#big eyes small mouth d20

[universe-in-the-void-in-the-cube]

For the Hetalia fans. I give you some BESM D20 and BESM 4e stats and info to play your favorite nations via tabletop!!!

BESM D20

Template for Personification of Land (Human)

Race Name: Personification of Land

Race Cost: 5 points

Ability Score Adjustments:

+2 to One Ability Score: Choose one ability score to increase (representing strengths of the land; e.g., an industrious nation may choose Strength, while a cultured one may choose Charisma).

-2 to Another Ability Score: Choose one ability score to decrease (reflecting traits or stereotypes; e.g., an overly proud nation may have a reduction in Wisdom).

Racial Traits:

Cultural Identity:

Bonus Skill: Choose one skill that reflects the culture of the land (e.g., Diplomacy, History, or Craft). You gain a +2 bonus to this skill.

Enduring Spirit:

Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed due to your deep connection with your cultural heritage.

Natural Affinity:

Terrain Adaptation: Gain a +2 bonus to Survival checks made in your homeland's terrain type (e.g., forest, mountain, coastal). You become accustomed to the climate and geography.

Stereotypical Traits:

Choose one bonus based on common stereotypes or traits associated with your country (e.g.,

Pride: +2 to Persuasion checks when defending your homeland.

Relaxation: Gain proficiency in the "Leisure" skill, which can be used to reduce stress and improve morale among allies).

Unique Ability:

Choose one from the following options, reflecting a unique aspect of your nation:

Herbal Knowledge: You gain proficiency with herbalism kits and can use them to create healing potions once per day.

Strong Traditions: You can reroll one failed culture-related skill check per day, embracing the wisdom of the past.

Cross-Cultural Connections:

You gain a +2 bonus on checks to gather information or interact with individuals from your particular cultural background, representing your understanding of different perspectives within your culture.

Example Applications

Country A: A nation known for its hospitality might use the Pride bonus to Persuasion and a Cultural Identity skill in Diplomacy.

Country B: A country associated with innovation could increase Intelligence and choose Craft as their cultural skill, highlighting their technological advances.

Notes

Customization: Customize traits based on the themes and characteristics of the lands you want to represent. “Pride,” “Innovation,” and other such traits can be tailored to better reflect specific countries.

Balance: Ensure the traits are balanced among different cultures, so no single culture has a significant advantage in all situations.

Incorporate History: You might consider adding additional traits based on your campaign's specific historical events or relationships between nations.

BESM 4e

Basic Race Characteristics:

Stat Modifiers: You may give each character specific stat bonuses reflective of their national traits. For example:

Italy: +1 Agility, +1 Charisma (known for being charming and somewhat agile)

Germany: +2 Strength, +1 Intelligence (effective and disciplined)

Japan: +1 Agility, +2 Intelligence (smart, strategic, reserved)

America: +1 Strength, +2 Charisma (confident, outspoken)

Drawbacks: Consider weaknesses or quirks inspired by their national characteristics:

Italy: -1 Will (tends to flee in the face of danger)

Germany: -1 Charisma (perceived as strict or overly serious)

Japan: -1 Charisma (more introverted)

America: -1 Intelligence (occasionally disregards critical thinking)

Universal Human Traits: Since they are all human personifications, they should have some universal traits:

Cost: 0 Points

Human: Standard Human abilities (normal lifespan, no special powers)

Suggested Point Costs for Each Character

Italy (Feliciano Vargas):

Costs: +10 points (Friendly, agile, and charming)

Drawbacks: -5 points (Tendency to run from danger)

Germany (Ludwig):

Costs: +15 points (Strong, disciplined, effective in action)

Drawbacks: -5 points (Overly serious nature)

Japan (Kiku Honda):

Costs: +15 points (High intelligence, strategic thinking)

Drawbacks: -5 points (Reserved and introverted)

America (Alfred F. Jones):

Costs: +10 points (Brave, outspoken, strong presence)

Drawbacks: -5 points (Impulsive decision-making)

Additional Traits

You may also want to include “Special Abilities” or “Cultural Traits” unique to each character, which could cost extra points. For example:

Italy: "Pasta Master" – Can cook exceptional meals (+5 points)

Germany: "Efficiency" – Bonus to any action that requires order and discipline (+5 points)

Japan: "Martial Arts Mastery" – Bonus in combat when using traditional Japanese techniques (+5 points)

America: "High Energy" – Bonus to teamwork in group efforts (+5 points)

Below is a PDF of every character known in Hetalia.

BESM Hetalia Characters.pdf

[why-its-kai]

Trigun Ultimate Fan Guide Volume #1 (Geneon second edition, 2004) and Book #2 (Pioneer first edition, 2002) front and back covers.

Scanned by me.

Information and me rambling about the books beneath the cut:

In addition to episode summaries, character bios, and general information about the show, these books contain Trigun-related game materials for the "Big Eyes, Small Mouth" (abbreviated as "BESM") TTRPG system produced by Guardians of Order.

While I've never used them for the game, I've read the show guide portions many times. There are some mistakes by the author but otherwise it's a really nicely done fan guide. The guide section is printed in full color and has TONS of screenshots (albeit low quality) and official artworks. The game portion is black and white and in addition to the game information, there's lots of great quality scans of set materials (larger than the versions in the Roman Album artbook!!). If you're a big fan of the 1998 anime, I definitely recommend picking them up if you get the chance!

I found the copies pictured above for sale together years ago at an anime convention, I think it's interesting how there are actually 2 editions (due to Pioneer becoming Geneon in 2003) and that I managed to end up with one of each version.....

There's also a combined hardcover version of these books called Trigun D20 that was published in 2004 under the Geneon name. I've seen a PDF version of it, I think a few minor things are omitted from the guidebook portions but I have not analyzed them closely enough to be 100% sure. I am also unsure if the game portion is altered due to it being advertised for the D20 system on the cover, but there's still a mention of BESM on the back. honestly I know nothing about TTRPGs so I really have no idea what any of this really means lmao

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

sir stephen strider finds his suzie

by lesbianrobin

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationship: Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Pre-Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson - Relationship, Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Character: Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Erica Sinclair, Mike Wheeler, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair Additional Tags: Brotherly Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington Plays Dungeons & Dragons, Fluff and Humor, Dustin Henderson-centric Words: 5,147 Chapters: 1/1

Summary

Dustin watches Eddie's face as everyone else giggles. He's retained his typical intimidating smirk for much of this encounter, but as Steve stumbles through his fictional seduction, Eddie's eyes soften. His smirk slowly turns to a small grin. “Didn't Wizard Romeo and Juliet both die?” he asks, in that same low, grumbly voice he always loves to use for big scary bad guys. The effect is jarring. “Well, yes, but… they loved each other first,” Steve says, oddly sincere. “I think love is worth the risk. Wouldn't you agree? And then, uh, I'm gonna take off my helmet and, like—” Steve tosses his hair, shaking it out dramatically and running a hand through it afterward to fix any wayward strands. "Ew,” Mike says. Nancy presses a hand over her mouth, but it does nothing to hide her smile. Usually, this is the point where Eddie would make them all roll initiative. Dustin has his D20 ready. But Eddie smiles. Eddie fucking smiles, and not in that maniacal way he does before siccing something horrific on them, he fucking beams, and says, "You're gonna scrape your neck on his mace doing that, just so you know."

[beremy-from-trigun]

Can I ask where you got the digital copy of the trigun ttrpg from? I would love to look throught it myself!! The pictures look AMAZING

i personally used this site to view it only as you need a subcription to download it and i dont trust the site that much lmao.

[prokopetz]

Yeah, that's a pretty good illustration of what I mean. The idea that Traveller, Apocalypse World, and Big Eyes, Small Mouth constitute a coherent category of games simply because they all have task and/or conflict resolution mechanisms which involve rolling a sum of 2d6 is just about as sensible as treating "d20 systems" as a meaningful term.

don't answer that last ask I sent you actually. a) because I've since realized you rightfully don't give a shit about wizards of the coast, and would be justified in deleting the info I wanted from your brain as soon as you learned it, b) because I realized you aren't Google, and c) because I Googled it and found out myself.

on a related note, did you know wizards copyrighted the term "d20 system??" wtf. that was the last place I expected to have problems. I thought it'd be, like, "armor class" or "difficulty class" or something else similarly oppressive and cruel to copyright that would force me to change my whole rules document, and mess with my player's ability to remember which mechanics have had their name changed.

