#as much as I like to think I'd be like. a rogue or a warlock in a dnd setting

[danwhobrowses]

So Callowmoores am I alone in thinking it was cute that Fearne helped carry Ashton to the city? Like there's the parallel also with Ashton carrying her into the Bloody Bridge as well

[forcedhesitation]

I'm actually rather surprised that not a single one of the boys made top three. but then again, I suppose the large number of straight men that play this game are not as visible in fan spaces as us lgbt. That is...a fortunate thing, though, I'd argue.

[lovevalley45]

rn sorcerer n warlock are tied for top of the caster poll so i'm figuring that i might end up doing the top two for that poll unless one class has a Really strong lead, but the poll doesn't end for tomorrow night so like 👀

[galedekarios]

Are you the one who made the post about how in the epilogue Gale has lines mentioning he has been learning skills from Tavs class?

no, but i can help you if you're looking for what gale and the protag both say.

this dialogue path only triggers if you chose to leave waterdeep behind and went on to adventure with gale after the game ends:

Gale: I confess, when I left Waterdeep there was a part of me afraid that I might regret my decision. But I never have. Gale: I'm delighted to be here amongst friends again, but part of me is reluctant to step away from our new life - even for such a gathering as this.

Player: You don't have to be here if you don't want to, Gale... Gale: Oh, ignore me - I'm perfectly content. Besides, the chance to step out for a night on your arm is hardly one I'm going to pass up. Tara the Tressym: I'm just glad I'm not the only one encouraging you to leave the library once in a while. It does one good to feel the grass beneath one's paws from time to time. Gale: I don't know where to begin in telling people what we've been up to. I suspect they won't believe me...

the player then has various options to pick from depending on their class, showcasing the skills that gale has been taught by them:

Player: Who knew you'd look so good swinging an axe..., BARBARIAN - Player: You've learned to harmonise wonderfully. Not quite solo material yet, but you're close., BARD - Player: Me neither. You've learned much about my faith, and a far more worthy god than Mystra..., CLERIC - Player: I wouldn't have believed it either. I'd no idea you had such a way with animals..., DRUID - Player: I wouldn't have believed it either. You, taking lessons in magic from me..., WIZARD, WARLOCK, SORCERER - Player: Their belief does not matter. You've studied my oath, learned the truth of its purpose - that's achievement enough., PALADIN - Player: That you've learned a trick or two from me? Steal the gold from their palms and they'll believe you soon enough., ROGUE - Player: Of course they'll believe you. Your arrows fly as true as your spells these days., RANGER - Player: Whether they believe does not matter. Our studies grant you an inner peace no external approval could offer., MONK - Player: They'll believe it the next time we get ourselves into a scrap. You wield a sword as well as half the fighters in Faerûn., FIGHTER - Player: Only Mystra herself need know the truth of your accomplishments. And under my guidance, you've served her well., CLERIC_MYSTRA

i do like gale's little response:

Gale: What can I say? You're an excellent teacher.

it's a sweet callback to his spell teaching / weave scene, where the player can tell him he's an excellent teacher after helping them channel the weave.

i do think this - in addition to the little tidbit you get in lae'zel's origin where it's revealed that gale learns tir'su for her - really highlights how truly and genuinely invested gale is in his partner and their relationship together.

[ghulah]

The Papas, DND and VTM

As some of you know, I am an avid TTRPG liker, watcher, player, etc. The idea of the Papas (and the Ghouls) playing a campaign has always been very fun to me, so I consulted with the council (my wives @bonesy-doodles and @parabunny).

And so, I present to you, the Papas and their set ups for Dungeons and Dragons and Vampire: the Masquerade!

Primo

So, Primo is overall very much the traditional Dracula of the bunch. He's all dark and mysterious and probably actually evil (by some metric), despite the garden tending and the (poisonous) plants he takes care of. He for sure is a roleplay guy but will kick ass in combat.

In DND, he would definitely attempt to play a Dhampir Warlock or Artificer. Artificer especially would allow for alchemy and a lot more fucking around with spellcasting - therefore making it both challenging and engaging and for Primo to pull some insane shit during session. He could also just multiclass Warlock/Artificer, definitely pact of Fiend, Undead, or the Great Old One. The Dhampirism is for vibes, okay. It just fits.

As for VTM, he would be Malkavian or Nosferatu, but the oracle aspect of Malkavian makes it all the more ominous. There is also Hecata and Tzimisce! Either way, he's one of the more ancient, traditional vampires. Primo would play VTM and say, "I am Cain." (bones said this) Much to the chagrin of the Master of Ceremonies.

Primo is also a dice hoarder, he has so many sets and he has a specialized dice bag for it too. It's embroidered.

Secondo

Secondo is very - how you say - wild? He would bring chaos to the table I fear, but he does it in character rather than like being a frustrating player. While he does read the rules well, he does it to get around them I feel.

In DND, he'd play a fighter class, probably just straight up Fighter or Barbarian. And he'd play bigger species like Dragonborn and Orcs! So basically the tank and also main hitter. But for a little bit of religious aspects, an Oathbreaker Paladin would be perfect for him. It has those angsty, turned back on my god vibes as well as the tankiness of melee classes. a Barbarian Paladin multiclass would hit hard methinks.

VTM wise, he'd definitely be Ravnos. I considered Toreador and Gangrel, but I think Ravnos fits the best. He loves (un)living on the edge and rather than the high art vibes that Toreador embody, it's a lot more, well, wild! And also cool. Very rogue-ish and plays by his own rules.

I think he likes fun dice that are like, metal specifically. Some of them are more dark, gothic designs and then some of them are just super fun.

Terzo

Alright, this guy for sure is a roleplay-heavy player. Yeah combat is fun and all but only to get shit done. He loves taking his time curating his character's aesthetics and their motivations and all. He will stick to the bit, do not try him.

That being said, of course he's playing a Bard in DND. He would play either a Tiefling or something of the Elf variety. College of Eloquence would be what I'd assign to him. The bardiest bard to bard, you know? However!! He could also play a Warforged, specifically one with Art Deco elements and that could also reference Frankenstein. It always comes back to Frankenstein with him.

To riff off of the artistry of bards - Terzo would be a Toreador. They're known for being artisans. They're beautiful and charming, seductive...all of which fits the bill for the type of character Terzo likes to play. On the other hand, he could very well play a Brujah. They're known as rebels, warrior-scholars. Terzo would play a vampire that's very Vampire Chronicle-esque.

He's also pretty superstitious about his dice, like if one of them rolls badly he will retire it.

Copia

I think Copia also enjoys the roleplay aspect of TTRPG's a little more than the combat but he gets super giddy whenever he hits a critical hit or takes someone down.

For DND, he would play a Tiefling Cleric. He's got that vibe that he enjoys both the aesthetics and the idea of Tieflings conceptually! Personally I think he always has a Tiefling PC on hand at all times, like it's just his thing. Other than Cleric, he might also take Druid for Wildshape, so he could turn into a little rat. Otherwise, he might also enjoy Sorcerer (magic nepotism /hj). Who has time to learn spells? Not him!

VTM though, it'd be funny if he played a Lasombra. Definitely hilarious considering their whole social-climbing thing and the administrative aspect! Tangentially, the Ministry Clan would also be kinda ironic. I just think he plays that sort of vampire that is less Ancient but more like What We Do In The Shadows vampire.

He likes having dice for each of his characters, he might reuse some, but he prefers having one set for one PC.

Extra

They all play an Oops! All Tiefling Bard Game, at some point. It is so stupidly fun.

There have been fights over in-game choices. Many of them. It's okay, they get through it.

The Ghouls do play as well! I have not figured out their own preferences yet, but trust, they get to have their TTRPG time.

OC tidbits

My OC, Sibling Nephtys would run games like Monsterhearts (college ver) and Monster of the Week.

Bones's OC, Sibling Rigorian, would run Dungeons and Dragons.

Para's OC, Bunny, would run Vampire: The Masquerade.

[jaypea00101010]

A single design problem I have for each D&D 5e class

Made this a thread over on bluesky and figured might as well bring it over here. Not really big problems in most cases, but just, small things that I feel WotC should tweak in all current 5e classes.

Artificer: No clear weakness.

A single class that can make great a great support character, DPS character, tank, single target attacker, stealth character, etc

Obviously needs to be built spesifically for each of these, but every other class has at least one thing they can't do.

Barbarian: No force resistance

Slightly cheating because it's not inherently a problem with Barbarian, but recently more monsters have been using Force damage instead of B/P/S, and barbarians should absolutely gain resistance to it while raging at higher levels.

Bard: Full-casting

Bards are designed to be a jack of all trades, it's right there at 2nd level, but they seem to have missed the 'master of none' bit.

