I grew up in the era where you always had a mage in the party who took Detect Magic to spot the glowy magic items, and then Identify to suss out what it is.
5e has simplified this a great deal, though much of the info is in the DMG (p. 136). There are several ways of getting at whether an item has magical properties and, if so, what they are:
As the DMG says, the fastest and easiest way to reveal an item’s properties is with the Identify spell. Note that Identify can be done as a Ritual, so any wizard, bard, or cleric of divination can do it, taking 10 minutes and not burning a spell slot. If you don’t know the spell, then 10gp will hire someone (in an appropriate locale) to cast it for you.
You can also focus on a magic item you are in physical contact with during a Short Rest. I usually require the characters to sort of wield the item more or less like they would — wear the boots, hold ring in your hand, wave the sword around a bit. At the end of the rest, you have learned the item’s properties and how to invoke them.
You can also try to do an Intelligence (Arcana) check to see if something about the object can identify it (“The elves often put wings on the leather of Boots of Flying” or “That is the symbol for the Orcish God of Fire” or “Rings that chime with that particular note are most likely magic, from the lost realm of Midoria”). This is much quicker than the Short Rest option, but likely less complete. (Some suggestions on how this might work.)
A little taste of a potion will tell the taster what it does, and probably won’t kill them.
Alternately, you can guess from clues on the item itself, or can just start wielding it and figure out how it works.
Attunement
Some magical items require more than just identification and working instructions to invoke its magical powers. Instead, they are of sufficient power that they require a mystical bond be created between the wielder and the item called Attunement.
If an item requires this, it is listed with the item. Until such an item is Attuned, its magical properties do not manifest (an unattuned +3 Vorpal Sword is just a very cool looking normal sword in combat). Note that some items can have a prerequisite (e.g., class, race) for Attunement.
Attunement takes an additional ShortRest (beyond the initial identification), in physical contact and focusing on the item. Practice use of or meditation over the item might be helpful here. At the end of the rest, “the creature gains an intuitive understanding of how to activate any magical properties of the item, including any necessary command words.” More complex or powerful items may require additional Short Rests or presentation of circumstances where an ability manifests. (“You suddenly feel no fear of the flames, realizing they are not harming you but humming softly.”)
An item can be attuned to only one person at a time, and a person can only attune to three unique items at a time.
Attunement ends if prerequisites are no longer met, if the item is over 100 feet away for at least 24 hours, if the owner dies, or if another creature attunes to the item. You can also voluntarily drop an attunement with another Short Rest.
Spell-casting items
Items that allow spells to be cast are cast at the lowest possible spell and caster level, don’t expend any spell slots, and require no components (unless otherwise specified). Rules for range, casting time, duration, and concentration apply (again, unless otherwise specified).
For items that depend on the user’s spellcasting ability, if you don’t actually have a native spellcasting ability (e.g., a Rogue with Use Magic Device), the ability modifier is +0 but your Proficiency bonus does apply.
TL;DR: Anything with magic items is expensive and difficult and unlikely under 5e.
For design reasons having to do with Bounded Accuracy and stuff like that, magic items — especially anything permanent, or anything to alter combat stats (TH, AC) — are rare as hen’s teeth in 5th Edition D&D.
The following is meant to provide guidelines. Bearing in mind how magic items can unbalance a campaign (especially weapons and armor with plusses), the DM should, as always, look for ways to make things fun and make things work for the story.
The rules on this stuff are something of a mess, to be honest, scattered in the PHB, the DMG, with major (optional) updates in XGE, which is what I’ll mostly follow (starting round XGE 134) None of it makes it easy along the lines of “I step into Ye Olde Magick Ytem Shoppe and …” For most stuff beyond the common, it’s a matter of searching out, then negotiating with buyers/sellers. This can literally take weeks.
It might be easier to go attack a dragon and check out their horde …
Buying the Easy Stuff
Okay, it’s not all that bad (or I won’t let it be in my game). Common stuff — the equivalent of picking up items at the local drug store — is relatively easy to find, if only because demand for it is there. In addition to XGE, I’ve found a very nice set of purchase tables (explained here) that discuss all sorts of purchasing (and selling) at different types of shops in different locals.
Some quick summaries of readily available items.
Rarity
Potion Cost (gp)
Scroll Cost (gp)
Common
50
Lvl 0 – 50
Lvl 1 – 100
Uncommon
250 – cities only
Lvl 2 – 250 – cities only
Lvl 3 – 500 – cities only
Rare
2500 – cities only, if at all
Lvl 4 – 2500 – cities only, if at all
Lvl 5 – 5000 – cities only, if at all
So, for example, a Common Potion of Healing is available at 50gp or so; quantities may be limited, and may vary by locale and shop. Especially as you get into Uncommon and Rare, the chances are high that stock and locations will be constrained.
Buying the Hard Stuff
Once you start getting beyond what gets stocked at the local Walgreens, it becomes a lot harder. Magic is rare, so finding it in a shop is situational (e.g., “Poor Drunken Bob used to be a mighty paladin. He finally hocked his +1 Greatsword with me last week. Only reason I’d carry something like that.”). It’s possible a shop in a trading town or small city might have something immediately on hand, but not guaranteed. The following is based largely on the “Downtime” rules in XGE.
Finding a magic item to purchase takes at least one workweek (5d) of effort, and 100gp in Expenses. You roll Charisma (Persuasion) to determine the quality of the seller, +1/extra work week you take, +1/extra 100gp you spend. (This also provides a wealthy lifestyle, so you can impress them). The roll is against the DC to Find in the table below.
Rarity
Level
Find
a seller
Asking Price (gp)
Example
Common
1+
DC 10
(1d6+1) * 10
Avg 45
Potion* of Healing 2d4+2
Uncommon
1+
DC 15
(1d6) * 100
Avg 350
Potion* of Greater Healing 4d4+4
Weapon +1 Adamantine Armor Wand of Magic Missiles
Rare
5+
DC 20
(2d10) * 1K
Avg 11K
Potion* of Superior Healing 8d4+8
Weapon +2
Armor +1 Wand of Fireballs
Very Rare
11+
DC 25
(1d4+1) * 10K
Avg 35K
Potion* of Supreme Healing 10d4+20
Weapon +3
Armor +2 Wand of Polymorph
Legendary
17+
DC 30
(2d6) * 25K
Avg 175K
Vorpal Sword
Armor +3 Ring of 3 Wishes
* Potions, scrolls, and other consumables cost only half price.
Rather than buy a (consumable) magic item, you can also hire a spell-caster to do something for you. Services for relatively common spells (Cure Wounds, Identify) are easy enough to find in a city, possibly even in a town, costing 10-50gp (plus any expensive material components) (PHB 159)
Temples are likely to provide the following spell services to the general public, assuming it’s a large enough establishment to have clerics that can do it:
Spell
Level
Cost (gp)
Cure Wounds
1
10
Prayer of Healing
2
50
Gentle Repose
2
50
Lesser Restoration*
2
50
Remove Curse
3
100
Revivify
3
400
Divination
4
210
Greater Restoration
5
450
Raise Dead
5
1000
*Outside of temples, itinerant priests can perform these.
Temples may perform other spells, but most likely only for adherents to the god in question.
Other magical services that can be relatively easily obtained outside of temples (in addition to the above spells that are not solely in cleric/adjacent classes):
Spell
Level
Cost (gp)
Identify
1
20
Prices, as with all things, can be affected by social interactions and local economic circumstances. I.e., you may be able to use Charisma (Persuasion) to sweet talk getting a desired service. On the other hand, if there is a major war or plague going on, such services may be swamped by the demand.
Selling a Magic Item
This is similar to buying one (and similarly comes from XGE, pp 133-34).
Unless you’re talking about something Common, most vendors can’t afford to buy such items, especially in smaller towns. You can pretty easily sell something to the local Walgreens that they stock, or even something of the same rarity, but anything beyond that requires a vendor with resources, and likely some sort of Charisma (Persuasion) roll to assure the buyer of the quality.
For a more formal approach, you can find a buyer for one magic item by spending 1 work week and 25gp to spread the word. You can only sell one item at a time. Make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to determine the offer (you don’t have to take it).
Rarity
Base Price (gp) (half for consumables)
Common
100
Uncommon
400
Rare
4K
Very Rare
40K
Legendary
200K
DC Check Total
Offer % of base price
1-10
50%
11-20
100%
21+
150%
Every work week (5d) spent provides a 10% chance of a complication — also known as DM fun! Maybe someone else in the area is looking for such an item (making buyers eager to pick one up … or making buyers who have one want to get rid of the competition).
So, as an example, the 6-foot tall Fighter with a Strength of 16 (+3 Bonus) can:
Do a Running Long Jump of 16 feet forward (clearing a 4 foot high obstacle)
Do a Standing Long Jump of 8 feet forward (clearing a 2 foot high obstacle)
Do a Running High Jump of 6 feet high (with a reach of up to 9 feet)
Do a Standing High Jump of 3 feet high (with a reach of up to 6 feet)
If you land in difficult terrain, you need a DC10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to not fall down prone.
You can extend your arms half your height above yourself during the jump. Thus, you can reach above you a distance equal to the (height of the jump ) + (1½ times your height). (See, putting a height value on your character sheet finally means something!)
Movement and Jumping
The RAW rule is, your jump in feet (up or across) counts against your Movement. That implies that if you have a Speed of 30, and you want to try and long jump 20 feet, you can only move 10 feet beforehand. (Jumps can’t split across turns.)
For example, the Jump spell or a Ring of Jumping lets you triple your Jump — so the Fighter described above would get a Running Long Jump of (16×3=) 48 feet, right? Nope. If their Speed is only 30, they can only Jump that far (or less, given the 10 foot lead-up to a Running Long Jump).
This limitation can be extended, though, through:
Speed magic (e.g., Haste, which doubles your Speed)
The Dash action (which effectively doubles your Speed for the turn).
There are cases with spells where it is possible to jump higher than 10 feet, which raises the question as to whether you then take damage upon landing again.
People can disagree, but I’d be inclined to say no, especially as magic is involved: if your (magically-enhanced) muscles can propel you upwards 20 feet, they can absorb the (same) shock in landing after returning to the ground.
There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!
GM Recap
Session 5 (Day 14): Faith‘s sleep is disturbed by dream where she is being pressed into the ground by her sins and failures. The next day dawns warm and humid. After some logistical scurrying, the party gets swept up into a new problem — a sink hole twenty feet across at an intersection that has swallowed some kids and an adult. Their efforts to mount a rescue are hampered by some of the town’s leading citizens — Albaeri Mellikho, Ilmeth Waelver, Ulhro Luruth — who seem to want nobody going down the hole, certainly none of the “strangers,” and who make cryptic comments about the “Delvers” who keep the town safe.
Fending off their efforts, along with Elak Dornen, who brings along the constables deputies, the party goes in (sending the people who have fallen in back to the surface). They find themselves in a large, mined chamber, from which leads a passage and a stone door, beside which are two hooded cloaks and a water skin. Going through the door, they come to an intersection, which two half-open doors decorated with a relief of dwarvish warriors.
The Symbol of the Black Earth
They go down the left passage, and find a small room with three rat-eaten corpses. Disposing of the giant rats, they think two of the bodies might be the missing farmers. All three bodies had a mystic symbol carved in their foreheads.
The next room had a stone floating in a magical zero-gravity field in the center of the room.
The room after that was a large one, in the center of which was a statue of a dwarf.
Player Recap
Faith has a bad dream: Is it a dream? You feel a great weight on you, lying on your cold, cold, bed, like someone has stacked stones on your body, the weight of your sins, the disappointment of your elders. There is danger approaching — but are you safer trying to break free and run, or lie still and take your punishment? Faith chooses redemption through prayer and penance. That is when she falls out of bed. Moony “We aren’t on a ship, Faith, you shouldn’t be rolling out of bed if the room isn’t moving” Faith “Sometimes the world rolls.” Moony returns to sleep and Faith spends some time praying before going back to bed.
The Next Day: The air feels muggy after the storm. Breakfast is simple, crumble cake and small beer. After packing some supplies and crumble cake, the group stops by the Ironhead Arms to check out the wares and stock up on arrows. Nala goes to Haeleeya’s to see about a net for the drift globe.
As William hitches up Buttercup to the wagon, screams are coming from the East side of town. The party races to the sounds. There is a large sink-hole. Several kids and a woman have slid into the hole. Albaeri and Ulhro the Tanner are trying to get people to back away from the edge and yelling that this is a town matter. Faith lights her rope and tries to see into the hole. Unfortunately, the edge crumbles as she approaches and she slides in. William arrives with the wagon and Nala climbs up on the cart to get a better view. The hole is at least 20′ deep.
Faith finds four kids and the mother at the bottom of the hole along with a broken cart and some mounds of dirt. They are in a large chamber. Everyone is okay. The mom asks if Faith is there to help get them out. This is not a natural cavern. Faith explores while the kids and mom scream, afraid that she will leave them to die. She finds finds a locked door and a corridor to the north.
Meanwhile up at ground level. Moony follows Ulhro Luruth who runs down to #12 Elak Dornen. Ulhro is panicked. “I’m afraid it will disturb the Delvers” Elak “I’m not worried about the Delvers, I’m concerned about the outsiders.” Back at the hole, William appears to Kaylessa, to tell the crowd that we are there to help. She encourages us to save the kids. Ulhro and Albaeri keep pushing to keep this as town affair. Finally, Kaylessa says “You don’t speak for the people of this town.” About then Lymmura arrives and asks about the children screaming. Albaeri tries to send her away too. The crowd is not supporting the Fancy Boys Club.
William uses the rope to descend into the hole. Faith helps him to secure the rope to Tsali, the eldest child. Nala spreads out near the lip of the hole to help lift Sally over the edge. The edge crumbles and she ends up dangling slightly before the crowd pulls her back. The remaining children and mother make it safely out of the cavern.
Moony quietly follows Elak as he trots to the butcher shop. Moony overhears Elak yelling at Jalessa. She is giving as good as she gets. Harburk is not at your beck and call. Eventually, several constables come out head to the commotion. Back at the sinkhole. Ulhro knocks on the barber’s door.
Theren slips into the cavern. The discussion continues above. Theren uses prestidigitation to have a sea shanty, Moony doesn’t hear it, but Nala does. She convinces Elak that she will try to get her friends to leave the hole. Theren and adds the smell of rotten flesh to the illusion. William calls up to Nala, “Do you remember the circus? I think you should see what they are up to.” Nala, thinking that there are undead there, pulls the rope from Moony and “Falls” into the hole. Moony “Oh No!” He hands the rope to Elak, “What is this?” “It’s a rope. Don’t you have ropes in Red Larch? No wonder people are always falling in holes.”
Elak yells at the deputy to clear everyone out of sink hole. Deputy yells back “What do you want me to do? Go in the hole? Can you smell that?” Moony – “Yes, smells like something dead, probably zombies and unicorns.” Elak visible blanches at the mention of zombies. With that Moony scrambles down the side of the hole. The deputy calls to him from above. “Here now, Mr. Cat, please don’t do anything that causes more of the town to collapse. I’ll fetch Harburk and bring him back as soon as possible.”
While the groups decide what to do next. Moony finds some cloaks and water skins near the door down below. They look fresh, not dusty. The cavern looks like it was an very old mine. The floor is smooth and the walls have been worked. Moony opened the locked door and the group slowly moves down a hall with dressed walls. Two doors with reliefs of stern dwarves across the hall from each other. Doors are ajar. While the images are old and stylized, there is no writing or hidden secrets engraved in the panels.