Somehow copyrighting the term "d20 system" feels even wronger than that.

Wizards of the Coast is the outfit that popularised the idea of categorising game systems according to the shape of the dice you roll in the first place. There are a few prior examples of games with similar naming conventions, including West End Games' D6 System – which is where WotC probably got the idea – but the idea of "dX systems", where X is the shape of the dice you roll, as coherent categories of games is very much a post-d20 System phenomenon.

That is, it's not that WotC trademarked (note: not "copyrighted") an existing piece of in-use terminology when they trademarked the term "d20 System"; it's that the idea of lumping all game systems which make use of twenty-sided dice together under the category of "d20 systems" was popularised by WotC's trademark.

(Indeed, if one were feeling conspiratorial, one might observe that the idea that all systems which roll the same-shaped dice are basically interchangeable with one another is a notion whose popularisation has proven very convenient for WotC's post-3E marketing strategy!)

[rpgcovers]

BESM d20: Anime Roleplayer's Handbook ~ Guardians of Order (2003)

[cyberkevvideo]

BESM Returns!

To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever return to Tumblr, but this is still the best place to put this article.

BESM, aka Big Eyes, Small Mouth, is an anime RPG originally created by fellow Canadian Mark MacKinnon, who was also the publisher, editor, and owner of Guardians of Order, has announced that he's back and now working with White Wolf on a new edition of the game after 10 years. Guardians of Order went bankrupt a decade ago when the US/CDA exchange rate was even more garbage than it is now. Unfortunately, to stay relevant and competitive, Canadian companies had to pay their freelance writers in American funds. You can see how that would kill your budget really fast. Didn't help that this was the start of when people were pirating anime and RPG books. White Wolf bought the game license, but wouldn't buy the different anime licenses. This meant that they didn't get the Sailor Moon, Hellsing, Trigun, other any of the other anime books. They also weren't too worried about the Neon Genesis license that Guardians had, so we never got that book, sadly. I still own every book, and love the system. Wasn't that big a fan of the d20 system conversion, but I did like 2nd and 3rd, with 2nd being my favourite of all of them. 1st Ed was fine, but it was fairly unbalanced with what it had to offer. No release date as of yet, but I've already been in contact with the author. It was good to chat again after a decade. I like D&D, both its current edition and all the previous editions I’ve played, and love other the systems that I’ve played throughout my life (Rifts, Shadowrun, etc), but BESM was my jam. Everyone has a system that they like and enjoy, and BESM was easily mine. I loved the adventures, the versatility that let you literally make any character you wanted, fulfill any crossover fantasies you had, etc. I absolutely can't wait. I’m so hyped for this. It’s my childhood reincarnating itself. I’m just hoping the current edition holds up.

[fanfic-chaos]

Outsider POV Steddie Fics

Some of my favourite Outsider Pov fic recs because I love outside POV fics with my whole heart

you were warm when everything was cold  by @lesbianrobin (5k words)

There’s something about watching Steve and Eddie that makes his chest ache, just a little bit. Something that feels like it’s just out of reach, like if he could just jump an inch higher he could grasp it and know what it is, have a name for it, figure out what feels like it’s missing with Max. He never felt like something was missing with Max before. She was perfect. She is perfect! Like, sure, not actually perfect, because nobody’s actually perfect, but she’s perfect for him just like he hopes he’s perfect for her, and they’re perfect together.

Maybe Lucas is overcompensating.

sir stephen strider finds his suzie @lesbianrobin​ (5k words)

Dustin watches Eddie's face as everyone else giggles. He's retained his typical intimidating smirk for much of this encounter, but as Steve stumbles through his fictional seduction, Eddie's eyes soften. His smirk slowly turns to a small grin.

“Didn't Wizard Romeo and Juliet both die?” he asks, in that same low, grumbly voice he always loves to use for big scary bad guys. The effect is jarring.

“Well, yes, but… they loved each other first,” Steve says, oddly sincere. “I think love is worth the risk. Wouldn't you agree? And then, uh, I'm gonna take off my helmet and, like—” Steve tosses his hair, shaking it out dramatically and running a hand through it afterward to fix any wayward strands.

"Ew,” Mike says.

Nancy presses a hand over her mouth, but it does nothing to hide her smile. Usually, this is the point where Eddie would make them all roll initiative. Dustin has his D20 ready. But Eddie smiles. Eddie fucking smiles, and not in that maniacal way he does before siccing something horrific on them, he fucking beams, and says, "You're gonna scrape your neck on his mace doing that, just so you know."

The Joke  by Simply_Layla (12k words)

*please read TWs before reading

"Steve Harrington never says no to anyone."

When he first heard someone say it, he thought maybe it was just a weird way for people to say that Steve was too nice, which made sense to Lucas. Despite the fact he used to be a huge public facing douchebag, Steve was nice. Almost painfully so. Sure he called them shitheads sometimes and argued with them like he was their mom, but he was always there when they needed him and always saving them from the end of the world at the expense of his own physical safety. Steve Harrington was nice, and Lucas thought it was cool that other people were realizing that. But the more he heard that sentence, the more it felt like that wasn’t what anyone was implying. The more he heard it, the more it kind of made Lucas’ skin itch.

Or, the one where Lucas realizes maybe the basketball team isn't where he should be trying to fit in.

When There's Still So Many Things To Say Unsaid by BlackUnicorn (13k words)

 When they found the dead body of a cheerleader in their trailer and all of Hawkins started a manhunt for Eddie, Wayne did not have a single doubt in his heart that Eddie was innocent because, at the end of day, Eddie was a good kid, damnit. And then Eddie disappeared over spring break, and when he came back, he was changed. He tried to hide it, sure, the same wicked smile still gracing his face, the same restless energy still filling his eyes and his heart, but Wayne could see it in the quiet moments and the way he was almost never sober anymore, and he realised that his best wasn't good enough anymore and he was losing his nephew.

 And then Steve fucking Harrington knocked on the door of their new trailer.

Or: Steve and Eddie's relationship as seen through the eyes of their family.

you are going to die in your best friend’s arms. (but he won’t let you leave like that) by oaseas (23k words)

Dustin sucks in a sharp breath, claps his hands together in his lap, and says as straightforwardly as possible, “I’m going back in time.”

Steve doesn’t say anything. His mouth opens and closes like a goldfish. Then, he says, “What, like, right now?”

Dustin wakes up in Max’s trailer the day of Eddie’s death. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times? Three times is a pattern.

Or: Dustin Henderson is unstuck in time.

Plus every fic after the first one in this series: sweet leaf by      alchemystique

  Bonus: not Steddie but still Stranger things outsider POV   

You can put it all on me, you can laugh and you can bleed by  steveharringtoned   (9k words)

Phil Callahan has made a large variety of strange arrests in his time working as a cop for Hawkins, Indiana. Daylight skinny-dippers; a small group of old ladies who’d attempted to rob the corner shop with their umbrellas, a guy who’d stolen a total of eighteen gnomes from his suburban neighborhood.

But pulling over Max Mayfield driving her brother’s Camaro at the ripe age of thirteen was pretty insane. Sure, kids will be kids and kids will be crazy. Until Steve Harrington crawled out of the backseat, clutched his knees and horror-movie hurled blood all over his boots and shit got crazier.

That took it from a minor concern to oh, fuck. Callahan has to take this kid to a hospital.

[beowulf22121]

BESM (Big Eyes Small Mouth) did this with their adventurer class. It's a d20 system compatable 3.x d&d style take on anime settings as a game system.

What type of anime?

Yes.

Giant mech pilot, samurai, wizard, and "gun bunny" are classes you could play all right from the core book.

The adventurer class is just "here's some points, buy whatever skill you can, save points up for later if you want." but overall it's got something like 14% fewer points as a trade for building the class so freely.

I've never met a minmaxer who didn't immediately fall in love with the idea of the adventurer class.

there should be a dnd class that doesn't actually have any class features and instead just grants a feat at every level

[doctorslippery]

I posted 6,764 times in 2021

3488 posts created (52%)

3276 posts reblogged (48%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.9 posts.