Full spellcasting up to 9th level, a pretty solid spell list, and spells they don't have they can take with Magical Secrets anyway, even 9th level ones.

Cleric: Turn Undead

A holdover from older editions, turn undead in my opinion just doesn't make for a good universal option on clerics.

I'd much prefer something like spirit guardians or spiritual weapon be reworked into their universal channel divinity.

Druid: Universal Wildshape

Probably controversial, but I have similar problems with wildshape that I do turn undead, it's good, but a weird universal option.

If I'm a druid getting my powers from stones, plants, or the stars, why can I also turn into a ferret? There should be a few options to pick from instead.

Fighter: Action Surge at Level 2

Action surge is such a good feature, usually it's just some extra attacks, but the fact you have the chioce is great....

That said, I think it coming online so early incentivises unintentionally incentivises multiclassing, casters dipping for 2 spells a turn mostly. They've somewhat fixed it by limiting what actions you can use it for in OneD&D, but I personally just feel it should be later level rather than limiting it.

Monk: Ki Dependancy

This doesnt' need explaining, everything for monks costs ki and it really doesn't need to, they should get resource free disengage and dash, or have ki recover faster.

I had an idea for a ki recharge of 1 min, but less points overall, so you have all points for every fight

Paladin: Oaths at 3rd level

You get your power as a paladin from a sacred oath you swear, so why do you only choose that oath at 3rd level?

That's like a warlock only deciding their patron at 3rd, or a cleric only deciding their god at 3rd (Yes 1D&D does this and I hate it).

Ranger: Spells Known

Why do rangers, the class that's meant to be about being the best prepared for the wilderness and natural areas not have prepared spells?

It just seems so obvious to me, and I've got no idea why it's not done like that already?!

Rogue: Is Pretty Good

If anything I'd say that I'm not a fan of skill floors like reliable talent, and expertise not letting you use it on other tools is a bit strange, maybe the large subclass level gap?

Yeah overall I'm a fan of rogues though, they're just solidly made.

Sorcerer: Spells Known

They tried to fix this in Tasha's with subclass spell lists, and I think that's good idea generally, but letting them swap them for (admittedly limited) options from 3 different spell lists is also weird

Just give them subclass spells they can't swap, or maybe can swap fron one list and you're good.

Warlock: EB is a Cantrip

Eldritch Blast is a good spell. Too good to be honest with multiclassing at least, it's one of the reasons PalLock is such a good combo.

EB should scale with Warlock level so be a feature not a cantrip, or cantrip scaling with warlock level like it was in that One D&D UA that they then reverted.

Wizard: Subclass Theming

Tying wizard subclasses to schools was a bad idea, and what we've gotten outside the PHB seems to be an attempt to go back on that.

It also means they don't have room to explore all of each school, I'd love a teleport or summon focused wizard but school of conjuration smashes them together weirdly

[catgirlscout]

Johnshi Week 2024 | Day 3 | DnD Headcanons

Since the prompt for day 3 of #johnshiweek2024 by @johnshidaily was DnD Au, I thought I'd share some headcanons for Johnny and Kenshi.

You can also read them and chapter 2 on my Ao3!

Johnny would definitely go all out. He would make up a whole intricate backstory, act out his role, and put on a full cosplay for every session. His dice match his character, and he even bought and painted a miniature himself.

I can imagine that he would also love to be the DM and create his own little TTRPG campaigns. He loves improvising and gives each side character a distinct voice. Everyone always gets super intense during fights, and he feels very proud of himself for being able to pull his friends into the scene. If they would struggle making a character sheet, he would help them and throw in some prompts.

Back in school, he used to be a real nerd about DnD. He still has all of the books. This is really where his love for screenwriting comes from.

As for his character, he is really diverse. He loves to make new ones and figure out every little detail about them. In a game with the MK1 cast, I think he’d be either a Paladin or a Bard. I’d personally choose Paladin over Fighter in his case, because he wants to fight for the right cause and be a knight of the people. And if he’s playing as a Bard, he’s definitely gonna try to romance everything and anything!

He loves playing as any race that isn’t fully human for the fantasy experience. Non-human species have a special place in his heart. So, his choices would probably be Halfling, Orc, or Dragonborn. Perhaps even Elf, but he would probably stray away from your typical perfect, never-aging Elf, even though he’s fancy like that. But he prefers the whole underdog, having to train hard to become the hero storyline. Twist villains or morally gray characters are also totally his thing.

Kenshi, on the other hand, never had time for games in his youth due to growing up with the Yakuza breathing down his family’s neck. But of course he let his best friend Johnny talk him into it. He’s pretty new to DnD and doesn’t quite get the rules yet, but once he’s in the zone, he really gets sucked into the world-building, exploring everything there is and leaving no stone unturned and chest unopened. It’s become his escape from reality in a way, at least for a little while.

His character would probably be pretty true to himself, and he would make choices based on what he would do in real life. Of course he always fights with a sword, preferably an old family blade that wields some type of magic. He doesn’t roleplay so much, although he begins talking very epically when he’s making important decisions. From that point on, his character goes through a lot of development.

For class, Johnny advised him to go with Warlock, but Rogue would also be a good alternative. Race-wise, he would most definitely go with Tiefling, as that is closest to what he feels like, and the fiendish ancestral origins fit best with his actual background. When given the option, Kenshi also always chooses to lose his eyesight one way or another, if he doesn’t start out blind. Both Liu Kang and Johnny have continuously told him he doesn’t need to, but he does it anyway. The self-insert is real!

[racefortheironthrone]

Which X-Men (or X-Men-adjacent characters) do you think are the best fits for each of the core D&D classes - in a sort of "using this character to illustrate what the class is" way? Leaving out artificer, if only because that's so obviously Forge.

This is hard, because I would describe a lot of X-Men characters as Sorcerors both in terms of how and where they get their powers, but also a lot of the subclasses work very well with the various mutant gifts. Most psychics (Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, Emma Frost) would probably work best as Aberrant Mind Sorcerors, for example (although Kwannon probably works better as a Soulknife).

For Rogues, there's no question that it Gambit, cher.

For (Berserker) Barbarians, it's absolutely Logan.

For Fighters, I'd go with Cyclops (a ranged Battlemaster who took all the Warlord manuevers).

For Warlocks, I'd go with Nightcrawler as a Fae Pact Bladelock.

For Druids, you absolutely go with Storm - although most likely, you'd build Storm as a Druid/Tempest Domain Cleric multiclass - although Rictor is not a bad pick either after he hooked up with [A] and got into mutant magic and druidism.

For Bards, I'd go with Doug Ramsey as a College of Lore guy. (And in keeping with the Bard stereotype, Doug's a transhuman bi-poly twink who's secretly a schemer and political operator behind the innocently slutty facade...)

For Paladins, I'd go with Betsy Braddock, since choosing between the Amulet of Right and the Sword of Might to embody the mystical bond between the land and Otherworld is very very much an Oath of the Ancients moment.

If we're going with Rangers, I would definitely go with Dani Moonstar as combining archery powers with animal companions - although I'm not sure whether she'd be a Fey Wanderer (heh) or a Gloomstalker.

For Monk, I would actually go with Kitty Pryde as a spin on a Shadow Warrior build, considering her time training as a ninja under the demonic Ogun and her current incarnation as the vengeful Shadowkat.

And for Wizards...that one is hard. Probably Amanda Sefton.

[inkdemonapologist]

Sammy is a bard ,prophet is a cleric , joey is a druid, what does this makes henry and jack?

I feel like you COULD play a version of Sammy Lawrence as a bard, but you'd really have to have to go into it with party dynamics in mind. Because Sammy is PROFESSIONALLY good at being a support role; as much as he complains about Joey, it seems clear to me that he wants someone else to have the big ideas while he uses his genius musical brain to make those ideas work. The specific skill Joey loved in him in TIOL was how good he was at making other people look good. So if you set up Joey or Henry as some sort of dashing hero and Sammy as the bard in the background making him succeed, it'd work. But left to his own devices, Sammy doesn't tend towards the bard's subtlety. He's not the sort to cast charm person, he's the sort to scream at everyone until they leave him alone. He runs in with an axe and zero plan because he's feeling big emotions. He's the least subtle and most gullible man on the planet. I've always seen Sammy as a barbarian whose passion happens to be music.

Joey's the bard. He says a thing that's visibly, provably untrue and contradicts other things that he himself has said and against all odds people believe him. Last time I pondered D&D classes for BatIMs, I think I gave Jack bard or rogue, and Henry either fighter or monk.