Past the left door, there is a hall. Soon the smell of rotting flesh. It gets stronger as they move deeper into the mines. The tunnel opens up into a square room with three rotting bodies and a couple of giant rats gnawing on the bodies. Moony takes out the first rat and Nala finishes the second. And that is when the remaining rats swarm. They are quickly dispatched. The bodies look like they are a few weeks old. The skins are tan. The male body look a bit like Farmer Jowen, Senior. Something has been carved into their foreheads.
Continuing down the tunnel to the next room. There is a floating rock in the middle of the room. As Moony approaches the rock it is like he stepped into thin air, struggles, and land on the other side of the rock. His passage clips the rock which moves a few inches. They determine that there is a zone in the middle of the room that causes things to float. Faith tests it out and floats to the top of the room and plays around a bit. When the rock is pushed out of the zone it hits the floor.
Past the room with the rock, the hall ends in a door. Moony slowly pulls the door open and peeks inside. There is a statue of a dwarf in the center of a large room.
Fancy boys club: Albaeri, Ulhro, Elak, Ilmeth
Game Notes
After last time’s gab-fest enough events fall together to head toward the climax of the low-level Red Larch narrative: the Tomb of Moving Stones. Not only does this tie together a bunch of threads, but it kickstarts the players toward the next phase of the game, dealing with the Haunted Keeps.
The Sink Hole
The Sink Hole is hidden back in Chapter 6, in the “If your players are doing Levels 1-3” material, but is also mentioned up in Chapter 3 around the Red Larch section. The Tomb of Moving Stones is also back in Chapter 6, as it’s designed for Level 2. Yes, once again, the PotA book organization is kind of nutty.
It only comes into play (only collapses) if the players don’t find the other entrances. They’d gotten scared off their one check of Albeiri’s stoneworks, and never really delved into Ilmeth’s place, so Sink Hole it was.
There is no actual location given for the Sink Hole in the book (sigh), just “in the middle of Red Larch.” Some resource I found mentioned that the Tomb fits decently (if at an odd angle) if placed so that the Sink Hole is at the first intersection coming down the Larch Path, near Gaelkur’s (#17), so that’s where I put it.
There is no token or art given to represent the Sink Hole, so I provided my own on the map.
The Believers
Something is rotten in the little burg of Red Larch
Red Larch doesn’t have a city government — even its constable is a part-time job — but like all communities it has an informal government of the old, the rich, and the otherwise respected and/or influential.
Partially intersecting with that circle of influence are the Believers. To me, this group is the first test, not just of the player characters, but of the GM: what kind of cult horror film are you playing here?
It’s really, really easy with PotA to chalk up all the followers of the different elemental cults as crazed fanatics, making human wave charges and willing to destroy the world just because their gods command it. In other words, an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Bo-ring.
Generic Cultist icon, used as mooks for all the different elemental cults.
I mean, sure, some of that. Not every encounter is going to be nuanced. Howling Hatred Cultist 7 in the room isn’t going to start engaging his fellows or the players on a discourse about the meaning of existence and what constitutes a moral vs immoral act. He’s probably going to wave his dagger and charge the infidels in the name of Yan-C-Bin.
And, sure, the book pretty much leans on the “all the cultists are there because they believe this, that, and another extremist thing, and the cult has further brainwashed them until they live or die for their deity’s victory” thing. Indeed, between different elemental sites, all the lowest-level cultist mook icons are the same.
Still boring, if that’s the only note you play.
“The Conspirators” by William Strang (1859-1921)
The Believers (or the “Fancy Boy Club” as the players started to call them, though some of them are not at all fancy) are a challenge for the GM. Are they simply mustache-twirling lunatics, killing their fellows at the behest of the Black Earth Priest in their midst? I mean, you can have them be that, in order to get into and out of Red Larch as fast as you can.
Or you can make them fellow townsfolk in a community that gets a lot of outsiders passing through, but a strong core fellowship within. They discovered something wonderful (the Moving Stones), came up with an explanation that satisfied them, and are now being manipulated by the Black Earth, step by step, from one sin to the next, into increasing darkness. Some are aware of this. Some are unaware. Some think it’s worth it to protect their town … or maybe their position … or maybe just their family. Others worry about what they will be asked to do next. And still others … well, yeah, sure, they’ve drunk the Kool-Aid.
Elak Dornen
Not considering how Elak Dornen is a different person than Marlandro Gaelkur or Ilmeth Waelvur or even Grund … and how each of them has their reasons for how they’ve gotten into (or pulled back from) the Believers … makes these guys cardboard cut-outs, and foretells a very, very long hack-and-slash campaign. Which, if that’s what you want, go for it.
I wanted a story.
So, here: the sink hole has opened up in the middle of a major intersection, and the Believers on the scene are in a panic — some because their crimes may be about to be revealed, some because the Tomb might be disturbed and the Delvers displeased, some because without the secret they feel they might lose influence, some a combination of those. Some try to wave the crowd back from fear, some invoke the solemnity of the power they wish to wield, some run for help from their fellows.
Characters, especially named characters, should be treated as individuals as much as possible. Sometimes that will be a stereotype — Elak Dornen as the one who considers himself the important (and smartest) person in town — but even just latching onto a trope can differentiate him from Albaeri, the other quarry owner but a very different person, at least as I played her.
Another thing I did — which, again, I did a lot of — was create in Roll20 and frequently linked to (including in the entries above) public-facing journal entries for each of the named characters and for the Believers as a whole” what the party knew, who in town seemed to know about them, who they were (links to their individual journal entries), what the party knew they’d done, etc.
This isn’t the Old Days. If you push lore and other information at players, don’t expect them to take notes and memorize it; this isn’t school. Stuff that characters in-world would remember because they’d speculate about it for hours around a campfire simply isn’t stuff that players will absorb unless they can easily retrieve it.
The Cult Symbols
The Elemental Evil symbols
This episode introduced the first of the four cult symbols, which would become increasingly important as the game continues. I had to find on the Internet or craft my own, of course, because the game did not include much in that way as things to use in art or tokens.
I ended up having special Roll20 handouts about each of the cults, including their symbols and significant people and places around them, to help the players keep track of what they knew and to add to the color text.
This also marked the episode I realized that the cult symbols — something spooky and secretive and not at all public — were published in every freaking corner of every campaign map. (Rolls eyes.) As far as I know, my players never noticed, but it bugged the hell out of me.
Cult Interrelationships
There’s a lot of info about the Cults in the PotA book, but, like everything else, it’s spread out in a lot of different places. Early days I built a diagram showing how the cults interrelated. I didn’t use it too long into the campaign — writing up stuff like this helps me internalize it — but feel free to use it or modify a copy to your own needs.
House Rules note
We learn by doing. The fight with the Giant Rats was the first case of a close melee/arrow combat in the game where the problem of “Do your friends block your ranged weapon shot?” The rules as written basically assume they do (or, rather, provide half-cover, AC+2). The party members (even when reminded it applied to the bad guys) didn’t think that made as much sense, so we borrowed from 3.5 rules for this house rule: and said that if the attacker can ignore the obstacle if it is closer to the attacker than to the target; i.e., if someone is right in front of you, it’s easy to shift in your 5-foot square to get a clean shot across the room; if someone is fighting right in front of your target, not so much (we also decided not to include the “you missed your target, did you hit your friend?” optional rule). (More discussion here.)
Bits and Bobs
I love dream entries, probably to a fault. Faith was suffering a crisis of conscience (or else getting a poke from a deity) for the killing she’d done.
Loved the bit of adding an illusory stench of dead bodies from the pit to discourage anyone coming down there.
Though nothing was provided in the game, I took time to draw a very nice hole on the map of Red Larch to show where the hole was.
Jalessa
I did have some favorites among the NPCs in Red Larch — Haeleeya, Kaylessa — but Jalessa was special. The owner of the butcher shop, and constable Harburk’s wife, she had a long-standing weariness about people calling her husband away from his real business (the shop), as well as a take-no-shit attitude about anyone who caused him or the town any grief. Even Elak Dornen can’t intimidate her. Always a favorite to bring back in when the party revisited the town, and she gets a fitting “reward” at the end of the campaign.
I was briefly afraid that the party was not going to go down the sink hole. The whole Tomb reveal would be a lot less interesting conveyed by townsfolk at the tavern that night. Fortunately, they went for it.
Small call-back, but having the bodies discovered down below include the missing farmers made all the improv work a couple of sessions earlier worth it. Though it did mean I had to go out and find some “dead body” dungeon map art to use, because despite being clearly mentioned in the text, the map has no such thing in that room. Sigh.
The session didn’t end on a cliffhanger as I prefer, but it was getting late and there was a melee just ahead, so it made sense to pause there.
There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!
GM Recap
Session 4 (Day 13): The party camped overnight, ignoring / coddling / threatening Oreioth; the next day they dealt with final exploration (and experimentation with light and shadows) of the traps and threats of his cave.
Returning to Red Larch under an increasing stormy weather, they turned the necromancer over to the Constable. Faith inquired with Lymmura Auldarhk about the mysterious sigil they’d seen. Theron and Nala reported to Kaylessa Irkell about how her predictions of “fell magic” had come true.
Moony and William enjoyed a hot bath at Haeleeya Hanadroum‘s establishment (where the proprietress mentioned something about a “fancy boys club” of local notables including Elak Dornen,Ilmeth Waelver, andAlbaeri Mellikho as both elders of the town but also part of a secretive midnight group that meets up atWaelvur’s Wagonworks). They then went on to Gaelkur’s establishment, told stories, and drank a lot.
Theren, Faith, and Nala eventually headed to dinner at the Helm. They noted Ghileeda, the servant girl at the Sword, chatting with Justran Daehl, the Cellerer, and then a table of Elak Dornen, Albaeri Mellikho, Aerego Bethendur, and Ilmeth Waelver. Dornen came over to the party, bought them a fine bottle of dessert wine for their efforts at Lance Rock, and then tried to find out when they were leaving town. Theren suggested he might hire them to clear out trouble along the Larch Path into the Sumber Hills.
Everyone eventually staggered back to the Inn for a good night’s sleep.
Player Recap
Camping at lance rock: Mr. Crazy Pants [Oreioth] is causing a fuss and Nala wakes Faith, who just threatens to bonk him on the head with a rock. William asks some questions and determines that he does not have any specific concerns and leaves him to Nala. William spends some time watching the stars and heads back to sleep. The next morning the Moony ties up the necromancer to the wagon and they head into the cave. Nala sneaks in, the lead in front has the Driftglobe and Faith casts light on her shield taking up the rear.
With the new dynamic lighting [Roll20!], they probe the remaining unexplored areas of the cave. Open path ends in a room with two large empty chests. Faith picks up a jug of alcohol from the large room with the slab and the stairs in case we need to clean anything. Moony inspect the door at the top of the stair. There is a small hole with a small round chamber with two large chests in it. He pulls a lever and a large quantity of rock fall on the chest from the first room that we explored.
In the end, there is no new treasure in the cave and no ripe berries near Lance Rock.
On the trip back to town, Oreioth pleads to return to his cave and the protection of his “army”. The group does not pay much attention. He goes on about the [Elemental Eye] sigil. Theren puts together pieces Oreioth ravings and wracks his brain for any arcana trivia, but comes up empty. Moony asks questions about unicorns and William’s goddess Mielikki. Faith notices that thunder and lightning is rolling in quickly.
Distribution of loot and leveling up: Nala will take the Driftglobe and Theren gets the wand of magic missiles. The group then discussed the new skills that they acquired.
Back in town: The group brings back Oreioth to the Harburk and the constable and let’s him know about the events of the cave and Orieoth’s raving. It is late afternoon/evening. Faith heads to the temple to pray to both of her gods and then talks to Lymmura. She brings up the topic of the missing farmers and their symbol of Chauntea. They discuss the possibilities. The farmers were practically devout, but not overly so. When pressed, she doesn’t have a specific ask for Faith or any rumors to pursue. “I think then tomorrow, I will go to the ‘person’ that you have turned over to constable to see if a friendly face will encourage more information.
Haeleeya Hanadroum
A Bath and Booze: Moony and William drop off Buttercup at the stables. Iraun takes the horse and wagon with little interest in the details. Moony asks about unicorns and Mielikki, He doesn’t have much to add. Later on they wander into Haeleeya Hanadroum’s bath house. It is late, but she is happy to heat the water for the men’s bath and adds some manly scents. Moony enjoys the bath, dries himself and tells Haeleeya about zombies and unicorns. She states if a unicorn was going to come to Red Larch, the “Elder Boys” would like to hear about it. They are a club of influential people in town that includes Albeiri the stone works owner and her competitor and Waelver the wagon works guy. They thinks that they are so clever, gathering in the night, but we who are alert notice them. They gather at Waelver’s wagon works.
Moony and William enjoy their time in the baths and eventually head to Gaelkur’s after a proper soak. They acquire some drinks and Moony tells them about the unicorn and the captive. William asks for “Milk Piss”. Gaelkur comes up with a clay jug and says, “I think this is something that may be like what you want”. William takes a swing of questionable liquid. The fermented goat’s milk is not what William expects, but it is boozy and not completely inconsumable. Though it smells like rancid milk with some interesting notes. Moony takes the questionable wine instead. He goes on about the necromancer and Faith’s need for manacles. William sits back and enjoys his rotten milk.
The folk drinking at Gaelkur’s are hanging on every word and debate visiting the constable to view the evil man. He is completely crazy. William agrees, “crazy pants.” The audience is mixed on the plans to visit the constable. Mooney pulls forth the needle and draws additional attention. Getting back to Faith’s need for manacles, everyone agrees that the smith is the most likely source. Mooney implies that the smithy is part of the cabal that runs the city behind the scenes. Finally, Gaelkur sets him straight, that the smith doesn’t have time to be part of boys club that Haeleeya was talks about. They spend the rest of the evening drinking and talking about unicorns and such. They are welcome any time. (More people have filled place but few have left.)
The Responsible Ones: Nala and Theren return to the inn and fill Kaylessa Irkell in on the adventure. She returns the room payment and promises a fine dessert wine for the group to celebrate. She is excited about the news, but doesn’t press too much about details, Nala gives her a full account.
The rain has stopped, Faith and the others have decided not to wait for Moony and William. They head for the Helm for dinner. The place is full and several parties are looking for a place to sit. Theren notices the parlor maid chatting with the wine steward Justran. They head for a table on the first floor that will accommodate the full group, if they ever appear. Theren attempts to overhear the conversation between Justran and the maid. Theren remembers that the maid had previous said she never takes hard spirits.
The group looks around and notes some familiar faces. Shortly they notice Elak Dornen who was at the table with his stoneworks competitor, Albeiri Nellikho. He offers the group drinks or some wine, noting the benefit the group has given the town. Nala accepts, with the caveat that Dornen join them. He orders some wine and sits at the table. He is the other quarry owner, who registered the complaint with the constable and the shenanigans. TheConstable is sometimes too hard working of a man. Do take care not offend him with your meddling with the town.
Happy Faith is not happy. She thinks that he is not happy with the party’s activities. Nala mentions the missing caravan and Elak has nothing to add. Dornen leaves politely. Justran arrives with the wine and says “There are not many who come away from a conversation with Master Dornen with a smile.” The wine is good.
Game Notes
So after a rollicking adventure the previous episode, things this time turned into … kind of a wandering dialog-fest, catching up with new acquaintances and making newer ones. Not necessarily bad conversations, but feeling a bit like players searching for what to do next and my not finding (or pushing) hooks to make it happen.