I added 7,586 tags in 2021

#dnd - 818 posts

#d20 - 816 posts

#rpg - 814 posts

#dungeons and dragons - 739 posts

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#d4 - 733 posts

#d6 - 733 posts

Longest Tag: 44 characters

#alwaysrememberpineappleodinwastherealvillain

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

165 notes • Posted 2021-09-16 14:17:31 GMT

#4

The Pillar of First Blood – A 15ft dark stone pillar that has engraved writing on each side ‘The spot where the first blood was split between a batch of common devils”.

The Drawing Moss – A smooth stone with a bunch of growing moss on it. Touching the stone with a bare hand results in the moss slowing moving to wherever was touched. On the stone are several handprints and doodles perfectly covered over with the moss.

Curci’s Crypt – A small white stone structure deep in the woods with carvings of trees on each side. Entering brings you into the hidden crypt of Curci.

The Crumbling Shack – Far away from any civilization lays what once was a small shack. The windows are broken, some walls have crumbled away, and parts of the roof are open and fallen in.

Trio of Faces – On the side of a rocky cliff are a well carved trio of protruding faces all looking the same direction

Cone Shaped Prison – In the middle of a grassy field stands an 8ft slim cone made of iron bars, in the middle of the structure lies a sun-bleached skeleton bound in iron shackles.

The Tree of Sacrifice – A abnormally large and oddly pale brown tree where the branches are twisted, and the leaves are a sickly saturated green color. At the base of the tree lies a blood stained alter that the roots of the tree have grown around it and now hold it in place. The base of the tree as well as the ground around the alter are permanently stained a deep red. If the tree is cut, a thick blood sap seeps out of wound. If a creature is sacrificed on the alter, the blood pools near where the roots touch the alter and are absorbed while what appear to be veins appear on the tree that go up into the branches.

The Bone Pit – In an open field there is a 10ft wide and 50ft deep pit with no life growing around it. The walls of this chasm are lined with dark cobblestone and going down there are three uneven sized holes that are covered by iron bars. At the bottom there are a large pile of bones.

The Odd Stone Slab – A big square stone slab rests hidden near the side of the road. Carved into the slab is a symbol and a riddle that upon answering correctly leads to a small dungeon.

The Copper Fox – A 4ft oxidized copper statute of a fox with a small locked box in its mouth and two ruby eyes.

The Pointing Eagle – On top of a large rock formation is a big iron statue of an eagle pointing its body to the east.

The Feasting Table – Out away from any kind of civilization sits a large gray solid stone table with ancient carvings on the sides. Upon its surface are newly lit candles and a banquet of food that seems to be warm, fresh, and untouched by its surroundings. If one where to eat or take anything from the table, the next day it would be completely restocked and replenished.

The Jeweled Bush – A seemingly average looking berry bush that happens to grow small jewels instead of berries. If one where to try and consume one of the jewels picked off of the bush within 24hrs, that person gains a temporary magical effect or bonus, otherwise it’s a normal jewel.

The Ice Blood Spot – Located on the cliff face of a large mound of ice there is one spot that is dark red instead of the pure blue that surrounds it.

Dragon’s Graveyard – in a valley, there are 8-10 adult dragon skeletons, half-buried.

Petunia, the Land Whale – A large whale skeleton surrounded by petunias. The whale is miles away from the sea and the petunias aren’t native to this location.

Wondrous Obelisk – an obelisk, comprised of rose quartz and decorated with sylvan runes, appears to be of fey origin. it is surrounded in a 120-foot field of wild magic.

The Old Folk Hero – A half erected statue of an old folk hero. Either under construction or half crumbled.

The Hope Tree – It’s an oak tree with the word hope carved into it in large letters. No one knows who did it or why, but it’s turned into a useful landmark for the local village.

The Moon’s Egg – It’s a massive dome-like stone formation that shines pearlescent in the moonlight. It lays in a bare outcropping of rock and is warm to the touch.

Hollering Pit – A 50ft deep sinkhole. Well-hidden at the bottom is the lair of an accomplished burglar who calls himself the Jeweler. He’s too old to do much in the way of harm, but the countless traps he installed are not.

The Painted Cliff Face – A cliff that has been entirely covered in paint from hundreds of people.

Threeshades Tower- A weathered, ivy-mantled square tower atop a small hill. Has three levels, and each is built from a different kind of stone. The longsword stuck in one of the bricks on the top level is +1 and can project the bearer’s voice up to 50’ away.

Pigeons’ Chest – an ornate, but empty, chest of silver and pearl sitting by the road. It will not move by any means yet discovered, material nor magical.

The Ol’ Inn – The ancient ruins of a strangely ‘modern-looking’ tavern located in the deepest patches of forest. No path leads to it, no other buildings or ruins are found besides it, but dozens of deformed footsteps can be found heading out of the site. At night, the faint, muffled sound of a single viol can be heard coming out of the muddy floor.

The Forgotten Emperor’s Statue – An incredibly detailed, broken bust of a young wood elf, bearing a red crown. Its nose and left ear are missing and where its left eye should be, the socket is destroyed, and a monstrously decomposed snake eye can be found. The base has a bronze plaque which reads (in broken Celestial): ‘The only one truly meant to rule’, followed by a name which seems scratched out.

The Candle Trees – deep in the woods, a small group of trees whose leaves are bright red. They contrast starkly with the normal trees around them. The Candle trees appear otherwise normal, but the dried leaves can be brewed into a tea that warms the bones even on the coldest nights.

Tale of a Desert’s Origin – A granite obelisk in the desert with glyphs on it. It seems to tell the tale of a very powerful magic user stealing all the life from this area, killing all the plants and turning it into a desert.

The Waning Waterfall – a small waterfall that appears to reverse direction on every night with a bright full moon, running up instead of down.

The Sandmount – There’s a strange dune of sand in the middle of this grassy field, covered in scorpions.

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429 notes • Posted 2021-02-03 22:36:43 GMT

#3

667 notes • Posted 2021-06-01 20:23:01 GMT

#2

See the full post

762 notes • Posted 2021-02-12 04:08:43 GMT

#1

1004 notes • Posted 2021-10-18 13:57:41 GMT

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[asidian]

Day 11: Sour

May 22, 2036

They're midway through fighting a green dragon when Ryota says, "Okay, new rule."

He puts a tupperware container on the table in between them, right there on the map containing the outline of the dungeon. It's the room they just left, ominously covering the exit.

"Every time someone rolls a one, they have to eat one of these."

Whatever they are, they look innocuous enough: packed in a little tupperware container, small and squidgy and round. 

"What's the catch?" says Jacob.

"His mother made them," says Iyawa, somehow managing to make the words sound ominous.

"Doesn't she run a bar?" says Xia. "I thought you said she could cook."

"Oh, she can cook alright," says Mayu. "That just means she can crank it up to 11 when she wants."

"Is bad?" says Sasha, uncertainly. "Being at 11?"

"Why don't you find out?" says Ryota, sweetly. "You're up, Kozlov."

Kozlov doesn't find out, though. His cleric heals Gork up to half HP, instead. Xia doesn't find out, either, or Iyawa, or Mayu. They hack and slash their way through the fight, getting their asses thoroughly handed to them, right up until it's Jacob's turn.

He lets his d20 fly, and there it is, staring right back up at him: a 1.

The room breaks into muffled pandemonium. Mayu pounds the bunk bed beside her with her palm, and Xia slings an arm around his shoulder and  shakes him, and Ryota is saying that he knew someone would hit it eventually, and Kozlov is laughing, helpless, in that understated way of his.

"Quiet!" says Iyawa, in a forceful stage whisper that still somehow manages to cut through the chaos. "We are long past lights out!"

That seems to settle everyone down.

Ryota reaches out to take hold of the container of pickles -- makes a big show of it, holding it out toward Jacob like he's presenting some kind of jewel on a cushion.

Jacob plucks one of the little balls out, carefully. It even feels squishy, and he squeezes it between his fingers experimentally.

"What even is this thing," he asks, dubious.

"Pickled plum," says Xia. 