But then I realised you mention Prophet, who is only really a separate entity in the Cthulhu AU, so hm! The Cthulhu boys are tough to give D&D classes to, because the whole nature of Call of Cthulhu means that they often don't have "powers" so much as "horrifying things they've learned", so it makes more sense to look at the vibes of what they do than their literal abilities. In terms of how they come across to me, I'd lean more bard and/or some kind of mind powers for Joey, some kind of supporty/healy for Jack, and either late-bloomer magic or some kinda tank class for Henry -- maybe paladin, so then Pointy Henry can be a fallen paladin. But they aren't my characters, so the others would have to weigh in to be sure!

Sammy in Cthulhu AU is absolutely still a barbarian though; his only social skill is Being Very Intimidating, he's the least magical of the four boys, and next to Henry he's the most likely to channel his terror into rage and Just Punch It. Prophet is a little harder to place, because while he does canonically have to beseech his lord for his prophecies like a cleric does for spells, neither of the Sammys are really built for Magic outside of that, and Prophet's actual style of fighting is just a slightly stealthier version of Shepherd Sammy -- so, more Rogue, tbh. If you lean into Vibes instead of what they literally do, then Prophet's vibes more closely match a very loyal warlock -- he is not praying for spells and marching armoured into battle with an array of supportive blessings, he is seeking his patron's will and then sneaking through the shadows to do as he's asked, ignoring the party's needs unless he believes his lord requires him to help them.

[utilitycaster]

Bells Hells, Level 9

Disclaimers as per usual: If I said something incorrect or left out something significant, corrections are welcome and encouraged. If I simply did not expound upon every single possible choice open to a character; if my opinions on mechanics differ from yours; or if you have wild speculation, please make your own post.

Blood hunter info is taken from the D&D Beyond content, which is subject to change, so don’t @ me if it does.

Everyone's proficiency bonus is now +4, which affects skill checks, proficient saves, and attacks. Non-multiclassed full spellcasters (FCG and Imogen, assuming neither multiclass) get fifth level spells.

In general, ninth level is an important but not terribly exciting one, in that 5th level spells are a big leap up and it's a proficiency bonus increase level, but it's fairly quiet in terms of class or subclass features. The multiclassers are the most interesting part here.

Also: now that level ups are done as separate little bits rather than teasers at the end of episodes, I'm introducing a "Looking forward" note at the end to speculate on L10 and beyond, since, for example, the version of this post in my drafts had my recommended ASIs for Chet and Fearne but no one got to see them until after the fact.

Chetney: By taking a level in blood hunter - his 8th in that class - he gets an ASI, which Travis took as stat bonuses to INT and STR. This is honestly what I would have recommended; he's now got a +3 to intelligence, easily the smartest in the group; and a respectable +4 to strength, his main attack stat. Looking forward: Honestly, who knows what the story will bring narratively...but blood hunter is a really good class and higher level rogue abilities just don't do a ton for Chet. Anyway, Blood Hunter 9 gives you one of my favorite abilities ever, Grim Psychometry, in which you have advantage on knowledge checks (and possibly even cool visions) for places and objects with tragic or dark pasts.

Laudna: Laudna took a level in sorcerer, which means she gets a Hound of Ill Omen, a dire wolf-like beast of darkness she can summon to attack a particular person. She also learns 2 more spells and gains another sorcery point. I would strongly advise she take Counterspell, given that she tends to lean more towards low-level utility than Imogen's attacks (and, let's face it, eldritch blast is better than most sorcerer damage spells). Looking forward: Personally, from a purely mechanics perspective, I think leveling in warlock would be more interesting from here on out. Sorcerers just...don't get much outside of spells from levels 7-14, and Laudna's feats and existing metamagic and the fact that there's another sorcerer in the party mean some variety would be fun and welcome (and warlock levels 4-6 are really good), but I get the appeal of Hound of Ill Omen for sure.

FCG: FCG gains access to 5th level spells and can prepare one more spell! Greater Restoration and Raise Dead are now available to them, which is pretty game-changing, and I'd love to see Sam try out Commune to get some actual answers from the Changebringer. He also gets two domain spells, which are unknown since it's a homebrew class. Looking forward: Cleric's just a really solid class! I'm interested to see how divine intervention works on a cleric who is still finding their god, and please get that WIS score up to a +4 at L12.

Fearne: Fearne leveled in druid, which means she also gets an ASI and has maxed out her casting stat of wisdom - this in turn means she can prepare two more spells than before (one from the higher druid level and one from the higher casting stat). She also gets the ability to wildshape into flying creatures, up to challenge rating 1. Looking forward: I would really not pursue rogue any further; Wildfire druid is just such a great class. Things to look forward to: at L9 druid (L10 overall) she'll get 5th level spells including Mass Cure Wounds as a circle spell; at L10 druid she'll get a cool bonus to damage or healing as a class feature; and at L11? Pick a tree.

Imogen: Imogen learns one new spell, which can be up to 5th level, and gains a 5th level spell slot and a sorcery point. She gets Telekinesis and Rary's Telepathic Bond as subclass features. As for her new spells: given the loss of the skyship, teleportation circle would be a good one to have on hand. Greater Invisibility would also be a strong choice. Looking forward: As noted with Laudna, there's not a ton going on until L14, but she does get a new metamagic ability next level (subtle spell feels very thematically appropriate), and I would in fact enjoy seeing Imogen cast Chain Lightning very much when she gets 6th level spells at L11.

Orym: Orym gets Indomitable, which allows him to reroll a failed saving throw and use the new number. Looking forward: 9's a quiet level for him but the next few are big ones. He gets two more battle master moves and his superiority dice go up to d10s from their current d8s; 3rd attack is at L11; and he gets another feat at L12, and I would love to see Mage Slayer.

Ashton: Ashton gains brutal critical, meaning that they can roll an additional weapon damage die when they crit. Looking forward: level 10 is a subclass level, so who knows, but I'm excited to find out!

[honourablejester]

My thoughts on Ravnica’s Ten Guilds

Since I’m reading through Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica for D&D 5e. I have some obvious favourites, but just some general thoughts counting down the line. Also, apparently, some character concepts as well. What I'd play if I was playing this guild. Heh.

Azorius Senate

The Law, capital letters. I have mixed feelings on the Azorius. I tend to have a mildly chaotic bent, so they automatically ruffle my feathers slightly. On an ideological level, they are complicated for me. Especially since they appear, at the moment in time this book is set in, to have lost their foundation and started becoming increasingly autocratic in response. Kneejerk, that inclines me to fight them. Heh.

However. I deeply enjoy investigators, librarians, functionaries and general paper pushers as a character archetype, so I could actually see myself playing an Azorius. An investigator or advocate for the accused or legal secretary who is getting increasingly alarmed at the direction things are going, and who might be looking for ways to investigator or reform the Azorius from within. The Azorius feels like somewhere my favourite knowledge cleric/fey ranger build could do some good. Or a bard. Might be a good place to try a bard. Heh.

Boros Legion

They don’t really spark joy, for much the same reasons as the Azorius. Worse, in some ways, as the Boros are the true enforcing arm. A paranoid military army led by angels that fears it will be undermined from within by corruption and temptation … Not generally my cup of tea, despite being primarily a cleric player.

That being said. A while back I had a thought for a warforged paladin who’d been blasphemously built in the form of an angel. And, well. That could go interestingly with the Boros? Given what they’d likely think about such a creature, especially as paranoid as they are. Did someone commission a blasphemous construct from the Izzet? To what purpose? Sure, she says she only wants to do good, but can we trust her? A warforged redemption paladin who doesn’t know who made her and who genuinely is a good (and trusting) person, but who may actually have been built for a less salubrious purpose. Could be interesting!

House Dimir

Now, see. House Dimir is everything I should adore. Spies! Messengers! Couriers! Lies and secrets and misinformation! Knowledge being power! A guild of assassins and spies disguised as couriers and reporters. Such a juicy tangle. I really should adore them, and kind of do? It’s just. One tiny thing. The Dimir rely on memory magic to hide their dealings, quite casually, and that … can go thorny places for me. They are, in a lot of ways, quite cyberpunk, actually. Mind wiping, implanted memories, orders given by thought transmission. It is cool and thorny and interesting. It just could go bad places for me.

Which is such a shame, as I really want to go play old-school spycraft with these guys. Dead drops and coded messages and deceptively simple orders that have snowballing effects. Maybe not even someone who willingly joined, as such, but who did a favour for someone once and got pulled in progressively deeper, trying desperately to keep their head above water and not let on. Rogue is the obvious first thought, but also I’m thinking GOOlock, because Dimir kind of behave like a warlock patron anyway, in the sense of ‘inscrutable instructions’, and Ravnica also has ‘old gods’, Nephilim, who have equally inscrutable goals. A messenger torn between two equally terrifying and inscrutable masters might be fun! If I play very carefully around the idea that my memories might not be my own.