Something is rotten in the little burg of Red Larch
Largely my bad, though I did manage to get some clues building about the Believers (a.k.a. The Old Boys Network, or the “Fancy Boys” and the players started calling them) who run the town behind the scenes and have covert meetings at night). That sort of thing is impossible to keep secret in a small town, so it makes sense that various folk know about it, though not necessarily about what they are up to.
I also did some setup of the link between Ghileeda and Justran, and between them and the Believers. I also helped establish Dornen as the likely main man and tacit opposition they face in town. So that was good.
And we’re starting to get some special relationships being built. People like Haeleeya, the bath house owner, and that would give her a bigger role in later episodes. Gaelkur never played off quite as well as I liked, but he did recur further down the line, so that was good.
Still … too much dialog. Maybe I should have had a masked gang of thugs try and take out Moony and William on their way back from the dubious digs of Gaelkur’s, but it’s still just a bit too early for the bad guys to panic that way.
We did play around a bit (both GM and players) with the new Dynamic Lighting setup in Roll20. Despite some technical issues in its early implementation (and some still around), it is truly an awesome tool for someone who grew up on pencils and graph paper for game maps.
This is not a heavily Darkvisioned party (only two of the five), so figuring out light sources and sight lines turned out to be somewhat important early days.
So this one is short and sweet, but an important guideline to remember. It shows up in multiple 5e rulebooks, including the introductory material to the Players Handbook [PHB 7], repeated for emphasis in Xanathar’s and Tasha’s (emphasis mine):
Whenever you divide a number in the game, Round Down if you end up with a fraction, even if the fraction is one-half or greater.
That is, for those of you with an Excel frame of mind, always use TRUNC(), rather than ROUND() or CEILING().
A common example of this is with damage Resistance, which some monsters have. Resistance to a type of damage means it’s halved. If you do 15 points of fire damage to a creature with Resistance to Fire, they only take 7 points (15 / 2 = 7½, Round Down to 7).
Is there some deep, important, mystical and/or pragmatic reason to Round Down by default? No. I suspect things would all balance out decently enough if we handled rounding in a different fashion. But it is important that there be a rule so that one isn’t having to look up every case where fractions show up, seeing how the rounding should work for each. Consistency makes for faster, easier, less contentious gameplay.
Of course, as the preceding general rule in the PHB says, exceptions beat general rules, and there are places where there are specific exceptions to Rounding Down called out — either specifically changing how things should be rounded, or more often providing a minimum. For example, you regain half of your maximum Hit Dice used after a Long Rest, but the rules note a minimum of 1 Hit Die is recovered (otherwise 1st level characters would get nothing, as 1 HD / 2 = ½ HD, rounded down is 0 HD).
But unless an exception is called out, the general rule is always to Round Down.
There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!
There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!
GM Recap
Session 2 (Day 10-11) “Welcome to Red Larch”: After an overnight, quickly-melting snow, the party became acquainted with the town, visiting contacts and gathering clues.
Red Larch, courtesy of forgottenrealms.fandom.com
The constable, Harburk Tuthmarillar, wanted help with bandits.
Endrith Vallivoe, with the sundries shop, told Theren of an odd arrow-in-a-skull warning he’d heard of.
Faith, William, and Moony had a useful trip to Haeleeya’s Bathhouse and Dress Shop.
Moony learned the wonders of pickles from a half-orc named Grund.
Nala chatted up the family at Tarnlar’s, bought a cloak, and learned from the kids about a mysterious warning of plague at Lance Rock.
She also talked with Kaylessa Irkell, who pointed to “fell magic” and an “evil presence” at Lance Rock, and offered to hire the party to go investigate.
Nala and Moony stumbled upon the barber (and fence/pawn shop) of Marlandro Gaelkur.
Faith chatted with the priest Imdarr Relvaunder.
Theren talked to some workers from Mellikho Stoneworks and learned of their being watched by stone-masked, cloaked figures during night shifts.
The party visited the quarry at night to investigate, but were chased off by Albaeri Mellikho; the party then called it a night.
The next day, they traveled down the Cairn Road to check out old bandit camps … and appear to have found one.
Player Recap
Morning of the first day:
Breakfast of Champions: There is snow outside and the party heads down to breakfast. Crumble cake and small beer. Rough cooking because the kitchen had a fire and they are cooking outside. Moony enjoys the meats and William focuses on the porridge and eggs.
Harburk the Butcher and Constable: Shopkeeper identifies us easily as strangers and likely looking for Harburk. He tells us that the Mirabar caravan hasn’t come through town. Asks for some help with some trouble outside of Red Larch. Theren offers to help if the constable would help them with some additional questions. Harburk directs everyone to the contacts they ask about.
Endrith and the missing manuscript: Denies any knowledge of the manuscript. Prattles a bit about this and that and then mentions something odd. I heard about the weirdest thing the other day: Someone saw a skull pinned to a tree with a black arrow with a warning or curse attached to it. Located half days on the Larch path and then East into the Sumber Hills. Theren buys a map before heading back to the inn.
Nala meets Helvur the Taylor: The finest clothier within a 100 miles (frequently interrupted). Nala inquires of the Delegation and he denies knowledge of their passing. He asks about their composition so he might be prepared for their arrival. Talk of the weather and offers a selection of cloaks for the cold. Nala buys one (
Moony learns about baths: Haeleya Hanadroum owner of the bath house and dress shop, located on the North end of town. Elegant and slightly foreign looking woman is chatting with a couple of women who have obviously been to the bath. The dresses are very nice and fancy. William waves at the vase in the window and indicates the “friends” from Water Deep suggested that she might be helpful in his tasks. She speaks of weather, robbers, goblins, ghosts and earth moving. She is nothing if not a full of the gossip. She also recommends that we talk with Mistress Irkell at the inn. Quarry to the North has stopped working at night because of spooky things. Shift the conversation to Faith and dresses/accessories that she is looking at. William dissuades her from a fancy dress, but buys for her a scarf that is purple with gold and tassels. Moony tries to look into the baths to figure out what that is all about, but Haeleya intercepts him and explains the baths. He [a Tabaxi] is shocked and distressed. Haeleya suggests that there is a sunny bench out front if he prefers.
Trouble at Quarry Mellikho #18: She declines that there is anything wrong, but the worker for the quarry calls out about the “watchers.” Mellikho changes subject: But you are are interest in something They say that there is treasure in Trickle Rock cave. It is up Larch Path and on a trail at the forked tree. Friendly banter and disparaging of the other quarry on the South side of town.
Return to the Inn of the Swinging Sword #2: Nala seeks out Kaylessa Irkell. She blames all the troubles on fell magic coming from Lance Rock. “It is an evil place” She is willing to hire us to check it out. The group catches up and shares what they have learned and then head back to the constable. They learn the details of the bandits to the South and his opinions of the other happenings.
Wandering around town: Faith visits the temple and meets Imdarr Relvaunder, a priest of Tempest. He offers some advice to the young cleric on the honor of war and tells her about the Dwarf shrine of the Dancing Water in the hills. Moony meets Grund the half-orc pickle seller and discovers that he doesn’t like pickles or “strong water”. He also learns that there will be a market in 7 days. Moony and Nala discover Gaelkur’s, the barber/bar/pawn’s shop. William seeks out the caravan grounds. He chats with a lone dwarf merchant. He is heading to Waterdeep from Triboar. No trouble on the trip. William let’s him know about the bandits we met to the south. Nala returns to the tailor, a lady greets her. The cloak is almost done, she lets them know that she will be leaving early and would pick up the cloak early if convenient. Nala brings up the children’s adventure near Lance Rock. About 3 days ago they were hunting berries and goofing off when a Dwarf prospector appeared and shooed them away because there was plague.
Dinner at the Helm: The party gather for drinks and dinner. Theren walks over to a table of quarry workers and ask about the “Watchers”. They laugh and tell Theren he wants the Mellikho miners: They’re crazy. Later the other miners come in and Theren learns more about the “Watchers”. They showed up a couple of months ago when they were working the night shift. People in stone masks were watching them from the quarries edge. Best description is they are creepy. The group decides to wander to the quarry to see if the watchers show up. Mellikho is not happy and sends us on our way. William dances in the fields behind the inn under the moonlight. He and Moony sneak back in later that night.
The Next Day
Looking for Bandits Down the Cairn Road: Following the road out of town we find two sites that had been abandoned for a while. Approaching the third site, we smell meat cooking
Red Larch Contacts:
Harburk #11: Constable and Butcher. Has asked for our help.
Endrith Valivoe #22: Seller of oddities and Theren’s contact
Helvur Tarnlar #7: Runs a clothing store, reputedly the best for quality clothing for a hundred miles. His wife is Maegla Tarnlar, who appears to actually run the business. They have four rambunctious children: Vintul (m,10), Alia (f,9), Saeza (f,7), Thul (m,6).
Haeleya Hanadroum #15: Bath house and dress shop, located on the North end of town.
Albaeri Mellikho #18: Owner of Mellikho stoneworks. Middle-aged and potbellied. She is usually in the quarry itself, overseeing things, cajoling and cursing the sweating stonecutters here. When not in the pit, she becomes much more jovial.
Kaylessa Irkell – Inn of the Swinging Sword #2: Clean and well managed. The current home for the party. A recent fire destroyed the kitchen, so most meals are taken across the road at the Helm, (#3).
Imdarr Relvaunder #1: One of the visiting priests at the All-faiths Shrine in Red Larch. His holy symbol shows him to be a follower of Tempus, a god of War, Honorable Battle, and Unstinting Courage.
Grund #21: Half-Orc pickle vendor. Not too bright.
Marlandro Gaelkur #17: Barber, bar keep, fence and gathering spot. Shopkeeper and barber at Gaelkur’s in Red Larch. A slight man, quite the smiler, always willing to make a sale, or even buy something from you he thinks he can resell. A hint of an accent in his voice.
[Note: I think I gave my wife Inspiration for the length and detail of this player log.]
Game Notes
A lot of roles being played
So, to be open and honest, and as has already been mentioned to death: I am a story-teller. I love role-playing. I am big into the chit-chat between NPCs and PCs.
Not everyone is, and that’s including some in the group playing this campaign. So I did need to balance and temper how I handled RP and social interactions with spell-slinging and sword-ringing.
I will admit that I was not always balanced when it came to Red Larch.
Part of the problem was wanting to slowly set up the situations and information. I didn’t want clues to just pop up, or Quest Givers to be standing on the corner with question marks floating over their head. I wanted to more organically build the characters’ knowledge, have them figure out where to go (with appropriate nudges) and what was their priority.
That did make, though, for some slower sessions where nothing was set on fire or stabbed. Like this one. Mea culpa.
Still, by the time the session was over, they’d started learning about the whole Believers cult (though not by that name), had some clues as to the side quests outside of town (and were actually on their way to one), and were learning (from the get-go) about the weird weather. And I’d gotten to play a few dozen characters, which was fun (if a bit exhausting), at least for me.
There were some fun bits, too, and things that unexpectedly ended up lasting the entire campaign. Like the very nice winter cloak that Nala picked up, and was still carrying with her 2½ years (real-time) later.
Harburk
Red Larch is fun because the players will likely (and, here, did) revisit it multiple times over the PotA campaign, and each time it and its denizens will have evolved due to the player characters’ actions (or inactions). Harburk’s final fate many episodes later (in my game) had more tragic/heroic meaning once the players had gotten to know him, the jobs he did, and his relationship with his wife.
I always try to remember the writers truism that everyone is the hero of their own story. Thinking about who these people were, their part in their local society, and their motivations for acting as they did, not only made for better sessions early days, but built NPCs that could be revisited later on.
Deconstructing and Reconstructing Red Larch
As mentioned previously, the Red Larch stuff is rich, complex, and crap for organization in the book (or its VTT version).
I did some initial organization in a big spreadsheet (feel free to borrow, modify, and enjoy) of places in Red Larch, the people there, how they fit into the Level 1-3 adventures (“Trouble in Red Larch”) and, in a bit less detail, how they evolve for the Level 4 main adventure chain (“Rumors of Evil”).
But I realized pretty quickly that I was thinking too small. The Roll20 Journal is an incredible tool, basically a mini-wiki that you can add too, break apart, and cross-link to an extreme.
So … why have a bunch of individuals in a single, long document/handout. For that matter, why have a bunch of key locations in a single long document/handout, too?
Setting a trend for the entire campaign, I basically deconstructed and then reassembled in more usable bits all of Red Larch. I created individual Journal handouts for all the significant players, and for many of the significant buildings, grabbing imagery (for private use only) for both to make it all feel more real and more worthy of investment of attention and interest for the players.
It worked out, to my mind at least, swimmingly.
I paid money for this token?
I also created tokens for individual NPCs when they either did not exist or were just “names in a circle” tokens. I made use of both sets of generic tokens you can find out there on the Internet, or I took the images I’d found and used the the amazing TokenStamp tool to create them.
There are two ways to put together entries of this sort in Roll20:
Create a basic Journal Handout for the person, including a picture. Create a token from the picture. Stash the token, on the GM layer, somewhere on the map so you can find it. This is easy to setup, and quick to open, but can require a bit of searching for that token (which is non-functional) to deploy.
Create a basic Journal Character for the person, including a picture. Create and associate a token for the person. When you want them, drag them onto the map. This is a bit more difficult to set up, slower to pull up the hand-out, but easier to deploy a usable token.
I did a little of both of these, which was annoying later on.
What all this meant was that whenever the party encountered someone (or somewhere) for the first time, or even later, I had a handout I could share on the screen to set up or refresh the players’ memories, and, for characters, a token so that they could see at a glance who was where and chatting with whom in town.
All in all, I created many dozens of new Journal Handouts and tokens for the campaign as time went on, and reorganized the entire Journal to my use. It was a lot of work, but it helped me feel like I’d done my part, and it sure made my life easier.
CryptoCartography POI Markers
After a session or two, I also picked up a nice Roll20 marketplace item, POI Markers CC, that gave me some markers I could use to identify the various buildings around the Red Larch map (and, later, on the Dessarin Valley map). Not necessary, but a nice touch, and something I’ll use in the future. (No, I don’t get a kickback; I just like the product.)
Updating the Journal
I also made the effort to update those journal entries after each session to reflect the interaction the player characters had had with people and places, something that would come in handy for both players and the GM in the games to come.
This was a tactic I used, successfully, throughout the campaign. Trying to remember that weird engraving, or where you last saw Kaylessa, or where Lance Rock is? It’s all in the journal, not just for this visit to Red Larch, but for every visit to Red Larch.
As you approach town, you see Harburk running toward you.
Sorry, who’s he again?
(“Share With Players” the Harburk journal entry I have linked to this part of the campaign.
Oh, him. I ask how his wife is.
Ditto for every other town, location, group, individual, and noteworthy thing. It was a heck of a lot of extra work, but it made life a lot easier for me in-game, and for the players, too when they availed themselves of it. And by taking an hour or so after each session to do it and all the other note-taking, I did it while it was still fresh in my memory (which could be refreshed the following week).
My favorite part of the session
Grund
Playing Grund, the half-wit half-orc pickle briner living rough out at the market grounds, interacting with Moony the Tabaxi, was a hoot. Enough so that I brought Grund back a few times, later in the game.
A creature you touch becomes invisible until the spell ends [Concentration, up to 1 hour]. Anything the target is wearing or carrying is Invisible as long as it is on the target’s person. The spell ends for a target that attacks or casts a spell.