"But dialed up to 11," adds Mayu, and waggles her eyebrows.

"Good luck, my friend," says Sasha, solemnly.

"Go on, Cross," says Ryota. He returns the tupperware to its spot on the map, and he closes up the lid again. "Down the hatch."

"But mind the pit," Iyawa adds. "Don't bite straight in."

So Jacob minds the pit, and he doesn't bite straight in. He pops the entire thing in his mouth, instead.

Probably he makes some kind of face. Certainly the rest of his team are trying desperately to stifle laughter.

He's had pickled plum before, but only a little bit, a formless smear of fruit pressed into the backs of riceballs. He's never seen them whole before, and he's definitely never had one plain.

It's sour like nothing he's ever tasted has been sour, and Jacob used to eat those crazy Warhead candies by the pack when he was a kid, so many that his tongue got sores from them. He sucks at the plum like it is candy, working the fruit off the pit. It's a little bit gelatinous, and it's eye-wateringly, atomically sour. It's sour as if someone had to distill sour into a single experience, to record it for all humanity, and somehow crammed it all into a single point not much larger than his thumbnail.

Jacob coughs and wipes at his eyes, which are streaming. He fumbles for the tissue box, pulling one free to spit the pit into, now plumless.

"Holy crap," he manages, a little breathless. "Your mom, dude."

"Right?" says Ryota, with a narrow sort of grin. "She taught me everything I know."

Then he proceeds to spend the next round beating them all down into single-digit HP, so as far as ruthlessness goes, he probably has a point.

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Little Bit Like Home

You moving to school has been tougher than Calum would like to admit but there are some moments that make it easier to bear, there are small moments where it’s not so bad. 

A continuation of these two blurbs (Blurb 1 and Blurb 2) Again it’s hella self indulgent. Inspired what really happened to me in my DnD campaign, see this post.  

**Contains spoilers for the Waterdeep Heist from Dungeons & Dragons if you are currently playing that module!!!**

Enjoy my masterlist!

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___________

“Can I make a perception check on the walls? See if there’s anything else funky in this room?” you ask, clicking over in your browser tab to the dice roller. The DM allows you to make that call and you click on the d20. 

“Your the only one rolling well on those things tonight,” one member of your party, playing an Orc sent out to learn magic and getting packed in with your ragtag group, notes after their failed attempt to pick the lock. You managed to pick that that too, but you chalk it up to you being a Drow Rogue and lock picking being one of your skills. 

“18,” you call out, looking back at your character sheet to make sure you’ve done the math correctly. 

“18?” The DM asks, just to be sure. You nod. “Okay, so you look around the room and there’s not really anything worth noting besides some dirt and blood. But no traps, no buttons in this room.”

“This room,” the entire party echoes laughing. The six of you have just survived barely a lightning trap. Which you still refuse to admit to setting up, but it was definitely you since as the marching order had you in front. 

“We’re going to have to go back to that mimic room,” the paladin of your group declares. Your party was warned that the room at the start of your adventure in this hell of a magic maze could be a trap and a mimic could be in the depths of it. But there was a chest still yet to be opened. However, you took the advice of your Orc and backed out of that room to avoid a fight just yet. 

Your previous encounters in other rooms leaving some of your party is better shape than others. This early in your adventure together the five of you didn’t really want to risk loosing anyone just yet. Lightening and your pirates love of ale seemed to be your only foe at the moment. 

“We should maybe just see what’s in here first,” Calum, playing as a Druid, counters. “Though it seems like if we find yet another key to a door that’s already been picked, it’s might be useless.” 

You know the tease is directed at you. “Hey, look here buddy, I will not hesitate to shoot a quiver into your ass. I see a lock I’m going to pick it,” you defend. 

“Besides,” your party’s pirate starts, “we’ve ducked a lot of rooms afraid of getting into another fight. If they pick a lock or two and we find the key later, at least we can add to the Bard’s collection.”

“Thank you,” you laugh. 

Soon your party’s able to direct their attention back on the adventure and magic maze you’ve found yourself in. You and Calum end up smashing mirrors in a room to avoid any sort of magic in them that would cause your party to fight your soul doubles. This leads to a five minute debate of how to leave said room that didn’t involve shoving the unicorn that your party was tasked with finding up someone’s ass due to a riddle unveiled, Everything you see is mine.

“Wait,” you say, laughing at the argument about who can fit the unicorn into their mouth. It was deemed to be more dignified. Your pirate waits outside the room, still naked thanks to the magic that rips all the clothes, weapons, and armor off of anyone that attempts to leave the room. “Everything you see is mine. If the mirrors are smashed, then nothing can be seen right?”

“No, shards can be face up, so technically things can be seen,” the party’s Bard counters. 

“No, no, you’re onto to something,” the pirate starts. 

“Oh my god, we’re so fucking dumb,” the orc hollers. “Someone cover their eyes. You means us. Anything we can see can’t leave the room.”

Thankfully, you’re still dressed having only attempted to leave the room and letting others continue with their naked escapades. “Holy shit,” you shriek as you direct to your DM how you cover your face with your hood and hold it tight around your eyes so you can’t see anything and step through the door. You’re able to cross completely clothed, swords, crossbow, and pack still in tact. 

“We’re so fucking STUPID,” you laugh. 

Calum’s giggle cuts through the speakers of your laptop. “How were we so prepared to just be fucking naked through the rest of this maze?” He directs to the DM that he redresses, having also attempted several times to brute force the magic door with no success. 

“We never speak of that,” the orc demands through their own laughter. “Never.”

The party comes to a stopping point about another hour later, saying goodbyes before leaving the Zoom meeting. Not even thirty seconds later after ending that call, an incoming FaceTime call comes from Calum. You answer it, wiping at the corner of your eyes. He’s grinning as the call finally connects. The weekend that Calum came up to visit, a friend in the cohort asked you if you’d be willing to going a beginner’s campaign. You had wanted to give the game a whirl but you knew it would be a time suck and asked if it was okay to bring someone else along too. 

After getting a yes from the DM you know you had to convince Calum to join in. It took less effort than you thought for him to join in and the two of you spent a couple hours the night before picking out your characters before you emailed the information back to the DM. Now every Saturday night you and Calum spend about three hours in a Zoom getting into all sorts of trouble. He settled easily on the Druid but spent forever trying to find an artist rendering of his character, Okolian, that felt right. Long black hair with streaks of white was a must along with a single braid as well, which he stole from your character’s look though your hair is all white. 

Slowly, it was decided that Okolian would have blue skin muscular, but not overly buff and refused to wear sleeves in order to wear leather arm bands around his biceps which could easily be mistaken for tattoos or markings of his people. Okolian prefers his staff but is also armed with a sickle and mace. The Calum touch of course was to add ferns rather than feathers. 

“I can’t believe you were going to let me be the one to have to figure out the unicorn,” Calum teases. 

“Hey, it was only six inches. Not that bad.”

He sputters his laughter. “Is that payback for calling you out for picking all the locks?”

“I would never do such a thing but maybe.” 

“Anything else on the agenda for tonight?”

“No not really. Whatever work there is out in the world, I’ll get to it tomorrow. What about you? The night’s still young.”  

Calum shrugs. “A friend was supposed to get back to me about drinks tonight,  but I haven’t heard anything yet. If he gets back within the hour or so, I’ll probably tag along but if not, it’s not a big deal. But you never did tell me about last night. How’d that go?”

You cover your face for a second, remember how many drinks were consumed the night previously. Calum laughs at the slightly panicked look that crosses your face. “There was two drinks too many past my usual limit and I felt it. Big time,” you answer. 

He’s glad to hear you getting out more. It’s in turned made him feel a bit better about getting back to his normal routine, getting dinner more with the guys or other friends. Missing you doesn’t hurt so bad anymore for Calum. He feels most often right before he’s going to bed, when he’d normally curl up into your side and open his arms wide for you to curl up into him. But it hurts less during the day. 

Getting used to the cohort and getting out a couple Friday’s in the month has helped you as well. You don’t feel so chained to your phone, don’t feel so beholden to being there for every text right away. It’s still hard when you start to cook dinner and almost reach out for a second plate still by habit. And in the morning when you’re fixing your cup of coffee your brain still wants to pull down a second cup. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you just give in because you need it. Need to let yourself sit with those feelings. 