Golgari Swarm

My far and away favourites! A subterranean undercity built among the sewers and the ruins and the deeper things beneath, full of farmers and sanitation workers and shamans and necromancers. The guild that’s shat on by everyone else, and who patiently wait until the time is right to prove otherwise. Assuming their own factional politics allow, of course. Anyone who knows me, it should be obvious why I love these guys.

Here I would play a rogue. A phantom rogue. Or a gloomstalker ranger. Or a swarmkeeper ranger. Or a spores druid. Or a grave cleric. Or a life cleric. I do suspect this would be the guild I’d play most if I had the opportunity to do so. Lots of options. Though I think swarmkeeper might get first dibs, for, well, obvious reasons. An urchin drawn down into the deeps by the gentle chittering of vermin, the welcome of those equally despised. The artifice and arcane rules of the city above is not for them. There is a simpler, warmer sort of existence down here.

Gruul Clans

Again, mixed feelings here. On the one hand, I feel like Ravnica is playing a little too hard into ‘raging barbarians’ for the Gruul, with the repeated emphasis on just tearing it all down and ‘might makes right’. The Gruul as predators and enemies of all softer or weaker peoples feels reductive. However. This is a power to the image of a people of the wilderness hunted into smaller and smaller reserves, into the rubblebelts and run down sections of the city, into nature restored by tearing the city down to make way for it. There’s something post-apocalyptic about them, both in the sense of their world, the world of nature, having been ended by the city, and then the city in turn being torn down to make way for them again. I feel like if they had a bit more of the Golgari’s ‘it’s all cyclical’ sort of philosophy, plus a little less ‘band of savage warriors led by the toughest and most brutal’, we could really go somewhere with the Gruul. I do quite like the Slizt and Gravel Hide clans, for example.

I would play a Gruul. I don’t know if I’d want to rise within the clans, especially if ‘might makes right’ is the mechanism, but I wouldn’t mind playing a defiant inhabitant of the wastelands, determinedly defending my patch from encroachment, taking pride in survival, in holding to a way of life that the city would destroy. Stars druid, possibly? Or ranger. Or ancestral barbarian. Or wild magic barbarian, the strange, stubborn magic of those places where the city and the wilderness have destroyed each other and become entwined. Yeah, that could be fun.

Izzet League

Ravnica’s mad science guild. BUT. And this is actually the fun part for me. They’re also the guild in (at least nominal) charge of public infrastructure. Plumbing. Transport. Power. Lights. The plumbing for your toilet is in the hands of people who will accidentally clone two million rats in your piping while trying to build a sewage system around the principle of mass shit teleportation relays. Which is fantastic. I love them completely. Second favourite guild after the Golgari. The fact that they’re mostly goblins does not hurt at all. Also, with the current unrest, they’ve all somewhat taken a turn for the Bond villain and are researching superweapons, so that’s extra fun. In the people, again, responsible for your plumbing.

I fully want to start out as a plumber. Attached to the Laboratory of Orientation (aka the teleportation lab). Because, look, a sewage system based on the teleportation of shit is an efficient sewage system! No pooling, no piping, no leaks. Stench teleported away before it gets bad. I’m telling ya, it’s a great idea! Do we necessarily want a bunch of tiny portals honeycombing the structure of our buildings? Absolutely. Don’t even worry about it. I got my engineering degree right here! (Fully a conjuration wizard. Maybe some rogue, maybe some artificer. And yes, they’re a goblin).

Orzhov Syndicate

I mistyped that as ‘sindicate’, which is likely apt, given that they’re mostly an undead banker mafia with a thin veneer of Catholicism on top. Think the Borgias and you’re close. They’re currently getting closer and closer to outright war with the Azorius, because the thin legal veneer over a lot of their racketeering is getting ripped up by the Azorius’ growing paranoia and dedication to writing out loopholes, but for the moment they’re just doing their best to increase the divide between their legal and illegal ventures to hide them better. It’s all very much ambition and greed and a veneer of respectability.

Which is why it baffles me that bard is not a suggested class for them, because whispers bard was my literal first thought. The suggestions are cleric, fighter, rogue or wizard, and I’m baffled, because unless you’re playing a straight enforcer, the Orzhov would seem to be the Charisma-based guild? Deception, Persuasion, Intimidation, no? Whispers bard, conquest paladin if you’re aiming enforcer, assassin or mastermind rogue if you’re aiming for the blackmail route, order cleric or celestial warlock if you want to act the part of churchman better. Orzhov is about vicious social climbing in a system where the top spots are all jealously held by undead oligarchs who most certainly won’t be clearing a path for upward mobility unless forced to do so. My first thought was whispers bard, a lean, handsome young thing who has tasted poverty and will do anything to avoid sinking so low again.

Cult of Rakdos

Not going to lie, I get a strong tang of Warhammer 40K’s dark eldar from the Rakdos. Dark hedonism and violence, the seedy underbelly of the city. They don’t do a lot for me, not gonna lie. They’re probably my least favourite of the guilds. I do like the theatre aspect, the circus of fear, the ideas of ‘backstage’ including basically spycraft, but they’re a chaotic evil guild and it does show.

If I was playing a Rakdos character … guild-owned dark speakeasies are mentioned. And if we’re talking that, something a little noir flavoured … I could be a Rakdos femme fatale, maybe? Less ‘evil’ and more ‘amoral’, a songstress who likes to destroy her enemies in interesting ways. Bard again, possibly glamour bard, although I really like creation bards, and there’s an interesting bit of blasphemy about the song of creation in the mouth of demon-worshipper that could add something. Glamour does work better for the femme fatale, but creation tickles me more. Yeah.

Selesnya Conclave

If the Dimir are giving cyberpunk vibes, the Selesnya are giving me … also cyberpunk vibes, with a solarpunk skin. The ‘city and nature entwined’, green gardens and growing cities, very solarpunk, but the emphasis on collectivism, on the destruction of selfishness and desire, on the subsummation of the individual into the peaceful, coherent whole … there’s a dystopic edge running under them. Less obviously than the Azorius or the Orzhov, but definitely present. (I’m realising that, in MtG terms, I don’t vibe well with White). And, see, I like a lot of their overall goals. I love the natural cities thing, I love striving for overall good. I tend to play neutral good. They just … I get a ‘death of the self’ sort of vibe from them that weirds me out a bit. They seem weirdly more culty than Rakdos to me.

Playing a Selesnya character … I want to be a gardener. No higher ambitions, no greater thoughts. An innocent, who genuinely just wants to help the plants grow. A dreams druid, I think. A gentle druid focused on healing and shelter. And maybe I meet some things for the first time that make me … question. How innocent can you afford to be?

(I am probably being unfair to them, and it probably says a lot about what I’ve been trained to see, given that the Selesnya are broadly good, decent people. I just … I kneejerk distrust it about them. I want to cleave my own path).

Simic Combine

My third favourite guild. Mad science, biology edition! With bonus lovecraftian oceanic vibes. And yes, they are just as dystopic as the Selesnya, and they’ll do it rewriting your body, but I just vibe with them more. I love the zonots. Simic home territories are sinkholes called zonots that pierce through the layers of city and undercity to the buried ocean beneath. Immediately, this adds a whole other layer to Ravnica as a city and a planet for me. The city is at least partly built over top of an ocean. The Simic are also currently divided between the isolationist faction, who believe that slow, cyclical evolution and staying connected to nature will win out, and the adaptationist faction, who believe that we need to evolve now, by hook or by crook, because the system is collapsing and we need to keep up. These are the Simics gearing up for war, by way of aquatic supersoldier experiments.

I think I would like to play an adaptationist spy. Or information-gathering operative, at least, I would want to be a mutated Simic hybrid, so I’m not like Dimir level passing for any old joe soap on the street. I think I’d want to be either an alchemist artificer or a fathomless warlock. Maybe the fathomless, the result of an experiment, more than the one performing the experiments, which would be the alchemist’s wheelhouse.

Other Thoughts

I would so love to play like a Golgari-Simic campaign that’s about exploring the depths of the undercity/underocean for secrets. The zonots and the undercity are so cool. This is a city planet where the city has eaten the world, but strange things lie underneath, and I’m vibing with that so much. We could bring along a Gruul, digging for the foundations of the world that was lost. A Dimir, making sure nobody unearths any superweapons or nothing. Possibly an Izzet, in the hopes that we do. I just really, really, really want an explorer party to go digging under Ravnica.

I also wouldn’t mind a Golgari-Gruul ‘scavengers living on the edges’ sort of campaign, a sort of post-apocalyptic urban scavenger, literal ‘seed of new hope’ where the cycles turn back towards wilderness again.