Well, that sounds ominous. Uber-rogues! Hidden assassins! Parties just waltzing through dungeons!
Hmmmm … but what does that really mean?
An Invisible creature is:
Impossible to see without the aid of magic or a special sense (see below for more detail).
Heavily Obscured (so that you are effectively “Blinded” while dealing with such a target).
Still detectable by any noise it makes or any tracks it leaves or any scent it gives off. A fairly common ruling, though not backed by RAW, is that this (under certain circumstances) represents a Disadvantage on Perception checks. Note that being detected doesn’t necessarily change the Disadvantage to attack such a target; in general, it mainly offers the opportunity to attack it.
“I have no visual or auditory or olfactory sign that there is anything near me. So I will not start swinging my sword.”
“I heard a footstep, I saw a splash in a puddle, I smelled a familiar perfume — I swing, but I know I am at a Disadvantage.”
On the other hand, “I saw footsteps running through the puddle!” while not making you an easy target, does make your presence known and, potentially, dealable with.
When you attack a target that you can’t see, you have Disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you’re guessing the target’s location or you’re targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn’t in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, but the DM typically just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed the target’s location correctly. When a creature can’t see you, you have Advantage on attack rolls against it.
What does that mean, basically?
Attack Rolls against an invisible creature have Disadvantage
Attack Rolls by an invisible creature have Advantage.
Which is pretty awesome, but is not game-dominating.
Delving deeper, the Invisibility spell:
Requires Concentration. That makes it pretty good for “I will make you invisible, go scout ahead.” Less so for “Here, let me make you invisible mid-battle, as long as I OH MY GOD THE FIREBALL!”
Unless you are an Invisible Stalker, where Invisibility an innate condition that doesn’t require Concentration.
Ends when an Invisible creature attacks or casts a spell.
For a Rogue, that attack that drops the spell is probably a Sneak Attack, since that gives them Advantage.
For a multi-turn spell-casting, starting the spell breaks the Invisibility.
So what might counter Invisibility (beyond footprints and being noisy)?
Blindsight: “A creature with blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight.” These are mostly underdark creatures.
Tremorsense: “A monster with tremorsense can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within a specific radius, provided that the monster and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance “
Truesight: A creature with truesight can, out to a specific range, see in normal and magical darkness, and see Invisible creatures and objects.
In general, the above are either (a) creatures living belowground or in the dark, or (b) beings of a higher order.
Dispel Magic will work against an Invisibility spell just fine … but you need to be able to target it, meaning (most likely) a Perception roll first, with the caveats above.
Create Water is also a good way to be able to perceive an invisible creature, either through raindrops or through puddles.
And, just as a general note, Area of Effect spells are an excellent tactical counter to Invisibility (think “Depth charges vs suspected enemy submarine”).
There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!
GM Recap
Session 1 (Day 2-9): The party journeyed north on the Long Road in a caravan led by Lela Linber, into the Desserin Valley. After fending off an attack by bandits, the party arrived in the quaint village of Red Larch, picking up accomodations at The Swinging Sword, a place to worship at the Allfaiths Shrine, and discovering some tasty ale at the Helm at Highsun.
Player Recap
Morning of the first day:
Faith and the Feather Bed: Faith has never slept in a feather bed. It brings her odd dreams. She decides that she needs to make sure the master of the house is still in his coffin..
Breakfast and shopping: Moony heads to the market for some last minute shopping.
Nala stays at the house and sharpens her sword and then thinks to check in with Captain Gervain, the captain of the watch. After some polite conversation, Nala brings up the missing delegation. Upon hearing that she is investigating on Gemvocs’ behalf he gives her more information on the delegation. Also refers her to Helvur Tarnlar, the tailor in Red Larch, and to the Waterbaron of Yartar, Nestra Ruthiol.
Theren returns the book he borrowed and converses with Valkh about the upcoming trip. Valkh did not make the arrangements and couldn’t add much info.
Faith joins William as he heads to the market to do some last minute shopping. While Faith is distracted at another booth, an elf from the Emerald Enclave turns out to know of WIlliam’s plans to find the delegation. The elf offers no direct help, but does mention a person in Red Larch who is friendly to the enclave.
Theren enters the magic shop, where an elf engages in high-minded conversation, ending with a request to help locate a dwarf scholar who may be delayed or lost; they have manuscripts for the local library.
The Delegation:
Teresiel, a Silvermoon elf
Rhundorth, a dwarf from Mirabar
Deseyna Majarra, a Waterdhavian noble
Contacts in Red Larch:
Harburk – Constable of Red Larch – Recommended by Gemvocs
Helvur Tarnlar
Haeleeya Hanadroum
Other Contacts:
Nestra Ruthiol – Waterbaron of Yartar
Bruldenthar
Darathra Shendrel, the Lord Protector of Triboar
The Caravan:
Departure: We are passengers with food and conveyance paid for already. Not fancy, but we have our choice of seats. Warm welcome
Day 5 – Amphail: Well known for their horses and the heroic deeds of their founder. Boring town but decent food and friendly people. Some conversation about the vagaries of the weather. Faith visits the shrine and chats with a priest staying at the shrine. He has heard talk of strange weather and the moving of the earth to the North.
Day 6 – Attack: The caravan stops to collect water. Ambush by bandits while stopping for water. We manage to kill several and the rest flee. At Lena”s preferred camping site once again has water in the well.
Day 7 – Weather: Travel begins with cloudy skies followed by a short rainstorm. After about 15 minutes the clouds clear and the lovely spring weather returns. The caravan will be camping south of Red Larch tonight. Lena gave a good introduction to the town and the surrounding lands.
Red Larch
The Swinging Sword: We are met at the door by Kaylessa Irkell, the matron. The group takes a large bunk-room for the night. The room is large and clean if not luxurious. The kitchen is not available, but the Helm is the best choice for food in town.
Faith and Moony stop by the Allfaiths Shrine. There are some people talking behind closed doors and later Lymmura comes out of another door and chats with Faith. They later join the group at the Helm.
Justrin the cellarer comes by and checks on the group. Tharan says the house ale is OK. He has a glass of the “Branch” which is much better.
Game Notes
Factions
So the previous session I’d done a bit of this and that to try and get the party all on the same track toward the Dessarin Valley and the overall campaign.
It occurred to me that I might do a bit more. So while everyone was out and about doing shopping with their newfound spending money, I had some of them encounter appropriate representatives of the various Factions, pursuing their interests in the Mirabar Delegation.
William was visited by an Emerald Enclave ranger, asking him that, as long as he was off looking for the Delegation members, Teresiel was particularly important to the EE folk because of the magic seeds she was transporting to Goldenfields.
Nala was approached by her former boss in the City Watch, asking her to keep an eye out for the Delegation as a whole, due to the urgency of the diplomatic mission they were on and the importance to Waterdeep (and the Lords’ Alliance)
Theren met a Harper — appropriate, given his fears over his own magic. She asked him to look into Bruldenthar and the books he was transporting down for the Great Library.
Everyone passed on to the individuals the names of folk in Red Larch and elsewhere who might help, and further warnings about how some creepy magic stuff was going on off in the Dessarin Valley.
Again, the idea was to give some individual motivation to the players (not just the group motivation from Gemvocs), as well as pass on some contacts, and bump up the sense of worry over the area. It also let me establish the bigger picture of the Factions of Faerun (even if that never really goes far in this campaign) as well as explore some of the player backgrounds.
Other hooks
Faith, I decided, would Have A Dream. I tend to lean heavily (maybe too heavily) into using dreams to convey clues, moods, concerns, or opportunities coming up specific to a player. In her case, as she thinks of all the odd things she’d seen that day (her first out of the orphanage, and already on a quest!), and the white carriages in the streets …
… and how they curled around the odd house up the hill in the Street of Groves like wisps of smoke, and the very odd man who answered the door there, with his ugly face and polite manners, and the man who appeared from the smoke, despite (or maybe because) of how hard you prayed, and the strange story he told of a lost delegation up north, and a rising evil, and an eye opening, and you’re seeing an eye in the darkness …
… except the darkness is all around you pull back from the eye of another old man, except his irises are triangular which is very odd,and his beard looks to be of smoke, like the smoke from that incense
… and the old man is at a table, writing a scroll that looks like the message you got, with a golden quill like a gorgeous feather, but the words are all wrong, but that’s okay, it’s a dream, right …
… and he is looking at you and smiling, “One I have touched to one I have touched, the chain is forged another link, another volume, to end the rising destruction, and you go on a journey” …
… and you’re flying through the window across river and dell, field and forest, approaching a high series of hills lit by flames and lightning, gusts of windswept rain, and there is a hall, castle, on a high hill … flying over the walls, around a tower, through a great stained glass window … and a group of knights gathered in a circle, heads bowed, over … an empty casket.
“Something is missing. Find it. Tyr would have it restored. I would have its story concluded aright.”
The old man is smiling at her again. “Knowledge is power,” he says and winks and it’s morning and you’ve never slept in a featherbed before.
That’s Deneir, the god Faith was shifting away from, starting to point her toward the “find the lost body of the young Samular knight which was being transported back to Summit Hall with the Delegation” subplot. The character, a cleric, very much took that direction to heart.
I ran out of creative gas with Moony, so I asked him about his dreams. When in doubt, players can provide colorful detail about this kind of thing, and it gives the GM more hooks to use later to provide satisfying story.
The Road to Red Larch
So it could have been an easy thing to simply FF to “you arrive at Red Larch,” but I was still getting a feel for the tools and the system and the campaign, and I wanted the players (esp. the ones still feeling their way into 5e) to have a chance to do the same before the Real Story started.
Thus the caravan, which would serve a couple of purposes:
For me to get a feel for how the players would operate.
For the players to get a feel for the combat system.
For me to pass on some further background about the Dessarin Valley, etc.
So Valkh the half-orc majordomo bid them a hearty farewell. “I’ll be here on your return. If you return. The Master was a bit vague on that. But I’ll be here.” And they headed off to their reserved seats on a caravan going up the Long Road.
The Dessarin Valley, as laid out, is kind of an interesting place. There’s thousands of years of history (a lot of it defined in this campaign), but for the most part it’s small villages, a couple of large towns/small cities on the northern end, and the Long Road running up its left side, carrying the land trade between Waterdeep and the areas further to the north.
I’ve seen write-ups of the campaign which basically make Red Larch the back end of nowhere, but a better analogy is a small town along the Interstate. There’s a lot of travel that goes through town, and that allows for rumors and news to be passed along.
I sort of made up from whole cloth (the game really doesn’t discuss Waterdeep, even though it’s implied as a big city nearby the action, and a place where the party can go if they need to buy stuff or get resurrections, etc.) the vast caravansary outside Waterdeep’s city walls, as well as the caravan, its captain (Lela Linber), her crew running the wagons, and a couple of other travelers trailing along for mutual safety. I wanted it to feel real, part of the campaign, with the opportunity to start engaging with the mystery around them.
I actually probably wrote up too much, but I was getting my creative juices back flowing. So they never learned the story of Gimble Gerrick, the gnomish elixir salesman returning home to Conyberry where his husband and their three kids (fostered from his sister) lived. Or what was going on with the two mysterious dwarves in their own wagon, who always ate by themselves and never socialized. It was a start to creating that layered verisimilitude that makes the players feel like everything around them is real, not just the rails taking them to the next destination.
Lela
Lena was fun — a take-charge woman that, as long as it didn’t interfere with driving the caravan and keeping it safe, was happy to chat with paying passengers along the way. A friendly face, to make it clear as well that not everything was automatically going to be a threat. And she was part of Gemvocs’ web as well:
She knows Gemvocs from a letter she received five years ago to the day, suggesting she take the coastal route from Mirabar to Waterdeep, and mentioning what she was eating for breakfast. Being no fool, she did so, even though it added two tendays to the journey. She later found out that hill giants in the Crags, south of Mirabar, were attacking caravans on the Long Road, and she’d avoided getting embroiled in a great battle around Xantharl’s Keep. When she received word on arriving back in Waterdeep five days ago that she’d be taking five passengers with her to Red Larch, she assumed accordingly, and bought some extra provisions.
The trip was to take 7 days. Is that how long it actually is meant to take? I recall, as researching, that the travel time between Red Larch and Waterdeep was estimated quite differenetly in different places. Seven seemed a good compromise.
The trip gave the party a chance to learn a bit about the geography — as the players watched the Dessarin Valley map, and the characters got stories from Lena about each of the places they passed through. After five days, they were passing through Amphail. The next day saw some low hills to the east that Lena said she didn’t like to camp near (laying the groundwork for Rundreth Manor, if they ever went down that side quest, which they didn’t).
And, of course, at some point in the woods they were attacked by bandits, while some of the wagon crews were off with a big barrel down by a known creek. That battle wasn’t meant for much, just to blood the party — let them see how combat worked, mechanically, as well as, for the team, tactically.
(Besides, it was the second meeting and there hadn’t been any battle. That seemed near-blasphemous for a D&D game.)
I did try to tie things into the story — Lena had told them that banditry was on the rise, in part because of disruptions to the economy due to Bad Things Afoot in the Dessarin, in part because more evil / cranky / crazy folk seemed to be showing up over the last few years. That info would, like the weather, be repeated often.
Experience
PotA gives the option of tracking Experience through normal XP rewards or through Milestone Levels. We’d used Milestones in the Tyranny of Dragons game, and they’re awesome — a tonne less work for the GM, and a removal of penalties for missing a game, not being part of the main action, etc., while also not incenting Search & Destroy missions through every dungeon level.
The game provides clear guidelines of when leveling should occur (or what level people should be for different areas).
That said, Milestone Leveling is a little problematic in as sandboxy a campaign as PotA. Sometimes (as happened for us), missions / dungeons just aren’t properly completed, but as the party moves on to the next zone, they really need that bump. The result can be awarding things too quickly in some cases, too slowly (or with too long an interval) in others. And, without that XP counter, there’s no way for the players to anticipate that next ding.
It’s also a major criticism of PotA that there are no guard rails to keep players from wandering into a much harder zone than they can handle. I am not in favor of killing characters if it can be reasonably avoided, and TPKs are something I’ve managed to avoid during my entire GMing (and playing) career.
I ended up instituting some guard rails later on. For the moment, though, it was bothering me.
So we had a battle with bandits.
Weather
So Lena the next day tells them about how wonky the weather has been in the Dessarin Valley. Which is something the book is clear enough over and over. I found a fun discussion about a Random Weather Table for the game that I adapted, and tried to very faithfully to roll first thing every morning.
GM rolls 1d8 + roundup(partylvl/2) – 4 (min 0, max 8). This was my way of having the weather escalate; when the party reached 7, the full table would be in play.
0 Pleasant / Normal
1 Pleasant / Looming: Tomorrow, if you roll a 2-6, there is chance you will treat it as a 7 (Extreme Weather) instead (that chance is 25% per Pleasant day in a row). There is a sense of vague disquiet during the day.
2 Pleasant / Shaky: but several minor tremors throughout the day. The tremors are not severe enough to damage creatures or structures.
Each round of combat, there is a 10% chance of a tremor. All creatures standing on the ground must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. Creatures with more or fewer than 2 legs have Advantage on the saving throw.
While traveling overland, PCs have a 10% chance of encountering a landslide in hills or badlands, or a 20% chance in the mountains. Spotting the landslide ahead of time requires a Passive Perception of 15 or success on a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. If successful, this provides Advantage on the following save, and no damage on success. Each character must make a DC 10 Dexterity Save, taking 6d6 bludgeoning damage on a failure or half as much on a success.