“I’ll be sticking with cider after last night,” you tease. “Wine makes me myself too much. Never doing that again.”

Calum’s been privileged to see you wine drunk a couple of times and he can already imagine the type of trouble you nearly got yourself in. “Is your picture on the wall at the bar?”

“Not that bad, but close,” you giggle. 

“What am I going to do with you?” 

It’s just a joke but for a moment it makes you pause--what’s going to happen when you go back for break? Are things going to be different? Most of your clothes and things are still there though slowly more and more has been shipped to you. Is Duke going to remember you? Miss you too?

“Promise me the house isn’t too different?”

Calum furrows his brows, head titling just a little to the side. “What do you mean, baby?”

“Like without me, is it all going to be different when I come back?”

“It’s all pretty much the same here. Duke’s the king of the castle. Still have plenty of hoodies for you to steal and your side of the bed still misses you. I still miss you.”

“No, I--I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like I don’t want you to find ways to cope but I don’t know. What if it never feels right? Like so much has been missed that I just won’t ever fit in again?”

Calum shakes his head. “Babe, no. You still belong. Your shoes still have space in the closet. Your mugs still sit in the cabinets. There is so much of you still here--it’s how I get through the days.”

Maybe that’s what’s rough for you. There’s not much of Calum at your place. There’s none of his dirty laundry that’s halfway hanging of laundry baskets and there’s no bass rumbling and there’s snoring next to you at night. It’s all you, which is nice. But you wish you had a little bit of Calum too. 

“There’s none of you here,” you say softly. 

“I can fix that.” It’s a steady confidence, a nod of his head at statement. “Don’t you worry.”

You two steer the conversation to something lighter before you call it a night. And it’s harder to get up the next morning, to peel yourself out of the sheets. But you do it, you push up with a grunt and get your day started. Coffee, a quick bowl of cereal and fruit. You call Calum right before lunch to check in and then get back to work. 

As the days pass, the conversation the ache gets buried in some stress. However, you get a text about a package to get from the lockers at the front of your complex so shuffle down the path thinking it’s the new mattress pad you ordered. It shipped late last week but you hadn’t expected it to arrive this soon. 

As the door swings open to the locker you spy Calum’s handwritten on the label of the package. What the hell had be gone and done? You pick up the box and kick the door close with your foot before taking it back up to your apartment. Setting the box down on the kitchen counter, you find the scissors and cut into it. Right on top is a small envelope with your name scribbled across it. 

You said you didn’t have anything of me. So I knew I had to correct that. I hope they help. And a little thing from the old man, well not from him. But you’ll understand when you get to that. 

Love you. 

Digging into the box, you notice a few guitar pics, a couple extra t-shirt and then a long thin box. You pick it up, noticing it looks like a necklace. But with Calum you never can be sure. As you crack it open, you laugh, finding a gold chain staring up at you, attach to it is a tiny locket that as a paw print on it. You crack it open though and find a tiny picture of Calum and you inside of it and your eyes well with tears. It’s from your last vacation before you left for school, just two of you reclined on the beach and Calum kissing your temple. 

You draft a text to Calum. Tell Duke it feels like home now. 

[shopontheborderlands]

New Stock at The Shop on the Borderlands!

Original D&D Creature Compendium £22

B/X D&D Creature Compendium £22

AD&D 1st Edition Creature Compendium £22

D&D 3rd/3.5th Edition The Quintessential Elf £10 RESTOCK Wrath & Rage: A Guidebook to Orcs & Half-Orcs £22 RESTOCK Ultimate Prestige Classes Vol. 1 £14

D&D 5th Edition Volo's Guide to Monsters £40 - £41.99 BRAND NEW, RESTOCK Explorer's Guide to Wildemount (Critical Role) £40 - £41.99 BRAND NEW, RESTOCK Tome of Beasts Pocket Edition £12 RESTOCK Scarred Lands Player's Guide £24 RESTOCK Campaign Case: Creatures £54.99 BRAND NEW, RESTOCK Campaign Case: Terrain £54.99 BRAND NEW, RESTOCK

Beneath Beneath Collection (in four volumes) - Beneath: The Inverted Church, Beneath Player's Handbook 2.0, Pleasures and Pestilence, The Spire and the Sound £75

Iron Kingdoms (d20) Iron Kingdoms Character Guide £30 RESTOCK Iron Kingdoms World Guide £50 RESTOCK Monsternomicon Volume 1 £18 RESTOCK

d20 Modern Modern Player's Companion £19 Mecha Compendium £22 - £30 RESTOCK

Starfinder Starfinder Core Rulebook Pocket Edition £19 RESTOCK

Call of Cthulhu Investigator Handbook £37.99 BRAND NEW, RESTOCK

GURPS GURPS Basic Set Third Edition (softback) £18 RESTOCK Steve Jackson's Man To Man £35 RESTOCK GURPS Bio-Tech £18 RESTOCK

Champions Champions Uiniverse £15

Savage Worlds Savage Worlds (revised edition) hardback rulebook £18

Earthdawn The Adept's Way £16 Creatures of Barsaive £18 RESTOCK Denizens of Earthdawn Volume One £16 RESTOCK

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News from the Borderlands

Our lead item this week is Heorot - Roleplaying in the World of Beowulf Beastslayer. It's a brand new Kickstarter-funded rules-light RPG based around the Anglo-Saxon legend of Beowulf (as well as the odd piece of Norse mythology) and written by Fighting Fantasy legend Jonathan Green. Lovely illustrations, including some from the late Russ Nicholson.

Anime RPG fans are well catered for this week since we have a nice collection of BESM (Big Eyes, Small Mouth) in, including some rare supplements that we've not had before.

And here's something of an oddity that we've not had before either - White Wolf's Street Fighter RPG (yes, as in the video game series).

And possibly even more of an oddity - the RPG based on Ralph Bakshi's 1977 animated film 'Wizards' (Mark Hamill's film debut).

[thessalian]

Thess vs Systems of Choice

I know that some people - hell, a lot of people - are like, “Try something besides 5e! It’s not as good for combat as some! It’s not as good for characters as some! You could do better!” Which is a laudable sentiment, for the most part. Trying new things is good. Just ... there’s a focus on “you could do better” rather than “you might find something you personally like better” in these posts that kind of gets to me. So, for the record, a few notes from someone who found D&D late and never looked back.

See, the first system I tried was GURPS, back around 2000. Didn’t do it for me. Was too complicated for most of my players, and didn’t work online back then anyway. Then I got my first shot at an in-person game and we played 7th Sea - first edition, not the Swashbuckling Adventures version made by the d20 rules of the day. Back then, D&D was 3.5 trending to 4. THAC0 was troublesome to calculate for anyone not mathematically minded, and 4 had some balance problems, but honestly, that’s not the moderately tame take on D&D I got from my little Panache System pigeonhole at the time. What I got was, “D&D is only good for dungeon crawls and min/maxers!” and an admonition that “RPers who like actual roleplay and story don’t play that”, more or less. So I avoided it. Instead, I fell into old World of Darkness, and a few other systems for one-shots. Big Eyes, Small Mouth was an interesting one, but the WoD was basically my jam. Even then, I’d argue that it makes combat more complicated than it needs to be, particularly in how it establishes combat order and damage, and Mage in particular was a bit too open-ended for certain sorts of people. I mean, really - you look at a WoD character sheet and there’s a lot going on. Still, with the right group, it can work. Probably a little too complicated for most of mine, though.

I played WoD for a long time and didn’t really discover D&D until 5e hit. And 5e struck a really good balance for me. Compared to what I was used to, things like combat order and action economy, an actual spell list for casters, and a streamlined set of non-martial skills was such a relief. Character creation allows for both the min/max approach and the “character is all“ approach, and just about anything in between those two extremes, and there’s enough wiggle room to do a lot of pain-free homebrew as well as some nice set modules for those who don’t have the spoons to homebrew a campaign but still want to let people make characters of RP awesome and / or just hit monsters until money comes out like squishy, occasionally eldritch pinatas. But I was still up for trying other systems, as much for the settings as anything else.