And then there’s a noir campaign, your Azorius-Dimir-Rakdos sort of game, with possibly some Izzet spice in the sense of ‘why was this Izzet plumber murdered: what did they build or what did they find?’. Heh.

Ravnica does have such a lot to recommend it as a setting. Feelings on WotC aside, this place has such cool, complicated vibes.

This is my VtM Nosfertu talking, though: Golgari for the win!

[rebelspektrum]

A story of two Titans - Destiny 2 OC story

When Maja was first risen, there was fear. Incomprehension. Her first reflex when she heard a voice was to try and protect herself.

A hand had grabbed her swinging fist, forbidding her from possibly harming her Ghost, Little Sunshine. When she calmed down just a little, she took them in. The floating shell and the towering man before her. So many question swirled in her mind. Who were they? Where were they? ... who was she? Maja had no recollection of anything. Not even her name.

The second thing she took in was their location. It seemed like it was a rundown hospital, the emergencies to be exact. Looking down, her clothes were torn in places, like slices done with a sharp object. Oh. A plastic bracelet. It seemed like a bit of it had resisted the passage of time, but all she could make out was "Maja L.... 16/12/2..." She frowned, mouthing her name. That was a start.

The man and her ghost observed her, until the ghost had lost its patience. "Listen, we can't stay here for long. Fallens are nearby and I'd rather be in a safe place for the night." Fallen? Maja tilted her head. So they in danger it seemed, at least judging from the urgency of that little floating thing.

The man extended a hand out to her, she was still laying on that hospital bed after all. That's when she started to really observe him. He seemed to be wearing a heavy armor, aside from a helmet at the moment. Said helmet was being held by his other arm. He had a dark complexion, tired eyes and messy hair. But he had a nice aura, Maja couldn't place it but she felt like she could trust him. Not that she had a choice either. When he spoke, his deep rumbling voice matched his soothing attitude to her. "It will make a bit more sense when I explain things to you. But for now, we need to move."

Nodding without thinking, Maja put her hand in his and helped herself up. Weirdly enough, she didn't feel lightheaded or tired. She felt full of energy but she couldn't place it. Once he was sure she could stand on her own, he put his helmet back on without as much as another word.

The little shell next to her spun before disappearing in a small cloud of light, speaking to her in her mind. "Don't worry, I'm still with you. I'll be able to tell you a bit more while you and big guy make it to his safe place."

And so, while they hurriedly navigated mazes of broken buildings and avoided all contacts with the Fallen, Little Sunshine explained to Maja that she was resurrected, that Sunshine was her Ghost and connection to the Light, that the world had changed and the times were dark now and that the man that was helping her was like her, a Titan and he choose to protect Little Sunshine in her quest to find her guardian. All the while, Maja was frowning deeply. So she died... she didn't know who she was either and had no way of knowing about her past either. Sunshine kept talking in her mind, rambling about what Hunters and Warlocks were, how as a Titan herself she was a force of nature. It made her stop in her tracks.

"This all feels surreal... and you're probably mistaken. You're saying I have... powers from the light?" Grumbled the small woman. Excitedly, her Ghost urged her to channel that energy she felt within her. Maja scoffed but humoured her, extending her palm and tried to gather said energy. What was shocking to her is that it worked. In her hand, a warm and radiant hammer formed. It seemed to weight a lot and it shimmered like a small sun.

The man that was ahead of her observed in silence, smiling under his helm.

___

Atawhai had found Little Sunshine for the first time when she had been cornered near a Fallen camp. He could hear loud shouting at the little Ghost tried to hide.

It took him no time to clear the zone out of the few dregs, his void energy consuming all it touched. The Ghost soon emerged, scared it could be one of the warlords or rogue guardians that used their power wrong. But none of it. The man swore to protect Little Sunshine and to help her risen guardian for as long as they would need it.

A noble cause, it gave him a goal in life. He himself had been risen for a couple of years already, narrowly escaping a final death one too many times from the hands of other guardians and fallens. But he came out stronger, wiser, still vowing to find a path.

Shaking his head slightly, he let his hand out, signaling to the Ghost to move out of her hiding spot. And slowly she floated into his open palm, his own Ghost greeting the new addition to his team. "My name's Dewdrop. And my Titan's one is-" "Kerehoma." His Ghost turned to him, before turning back to the other Ghost. The other little Light's shell spun. "I... I'm looking for my guardian. I can feel that I'm so close."

"Then we will help." Spoke Dewdrop with a very happy tone. The tall Titan remained with his palm open, nodding. He had seen so many atrocities, had almost lost Dew a few times which now prompted him to never let the little Ghost out anymore.

---

That might be my first time ever publishing a story online. If anyone reads it, thank you. English is not my first language and I didn't proofread this hhh I'm publishing it on impulse lmfao

[drunkenskunk]

Earlier in the year, I deleted my deviantart account.

I did this because they were going all-in on AI theft bullshit, and I wanted no part in it. And I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking: big deal, right? And on some level, I kinda get it. It was a deviantart page, who cares, nothing of value was lost.

Despite that, I do remember going through most of my entire account, and trying to save a backup of whatever I could, just in case, y'know? I saved almost everything, before deleting every individual piece, and then once the entire account was empty, I fully deleted the account. I did everything I could think of to avoid letting the idiots running that site into the ground scrape what little I had for their fucking theft algorithm.

But there were a few things that I forgot to save. I had a few fanfics that I had posted there. The big one was the entirety of the New Vegas fanfic that I wrote over the course of 5 years. 174 chapters, just under a million words, it's notable in that it's the only project that I've ever actually finished to completion.

But the thing is: that wasn't actually lost. I have the entirety of that story, including several earlier versions, saved on my hard drive. According to the file properties, it's 50mb, and 1376 individual files. And not only that, but the "mirror" of that story is also still preserved in public with my account on fanfiction dot net.

But there were a few other stories that, in my haste, I forgot to save. And, again, it's a case of "Who cares?" because they were short, almost one-shot, fanfics based on the characters I played... in World of Warcraft.

Sheason Fisher and Tuera Ashama were my rogue and warlock characters, respectively, and I wrote a lot of short stories involving the two of them. Snapshots of this extended cat-and-mouse espionage game of super-spy versus super-villain, with a backdrop of whatever drama was going on with the RP guild I was part of at the time.

Thing is, the reason I didn't think to save them while scrubbing my deviantart account was because I assumed that I already had them saved somewhere. But recently, I went through some of my files, looking for something else entirely, when I suddenly realized: no.

They're not there.

All these things that I wrote about these characters that have existed in my head since at least 2005, and it's all just... gone. It's like all the stuff I wrote on warcraft guild forums for those characters - back when forums were still a thing - and which now no longer exist, because not only do all those RP guilds no longer exist, the forums themselves no longer exist. And I never thought to preserve what I wrote.

I kinda remember what most of the stories were about, vaguely. I kinda remember the general idea of the one-shots I'd written. But the actual words I wrote at the time? They have vanished. I could probably rewrite some of those old stories, and they'd probably be a lot better now. After all, I'd like to imagine that I'm a much better writer today than I was 10, 15, 20 years ago...

But the originals are still lost.

It wouldn't be the same.

I know this probably seems like I'm being overly dramatic, and I'm fretting over pointless bullshit. And, yeah, on some level, I acknowledge that I kind of am. But... still.

It's reminding me of just how ephemeral existence is. Moments happen, and then they're gone.

The only evidence that any of these events ever happened at all is my failing memory.

And, eventually... even that will disappear.

[aurorawest]

Reading update

White Trash Warlock by David R Slayton - 4.75/5 stars

Urban fantasy with a protagonist from a trailer park, who, for bonus points, got sectioned by his older brother as a teen. Daddy issues, mommy issues, and brother issues, what's not to like? I ordered everything else by this author I could find when I finished the book, including the other two books in this series.

The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopulos - DNF

Boring.

The Revolutionary and the Rogue by Blake Ferre - DNF

Boring, with the added crime of actual plot happening but still, somehow, nothing actually happening. I kept reading whole pages and realizing I had no idea what I'd just read.

The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard - DNF

OMFG CAN I CATCH A BREAK. This was such a disappointing DNF, too, because I'd really been looking forward to it. One of the characters is a spaceship and it bills itself as a space opera? Yes please. But after the initial marriage of convenience setup, it's just all a bunch of pointless, boring conversations. Nothing happens. I flipped ahead. Still nothing happening. Not a space opera but definitely cozy sci-fi, which I think I officially hate.