3 Pouring rain: Overland travel speeds are halved, and everything is lightly obscured. The DC of all tracking attempts increases by 10.
Characters near a river, lake, or swamp have a chance of encountering floodwaters equal to 20% per day of rain. Noticing an impending flood requires a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Noticing allows characters to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to flee to higher ground before the floodwaters hit (the DC is between 10 and 20, based on how close the group is to higher ground). Characters swept up by the flood must make a series of DC 15 Strength (Athletics) checks to keep afloat.
After 1 failure, the character takes a level of Exhaustion.
After 3 failures, which need not be consecutive, the character begins to drown.
After 3 successes, which need not be consecutive, the character swims out of the floodwater, unless they find some other way to escape the flood sooner (such as being helped out by an ally).
4 Sunny, hot, and dry (or humid, if it rained yesterday): Every 4 hours that a character travels overland, they must succeed at a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer a level of Exhaustion. Characters in heavy clothing or medium or heavy armor have Disadvantage on the saving throw. Characters resistant or immune to fire automatically succeed.
5 Cold and windy: Wisdom (Perception) checks based on hearing are at disadvantage. Overland flight speed is halved.
Characters without warm protective clothing or resistance or immunity to cold must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw every 4 hours they are exposed to the wind. Characters engaged in vigorous activity, such as overland travel, have Advantage on the saving throw On a failure, they take a level of Exhaustion.
Each round of combat, there is a 50% chance of strong winds, or 25% if the characters are in a protected environment such as a box canyon or dense forest. During a round of strong winds, ranged weapon attacks are at Disadvantage. Flying creatures must land at the end of their turn or fall.
6 Overcast and Thunderous: Rumbles of thunder and strikes of lightning: Magnetic disturbances cause compasses to malfunction.
If a creature takes lightning damage in combat, the DM randomly selects 1 creature within 15 feet (including the creature that took the initial damage). The selected creature takes a further 1d10 lightning damage, which doesn’t trigger this effect.
7 Extreme weather: It will occur during the day at time 1d4 (1=Morning, 2=Mid-Day, 3=Afternoon, 4=Night). Roll 1d4 for result.
1 Snowstorm or Hailstorm (summer): The storm lasts 2d4 hours. Predicting its onset requires a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check.
Snowstorm: Use the rules for Extreme Cold (DMG p.110). — end of each hour DC10 CON check or 1 lvl of Exhaustion. Each hour produces 6″ of snowfall; ground with 1 foot or more of snow is difficult terrain. Snow melts at a rate of 1 foot per day, or 4 feet per day when it is hot out.
Hailstorm: Characters out in the open are pelted by hailstones, and each round must succeed at a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or suffer 1d4 bludgeoning damage. When caught out in the open, characters can improvise a shelter with 1d4 rounds and a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check. Waiting out the storm in such a shelter still requires a DC 15 Constitution saving throw; on a failure, the character suffers a level of Exhaustion.
2 Tornado: PCs have an 80% chance of encountering a tornado in plains or badlands, a 20% chance in the mountains or on a lake or river, and a 50% chance elsewhere. Predicting the tornado’s arrival requires success on a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check and gives the characters 10 minutes to find shelter.
Spotting it requires a Passive Perception of 15 or success on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check and gives the PCs one minute to find shelter. Shelter can be located with a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception or Survival) check, with disadvantage if you only have 1 minute to get there; or the PCs may already be near obvious shelter, such as a stone building. PCs under shelter when the tornado strikes must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer a level of Exhaustion.
PCs out in the open take a level of Exhaustion and are pelted by debris for 2d6 bludgeoning damage. They must then make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw to evade the tornado. On a failure, they must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw to avoid being swept away. On a failure, the character takes 3d6 bludgeoning damage and is flung 3d6x10 feet up into the air (see Falling damage). On a success, the character takes half damage and is not flung.
3 Earthquake: The earthquake is severe enough to destroy buildings and cause avalanches.
Characters outdoors on relatively level terrain are safe from these effects. Otherwise, characters must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, characters in stone buildings or mountainous terrain take 10d6 bludgeoning damage, and characters in wooden buildings or hilly terrain take 6d6 bludgeoning damage. On a success, characters take half damage.
There is a 20% chance of a fissure opening beneath the characters (whether or not they were caught in an avalanche or building collapse). Anyone standing in the area of the fissure must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall 2d6x10 feet into it.
4 Wildfire: PCs have an 80% chance of encountering a wildfire in grassland or forest, a 20% chance in swampland or near a river or lake, and a 50% chance elsewhere. Use the rules for Extreme Heat (DMG p.110). Exposure without access to drinking water means rolling a CON save each hour or take 1 Level of Exhaustion — DC 5 the 1st hour, +1/hour after that. Medium or Heavy Armor, or in heavy clothing, means Disadvantage. Fire Resistance or Immunity, or adaptation to hot climes, means automatic save.
The wildfire moves 50 feet per round and is 2d4x100 feet wide. Spotting it more requires a Passive Perception of 15 or succeeding on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. Characters who spotted it ahead of time have 3d4 rounds to escape; otherwise the wildfire appears only 1d4x50 feet away. A character in the area of the wildfire must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw: (1) Taking 2d10 fire damage and a level of Exhaustion on a failure (2) Taking half damage and no exhaustion on a success. (3) Taking half damage and a level of Exhaustion if they have Fire Resistance. (4) Taking no damage but a level of Exhaustion if they have Fire Immunity.
8 Same as yesterday (for Extreme weather, re-roll 1d4)
Overall it worked pretty well, despite looking kind of complex. It always gave NPCs something (the weather) to talk about, and the increasingly radical results escalated the tension about what the Elemental cults were up to. The main goal was to emphasize that whole ‘Tain’t Natural aspect of the Dessarin Hills.
Red Larch
As the session was coming to a close, the wagons reached the caravansary (here basically a raider-burnt barn and a muddy parking lot) south of Red Larch. They got some final travelogue from Lena about where the roads go from there (laying the groundwork for later adventures, including warnings about the Sumber Hills, and a tourist recommendation to visit Lance Rock), and about the town itself.
Red Larch is an amazing resource in this game. Half the buildings and seemingly half the residents are fleshed out to some degree. You could base a homebrew campaign out of Red Larch, easy.
Unfortunately, neither the campaign nor Roll20 make it all that easy.
The Roll20 Conversion of PotA
In the book, the material on Red Larch is scattered, in keeping with the whole What Level Are You Starting At? Question.
There’s a huge chunk in Chapter 2 (on pp. 18-29), which talks about the place in general, important people, groups, summaries of the 1st Level Adventures, summaries of the 3rd Level Adventures. Then there’s a lengthy section about each of the marked locations (shops, inns, etc.) in town, with more stuff about people in it (and sub-notes for the 1st Level vs 3rd Level shenanigans).
There’s another short section in Chapter 6 (p. 148-149), about key places and people. The rest of Chapter 6 details the 1st Level adventures around and in Red Larch (plus also some side quests once at Level 3).
But there’s also a small bit in Chapter 3 (p. 41) that summarizes the Level 3 clues in Red Larch, before going on to all the stuff you do once you leave town.
In other words, the information management here is an unholy mess, hardcopy or electronic, hampered by WotC’s inexplicable tendency to completely ignore the radical idea of having an index to the book, but also by key bits of information for a given spot or person being given in multiple places (usually, though not always, consistently).
In adopting the campaign to Roll20, in some ways, WotC has made it worse, because it’s lumped things together into journal entries that are far too long. That “lengthy section” in Chapter 2 about each of the marked locations in town? All one journal entry, which makes it nearly impossible to cross-reference everything needful.
I ended up myself breaking out every building and every person in Red Larch into their own journal entry, so that if I needed to walk into the Swinging Sword, I could do that and not worry about the notes in four other journal entries that I would have to manually scroll to. It was a lot of work — but by the time I was done, I knew the town, and people, of Red Larch a lot better.
I put all the Red Larch locations, and Red Larch people, into their own subfolders. This also gave me the opportunity to pull up some artwork for the locations and, even more important, create tokens for everyone. It is, frankly, shoddy work for a named person in the book not to even have a token on the screen, or have it be a generic “commoner” token, or even just a token with a name written on it. I wouldn’t have it.
(Which also gave me an opportunity to diversify the looks and genders of the folk being encountered. Just saying.)
I would ultimately end up breaking out a lot of the other large-chunk journal entries into smaller pieces for easier look-up and management. I never did it with a dungeon, but ultimately needing to make the info spread out into Chapters 2, 3, and 6 coherent and usable for me required a lot of extra work (which all paid off).
I also ended up creating a lot of new tokens, a lot of broken-out journal entries for named characters or places that didn’t come in the package.
One other thing I ended up doing: the Roll20 implementation had a bunch of material for monsters or major characters that consisted of two journal entries:
A character sheet that had all the info for that race and some notes from the game (in the bio page), the character sheet, and the attached token.
A handout that had a picture of the thing, to show to the players.
That makes little sense for Roll20. So I usually just used the main character sheet entry, moved all the secure info into the “GM Only” section, pasted the handout picture into the bio image (if not already there), and could then just share the character sheet journal with the players when I pulled it up for myself — I only needed to pull up one document, and they could only see the bits I wanted them to.
(I also tried to update locations and character sheets / journal entries with information as the party learned things. My goal — which mostly worked — was to avoid, “Hey, I don’t remember what Bob told us back at Feathergale Keep before we killed him. GM, what was that again?” They can look up Bob themselves, and the info is there. (Hell, I can look up Bob if I forget.)
In short, I did a lot of extra labor in reassembling the Roll20 implementation of this game. But it was worth it, and I learned a lot about the campaign it would have been easy to miss.
I want to set down the macros I’ve end up using over the past few years of playing D&D 5e on the Roll20 VTT.
(Yes, I owe a bigger article about Roll20 and its plusses and minuses. One day.)
Roll20 has a moderately rich macro language, and an mod/API setup sitting behind that for further extensions to what macros can do.
I have written very few of these; most I inherited (and then tweaked and refined and customized) from the guy who was DMing the game before me, or else found out on the Roll20 forums, or sub-Reddits, etc. I apologize to the original authors for losing their names.
In Bar Macros
These are macros that I indicate should be in the macro bar at the bottom of the page.
The PC macros have player character names in them. The full names need to match the names on their Character Sheet in the Journal for the macro language to pick up the values in their character sheet.
PC-Health
This creates a quick list in the chat for the GM of current and max HP for each character. Sometimes that’s more useful than looking at health bars.
This gives to the GM in Chat the Passive Perception and then an Active Perception roll for each character in the party. I find it works faster (and is often more useful) to roll this for everyone at once than select a token and do it for an individual character, even if there’s just once character I’m interested in.
I use this same macro for Insight (insight_bonus), Investigation (investigation_bonus), and Stealth (stealth_bonus).
We had an intelligent weapon in our Princes of the Apocalypse campaign. Rather than fumbling with the Chat each time I wanted to say something from Windvane (the weapon) to Faith (the person carrying Windvane), I wrote this macro, which was a lot faster to use. For recurring NPC→PC chat partners, this can be easily tailored for use.
/w Faith &{template:default} {{name= A soft whisper in your mind ... }} {{ ?{What message from Windvane?} }}
Token Actions
These macros are IDed in the macro as being Token Actions, i.e., they are only valid (and show up for use) after you select a token you control (the GM controls all tokens, the players generally only control their own).
This rolls Initiative for a player character, putting it up both in the Chat and into the Initiative Tracker.
Inspiration
This giver/taker of Inspiration is based on the work of Keith Curtis (see here and here), and uses the Dealer API in Roll20.
You’ll need to create an infinite 1-card deck with whatever symbol you want to use (I use a golden D20), and when you give Inspiration to a token, it “deals” that symbol atop their player ID at the bottom of the Roll20 screen and makes a little announcement in chat; when you take Inspiration, it takes it away. This makes Inspiration very visible to the GM and to the Players.
(Note that it does allow for multiple Inspiration to be given to a character, which is not how the rules operate, but that can be handled manually.)
Inspiration-Give
!deal --give --Inspiration
&{template:npcaction} {{rname=Congratulations!}} {{description=**@{selected|character_name}** has just been granted **Inspiration!**
[x](https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.d20.io/images/210322160/r0ri9AKLAaLbYyle0nhPCw/max.png)}}
The image URL is what that card image translated to, so that it shows up in the chat entry.
Inspiration-Use
!deal --take --Inspiration
&{template:npcaction} {{rname=Inspiration!}} {{description=**@{selected|character_name}** has just spent their **Inspiration!** }}
Light
This uses the invaluable TokenMod API by The Aaron. It applies various lighting and vision conditions to a character. It could use some tweaking, but it’s useful in its current state.
This let me easily roll Initiative for NPCs without going into their character sheets. I also have a tool that lets me execute a macro against multiple selected tokens, so that’s handy, too.
(Technically, the rules say that all creatures of a given type roll a single Init, but that’s an artifact of pencil-and-paper gaming; we can do better on a VTT and let each goblin have their own go.)
NPC-Save
It’s easier to have all the saves rolled for the highlighted NPC, even if it takes marginally longer to proc, than to select a save type. Everything is rolled twice in case there’s (Dis)Advantage. If there is not, I just take the 1st roll.
Another one that uses TokenMod. This takes an NPC token as provided in the game and turns on/off all the settings I want for it that differ from the Roll20 (or scenario) bog-standard. (What each element is doing should be pretty obvious.)
This lets a player or the GM make an ability roll on the prompt-selected Ability without going into their character sheet.
And, yes, there are those weird HTML special characters that are necessary to make it work and which have a tendency on this (and the succeeding macros) to get messed up (e.g., by re-opening the macro editor) at which point the macro will stop working and you need to cut and paste the text in again.
For our party druid, Circle of Stars, when he would take on his Starry Form. Good example of a macro that does something without choices. This one turns things on and off by reinvoking them in TokenMod.
Zeroes out the status markers on a character. Uses TokenMod API.
!token-mod --set statusmarkers
Status-Set
Adding (or turning off) a status marker on a token, grouped by broad function. The markers used are from my custom status marker set, but you can modify it to use any status markers, including the defaults. Again, uses the TokenMod API. You can undo any of the statuses by reinvoking it.
Just a shortcut to quickly put the Surprised status marker on a token (uses the name from my custom token marker set, so you can change it to whatever you use). Uses the TokenMod API.
So in addition to being a Tactical Guy, I’m a role-player, so I will likely emphasize those aspects in any game I can.
D&D is not a RP-heavy system by design; it’s originally derived from miniatures warfare gaming (which doesn’t reward someone running into the middle of the battlefield with a white flag to negotiate a truce), and the Experience Points that folk are incented after are for, frankly, killing things. So, as a general rule, one does not hop into a D&D game expecting penetrating psycho-drama and lengthy inter-character dialogs.
Right. Got it.
There Will Be Role-Playing
I still encourage players to think about the personality aspects of their characters — 5e has rather clumsily loaded traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws into the character creation process, related to background. It’s a start, but I would hope players would come up with something a bit more organic, using those background-driven items as, well “inspiration.”
Role-playing is also important, in my games, when encountering people not in the party. The folk encountered, especially in town, are not pop-up clue dispensers. I can’t promise Shakespeare, but there will be character interactions, so I expect something more than “I walk up to the Bartender and roll on Deceive.”
All of which ties into the post topic: Inspiration [PHB 125]!
What is Inspiration?
Inspiration!