And then I tried Shadowrun and if that book wasn’t so fucking pretty I’d have thrown it on a ritual pyre by now. The book itself is a problem, because the new edition was written for fans, by fans, and is not laid out for the novice to properly understand. I mean, WoD books used to break up sections with little fiction snippets to give the mood and tone of the setting but then went straight clinical for the descriptions. The Shadowrun book does not do that; the fiction and art are thrown in willy-nilly, they scatter sidebars through the thing like a couple of rounds of buckshot, and it’s just hard to read. Plus, again, you’re getting into issues with action economy, damage numbers ... I’m sure some people love it but dear gods it was not for me. Wasn’t really for my players either.

At the end of the day, I do recommend trying other systems to see what works for you. I just won’t say that any one system is objectively better or worse than any other. Some people want something that focuses combat entirely. Others want one where combat is effectively a sideline. For me? 5e’s approach of “Jack of all trades, master of none” works pretty well for me and my players, because we’re all far away from each other, we have limited play time, we’re not all of us neurotypical and sometimes it’s nice to be able to swap tracks from “Intense RP Scenario” to “Dungeon Crawl” to “Epic Battle Against Huge Loot Pinata” really easily. I don’t need it to be perfect for any one thing; I need it to work well enough to do everything I need it to do. I want relatively minimal maths, a reasonably solid foundation structure with the flexibility to withstand a lot of homebrew, decently balanced action economy that keeps combat moving while still allowing people to do something badass, stuff like that. 5e gives me that in a way I haven’t found in other games so far. It may not work for others, but it works for me. Maybe there’s a better game out there, one that gives me more of what I want ... but y’know? I have such limited RP time and have so few spoons that I don’t have it in me to look for something ‘better’ when what I’ve got works for me.

I mean, I miss WoD sometimes, for all the system got a bit complicated (though I feel that the nWoD setting was great but the mechanics need a serious homebrew before I’ll love them). And I get not wanting to give WotC money; they are not a good company, and a lot of indie companies are better. Thing is, EA’s not a good company either and while I’ll say to try indie RPG video games, I’m not going to say that there’s objectively better games than Dragon Age, or that Dragon Age is somehow bad, while trying to make my point. I just wish people could talk about how much they love a system or believe in having a diverse range of RPG systems without insulting a system that some people love not because it’s popular but because it’s exactly what they or their group needs.

(As for trying older versions of D&D? If you want it, you’re welcome to it, but don’t even think about suggesting that I calculate THAC0. To Hit Armour Class 0 is, in my view, an overly complicated way of figuring out whether or not you hit something.)

[clericbyers]

a prompt: how about how the party met dustin? or if you’re looking for something byeler related, maybe the first time mike considered that he could have feels for will

Anything goes, so I’ll do how the party met Dustin since that was your first request heh ; thank you for the ask!

—————

It wasn’t often that someone new moved to Hawkins, Indiana. The town was small enough and far enough from major cities that the incentive to move was typically very low. Of course, the occasional family made their way in, but for at least as long as Mike, Will, and Lucas could remember, there weren’t really new families joining the community.

“Have you seen the new folks yet?” Lucas asked when he greeted Mike next door early one morning at the Wheeler house.

Mike shrugged as he wheeled his bike out of the garage. “I heard my dad talking about how bothered he is by the whole thing. You know, new neighbors brings noise and he said something to my mom about baking fruitcake? I didn’t really understand.”

Lucas laughed lightly and wheeled his bike out the driveway beside Mike. “Do you think Will has seen ‘em?”

“Can’t say.” The boy climbed onto his seat and nodded in the direction of the Byers’ house. “I’ll ask when we get to his place.”

Will though didn’t have much news about who exactly the new neighbors were. He too only knew rumors and whatever snippets passed from his mom and brother in the past week. “We could go visit,” he suggested somewhat cautiously as the boys all sat outside on the Byers porch. Each boy had a bowl of ice cream in hand courtesy of Will’s mom. “I know where their house is. Mom was kinda loud about it on the phone with Chief.”

Lucas placed his empty bowl down with finality. “I wanna see what everyone’s talking about. This mystery can’t last forever and we should be the first to figure it out.”

“Technically many other people already know,” pointed out Mike before he drank the melted ice cream in his bowl. It left a creamy strawberry flavored mustache on his upper lip which made Will giggle before reaching over to wipe it off. Lucas made a face but then fell into giggles himself when Will tried to smudge the cream onto him in turn.

They spent a good five minutes smearing melted ice cream on each other’s faces until their hands were sticky and Mike started complaining about how his mom was gonna murder him for getting so dirty. Will dragged everyone inside to wash their hands which only led to them trying to splash water on each other until Will’s mom told them to go outside. Lucas then suggested that they use the wind from their bike ride to the address Will learned as a way to dry off.

Without a sound, the group in full started to slow their roll once they began to approach the house. Mike was leading the party most of the ride but he fell in step with the others until the three stood in a line outside the front door. Neither boy was feeling particularly up for knocking now that they were face to face with the reality of it.

“I could grab us some sticks,” Mike suggested nonchalantly as he leaned on his landing foot. “Whoever gets the short end has to knock.”

Lucas frowned. “Where are you gonna find three sticks laying around? We’re not that close to the woods here.”

“We could roshambo for it,” Will added with a soft tone.

“Ugh, why can’t you call it ‘rock paper scissors’ like a normal person,” whined Mike but he conceded anyway as he usually did with Will.

And just as usual, he lost every round and was forced up to the plate.

Mike flipped his friends off before he strolled up to the house and rapped his knuckles against the door. Everyone stood in dramatic silence with ears open for a never-heard-before voice and eyes locked on the door handle to see if it would move. Nothing happened.

“Knock louder,” Lucas called out, “You punch like a baby anyway.”

“You cry like a baby when I punch you so who’s the real baby now?” yelled back Mike when he turned to send Lucas a heavy glare.

“Maybe there isn’t anyone there.” Will, ever the soothing presence, interrupted. “They could be out shopping for new furniture or something. They did just move and there’s no car in the driveway.”

“I’ll knock again just to be sure.” Mike did as he professed, exaggerating his knocking with a leer at Lucas for added effect, yet still, there was no answer. He shrugged and made his way back to his friends. “Looks like no one’s home after all.”

Will realigned his bike and dusted it off carefully. “It was worth checking. Anyway, what do you wanna do now?”

“We said we’d go to Castle Byers today, right? You changed the password last weekend, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Lucas, and no, you can’t ask Mike for it. He promised he wouldn’t give it up if he figured it out.”

Mike gawked atop his bike. “I didn’t promise anything! I don’t even know what the password is.” Will gave him a look and the freckled boy looked down at his feet before perking excitedly. “Oh, oh. It’s that. I know it; I definitely know it.”

“Yeah, doofus, we figured that out already.”

Lucas laughed when Mike tried to cuff his ear and missed, almost tripping over his bike in the process. Will only shook his head with a humored sigh. “We should go so we have more time there and then maybe we can go to Mike’s and play D&D until dinner.”

“You have a new campaign, Mike, or do you wanna put your paladin to use?”

Mike, who had climbed back on his bike and was riding circles around the two, smiled mischievously. “Oh, I have an awesome campaign planned. It’s gonna be the hardest one yet.”

“Hard because you like seeing me almost kill myself in close combat or hard because the dungeon creatures are so OP?”

“It’s not overpowered, you just suck at rolling for your stealth and speed checks. Your stealth is so bad for being a ranger.”

Lucas and Mike continued bickering with each other into the woods where they hopped off their bikes and turned the subject toward school where they could include Will a little more. Will never felt like a third wheel even if Lucas and Mike could spend a good twenty minutes talking between themselves about something they did the night before. The two were next door neighbors and hung out enough without Will simply because of proximity. Will got one-on-one time with each boy on his own anyway, especially Mike given he usually stayed the night with Mike when Lucas was called home late. The next day was usually spent filling Lucas in on the previous night, which usually meant Will spent more time with Lucas.