Honeytrap by Aster Glenn Gray - 5/5 stars

An FBI agent and a GRU agent get assigned to work a case together in 1959 and they fall in looooove. But oof, this book was so good. I'm not sure I've ever had a time skip hit me in the gut so hard. I really can't recommend this book enough, it fits squarely in my niche interest of mid-century America or Britain m/m romance. I think Natasha Pulley also awakened something in me with The Half Life of Valery K, because I seem to be a sucker for gay Soviet men. Speaking of, if you liked The Half Life of Valery K, I bet you'll like this too! Anyway, read this, but be prepared to be hurt by it.

Ordinary Monsters by JM Miro - 4/5 stars

X-men meets Strangers Things with a dash of English boarding school, set in Victorian Britain.

Human Enough by ES Yu - DNF

Promising until it devolved into boring, pointless conversations and tumblr posts on neurodivergence.

Olympic Enemies by Rebecca J Caffery - DNF

I put this down on page 12 and my wife grabbed it to flip through it, cackling at the amateurish prose.

Frost Bite by J Emery - 4.5/5 stars

Snowed-in cabin fic with an enemies to lovers romance between a vampire and a (former) vampire hunter. It was cute and a quick read.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - DNF

Very Not Like Other Girls. Also read a review that said pregnancy was a huge focus of the book, and that's a squick for me.

Reverie by Ryan La Sala - 3.75/5 stars

This book didn't quite live up to the promise of its beginning (missing memories, bizarre disruptions to time and space) and the writing was a little twee at times, but overall I enjoyed it. This was the author's debut, so I suspect subsequent books will probably be better. I did feel like the teenage main characters were weirdly inured to death, which also contributed to me knocking of a quarter of a star from what would otherwise have been a solid 4 star book.

All Souls Near & Nigh by Hailey Turner - 3/5 stars

If you like The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards, this series might be worth picking up. I will say, though, that it's nowhere near as good. I think it's a combination of pacing and too many characters that detracts from my enjoyment of this series. This is the second book and I enjoyed it more than the first, probably because I sort of remembered the massive cast of characters from the first one. It's one of those things where I really don't think they're all necessary and some should be combined with others. The pacing is also...weird. It's pretty much nonstop action. At one point I think the main character drove back and forth between various crime scene locations and his office like 5 times in a day.

That said! Despite the issues, clearly I still picked up book 2, and I'll probably read book 3 at some point. I really like the two main characters.

[wolfram-everhearth]

BG3 Act 1 - The First Day

Figured I'd put some of my playthrough notes / headcannons / GaleFram / basically sitcom scripts out here for anyone interested. I also added several screenshots because the game is pretty.

See this post for the Pre-BG3 Tav backstory. (Minus 10 years in the Feywilds & 5 in Baldur's Gate which Wolfram tells the companions about as the game progresses. Please look forward to it! 😂)

Here's the Carrd (Better Organized)

This includes story stuff so don't read if you haven't played the game yet!

The Nautiloid

After ten years of serving his patron in the Feywild, Wolfram returned to the mortal realm. He gave up his powers after an argument with the archfey for deceiving him. He's been living in Baldur's Gate for the past five years. One day he wakes up aboard the Mindflayer ship with no recollection of how he got there.

Wolfram is trapped in the pod and calls out to his former patron in desperation. He apologizes for how he spoke to her at the end and says that her deception was his own fault for not being clever enough to ask more specific questions when creating the pact. He says he realized she was just trying to protect him a while ago but had let his pride get in the way of making amends.

The archfey tells him she'd never severed their connection because she knew he'd calm down eventually - she merely cut off the flow of power. She's glad he's come to his senses in time. Of course, she will help him escape but would like his aid with something as well.

Fey are being captured, tortured, and killed. Somewhere nearby. She wants him to find the cause and stop it. His patron will honor the initial pact and in exchange for her power, he will defend nature and fey kind from any threats. The 10-year term had been met so now he has more autonomy but she may have the occasional specific request. The worm has done something to him and it will take a bit of time for her to bestow all of his old powers to him. He accepts and thanks her. As the power surges into him she says she'll check on him when she can.

He blasts himself out of the pod, unable to stifle a giggle as he realizes how much he has missed his warlock abilities. He finds a longsword on the floor - which he uses to pry open the few remaining pods. Unfortunately, he doesn't find any survivors.

Wolfram goes into the next room and explores a bit, hoping to get his bearings on the alien ship. He curiously pokes at the creepy talking brain and then cringes, stabbing it repeatedly. 😂

He meets Lae'zel and thinks she’s abrasive, but chalks it up to being from a very closed culture. He lets the rudeness slide, happy to have help in the escape from someone who seems to understand these ships.

He insists on rescuing Shadowheart despite the Gith’s protests. He easily opens the pod with magic. She’s grateful and he introduces himself, saying he was happy to help, while giving Lae’zel a pointed look. Shadowheart gets something out of the pod but he puts off his curiosity about the artifact for later.

They continue on to the helm and escape the ship. He wakes up on the beach the next day and quickly finds Shadowheart. They decide to search the area for a healer.

Introductions and Meet-cute

He and Shadowheart sneak up on the intellect devourers and push them into the fire of the wreckage. Wolfram cheers as the brains shrivel up in the flames and Shadowheart quirks a brow at this oddly cheerful man - fighting an amused smile.

They come across a very pale elf shouting for help. Wolfram offers to aid Astarion. He sees the boar but is too slow and the rogue gets a blade on him. The warlock calmly motions to Shadowheart to not attack and talks Astarion down, saying he won't hold it against him. They're all a bit anxious after the ordeal. Wolfram notices the teeth marks and red eyes but he has read books on vampires and even met a few so he second-guesses his instinct since Astarion is in the sun.

They come across some swirling energy against a rock. Wolfram hears someone shouting for help from inside. He focuses on stabilizing the arcane energy and then pulls a man out of the portal, falling backward onto the ground. Gale falls on top of him. They look each other in the eyes. The warlock smiles “Hello there, handsome.” The wizard is a bit flustered “My apologies!” Wolfram points at Astarion and smirks “It’s alright. The last guy pulled a knife on me.” Gale looks around to see the others. Shadowheart standing with arms crossed and brow furrowed, holding in a chuckle. Astarion gestures to the mages on the ground “Well darling, if I’d known *this* was an option…” Wolfram laughs. Gale gets to his feet, muttering while dusting himself off “That was certainly not the softest of landings…” The warlock chuckles “I beg your pardon. Alas, all of my cushioning is gone after years of pulling random wizards from boulders.”

Gale laughs then extends a hand “Hello, I’m Gale of Waterdeep. Apologies, I’m usually better at this.” Wolfram snorts and shakes his hand “Better at introductions? I should hope so.” Gale chuckles “At magic…do I know you?” Wolf shrugs “I’m Wolfram of Sen - uh - of Baldur’s Gate? I’m quite certain we haven’t met before. I’d remember you.” Gale ponders “OH! I know! You were on the nautiloid as well!” The warlock eyes the stone “Nevermind the Nautiloid - how’d you end up in that blasted thing?” Gale starts explaining animatedly as if trying to entertain them. The rest of the party’s eyes glaze over but Wolfram just listens with an amused smile. “I don’t know what transpired exactly, but the ship broke into pieces and I suddenly found myself in freefall. As I was plummeting to certain death, I spied a glimmer quite near where I estimated my body to impact with less-than-savory propulsion. Recognizing this glimmer to be magical in nature, I reached out to it with a Weaving of words and found myself on the other side as it were.” Wolfram smirks “Ah, so in other words - a spell gone wrong. I’m glad we found you when we did.” He gestures to Shadowheart “Shadowheart and I escaped the Nautilid together and woke up on the beach. Not sure how we survived to be honest. There was another with us but we lost her after the crash.” He gestures to Astarion “And he -” Astarion scoffs “Oh you can leave me out of the introductions.” Wolfram smiles sweetly and points down the road. “Well then make yourself useful and go see if those goblins have anything good.” Astarion rolls his eyes but begins looting the corpses as the others walk slowly in the other direction.

He and Gale talk about the tadpoles and what may be done about them. When asking about a cleric ("uncannily adroit with a knitting needle?") Wolfram smugly states “Well, I am quite good with a needle, but otherwise I’m more adept at hurting than healing.” He points to Shadowheart “This lass is our best bet. She's a very talented cleric.” Shadowheart unamused “Lass? I’d warrant I have a few years on you full humans… and this is beyond most healers' expertise.” Wolfram winces “Just my way of speaking from living in - Aye, I’ll try to correct it.” He nods respectfully.

