystal ashtray. His gun sat beside the pristine white mug and saucer. Unused in three days, it looked so odd laying down on the table. The handle caught a bit of the sunlight and reflected onto his glasses. It was practically begging for something to do.

He took a long drag from his third morning cigarette, sighing through his nostrils.  Ruffling a hand through his tousled hair, he looked down his balcony beyond the palm trees to observe the citizens of Vice City start their early morning routines.  Joggers, rollerbladers, and tourists started to populate the sidewalks. God— so many tourists…

Irwin thought about taking a vacation, but then the pressing issue of a potential destination escaped him. He was technically already in paradise– Vice City: the place where you could do and get anything your heart desired.�� His desire was simple: a night of uninterrupted sleep. Just one.

He settled on a week-long “staycation”.  He just needed to retreat, be away from demands, prying eyes, and—-

*click*…*creak*

Irwin grabbed his gun as soon as he heard his door open, pointing it at the door and squinted, ready to kill whoever stepped foot inside.  His cigarette was rigidly clamped against his sealed lips.

”Whoa…hey, big guy, it’s just me.”

Irwin still had the gun pointed forward despite registering the gruff low voice as Ted.

”Is that how you greet someone in the morning? You’re not picking up your phone, I feel like you’re avoiding me.”  Ted held his hands up in a half-hearted surrender. He knew Irwin wouldn’t kill him. Maybe.

He wore his white linen suit and a collared shirt with buttons that were there as a suggestion– his worst Sonny Crockett cosplay yet.

There was an uncomfortably long pause before Irwin set the gun back down on the coffee table and scoffed. Irwin cursed himself; he had forgotten that he gave a spare key to Ted months ago. Damn it. He’d have to cross out wallowing alone in self-pity off of his day’s to-do list.

”What do you want?”  Irwin inquired without moving out of the corner chair. Lighting another cigarette was tempting to him…

”Blech. You look horrible.” Ted cooed as he sat in the chair opposite Irwin.

His eyes scanned the disheveled accountant up and down. As the sun continued to rise, Ted was able to see more of his face.  Dark circles, days old stubble, the messy hair. Despicable…yet, still handsome. There was something so endearing about Ted’s bluntness that Irwin couldn’t help but appreciate. 

“You could use some sunlight...” Ted waved a hand in front of his nose, trying as hard as he could to direct the smoke away.  “…and some fresh air.”

”No. Leave.”

”You’re still mad about the meet-up? You shouldn’t be. I was able to retrieve most of the product.”

”It’s not that. I don’t care about your arms dealing.”  Irwin scratched between his eyebrows with the back of his thumbnail; he felt a strong headache coming on. “There were more casualties than necessary, Ted.  You just had to…provoke them.”

”They were going to cheat me. I would have lost a sizable fortune—“

“They could have killed you—“

“—-I knew you were watching me.”

There was a pause.  Irwin wasn’t expecting this curveball of a reason.

”You…shouldn’t abuse that.”  Irwin stammered, looking away from Ted’s stare. “Luckily Tommy was able to back me up but-…fuck it, whatever.  Profiting from an embargo is worth more than your stupid life, I guess.”

”Watch it.” Ted hissed.

”…”

Whenever Ted dragged his tongue along the insides of his cheek, it meant that he started to get ticked off. Ted hated it when he felt like his money making dealings were dismissed and belittled, as if he wasn’t trying to make enough for the both of them.

Irwin would sometimes trail off in a way that highlighted his regret, like going after Ted’s bounty was the correct choice and he wasted it.  Irwin’s life might’ve stayed consistent, stayed sensible if only he just—

Ted stood up. He reached his hand into his inner breast pocket and pulled out an envelope. The corners were bulging, stressed and ripped from the stack of cash stuffed within. Dropping the envelope carelessly onto the table, almost knocking over the mug, Ted scowled as Irwin looked up at him.

”Your cut. A little extra thrown in for saving my ass. Again.”

Irwin blew smoke in his direction. A displeased look washed over his face.

”What? Not enough?”  Ted crossed his arms.

”This plus a week off. If you want to work, that’s your choice. Ask Tommy if can play guardian angel for you.  But leave me out of it until then.” 

Ted’s shoulders slumped.  “A week?  I already told Carrington that we’d—“

Irwin turned his head away, uninterested in whatever job Ted booked for the both of them. The sun shined brighter, lighting up more of Irwin’s appearance– he looked so tired. So worn. Those sleepless nights were starting to manipulate his features. Ted noticed a slight tremor in Irwin’s right hand…

”Fine.” Ted conceded. “One week. But you better—“ He paused as he saw Irwin bounce his leg up and down in annoyance.

“Just…take it easy. Take care of yourself.”