From a meta standpoint, Inspiration is an optional rule, based on whether the DM wants to use it. I’m not sure why they would not, but if your tables doesn’t use it … it’s worth asking why not.
Mechanically, here’s what the book say (emphasis mine):
Inspiration is a rule the game master can use to reward you for playing your character in a way that’s true to his or her personality traits, ideal, bond, and flaw.
By using inspiration, you can draw on your personality trait of compassion for the downtrodden to give you an edge in negotiating with the Beggar Prince. Or inspiration can let you call on your bond to the defense of your home village to push past the effect of a spell that has been laid on you.
Those examples given are a little misleading. You get Inspiration by (as a limited example) drawing on those personality traits in some fashion … and can then use Inspiration to do something batter. RP-wise, you can draw on that connection (“As I talk to the Beggar Prince, I remember that morning giving my last gold piece to that hungry child [for which I got Inspiration], and I hold onto that insight as to what hunger really means as I negotiate for my friends’ release”), but it’s not completely necessary.
Gaining Inspiration
Your GM can choose to give you inspiration for a variety of reasons. Typically, GMs award it when you play out your personality traits, give in to the drawbacks presented by a flaw or bond, and otherwise portray your character in a compelling way. Your GM will tell you how you can earn inspiration in the game.
As noted, good role-play will (or should — see below) almost always net Inspiration at my table. Sometimes it might not happen until after the session when I’m doing the game logs, but …
As noted below, I also give Inspiration for particularly fun, imaginative, or memorable action by a character. If it’s the sort of thing you’d tell stories about afterwards in a tavern, or that might even be mentioned in the Saga of You that some bard will write someday — it’s worth Inspiration.
Since the DM controls the reward of Inspiration, you can keep it from becoming too mechanical or from players “gaming” the system for it. Inspiration should feel like a real reward for doing something for doing something that makes the game more interesting, entertaining, or enjoyable for everyone at the table
Using Inspiration
If you have inspiration, you can expend it when you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. Spending your inspiration gives you Advantage on that roll.
Basically, any time you roll a D20, you can burn your Inspiration to gain Advantage. It’s not always a game-changer, but it’s a nifty little boost.
Some tables include house rules letting you burn Inspiration to give someone else Advantage, or even to given an enemy Disadvantage. Thematically that’s a bit more dubious; it’s also potentially imbalancing.
Something tangential to the that, though, is this:
Additionally, if you have inspiration, you can reward another player for good roleplaying, clever thinking, or simply doing something exciting in the game. When another player character does something that really contributes to the story in a fun and interesting way, you can give up your inspiration to give that character inspiration.
Don’t let this erode down to players just giving their own Inspiration at the very last second to someone else who badly needs to make a roll. It should most likely happen out of combat, and the giver should provide some justification. (Note, though, that some tables effectively pool their Inspiration together; to me, that robs it of some of its color.)
Use It Or Lose It
Inspiration is a binary — you either have it or you don’t. You can’t earn multiple “points” of Inspiration.
That means that if you do something Inspiration-worthy, and you still have your Inspiration, you don’t get anything.
The biggest problem I see with players (myself included, when in that role) is holding onto their Inspiration “just in case.” Better to use it at the first point where it would be useful, and work at earning more.
The DMG [p. 240] suggests each character should get around one Inspiration a session. That seems a bit high to me (and I’m not wild about an Inspiration quota), but if you have players that are doing solid RP and coming up with interesting ideas, it’s certainly not an impossible rate for them.
Some GMs put some bounds as to how long Inspiration can hang around out there — resetting it at the time of a Rest of some sort, for example. I understand that thematically, and it certainly encourages people to use their Inspiration while they have it, but I tend to be more lenient than that.
Helping the DM
There are a couple of ways (at my table) that helping the DM can generate Inspiration.
A player who makes substantive contributions to the game outside of it (keeping game logs, posting lots of funnies in the campaign forum, etc.) might sometimes get Inspiration for their character. I don’t do this every time because I don’t want it to be quite so quid pro quo, but occasional Inspiration is a nice tip-o-the-hat to a helpful player.
I know as a GM that I often have a dozen balls in the air, and keeping an eye out for someone making the game “more exciting, amusing, or memorable” sometimes fails because I’m too busy trying to decide what spell the evil wizard is about to cast.
Because of that, I encourage players to let me know if someone deserves Inspiration. I rarely say no (largely because I’m rarely asked for an unworthy cause).
Closing Thoughts
The DMG [p. 240] has further suggestions of when and why to award Inspiration, and some variants on the rule. It’s worth a read.
Inspiring!
I find that players often forget they have Inspiration available when playing in a VTT like Roll20. A simple way around that is to create or designate a Token Marker for Inspiration. I use the Dealer API/Script by Keith Curtis (see here and here) with some simple macros to put (or take) a shiny gold D20 on the player IDs on the Roll20 desktop, complete with an inspiring message. Fun!
I’ve found Insight rules terribly underutilized in the D&D games I’ve been in. Wisdom (Insight) [PHB 178] is essentially Perception for personalities.
Your Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms.
Examples of using Insight
Bob the Tailor is a town elder, who’s fluttering around trying to keep the party from the abandoned mine outside the town. It would be useful to know where his fear is oriented — toward the party, toward the town, or toward himself. Is he lying when he talks about the mysterious music people have heard in the area? If we we say we’re going to the mine anyway, does his fear spike — or is it anger? Is his smile when he sees the constable approaching the confidence of seeing an approaching ally, or a deceptive cover for terror at being discovered? Insight can help with all that.
In other cases, you might use Insight to figure out if the guy you’re gambling with is confident in his hand? How does he feel about that last card he drew? Is your date having a good time? Sure, she says she likes that roast beast you ordered for her … but how is she really feeling?
If someone’s trying to actively resist others using their Insight against them, they usually roll Charisma (Deception). (This is a case where one could easily use other base states for the Deception role, however — an academic using Intelligence (Deception) in hiding their bias in a paper, for example, or someone using Strength (Deception) to hide how incredibly freaking heavy that chest of gold is.)
But rather than active rolls, this is also a case where passive skills come into play — the GM can consider passive Insight (or another’s passive Deception) to give give unsolicited clues about “He’s behaving a little twitchy,” or “He seems genuinely worried about you,” or even “You notice she seems attracted to the barkeep.”
Limitations of Insight
It does have limitations. It can indicate that someone is lying — but not necessarily what they are lying about, or why they are lying, or what the truth is. People lie, after all, for a lot of reasons. Insight might tell you that the city guard you’re talking with still seems highly suspicious of you after your story … but it won’t tell you that he’s going to let his friends know to keep an eye out on you, or that he’s going to try to ambush you later on.
Insight gives you, well, insight into underlying feeling, reactions, etc., but not necessarily why they are reacting that way. Is the guard at the door speaking a bit flatly when he tells you about how great a guy the grand vizier is? Yeah, you can pick that up with Insight, but it’s going to be more difficult (i.e., take more time and questions and other actions) to tell if the change because of some sort of loyalty spell, or from fear that the vizier’s secret police are monitoring him, or even just boredom with people pumping him for information about the vizier.
The nature of Insight — picking up on tells, physical and verbal expressions, etc. — requires you have a way of perceiving and interpreting such things. Dealing with the human barkeep at the tavern is one thing. Trying to read the body language of a gelatinous cube is another.
Even in less extreme situations, Insight might be hampered by unfamiliarity with the target’s customs and culture: shouting and waving around your spear might be an expression of hostility by this never-before-met humanoid, or it might be a ritualized greeting, or a mating display. Insight might still work, but less reliably.
Remote use of Insight
Finally, Insight can be used without the target standing in front of you — picking out a great gift for your girlfriend (or for the prince) based on what they’ve enjoyed in the past, or figuring out how the savage Orcish war leader you keep encountering is likely to attack the city or respond to various counters. I’d probably use a normal Difficulty DC as the opposition, and familiarity (or lack thereof) with the target would be a key in determining how difficult the estimate was.
Overusing Insight
Because it deals with interpersonal relationships, Insight can be easily abused or overused. Overuse of Insight is a bit like overuse of Perception (“I evaluate every person in the bar” is like “I search every room thoroughly”); it’s doable, but should carry some costs (time being a major one, but also something like the likelihood someone is going to catch you staring at them — or their love interest — and take offense).
Overuse also takes away a bit from Role Playing. The DM should be able to use passives to feed needed clues to the players about how people are behaving without their insisting on active Insight rolls, just as they feed visual prompts in the normal course of things rather than players requiring active Perception roles as they walk through town.
Who rolls Insight?
Note: Insight is one of those skills (like Perception, etc.) where sometimes it makes more sense for for the DM to roll it for a character, to determine if you can figure out something, can’t figure out something, or are deceived in your insight about something.
So something happened in the game the night before I wrote this up that, at the time, I kind of blew through, but I wanted to give it some thought. This is, of course, just the sort of thing I have sometimes taken justified criticism for overthinking. But it’s a situation we’ve run into more than once, and I’d like to have figure out a rubric for myself to adjudicate against.
And, as a caveat, it’s always worth noting up front that time and combat in D&D are abstractions designed to turn the chaos of real-life combat into something manageable. While a level of verisimilitude is the goal, the manageability always trumps that. Just as D&D is not a physics simulator, it’s not a great combat simulator (falling somewhere between an FPS and Chess).
When the slow guy is supposed to lead off the attack
So, here was the sitch: as the party crept up stairs into the upper floor where the local BBEG had their throne room, the plan was that Theren the Sorcerer was going to begin combat by lobbing his Vitriolic Sphere into the center of the bad guys.
How should the combat have been sequenced? Even handwaving aside the question of whether anyone knew that Theren was going first (there was probably an excess of allowable coordination between the two subgroups, since you were going up two different sets of stairs and not using any sort of communication magic) …
Did Theren’s action take place outside of the Initiative order? Did his executing the attack start the combat so that’s when everyone rolls Init?
(Short answer: no.)
Did Theren’s Init get changed to the top of the Initiative order? Since he’s the one initiating the combat?
(Short answer: still no.)
Did everyone with Init rolls before Theren sort of get skipped over? (That’s what I did, but it effectively means that those higher Init rolls become low Init rolls, which is “unfair”.)
(Short answer: it should have been “voluntary”)
Did everyone before Theren in the Initiative order (ally and enemy) actually get go in some fashion before Theren did?
(Short answer: it should have been that way, yes.)(TL;DR: The ultimate
And did it matter if the bad guys were surprised or not?
(Short answer: Yes and No. But in this case they were not — the Baroness had perceived you coming up the stairs and called for you to come in and play.)
In short: Initiative is rolled when combat begins. You can not make an attack outside of Initiative.
So, no, Theren doesn’t get to bypass the Initiative roll, or have his Init moved to the top of the order, or whatever. (Some folk have house rules for this, but they create their own problems.)
So let’s simplify the situation a bit and say that the top initiative order, when rolled, was (leaving out other players and bad guy mooks):
20 – William
15 – Baroness BBEG (the enemy)
10 – Theren
The first question is: is there Surprise? This is determined before Initiative is rolled, technically, though I don’t think it makes a difference.
If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren’t.
So if Baroness BBEG were surprised by this attack out of nowhere in her throne room (ignoring the previous sounds of the battles below), it counters her Initiative to a large degree. The beginning of the combat can be handled this way:
William says he is choosing to Ready an attack if anyone runs up to the top of the stairwell before his next turn. He’s doing this to let Theren get that shot off as agreed, rather than running into the middle of the room and spoil the AoE plans. It’s essentially giving up his turn, but there you go.
Baroness BBEG is Surprised — she’ll effectively see Theren coming, but will be unable to act on her turn. After her turn occurs, she would be able to take a Reaction (if she had Counterspell, she could then use it against Theren’s impending attack), and she will be able to act normally at the beginning of her next turn.
Theren pops up and acid bombs everyone’s ass.
So Surprise mechanics make things simple(r), because they provide for higher-Init enemies to be locked in place (but ready to go next time).
But in the case of the game that triggered this discussion, there was no Surprise (the party simply wasn’t stealthy climbing those stairs). Which means that there is a disconnect between Intent (lob an Vitriolic Sphere before they can act) and Execution (oh, they acted before I could lob my Vitriolic Sphere, because they had better rolls on Initiative). Or, as one site I saw put it:
“If your player wants to stab the bandit in the face before he has time to act, that’s what a high Initiative roll is for, not a surprise round.”
Without Surprise, it’s Theren starting to move for his guns first, but the other folk outdrawing him.
“But Dave,” you may say, “she couldn’t see Theren before he came up the stairs.” That’s true, but because she isn’t Surprised (i.e., she was aware of a threat, and so ready to act/react), she still is able to act first as she chooses, because her Initiative is higher.
This gets into the whole idea that 6-second Rounds are themselves an abstraction — if there are six people in the room it’s not that Person 1 literally goes in the first second, Person 2 in the second second, etc. It means that within that six second timeframe, Person 1 acts before Person 2, who acts before Person 3, etc. That doesn’t completely match reality, because not everyone is declaring their actions before they happen as in some games (so that higher Initiative folk know what is coming), but it is essentially how 5e abstracts “People running around and into each other with intent to do mayhem.”
So here’s what should happen (should have happened in this simplification of last night):
William does whatever he’s doing — Dodging, Readying an action, casting Spike Growth in the middle of the room to make sure that nobody runs away before Theren can act, whatever. He’s choosing to back Theren’s play, but still moves faster/before Theren does, because he has higher Initiative.
Baroness BBEG “Readies an action.” Because I’m the GM, you don’t get to know what it is (“Chuck my spear at the first person atop the stairs over there”). Neener-neener. But she does this before Theren because she isn’t surprised and has higher Initiative.
Theren reaches the top of the stairs and turns to cast his spell …
… and Baroness BBEG executes her Readied action (throwing her spear at the first person atop the stairs, Theren, which hits) …
… and, if still alive, Theren throws his Vitriolic Sphere.
(Note: one of the players reminded me afterwards that Theren was Invisible. This gets into Perception checks, Active vs Passive, etc., to deal with his footsteps and verbal components, etc. In which case she might have been Surprised or she might have been aware something screwing was going on and still chucked her spear with Disadvantage against an Invisible foe before Theren could cast his spell (which would then drop his Invis).
Note that Theren could have said, “Well, heck, they aren’t Surprised so someone might plan to attack me” and change his plans from what had been intended. Or maybe, despite his intent and the team’s plans, William might have taken an action to attack or distract the Baroness, which might have led to another change of plans by Theren. While Initiative lets people act first, the structure of the game from that point means that people are aware of the actions taken previously by people with better Init, and can revise their plans accordingly.
(In the Action Economy, there’s a significant advantage in going first … but after that, Initiative is, like Time: just a way to keep everything from happening at once.)
The bottom line is, you can’t easily plan your way into something that is the equivalent of Surprise (“I go before anyone else does”) if there is no Surprise present and you roll a low Initiative. That’s what Initiative is kind of for — if you roll poorly, you go later in the round. If the other players who would have gone first want to effectively skip their turn (do a Dodge or a Ready or maybe even a Help), that’s their prerogative for the tactical situation. The enemy is under no such obligation, and if any of them have higher Init than the “this is how I am starting this combat,” they get to do their thing first (which may be standing there in Surprise, or may be shooting you under the table).
Even if Greedo intended to fire first.
Here are some articles that touch on this — which, given the volume, shows this is something a lot of GMs fret about, though most of the scenarios here involve Surprise, which, as noted, simplifies the question a lot.