Gale smiles hopefully “So Wolfram, as you seem to be the leader of this party - How about we lend each other a helping hand once more and look for a healer together?” The warlock nods “Oh… I suppose I am? We’d be happy to have you join us.” Shadowheart shrugs “The more the merrier to deal with these little monsters in our heads.” Astarion groans audibly while catching up to them with a pack of new weapons. Gale smiles “Most excellent! A parasite shared is a parasite halved… Or something to that effect.” Wolfram snorts “That’s one way to look at it.” Gale stops walking and faces him “Oh! But before you think you’re about to embark on a journey with most ill-mannered a man: thank you for pulling me out of that stone. It was an act of foresighted kindness I assure you, for I have the feeling ample opportunities will present themselves for me to return the favor.” Wolfram winks “Oh I certainly hope so.” Gale confused. "I assure you I am most practiced in the arcane arts and pledge to make myself useful in combat." The warlock gives an awkward thumbs up and giggles then starts walking along the path. He mutters to himself to get it together, damned fey magics.

They continue on. Shadowheart listens quietly as Wolfram and Gale talk. Astarion follows at a distance, sticking to the shadows. Gale asks “You’re not versed in magic, are you?” The warlock looks uneasy “...Why do you ask?” Gale eyes the large sword on his back “Oh, I *do* apologize. I meant to ask: are you *studied* in magic? Which you are not." Wolfram smirks and nods “Indeed, I am not studied.” Gale continues "If you meet any elder wizards, let me know. There is a matter I’d like to seek advice on from a master.” Wolfram eyes him wearily “Well… I’m not close with any wizards exactly - but I am friends with a few powerful magic users. Those that live in this realm are in Baldur’s Gate though… which I have a feeling is quite the journey from here. Wherever here is.” Gale is confused but intrigued “In *this realm*?” The warlock smiles awkwardly and starts ranting about how pretty the trees are.

They find Lae’zel in a cage with two Tieflings arguing over what to do with her. Wolfram convinces the Tieflings he'll take care of Lae'zel and they should get to safety. After they leave he teasingly tells her to ask nicely to get her down. She responds with violence and he rolls his eyes and shoots her down. Shadowheart is upset and says they can't trust her. Gale says he's not met any Gith and would be happy to learn more about them. Astarion says this is all very dull but at the very least he must mention that she shouldn't be seen around these parts for a while because the next time she won't be so lucky. Lae’zel says she could defeat any of these ‘teeth-lings’ in combat. Wolfram says it's a shame she wants to explore with them because she's clearly the only one experienced enough to find an easily defensible campsite in case the Tieflings return. The others are impressed he was able to convince her to go find a patch of dirt to guard.

They take a short break. Wolfram goes off into the forest for a bit then returns, saying there is a place up ahead worth checking out.

The Ruins

They continue on to some ruins. Wolfram convinces the bandits at the entrance to leave. Gale Is impressed again "You certainly have a way with words." The warlock winks "I have been told I've got a good tongue." Gale scoffs “I believe the term is ‘silver tongue’” Wolfram shrugs “Yeah, that too.” Astarion amused, mutters "Someone thinks highly of themselves." Shadowheart chuckles "Wolfram, your charms will serve us well, but please let us focus on the task at hand." Wolf nods to Shadowheart. "Aye, sorry. I’m a bit out of sorts still. Anyroad, words won't be enough once we're in here. My friend just said there are about 10 more of them in the ruins. We'll likely need to fight. Shadowheart frowns in confusion "Your friend?" Wolfram beams "Felicia. I sense that she's very trustworthy." He points to the boar who has been following them from a distance since the cliffs "Alright my dear, thank you for showing me. As you make your way back to your family please do stay clear of that wreckage." Gale eyes him with an amused grin. Felicia grunts and runs off before Astarion can shoot her. Wolfram glares “Oy! Don’t kill her! She just helped us.” Astarion pouts. Shadowheart asks "Oh? Are they a druid?" The warlock chuckles. "No, just a normal boar. I make a habit of talking to everyone I come across. You never know who has good information. Now - let's see if I can talk our way in here.”

After Wolfram works his charms, the bandit guard opens the door to the unexpected guests. Gale manages to put the guard to sleep as he starts to shout for his friends. Wolfram gives an approving nod to the wizard, impressed. They position themselves in the shadows. Shadowheart and Astarion stand close to the next door. Gale stands back and Wolfram follows him. He eyes him with confusion "Surely this is too far back. Or do you plan to throw your sword?" Wolfram laughs "Ah, that's a bit of a last resort." He pauses then says, hesitantly. "I'm a warlock." Gale frowns in disappointment "Oh..." He recovers quickly and smiles "Well that's alright I suppose. You did get us in here. I don't mind doing the brunt of the spell work." Wolfram mocks gratitude "Oh well thank you so much! It's nice to have a proper magic user around." His hands crackle red with energy then he winks and hits the door with a powerful Eldritch blast, knocking it off the hinges and crushing two bandits under it.

After the bandits are defeated (and looted) they make their way to the dank crypt. Shadowheart notices the statue and says it's amusing that Jergal is here. Gale is curious about what information the scribes had that was worth killing over. As they're looting Astarion finds a book and unlocks it then sees the cover "Dead Gods? Sounds awfully boring." He sets it aside. Wolfram picks it up and thumbs through it, curious why some names are scratched out. He hands it to Gale who says maybe the book is why the scribes were killed. Whoever scratched out the names was clearly trying to hide something. Wolfram agrees. They look around the statue. Wolf notices a button and Astarion argues with him over who should get to push it. Gale inspects the device and the wall it's on and concludes that it likely opens a hidden door. Shadowheart says a secret room is likely trapped. Wolfram draws his blade and stands in front of the door while Astarion presses the button. The dead scribes rise and start towards them.

After defeating the undead they go into the room and meet Withers. They’re all a bit surprised with the talking skeleton, but it’s not the strangest thing that’s happened to them recently so they roll with it. Withers asks Wolfram what the value of one mortal life is. The warlock takes a moment to think as the others debate among themselves. Astarion scoffs and says the only life he cares about is his own. Anyone who says otherwise is an idealistic fool. Shadowheart says a life's worth should be measured in their devotion. What they're willing to do to remove the suffering of others. Gale says every life is precious in its own way. Full of potential…for good or ill - hopefully good.

Wolfram listens to them, smiling at Gale’s answer. He turns back to Withers and says, hesitantly "I suppose that depends on the person. Everyone approaches their life goals differently and therefore have a unique effect on the world around them. Ideally, the intentions behind their actions are judged along with the result. I’m certainly counting on that." Withers is satisfied with the answer and then cryptically says he'll see them again at the appropriate time and place.

They leave the tomb a bit confused… but they find an amulet that lets them speak to the dead so that's cool.

They return to Lae'zel at camp (She set it up in an open area near a stream). Wolfram thanks her for picking such an easily defensible position. He knew he could count on her. She scoffs and says she needs no thanks - but hopes they found some food.

As Wolfram is stacking wood for a fire Withers shows up and says he'll be there at camp to aid them. They're all a bit weary but he seems powerful so better to have him as an ally.

The First Night at Camp

Party Banter

Shadowheart: I'm a tad surprised you change into more comfortable garb at camp, Lae'zel. You strike me as the 'sleeps in her armor' type.

Lae'zel: It would cause too much noise during my nighttime…exertions. I do not wish to alert foes of our location.

Shadowheart: Nightime exertions… oh! I see. Well, considerate of you I suppose.

Wolfram: Who were you planning to uh… exert with?

Lae'zel: Whoever I wish, Wolf-rum.

Astarion: (giggles) I think you'll find a bit more effort is required to secure a partner around these parts…only a bit.

Gale: I'm surprised you're allowed to choose a partner outside your own people.

Lae'zel: We are to use and misuse every civilization in the stars in every way we know. I do not conquer by blade alone, Gale.

Gale: I can't imagine mother Gith would approve. Doesn't she prefer us lesser species enslaved? Or eviscerated?

Lae'zel: T’chk! And with that comment - this topic no longer concerns you.

Wolfram: (chuckles) What a shame, Gale. I hope you're not too heartbroken.

Lae'zel: What is this talk of breaking hearts? The wizard is still useful - I merely do not wish to lay with him. There is no cause to fear for his life.

Gale: Ah, well that's quite kind of you! Thank you for your mercy…on both counts.

The group is eating some fruit and dried meats they’d stolen from the bandits. (Astarion is just pretending to eat.) Lae’zel is sharpening her sword while chewing. Shadowheart asks Wolfram what he’d been doing before all this. He throws an apple core into the forest and then answers “I was a cook in Baldur’s Gate. Had my own place. Just a little 10-seater but I got by. A nice simple life. I'm eager to get back to it.” Gale laughs. Wolfram looks at him with a confused expression. Gale is surprised ‘Oh! You were serious? You don't seem the type.” Shadowheart frowns “After seeing you fight I must admit that’s a shock to me as well.” He shrugs “I’m full of surprises.” 