It was all in all a great arrangement and all three boys were very honored and proud to consider each other best friends. Secretly, Mike considered asking Will to befriend him to be the best thing he’d ever done, while Will considered saying yes to Mike’s offer to be the best thing he had ever done as well. Both boys considered greeting Lucas in first grade after he moved next to the Wheelers the most exciting thing they’ve done in their 10 years of life. In turn, Lucas considered taking the time out to hang out with these goofy looking boys and read comics to be one of the best things he’s ever done.

There was never any doubt in Lucas, Mike, or Will’s minds that being friends was a mistake. It could never be a mistake.

So of course, making their way to Castle Byers and finding someone already inside couldn’t have been much of a mistake either.

The boy inside looked to be about their age but he had unruly, curled brown hair that fell in waves and covered his eyes just a bit. His eyes were big and wet, red with tears and swimming with emotions threatening to spill over. Will stood at the doorway to the fort and watched the stranger blink back tears before trying to scramble out of the way past Will.

“Wait!” the smaller boy called out, grabbing the stranger’s arm before he could make it any further. Mike stepped up to Will’s other side and Lucas followed him like a shadow. “Wait, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just surprised to see someone in my fort.”

“This is yours?”

“Yeah, me and my brother call it Castle Byers. It’s named after me. Kinda. That’s my last name at least.” Will smiled warmly and pointed to himself. “I’m Will. These are my best friends Mike and Lucas.”

“I’m Dustin.” He stuck out a hand to shake and smiled back at Will.

Mike perked. “Whoa, you’re still missing your front teeth? You look about our age though.”

Dustin quickly closed his mouth at Mike’s words. Will nudged the other boy with his elbow and reached out to comfort Dustin. “Don’t worry about Mike; he sometimes lacks a brain to mouth filter.”

“Sometimes, more like always,” snorted Lucas which made Mike sputter and whine.

Dustin’s smile returned and it made Will happy to see again. Lucas spoke up with curiosity in his tone. “Do you attend Hawkins Elementary? That’s where we go to school.”

“I don’t remember seeing you even though my mom and dad have been going on and on about new neighbors all week.” Mike rolled his eyes petulantly but his attitude quickly shifted into deep concern when he noticed Dustin’s slight wince at the mention of ‘dad’. “Hey, are you okay? Do you, uh, do you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” replied Dustin with a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat, crossed his arms, and took a step back from Will. “I didn’t mean to intrude. You can get back to your games and I’ll go home.”

“I don’t think anyone’s at your home right now,” Lucas placed a careful hand on Dustin’s shoulder, “but you can hang out with us! We’re gonna read some comics and then play Dungeons and Dragons in Mike’s basement if you’re down.”

At the mention of D&D, Dustin’s eyes lit up. “Dungeons and Dragons? You guys play that, too? What are your roles?”

“I’m the DM and our paladin,” started Mike with an air of pride about him. “Will is our cleric--,”

“I’m a wizard, Mike.”

“He’s a cleric. Trust me, the way he plays paints him as a cleric all the way.” Mike squeezed Will’s arm affectionately before his smile grew suspiciously broader. “Will’s a very good protector given our ranger here can’t roll his D20 for his life and refuses to attend to his dexterity.”

Lucas moaned. “My god, Wheeler, are you ever gonna let that go? I told you I wanted to focus on my spellcasting!”

“I don’t know, Sinclair, maybe I’ll stop when you stop harping on me for preferring a long sword.”

Will turned to Dustin as the two neighbors once again fell into bickering. “Sorry about that; they get really heated about weaponry and roll checks.”

“It’s funny,” laughed Dustin as he watched the two with bright blue eyes. “I’m a bard by the way.”

“Really? Wow, that’s perfect! You should definitely play with us tonight. Mike has a new campaign planned that we wanna start, so we can definitely bring you in!”

Mike was over the moon about having another player, claiming that Will and Lucas were only going to survive this particular campaign thanks to the additional help. Lucas threatened to end Mike’s life with an arrow straight to the chest the next time Will led a campaign (“See if you survive my wrath, Michael.”), Will refused and stated he wouldn’t allow it as DM (“You can’t kill Mike, you need him!”), and Dustin laughed along with a wide smile and a comfort in his chest that he hadn’t felt since moving to Hawkins in the first place.

When school started up the following Monday, Dustin noticed Will, Lucas, and Mike chatting by the bike racks near the school entrance. They spotted him watching and eagerly motioned for him to join their little trio.

“I forgot to ask this when we played,” the brunette started as he and his new friends made their way inside, “but what’s your party’s name?”

Mike blinked twice and turned to his friends who shrugged. “We don’t really have a name. We’re just a party, I guess. The only one we know.”

“The Party.” Dustin hummed to himself. “That works.”

“Yeah,” Lucas slung an arm around Dustin’s shoulder and grinned. “Welcome to the Party then, Dustin. We’re honored to have you.”

[thewritewolf]

Nino’s Quest Chapter 2: You All Meet In A Tavern

The party finally meets and, despite a rough start, begin their first adventure!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3.  My ko-fi.

Adrien Regreste: Last session was awesome! When can we do it again??

Lord DM: Lol dude. Its only been a day ya know We can figure it out a little later

Marinoodles: id love to do this weekend with you adrien! For dnd i mean And with everyone else Not just adrien

Adrien Regreste: Your character was so cool, Mari! I can’t wait to see how you play her :D

Marinoodles: Thank you! <3 Oh um whoops I didn’t mean to send a heart, haha

Adrien Regreste: ?? what did you mean to send?

Marinoodles: Um… this? :3

Adrien Regreste: :O That’s so cute! Can I use it??

Marinoodles: Sure! Your’e fine! *That’s fine! Not that you’re NOT fine I just askdjfasdlkfjadf

Alya’ll Beware: Omg u 2 get a room

Marinoodles: ALYA

Adrien Regreste: ?????

Nino chuckled as he read the string of messages. It made him glad to know that his friends were enjoying the campaign - especially Adrien. They didn’t get a chance to hang out nearly as much as he liked and this was a perfect excuse to get them all together. Besides, watching him and Marinette interact was always good for the soul. Very adorable stuff.

Speaking of adorable, Alya had sent him a private message on Discord. He opened up the chat.

Alya: Just so u know, I’ve got ulterior motives here

Nino: About marinette, Im guessing?

Alya: Yeah Don’t you see? This is a great chance to get these two dweebs togethre!

Nino: Alya… Can’t we just let them enjoy the game? Grow closer on their own terms?

Alya: If we do that, then they’ll still be blushng at each other when we’re in university Mama Alya’s got to do some interventions. I want my nieces and nephews at some point!

Nino: … Sigh Fine.

Alya: <3

Nino: But!

Alya: </3

Nino: Only if you stay in character, okay? At least that will keep oyu invested in the game.

Alya: ...I accept your conditions, Lord DM Cappy.

------------

“Anything you’re willing to spill about today’s session, bro?” Adrien grinned as he asked, excitement sparkling in his eyes. They were both strapped into the backseat of the Gorilla’s car as they made their way to Marinette’s house. It was late, but between Marinette babysitting and Adrien’s photoshoot, it was the best they could do.

Nino shook his head. “Sorry, dude. Most of it probs won’t be too interesting, though, since we have to get the introductions out of the way.” Adrien phone went off and he pulled it out. “Who’s texting you, dude?”

“Alya,” Adrien replied absently as he read the text. The tips of his ears turned red and his eyes widened.

Suspicion settled onto Nino as he tried to crane his neck to see the text. “Yeah? And what’s she telling you?”

“Nothing much. Just some tips about how to play a bard.”

Alarms were sounding in Nino’s head. “Really? What kind of tips.”

“Just… tips. About how charismatic bards should act. That kind of thing.”

Nino pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course she is…”

Before either of them could ask any more questions, the car came to a halt and the Gorilla grunted at them. They had reached their destination.

“Ready for your first real session, dude?” Nino punched Adrien on the shoulder as he climbed out and they headed inside.

“You know I am!” Adrien opened the door and both of them were immediately buffeted by the scent of fresh pastries. They were guided by their noses to the kitchen. “Mmm! That smells delicious!”

Marinette froze, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints as they entered the room. “That’s- thanks! I- We made it for you. I mean! For all of us. For today’s session. So we could eat it. Y-yeah.”

“That’s very cool of you two!” Adrien he took a chocolate croissant off the platter and took a bite. “It tastes even better than it smells!”