So there’s one more area where this kind of thing has come frequently into play, the “We arrange ourselves at the door and charge in” scenario, when the Doughty Fighters at front roll crap Init (because they used Dex as a dump stat) and everyone queued up behind them roll sbetter than them and basically have to:
Move through the Doughty Fighters (as Difficult Terrain, and potentially exposing themselves to attack, which is kind of why you wanted the Doughty Fighters to run in first).
Ready an Action to move in when the Doughty Fighters have and the space is clear (but not then being able to attack or anything, because Ready only lets you take a single action or move).
Fire ranged attacks past the Doughty Fighters.
Waste their turn.
The bottom line there is: yup, those are kind of your choices when everyone in front of you is slower. Hopefully the bad guys inside the room are Surprised!
Well, first, begone “One D&D”! Welcome “D&D 2024”! The concept is, I think, kind of the same, but now they are adding a year on there so that it will sound out of date at some point.
The new core books will be … a thousand pages long? Crikey.
The reason for that length? All the old stuff (“D&D 2014”) will still be in there, alongside the new stuff (“D&D 2024”). You don’t have to choose! You can mix and match and blend and use it all, because it will all be backwards compatible, in all directions! Fun for all, especially the GM (who has to keep all these things in mind) and various software systems that have to keep track of double the rules and selected options.
Also, free puppies in every box!
WotC is trying to have it both ways: a new system to be excited about (and to buy books for), but not obsoleting the old stuff (though you’ll really want the new stuff because some players will want the new stuff). So all that money you invested in D&D 2014 stuff is still a good investment, except that you’ll want to buy the 1000-page core books for the new version because that’s what all the cool kids will be doing.
I’m fine with their sticking with the basic 5e mechanics, which are sound. But the forward-backward compatibility stuff is dodgy. I still would rather they just call it 6e or 5.5e and be honest about it.
I tend to be rule-abiding. But sometimes the rules just aren’t fun. So … sometimes the rules need to change.
So here are the house rules we play with at my table.
I tend to follow the Rules as Written (RAW), sometimes the Rules as Intended (RAI), as makes sense. I’m not big into whole-hog replacing play-tested sub-systems, if only because I’ve seen how easily that can send things heterodyning all over the place.
That said, not all rules are created equal, and things that make for grinding busy-work and management by the player or GM can usually be elided or adjusted when playing with mature individuals who are there for fun.
My House Rules
I use Inspiration. I also encourage players to nominate each other’s characters (or call out their own character to me) to receive Inspiration. It’s a fun mechanic to reward special moments of RP or action.
Bookkeeping that is no fun is no fun.
I tend to be loosey-goosey about Material spell components, except for expensive ones. (Verbal and Somatic I do pay attention to.)
I tend to be loosey-goosey about encumbrance, unless things look ridiculous.
Keep track of your arrows. I mean, it’s not that big a deal. When guidance is needed, I use the “you can recover half your missiles from any combat.”
Dead bodies constitute Difficult Terrain.
We play on a square grid. We use the basic “1 square vertical, horizontal, or diagonal = 5 feet” variant in the PHB 192, rather than the someone more accurate “the first diagonal square is 5 feet, the second is 10, the next is 5, etc.” variant in DMG 252, because it’s just simpler.
Leveling takes place during a Long Rest. Unless for meta purposes it makes sense to do it some other time. But, in general, “I just realized, I know more spells” seems more suitable to happen overnight than while walking down a path.
I prefer Milestone Leveling to getting finicky about XP, dealing with absences from encounters or the table, etc., in ways that leave players unbalanced. Defining adventure goals as the basis for leveling just makes more narrative sense to me, and makes it easier for me and the players.
You take a Short Rest as you Long Rest. So you can be back up some HP if attacked before the end of your Long Rest.
I tend to Roll Actives vs use Passives, since VTTs make it trivial to do so.
You can use a successful Dexterity (Acrobatics) roll to keep you from going prone when you land from a fall, vs a DC equal to the damage you took (stick the landing!).
Flashing Before Your Eyes: Any time you are dying during your turn (other profound incapacitations might apply), the DM (if he remembers or is reminded) will ask you a question about your character or their history. If you answer the question, you get Inspiration.
If an obstacle to your ranged weapon is closer to you than to what you are shooting, you can ignore the obstacle (no cover); otherwise, use the cover rules (usually half-cover, AC+2). I.e., a close obstacle can be easily shot around.
Ranged attacks with altitude difference: (Discussion)
thrown/twanged weapon at a higher altitude target: the effective range is the sum of the horizontal and vertical distance
thrown/twanged weapon at a lower altitude target: the effective range is the greater of the horizontal or vertical
spell: the range is the sum of horizontal and 1/2 the vertical.
People may be assumed to be sleeping in their armor, unless humor or the DM who has a specific reason for it otherwise make a note that it is not so. Changing out of or into armor is time-consuming and Not Fun. If there are no 5e rules penalizing swimming in armor, we can assume that in this world armor is lightweight and comfortable to wear and sleep in.
In a similar fashion, it’s assumed peoples’ weapons are always with them, unless it is noted otherwise by players or DMs. That would be socially (and logistically) awkward most of the time, but the alternative is a lot of Not Fun moments.
Concluding Notes
Finally, I always try (though sometimes fail) to remember two things about Rules and D&D:
D&D 5e is not a physics simulator. It’s not even a great combat simulator. Appeals to reality are less important than verisimilitude (feeling like reality), and both of those are less important than keeping the game rolling along smoothly.
The Rule of Cool should always have a place at the table. If someone proposes doing something one-off that is going to be one of those cool moments in a movie that people will talk about for ages … don’t worry about RAW, but remember why you’re all gathered around the table to begin with.
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains Advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn.
Sometimes two or more characters team up to attempt a task. The character who’s leading the effort–or the one with the highest ability modifier–can make an ability check with advantage, reflecting the help provided by the other characters. In combat, this requires the Help action.
A character can only provide help if the task is one that he or she could attempt alone. For example, trying to open a lock requires proficiency with thieves’ tools, so a character who lacks that proficiency can’t help another character in that task.
Moreover, a character can help only when two or more individuals working together would actually be productive. Some tasks, such as threading a needle, are no easier with help.
So it’s not enough to Help by holding the thief’s tool kit while they are picking the lock, or shouting encouragement to the guy trying to climb a cliff wall. You have to be able to do the thing you are assisting, and describe how you are helping.
What is the difference between Help and Working Together? The former is an action type during combat. As GM, I might be a little lenient on combat-setting “how are you helping?” actions, e.g., “I stand there, looking menacing at the attacking goblins, while screening the Rogue from view as she tries to pick the lock so we can get out of here” (you’re not directly assisting with the lockpicking, but you are sacrificing your action to let the Rogue focus on their without worrying about being stabbed = Advantage!).
Helping with Combat Rolls
More frequently, Help is applied directly to combat situations, as well.
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s Attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with Advantage.
This might be a way, for example …
If you know the opponent has resistance or immunity to your flaming sword, maybe you can be more effective Helping the other fighter with a cold-based weapon.
If you know the opponent will be hit harder and more effectively by an ally (because of the nature of their weapon, or just because they have a huge damage bonus on strength), you might consider whether its worth effectively giving up your attack(s) for them to get an attack at Advantage.
While a Rogue will be automatically able to Sneak Attack if you’re within 5 feet of a target, giving them Advantage to deal out that ton of damage they’re about to roll may be tactically the best course.
Note that this not a matter of Reach, but a 5 foot limit. So if someone with a Glaive wants to provide Help, they need to step in to 5, not hang out at 10 feet.
Also note that Help is just for the first attack. That makes it somewhat more useful at lower levels, when you are only sacrificing one attack to make that happen, and the bonus is going to the only attack the attacker has yet.
Also note that you are Helping a specific attacker. “I am going to help the Rogue with their attack on the goblin I’m next to.” If the Paladin goes after the goblin first, they so not get the Advantage bonus. And if the Rogue decides on a different target, the Help has been wasted.
Help is also usable to assist with spell attacks, granting advantage on any sort of spell attack roll against that target.
Finally, Help is an action frequently assigned to familiars and animal companions and the like — these often cannot attack, but can be commanded (or urged) to “Help the Fighter!” (“Bark bark!”)
As a GM, I like to encourage players to give me some idea of what they are doing to “help” in this way. “I wave my hands and attract the orc’s attention.” “I try to keep her sword busy clinched with mine.” “I shout, ‘Ashtuk, is that you?'” No mechanical effect is applied except the Advantage it provides, but it’s nice color regardless.
Questions about this pop up sooner or later in every campaign, as it’s an area that 5e either does fine or poorly, depending on which online forum you go to or specific question you examine.
So what happens when instead of bashing each other with hunks of steel or eldritch energies, you get up-close and personal
You can attack to Grapple
This is discussed on PHB 195. Essentially you use one of your Attacks to make a skill contest:
Attacker: roll Strength (Athletics)
Defender: roll Strength (Athletics) or Dex (Acrobatics)
In other words, Grapplers need to be a lot better at that skill, or be pretty darned strong.
If you win, the target is Grappled (technically, has the Grappled condition, PHB 290).
Which, honestly, doesn’t do much. It basically reduces Speed to 0, even if it has other features that increase its speed beyond base.
But a grappled target can still punch grappler, stab them, etc. They are more restrained by being within 5′ of their grappler (which gives them Disadvantage on spell attacks or ranged attacks), but melee attacks are just fine.
Grappling does keep the grappled target from running away until help arrives or until the target breaks the Grapple. They can try that by taking their Action to roll Strength (Athletics) or Dex (Acrobatics) vs the grappler’s Strength (Athletics) again.
The grappler can also slowly (half speed) drag a grappled target with them — or continue attacking them at close range (with no particular advantage, and with the same disadvantages).
Note:
When you have Grappled someone, you are not yourself considered Grappled.
When you have Grappled someone, you are using up one hand (the other hand is considered free for attacks, etc.)
Aside from breaking free of the Grapple through a contest, it can also be broken by:
The grappler being Incapacitated.
An effect knocking the grappled target out of the reach of the grappler or the Grappling effect, e.g., being knocked away by a Thunderwave.
What if more than one person at a time is Grappling you?
While executing a Grapple takes one Attack (of however many you have within your Attack action), escaping a Grapple takes an entire Action. If more than one person has you Grappled, you can only escape one Grapple per turn … which means tag-teaming Grapplers can seriously cause you a problem.
Monster and Spell Grapples and Restraints
This is where things get a little tricky. Or more straightforward. You decide. The Grappled and Restrained conditions are quite separate, but come up a lot in spell and monster attacks: e.g., a Giant Octopus grapples you with tentacles; a Web spell causes the Restrained condition (PHB 292).
Just like with a Grapple, a Restrained creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.
Attack rolls against the Restrained target have Advantage, and the their attack rolls have Disadvantage.
The Restrained target also has Disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
(Note that the Grappler feat lets the grappler get Advantage on the Grappled target — but, more interestingly, it lets a grappler roll a second Grapple attack, which, if it succeeds, means both the grappler and the grappled target are both Restrained. Which actually seems kinda sucky.)
So, Dave, how do I do something useful with this?
Grappling by itself is kind of limited in what it can do. But with a little work, it can make an effective attack. So how do you grab an opponent and actually subdue him.
The vast consensus I’ve read on this is Grapple them (so they can’t get away) and then do a Shove attack (PHB 195, same Ability checks as the Grapple) to knock them Prone …
… at which point they get the Prone condition’s effects (PHB 292), and as Prone:
they can only crawl (but not if they’re Grappled and at speed 0!)
or they can get up (but not if they’re Grappled and at speed 0!)
they are at a Disadvantage to attack (Prone!)
attacks on them have Advantage (Prone!)
… and they probably have to use their whole Action to try to desperately break the Grapple.
Are you, the attacker, also Prone at that point? A good question. Consensus seems to be “No, but describe what you are doing to your DM.” I’d think of it as the arm twist behind the guy on the ground; you’re enough on your feet that you are not considered Prone, and can defend attacks normally (albeit with one hand), etc.
Given that, as long as you maintain this, you can continue attacking the Grappled+Prone guy and other folk can attack them, too, with Advantage, and that should distract them from attacking you back (as they desperately try to break the Grapple).
There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!
Our group’s previous game was winding up — the whole big Tyranny of Dragons two-fer, GMed by a friend of ours — and I was hankering to do some DMing myself.
This is that story.
So who am I?
I’ve been playing FRPGs (as Fantasy TTRPGs used to be called, back before being Table-Top was a minority position) for over four decades — but rarely actual D&D.
In college my gaming group did a lot of homebrew FRPGs. Mine was loosely based on mechanics from Runequest. While other students were spending their Saturday nights getting blitzed, I was reworking my spell books and setting up errata for the following Friday’s game. Or hand-drawing elaborate invitations for same. I had no life, but it was good. (It was especially good because it was in a friend’s game that I met my future wife, so huzzah for gaming!)
Post-college, I got heavily into GURPS (oh, the crunchiness!), a variety of Super-Hero RPG rules, and Amber Diceless Roleplaying (oh, the non-crunchiness!).
In the early 00s through 10s, the gaming group I was in got pulled into the D&D 3.5 orbit, and we did a lot of different games and settings. I myself DMed a number of campaigns, including some fun spy-based stuff (run both under FATE and using the D20 Spycraft rules). We also did a lot of indie RPGs — Sorcerer, Nobilis, and the like.
The 20s brought the Virtual Tabletop — an answer to “How do we, as adults with kids, drive to a game after work, play a game, drink beer during the game, then drive home safely after the game?” We were eventually doing Roll20 stuff well before COVID, and loving it. Sure, it meant much less of an excuse to binge on Nacho Cheese Doritos, but it meant a lot more opportunity to game, and with people outside the geographical area. We did a lot of gaming in that context, but some of my favorite used Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) rulesets, esp. Masks.
And then a friend of ours offered to DM a game for his wife, and me, and my wife (the same one as see first bullet above) — the whole Tyranny of Dragons D&D 5e campaign. And this led to much buying of 5e books. And we would do it over Roll20 (even though we lived just 5 minutes away from each other) because (a) parenting and then (b) COVID. And it all worked beautifully.
Which, again, once it came to a close, was my cue to step up and be the DM for the first time in a decade-plus. No small trepidations there, but, rather than rolling my own scenarios, I’d be using modules, which … for better or worse … I thought I could deal with. But what would I DM …?
The Campaign’s the Thing
My criteria for what we were going to play?
I wanted an official WotC campaign. That seemed the safest bet. It was limiting, but I figured it had the biggest resource base (producer and players) and so would be the best errata’d and “fixed” through both the company and the community.
I wanted something that would run characters up through most of their potential levels. In other words, a long game. Going from 1-5 would then mean looking for something more. If I could find a game, like the Tyranny of Dragons, that would take the characters up toward the max, I’d be quite happy.
I wanted something supported by Roll20, our VTT of choice (or at least what we were used to, and that’s a debate for another forum). I mean, I was sure I could scan something in and build maps and things like that, but I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew. (Ha!)
So I read through reviews, weighing things that looked cool vs. things that looked daunting. And finally decided on Princes of the Apocalypse — a wide-ranging, level 1-15ish (13, actually, but some of the lit says 15) romp across open terrain and underground and fighting against the end of the world as we know it.
And, overall, it was a good choice. It’s a complex project, lots of moving parts, and very sandboxy (or, rather, non-railroady). In ToD, it all felt like “Okay, you have done X, now on to do Y.” In PotA, it’s much more, “Okay, you have done X … what are you doing now. Oh, yeah, there’s Y, Z, Q, and any other direction one might want to go.”