Shadowheart nods "Well it's quite the coincidence. I need to return there as well." Astarion looks at them with interest but says nothing. Wolfram asks Shadowheart if she has business there or is a resident. She says it's a bit of both but would rather say no more. It's a…sensitive matter. Gale nods then picks a scroll out of his pack and starts reading. The warlock holds up his hands saying he’s not the type to pry. 

Wolfram smiles "Perhaps once we have a cure we could travel there together?” Shadowheart nods "I don't see why not, Wolfram. You've proven yourself to be very helpful so far." He chuckles "Well, I'll take that as a compliment." She smirks "Perhaps it was." Lae'zel scoffs "You Fae-run denizens and your subtle courtship rituals. It's unnecessarily complicated." Wolfram and Shadowheart object at the same time. Shadowheart scolds "People can simply be friendly. Though I doubt you know the meaning of the word." The warlock scoffs smugly "I assure you I'm anything but subtle in my 'courtship'." Astarion giggles "I'll say, Wolfram. Your flirtations are completely artless. It's embarrassing really." The elf glances at Gale who is still intensely focused on reading a Ray of Sickness scroll they found. Wolf follows Astarion's eyes to Gale then shrugs "We’re in mortal peril, so why bother being subtle?"

Wolfram smiles awkwardly at Gale "How about you, handsome? What will you do after all of this is over." Gale keeps reading. Shadowheart and Astarion chuckle. Lae'zel scoffs and goes back to sharpening her blade. Wolf nudges Gale, who looks genuinely surprised as he sets down the scroll "Yes? Apologies, it's been some time since I learned that one. Quite an engaging read. I was miles away. How can I help you?" Wolfram smirks "I was asking what you plan to do once we've been healed." Gale's face falls briefly "Oh…" but a smile quickly returns "Well Wolfram, I suppose in a perfect world I'd return to Waterdeep. Back to my tower - surrounded by old tomes and having collected new tales to entertain my assistant." The warlock senses Gale is hiding something, but smiles "That sounds nice."

In time the sun sets and they all go to their tents. Wolfram goes to talk to Astarion. The elf complains about having to rough it outdoors. Wolf tries to reassure him and says it’s not so bad. Astarion frowns “It sounds like he’s done it before.” The warlock nods “Quite a bit. This is nothing compared to the time I managed to get some shuteye in a bog surrounded by will-o-wisp. …Although the normally peaceful forest with a satyr party raging outside my tent was its brand of challenging.” Astarion impressed “Oh my…how did you manage to rest during *that*?” Wolfram looks off dreamily “Oh I didn’t, not a wink. I failed miserably.” Astarion laughs “Well well! Our hero seems to have quite the past.” Wolf laughs “I’m no hero, but as for a past… I suspect we all do, right?” Astarion becomes guarded, furrowing his brow and crossing his arms. Wolfram smiles reassuringly “All I’m trying to say is that this place isn’t so bad. You’ll be fine.” Astarion's frown lifts a bit “Oh, alright. I suppose it’s only until we get these worms out of our heads. Then I'll find a decent inn with silk sheets and a nice drink.” The warlock nods “That does sound more comfortable. Well, good evening to you.” Wolfram walks off, muttering “What I wouldn’t give for a proper bath right now. Ilithids are nasty.” 

He talks with Shadowheart and asks how she’s feeling about the worm. She says there’s no point thinking about it. They need action. He nods and says that’s fair. They’ll continue looking first thing in the morning. She tries to warn him to be wary of Gale. Wolfram looks over at the mage pacing by the fire and smiles warmly “Aye, wizards may have a reputation…but who doesn't go a bit mad with power from time to time? I’ve a good feeling about this one.” Shadowheart shakes her head in disapproval as he walks away and mumbles “Lady guide me. Is there a reasonable one in this bunch?”

Wolfram talks to Lae’zel. She says they need to find a creche. She thinks one of the teeth-lings has seen her people. He asks if they'll be safe among them. She says they will so long as she's with them.

He goes over to Gale. (‘Go to Hell’ scene.) The warlock smirks "Good evening to you too." Gale chuckles “You’re a good sport.” The wizard is contemplative about the day's events. Wolfram stands next to him and looks into the fire. “I understand. We’ve been through a lot in a short time... and it's a scary situation we’ve found ourselves in. I’m trying to focus on other thoughts.” Gale nods “I must say - you seem more serious than earlier.” Wolf smiles awkwardly “Ah… well aboard the ship I was… under the influence of something that improves my mood.” Gale smirks “I won’t judge. I’ll confess I’d enjoyed the occasional recreational potion in my youth.” Wolfram laughs “I wasn’t high, Gale! Well, not under the effect of a potion anyroad.” Gale grins “Well, I’m pleased to see you taking things seriously now. Perhaps fewer attempts at humor? I have that domain covered.” The warlock chuckles “You certainly do, but I’ll have you know going forward I do tend to laugh in the face of danger. Rest assured I still take every fight seriously.”

Gale smiles, a bit more relaxed. Wolfram jokes around but is ultimately comforting. He offers Gale a drink to calm his nerves. Gale takes a sip of the liquor “I suppose this is one way to handle the situation we've found ourselves in. Alas, I have no books. A good read and a glass of wine do wonders for my constitution.” The warlock roots around in his bag and hands him two books he’d found in the ruins. “I guess I can share.” Gale is surprised “You looted them?” Wolfram shrugs “Of course. Some dusty tomes in an ancient ruin. How could I resist?” Gale smiles warmly “I seem to have judged you incorrectly. A fair few times today.” Wolf shrugs “In all honesty I’d expected it. You’re not the first wizard I’ve known.” He chuckles “A recent customer was quite possibly the most arrogant person I'd ever met. I suspect I won't need to cut you off and throw you out onto the street too?” Gale scoffs confidently “I’d like to see you try. Besides, I'm sure you're aware we're not all the same. I, for instance, am exceptionally humble despite my many impressive accomplishments.” Wolfram chuckles at Gale's smug expression then winks "I'm just teasing you. How about this, handsome - you keep an open mind and I’ll do the same?” Gale looks confused, more by the nickname than the proposition. He recovers and smiles apologetically “That sounds like a most excellent idea.”

After making the rounds, Wolfram returns to his tent. Despite his exhaustion, he can't sleep. He tries to think of home... his cozy apartment, the little bar and its odd clientele, the street urchins that may be going hungry without him to dole out scraps at closing time, the contracts he'll miss out on in his absence - likely to go to some bloodthirsty Guild member without care for casualties... Unfortunately, the only image that seems to stick is one of tentacles breaking through his skull. How will he lead this group of misfits amid his rising panic? How will he keep up his calm facade? A restless night of tossing and turning won't help, but that seems to be what's in store for him.

[scarlet--wiccan]

You made a post a bit ago about Wanda’s rogue gallery; what would be your ideal rogue gallery for her?

I really just want to see her going up against more magical characters. I think it's really fun when writers can successfully give different spellcasters unique skills and specialties, especially if they're going to fight each other. Issues #7 and #10 of Scarlet Witch hinted at some really cool witch-fights, but the series, unfortunately, didn't make a lot of room for detailed magic combat.

I definitely want to see more of Nicola Zosimos. I find her super interesting and would love to know more about her alchemical powers, but they did not do enough with her in Scarlet Witch. I want to see the Emerald Warlock and Modred the Mystic again. It would be really cool if Hecate came back as sort of a sinister, vengeful goddess like the Olympians did in Guardians of the Galaxy-- in general, I'd like to see Wanda go on some more adventures in the mythical realms, like Otherworld or Tír Na nÓg.

My personal fantasy is for Amora and Wanda to be frenemies, kinda like Billy's relationship with Loki. Of course, Wanda's truest, greatest frenemy is Agatha herself. Contest of Chaos was a huge disappointment, but it did set the ground for an best-friend/rival relationship between them.

Having said all of that, I'm not sure that she necessarily needs a "rogues gallery." When I think of that, I think of characters like Batman or Spider-Man, or, hell, even Ms. Marvel, whose stories are all rooted in a specific city with a well-developed cast of supporting characters and villains. Wanda has never been that character. There is potential for her to grow to into that role, given what Orlando has done with Lotkill and the Emporium, but Scarlet Witch didn't have the space-- and wasn't paced well enough-- to establish it in just ten issues.

One of the things I really want for Wanda is to revitalize some of her established lore and make better use of the characters she already has history with. I appreciate Scarlet Witch's dedication to breaking new ground, but it also reminded of how much untapped potential there is. I would also really like to do some more worldbuilding around witches and witchcraft, and give the Maximoffs a clear place in that world-- and it would be a good way to bring different parts pf Wanda's past together, and establish some more recurring villains.