”…”

Having enough of the silent treatment, Ted turned away.  Already guiding the door closed, a small “…because I need you” escaped his lips and echoed in the hallway.

[x]

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

On the left, the vrock, 8 ft (2.4 m) aggressive vulture demons. Sometimes they can even summon a friend!

On the left, the Umber Hulk, 8 ft (2.4 m), about as smart as your average person, and can confuse and disorient people with thier gaze! Beneath a hide covered in chitinous plates is a very muscular body. One strong enough to tear through 10 ft (3 m) of solid rock in 6 seconds. Apparently the eldest of them can grow to 16 ft (4.9 m) and become very good at reading people.

[tzeenneth]

[cloaksandcapes]

This is our 440th magic item! If I've kept count correctly anyhow...we'll be uploading another 10+, pushing us over 450 tomorrow! For anyone who has been following us for the past year, is there anything you'd like to see? An item for a specific class? Something that supports a unique play-style? We love being inspired by and collaborating with our fans and followers, so shoot your shot! :)

Vrock Feather Charm

Wondrous Item, rare

“A series of vrock feathers bundled and bound together using a grey and purple twine. The twin also has several small rocks and charms attached to it.” Wearing this magical item gives you resistance to poison damage. Additionally, if you are frightened you can use a reaction to end the condition on yourself. You can also use a bonus action to end the frightened condition on a creature adjacent to you.

Join us on Twitch every Mon\Wed\Fri to create new Homebrews and check out our Patreon for 440+ magic items, tokens, maps, and more.

[stupidsexygrizzop]

god the cathedral fight is so gorgeous i cannot WAIT to see it animated

[hellishfig]

just finished listening to episode 34 of worlds beyond number, "something to remember you by," which is the end of arc 3 of the wizard, the witch, and the wild one, and i feel sick from how incredible it was. the physical reactions my body made to some of the words and music in this podcast really took me by surprise. i'm still reeling.

some thoughts:

i'm so happy that suvi is questioning the citadel, her reaction to silver's letter was inspired, and i LOVED her interactions with the quartermaster. she's so clever and intimidating (holy shit that was HOT), but i'm worried about what's happening to silver. i have an inkling that the witches may have already started making moves alongside the man in black, and i wonder how that will affect suvi going forward. and going to try and save silver before returning their "precious cargo" to the citadel... i hope suvi can keep questioning, and that whatever she faces, she doesn't let the justification machine run its course any longer.

eursulon meeting up with tefmet was really cool. i enjoyed the return of the strongest man in silbury immensely. it was extremely funny. and then, when eursulon asked to help and succeeded on his persuasion checks, it was solemnly touching. i love eursulon's power being in steadfast support and protection, and how to him, it's not about opposing the citadel in its entirety, it's about saving spirits, great and small, from those who would use them. and that's something he can do while still protecting his true friends.

ame let the chaos OUT this episode, and it was delightful and nerve wracking and thrilling to listen to. she's very bossy and it's so funny to hear how immediately eursulon goes along with it, despite not knowing what "it" is. growing up watching grandma wren, she seems to have gained a natural authority that makes people who love her listen to her when she asks them to perform innocuous menial tasks. but that's also interesting, because her chaos is focused, if imprecise. she knows what she needs to do and will do it, damn the consequences. as long as she can get away, who cares what she leaves in her wake? that's a problem for future ame.

they stole some brass knockers and a lion! they kidnapped nif to save her from being killed by indri! tof burned bright to free a vrock! suvi heads to war, eursulon and ame TO TOMA! (i almost cried when eursulon said those words and the music swelled. what the fuck, lou. what the FUCK taylor and jared. i'm not okay!!!)

and then of course, brockvale. holly hill. the resting place of sir curran of the hawthorn, who unknowingly sent eursulon on a quest that would lead him to our story. the man in black, the pilgrim under stars, the king of knight, the stranger, holds sir curran's shield. he comes to make an offer. will this poor old guard bid a weary traveler to step over this threshold?

this is why worlds beyond number feels so different to me from other dnd shows and podcasts. these artists have come together with the shared goal of not just playing a fun game that they all enjoy, but with the express aim of crafting a brilliant story. i love a goofy campaign full of shenanigans as much as the next person, but i adore how every choice in this show is given weight and meaning. there are no decisions made for laughs. it doesn't feel like playing a game. it feels like living in the story.

and there are also moments like the ending of this episode. a snapshot of elsewhere in the world, something the players don't know, but the audience gets to. it fills out the edges of the story and provides a richer tapestry of lore and reasoning behind the machinations of those who oppose our heroes. it gives life to the tale.

my heart is beating so fast. this show is incredible. thank you, @worldsbeyondpod , for the world you're creating.