“You really think so? Well,” Alya put her hands on Marinette’s shoulders and pushed her a little closer to Adrien, “those were made by hand. Marinette’s hands, as a matter of fact. I mostly just provided commentary.”

“Sorry dudes,” Nino cut in. “But can we start soon? We got a lot I wanna cover today.”

Marinette sagged in relief. “Y-yeah! Let’s get started!”

When Adrien and Marinette had squeezed past and headed towards the living room, Alya narrowed her eyes at Nino. He mouthed the word ‘roleplay’ to her and went to follow the others.

Nino took his seat and set up his DM screen around his notes and dice. Clearing his throat, he got started. “Marinette, you and Alya are sitting at a booth inside the tavern when in walks two men. The half-elf is wearing brightly colored clothes and is holding a…” He squinted at the paper in front of him. “Dude, what’s your instrument?”

“A lyre! Oh, and he’s blonde with green eyes - like me!” Adrien beamed, practically vibrating in place with excitement as he looked between the girls and him.

“Right, right, I getcha. And standing next to him is a human in chainmail armor, the symbol of the sun worn proudly around his neck.”

“Sounds like a cutie,” Alya said with a waggle of her eyebrow.

Nino’s cheeks heated up, but he pressed on valiantly. “So, uh, what do you do?”

“W-well, do they, um, do they match the descriptions we were given?” Marinette meekly replied.

“Yup! The description the monks gave you was right on. These are the dudes you are supposed to meet up with, no doubt about it.”

“R-right. Then I’ll wave them over then.”

“Right on. Adrien, what do you want to-”

“I walk over. Can I roll to seduce?”

Nino blinked in confusion and noticed the shock written plain on Marinette’s face. Alya, however, seemed on the verge of maniacal laughter.

“I… You want to seduce someone? Why?”

“Well, that’s what bards do, right?” He looked between his friends with an excited look on his face. “So what do I do? Roll this twenty sided die, right?”

“Yeah, but,” Nino struggled to get a hold of the situation, “who are you going to seduce?”

“Marinette, of course!” Adrien said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. If Marinette had been one of Adrien’s anime characters, there would have been a gush of blood erupting from her nose. As is, it just looked like she was about to pass out. “You and Alya are… you know, so it makes sense!”

While that was definitely airtight reasoning, Nino couldn’t help but groan. “Alright, let’s see what the dice have to say about it. Roll the die and add your charisma to this.”

Poor Marinette, wide eyed and blushing from cheek to neck, watched in bated anticipation as Adrien shook the die with gusto and let it loose. The first real roll of the game, Nino reflected. And it was being used to flirt with a party member. Was this a sign of what was to come?

He watched to see what the die will land on and what it might say about the rest of the campaign…

It rolled across the table, propelled by an overeager Adrien.

It came to a stop, directly in front of Marinette.

It showed…

...A one.

There was a stunned silence before Nino began laughing uncontrollably.

“Alright, bro. This is what happens - you walk up to them, put your hand on the table, and forget your own name as they look up at you expectantly. I follow behind and introduce ourselves.”

Adrien pouted, but a small smile poked through when Marinette giggled. Some color besides red was returning to her face.

“Maybe next time, sunshine,” Alya said through a grin. “So, are we ready to talk about adventure?”

After the party’s rocky opening moments, they hit their stride as they talked over the details of their first quest together. The locals had been dealing with a band of kobold raiders who were stealing their live stock. After a farmer was found dead, they decided the raiders had gone too far, and sent out a call for adventurers. A wandering bard, a local cleric, a noble runaway, and a knight errant answered.

“You spot the kobold den. The entrance just seems to be a hastily carved slab of wood covering a cave mouth.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask…” Marinette wrung her hands. “What’s a kobold?”

“Good question!” Nino folded his hands and looked between his friends. “Has anyone here seen a kobold before? Or know something about the arcane?”

The sound of ruffled papers greeted him as the party shuffled through their character sheets. Adrien’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I’ve got bardic knowledge.” He smiled and nudged Marinette, who joltd. “I guess I’ve seen some stuff on the road, huh?”

“Sure, bro, but let’s see if you know anything about them.” Nino watched as Adrien rolled. “Nice. Much better than your last one.” There were giggles around the table and Adrien playfully rolled his eyes. “Anyway, you know that kobolds are short, lizard dudes who like to build traps. Very community based, team efforts are their gig.”

“Cool! I tell the rest of the party that. So are we going in then?”

“W-wait.” Marinette narrowed her eyes in thought. “It seems too obvious, right? We didn’t even really look that hard for the way in, we just stumbled across it.”

“Right…? Oh!” Adrien caught on. “You think it might be a trap? So how are we going to get in then?”

“Well… they have to have a way in, right? So let’s look around. Maybe there is a secret passage.”

“Okay, I’ll make a perception roll for all of you.” Nino made some quick checks behind his screen. “So - Babe, you find a small boulder that seems out of place.”

“I’ll move it.”

“You got anything on you to do that with?”

“My big, beefy, lady knight muscles.”

Nino chuckled. “Alright, dude. Roll a d20 and add your strength modifier.” He watched the die land - more than enough to heft the thing. “Nice! You don’t have any trouble shifting it on your own, but there is no way anyone smaller than you could have pulled it off.”

“Huh. Guess they really don’t want kobolds going out alone.”

“So you go down into a side passage in the cave before eventually emerging into a small room with a table and chair. There is a lever against the wall, a string that runs into the darkness, and a sleeping kobold in the chair. What do you do?”

“Well we gotta take out the kobold first, right?” Alya glanced over at the other two. “We can’t have them raising an alarm or anything. I’ll nudge Marinette towards the kobold.”

“Does it count as, um… Flat footed? Do I get sneak attack?”

“You bet, dude. You’ll hit, no sweat, but roll for stealth.” She did. “Ooo, barely. After stumbling, you manage to get over there and silence the sentry for good. Now what?”

“Um… I’ll look around. What’s the lever for?”

“Got any knowledge of engineering?”

“Yup!”

Alya made an X with her arms. “Woah woah woah. Hold up, girl. Why do you know about engineering?”

Marinette shrugged. “You never know when understanding how buildings stay standing will help. In character, my family is known for their castles. Seemed like a good choice, you know?”

“Anyway,” Nino continued. “You can tell the lever activates a trap. A boulder trap, by the looks of it. Stepping into the hallway, you notice the entire thing is on an incline and your room is well hidden.”

“Oh, wow.” Adrien tapped at his chin. “We would’ve walked right by and been crushed by the boulder.”

“Wait…” Marinette’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea!”

A few minutes later and her plan was set into motion. Adrien stood by the hidden side passage and began to play his lyre as loudly as he could while Alya struck a stick against her shield repeatedly. Before long, their characters heard clawed feet rushing up the passageway in large numbers. The first to spot them was Adrien, who ducked back inside the passage.

“Now! They can’t retreat!”

Marinette’s character pulled the lever and a loud rumbling was heard. A giant boulder rushed past the room and the brief squawks of the enemy turned to silence.

“You enter the passageway to find one heck of a mess… and no survivors.” Nino let them cheer for a moment before adding, “At least, from this group. There’s anywhere from five to eight squished kobolds out here, and you remember that the villagers were sure there was about twenty.”

They were about to continue when Adrien’s phone went off. His face fell when he looked at it. “Sorry, guys. Looks like I need to head home now.’

“What?!” Marinette exclaimed before immediately blushing at her own outburst. “I mean- it’s just- Been here haven’t long- Going now?”

“I’m really sorry. You guys can go on without me.”

Nino shook his head and stood. “No way, dude. We’re in this together.”

“...Really?” Adrien said, looking hopeful.

“You bet, sunshine! This party doesn’t split.”

“Y-yeah! We’ll wait for you!”

“Thanks,” Adrien said with a smile. “I promise, I’ll make next week work and I’ll make sure we can stay for longer. Somehow.”

After saying their goodbyes, Nino hitched a ride home with Adrien. Nino hadn’t even thought about the traps being used against the kobolds, but they managed it. As he listened to Adrien chatter about the campaign, Nino could feel that this was going to be a campaign to remember.