Let me do a quick eval of PotA and some of its strengths and weaknesses.
PotA Writing and Age and Support
PotA came out in 2015, one of the earliest 5e campaigns (though post-ToD), which means lots of folk have played it and DMed it. While this could mean spoilers, etc., it also means that there’s a lot of advice for things to do/not do, supplemental home-brewed materials, and so forth. I drew on that a lot, and will highlight materials I used further down the line.
It is, though, an “older” game, meaning that a lot of the lessons that WotC (and others) have learned in module construction in 5e since the system went live aren’t here. There are places where it plays more straightforwardly than it might, and places were it’s not quite as sophisticated a story as possible. A good DM, though, will be ready to apply appropriate scalpel and spackle to make those rough edges work.
There are also some weird disconnects between the artwork and the text — due, from what I’ve read, to a months-long gap between when the illustrations (including maps) were due and the text of the module finally pinned down. As a result, there are rooms that have content that doesn’t match the description, places where maps are mislabeled, or where imagery in the book doesn’t match up with the story which doesn’t line up with the maps (the layout of Feathergale Spire and Sighing Valley and the larger scale maps and where the compass points are and so forth is nuts).
For that matter, the book has a big appendix of “here’s some crazy concepts we had about what these sorts of characters look like, but rejected as too crazy,” which is awesome, but they don’t always have what they actually settled on.
There were also way too many places that were significant settings, but with no maps to go with them. Beliard? Womford? Summit Hall? Sorry, we blew our budget on Red Larch. A lot of the side missions, especially out of Red Larch are similarly short-changed.
(Note: between the time I started the campaign and the time I ended, 2½ years later, I discovered a minor industry on Etsy that filled in some of those gaps that I filled in myself. The Internet can be your friend.)
Similarly, I’m a believer that if you, as a module, are going to name an individual, you should give us, the players and DM, an image of them — even if it’s a stock image, or not all that complex. PotA continuously let me down here, and that got compounded once we got into Roll20.
The Virtual Tabletop
The Roll20 support of PotA was huge factor, and it made a tremendous difference. I never want to do a non-VTT D&D game again. And the Roll20 adaption itself was … not bad. Indeed, in places, it was invaluable, with the dynamic lighting already mapped out (halfway decently, and as time went on, I did a lot of remapping of that dynamic lighting).
In other places it was also not good — or not as good as I wanted. Most of the dungeon maps were done at half-scale, blown up to the point of fuzziness, and didn’t align to a 5-foot grid (in the book they have a 10-foot grid and are really set up for that, but that’s not how 5e works). Light sources were also inconsistently applied (compared to the text descriptions).
There wasn’t a single map I didn’t end up tweaking in one place or another — adding in a detail that was described but not illustrated, changing the light/shadow barriers, changing the token layout, etc.
I paid money for this token?
Speaking of tokens, aside from some mediocre token art or cropping suggestions in too many places, there were also way too many cases where named characters (characters with backstory and motivation and so forth) either didn’t get their own tokens (e.g., these two NPCs are merchant traders with names, but we’re going to use the same “Noble” token to represent each of them), or else tokens with just their name in text.
This drove me nuts, and I spent a lot of time redoing or creating new tokens. (Tokenstamp is your friend!)
Another area I found frustrating with the Roll20 adaptation out of the box is that they had too coarse a granularity in how text was broken down into journal entries. Too many things (or people!) that should have been in in their own entries came lumped together, making both sharing material or using it (or even finding it with the simple title search engine!) a big pain. I ended up, again, investing a lot of time into breaking stuff up into logical chunks and vastly reorganizing it to my use and way of looking for things. While this helped me understand the material a lot better, it still felt like I was gamma testing the whole module
Overall, the Roll20 implementation of PotA is a huge time-saver for VTT users (beyond just the value of VTT systems themselves). What was provided was far better than my having to start with a PDF or hardcopy module and adapting it into the VTT. But the fit and finish were … not up to snuff for my taste. WotC needed to supply more art resources; Roll20 needed to improvise where WotC didn’t.
The PotA Sandbox
There were plenty of warnings that this was a difficult campaign to DM — and, to a degree, play — because of the openness of the world. Railroading is a cardinal sin for D&D; as a player, I like an indication of where the story wants me to go, but an option to outflank it.
PotA commits the opposite sin of railroading — lack of guidance. There are usually prompts of things that are brewing that the players can choose be guided by, but often multiple prompts, in multiple directions, with multiple ways of getting to them. There are a thousand different courses one might take, and very few guard rails to keep your characters from (a) skipping stuff that they really shouldn’t be skipped, or (b) getting into over-their-heads trouble too early.
Part of dealing with that is just DM management (putting up guard rails, hidden or not), part of it is learning to let go a bit.
The other thing the sandbox meant as we got into it was that prep for me as DM was much more … holistic. “Where are they going next” became “Where might they go next, and where might they go that I’m not thinking of.” That had an upside because it meant I had to read (and regularly re-read) a lot of material ahead of time (letting me come up with interesting ways to tie it together that aren’t in the book), but it also meant always feeling like I was running the Red Queen’s Race to stay ahead of my players — or calling to mind in The Fugitive Deputy Marshall Gerard’s comment about Richard Kimball’s flight:
All right, listen up, ladies and gentlemen, our fugitive has been on the run for ninety minutes. Average foot speed over uneven ground, barring injuries, is 4 miles per hour. That gives us a radius of six miles. What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area.
That’s what it took to consider where the players might go next.
All that said, there is a delicate balance between players being led by the nose from encounter to encounter, and players being clueless as to what to do next. PotA leans toward the latter a bit too much, which makes more work for the GM if the players are not to be frustrated.
Storytelling
There’s a metric ton of stories going on in PotA, both side bits (Red Larch alone could support a campaign) and in the overall saga. The number of types of “dungeons” one encounters is extraordinary. Each of the four Keeps feels very different, for example, as do the elemental Nodes. And the underlying epic — the history of the Dessarin Valley and Tyar-Besil, the battle between evil elemental princes and how it’s played out in the Keeps and Temples, the characters in the Keeps and Temples and Nodes — it’s all very rich, and a lot to play with.
Unfortunately, a lot of it gets thrown away, unseen. Unless the GM really digs into their imagination, there’s little opportunity for the players to learn much of anything about most of the oppo characters encountered, aside from some brief monologuing by the bosses before they get gacked. If you rotated the Prophets in the Temples (Aerisi as Prophet of Fire, Marlos as Prophet of Air, etc.), it really wouldn’t significantly change the story, because there isn’t really an opportunity to interact with them (or their followers) in a meaningful way.
(For all we get descriptions about the different mentalities of each cult’s membership and motivation, when it comes to a wave of mooks charging at you at 5th Level, its really doesn’t seem to matter much which cult they are from.)
There are also a few places where the story makes little sense. Mapping out the course of the Mirabar Delegation, when/where they were taken, and their later travels as captives of the Black Earth cult (e.g., the basis for the Shallow Graves encounter) makes absolutely no sense. Or, rather, you can handwave some sense into it, but it’s a rough haul, and the book blithely ignores / underexplains it. It’s up to the GM to papier mâché something that will hold together.
That all said, it’s still a rollicking adventure that presents challenges and increasing pressure for the players to avert the rise of the Princes. Whether a group is a hack-and-slasher, or leans heavily into role playing, a GM can tailor the campaign accordingly with what’s given.
It’s a long haul, and not an easy one, but it can all work out out well.
Essential Resources
These sites and links were really useful to me when I was starting off:
A Guide to Princes of the Apocalypse – A tonne of discussion and notes and summaries chapter analyses and observations and maps and links. Worth reading and re-reading at strategic points of the game.
So I kept extensive notes through most of this campaign. My goal is to share them here in this blog, covering the 84 sessions of play we had over a couple-plus years. It may provide some insights over how to run the game, or just some general DM notes.
We had fun with this campaign. I hope you do, too.
One of D&D 5e’s strengths is trying to keep things simple. There’s a fair amount of complexity, but after 4e’s highly tactical structure, 5e leans on the KISS principle where it can.
That said, the DMG provides all sorts of optional rules that can add in a bit of crunchiness to things, or a bit of complexity (fun fact: Feats are optional rules.). Early on in my Princes of the Apocalypse campaign, I decided the following would not be part of my game, and I had no regrets.
Flanking
I gave some very serious thought to using the optional Flanking rules from the DMG (p. 251):
Flanking on Squares. When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy and on opposite sides or corners of the enemy’s space, they flank that enemy, and each of them has advantage on melee attack rolls against that enemy.
When in doubt about whether two creatures flank an enemy on a grid, trace an imaginary line between the centers of the creatures’ spaces. If the line passes through opposite sides or corners of the enemy’s space, the enemy is flanked.
I’ve been playing D&D with miniatures my entire gaming career (hex and squares), so the whole “Theater of the Mind” that 5e tries to get back to after the uber-tactical 4e is, for me, just not something I can do. As such, Flanking (which was big in 3, 3.5, and 4) feels natural. “Get on either side of that dude; he can’t protect himself from all directions.”
The consensus (though not unanimous) conclusion of the Internet is that the 5e Flanking rule doesn’t work well:
Advantage is too big of an, um, advantage for this (“Advantage is an enormous benefit that lands 13 or higher 50% of the time, is almost twice as likely to crit, and has 1/20th times as likely to botch.”).
Maneuverability in combat is now easy enough (previous editions allowed Opportunity Attacks when walking around an opponent) that Flanking allows Advantage to come up too often, unbalancing everything (and deprecating a lot of other rules / Feats / actions that provide Advantage).
It’s been suggested that, as a house rule, rather than Advantage, a small uptick in the To Hit could be given (e.g., +1 or +2). This, though, flies in the face of 5e’s philosophy to avoid those endless kind of plusses/minuses that became overwhelming (it’s thought) in 4e and slowed everything down; that was the point of the Advantage/Disadvantage rules. (Roll20 makes it a little easier, but I understand their point.)
One suggestion I’ve also seen is that the Help move (PHB 192) takes the place of Flanking:
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
Help is way underutilized as a move; for player characters, there’s always a “But I want to be the one to hit him!” feeling. But the suggestion has been made that, esp. against a powerful opponent, this maneuver actually does more net good by helping a high-damage person hit more reliably, and its use doesn’t break anything.
So, for the time being, I don’t do the optional Flanking rules.
Facing
I am also don’t using the optional Facing rules (DMG 252), which are pretty crunchy and, honestly, are more of a PitA on a VTT because of the need to define facing of, and perform rotation on, the tokens. 5e has a sort of situational awareness vibe going on, and, as an Ease of Use rule, I’m fine with that.
Fumbling
This isn’t actually a 5e optional rule, but I grew up with Fumbling — having some sort of ill effect happen on a Nat 1, beyond just missing — being a Big Thing, and everyone sill always laughs about what happens when someone (preferably not them) rolls really poorly.
I eventually ran accross a ThinkDM article with the best reason for not having Fumbles (Nat 1 rolls) “do something bad,” especially in combat.
As characters advance, they get (in most classes) the ability to make multiple attacks each turn. This is particularly true with Fighters, who eventually can be making four attacks in a turn.But if you have a 5% (1/20) chance of fumbling in any given attack, the cumulative chances of fumbling in a round begin to climb …
Wait, what?
Missing is bad enough; a more disastrous effect becomes counterintuitive. Or, as the article notes, “A level 20 Fighter shouldn’t be dropping their weapon every 30 seconds.”
(A thought that comes to mind is having the “fumble” effect/table kick in only on the last attack of someone’s chain. So our intrepid fighter still only has a 5% chance in any given round, and if they want to play it uber-safe, they can sacrifice their last attack as they “take their time.” I’m not going to do that, but it would ameliorate a lot of the concern.)
Of course, a lot of that depends on the fumble table one uses. This was a table that described the “special effect” that came with a fumble — not just a miss, but a humiliating miss. This one, from the Arduin Grimoire, was all the rage back in my college days (though in those distant times it was rendered in cuneiform on clay tablets):
Ouch
It was a simpler, more blood-thirsty time.
Still, at the level of abstraction 5e runs at, there’s really no good cause for this that can’t be covered by color text or, in case of a real run of bad luck, a symbolic penalty of some sort. That’s up to the GM to adjudicate.
Anyway, math.
ADDENDUM: Here’s an additional ThinkDM idea: a Fumble only occurs if you fumble all of your attacks on your turn. That means that higher-level folk are much, much less likely, though it can be, um, very unfortunate for that 1st level fighter. An even better alternative raised in the comments there would be to have a Crit or a Fumble provide Advantage/Disadvantage for the next roll for 1 turn. If I were going to adopt anything as a house rule (which I don’t think I am), it would probably be this last one.
Sooner or later, a question of falling comes up. Maybe it’s a pit trap, or a shove off a bridge, or an unsuccessful jump, or an expired flying spell, or …
It’s a good time to remember that the goal of 5e is not to recreate actual physics, but to provide easy, quick, workable verisimilitude, generally favoring the players. The falling rules are a good example of this.
At the end of a fall, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoningdamage for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6.
The creature lands Prone, unless it avoids taking damage from the fall.
It can’t be that simple, right?
Fun Fact: Alan Rickman was dropped before he was expecting it, leading to some great facial expressions as he fell.
Of course, that raises other questions, many of which are answered in optional DMG/XGE/TCE rules.
You will “instantly” fall up to 500 feet in the turn you begin falling. You then fall an additional 500 feet at the end of each succeeding turn.
This mean no intervention by self or others during that first 500 feet if you don’t have a Reaction ability (such as Featherfall).
But after that everyone, including yourself, may be able to do something.
Note that though you fall 500 feet, you reach terminal velocity (so to speak) after only 200, given a max damage of 20d6.
From a physics perspective, in five seconds you will fall 180m, or 590 feet, so this is actually pretty realistic, at least that first turn.
Flying creatures that need to actively move to fly will fall if they are (a) knocked prone, (b) have speed reduced to 0, or (c) lose the ability to move. If the creature is noted as being able to hover, or is being held aloft by some spell effect, this doesn’t apply.
The first round they will fall 500 feet minus their current flying speed.
In the case of the “prone” condition, they can on their next turn (if the ground doesn’t intervene) “get up” (using half their movement) to recover.
If you fall into water, make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check; if you succeed, damage is reduced by half, per TCE.
If you fall onto another creature, per TCE, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity save to avoid being impacted by the falling creature:
Any damage resulting from the fall is divided evenly.
The impacted creature is knocked Prone, unless it is 2+ sizes larger than the falling creature.
I’d rule that intentionally falling onto another creature probably takes an Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (perhaps against their AC?).
This is different from creatures that attack by dropping onto their targets or leaping onto them from above. They will often have specific rules about damage they might take when doing so (e.g., the Piercer).
The Featherfall spell is cheap and easy and is cast as a Reaction, reducing falling speed to 60 feet/round, and landing you gently on your feet. It can affect up to 5 targets within 60 feet, including yourself, and lasts for a minute.
The Monk ability Slow Fall is possibly a bit misnamed, but essentially you can use it as a Reaction to reduce falling damage by an amount of Monk Level x 5 hp.
Earlier editions required something to slow you down (grabbing the wall, tree branches, etc.), but 5e does not; think of it as a three-point “hero landing.”
The Enhance Ability spell lets you pick “Cat’s Grace” as its DEX version. Among other things, it means the recipient “doesn’t take damage from Falling 20 feet or less if it isn’t Incapacitated.”
Using a Fly spell (etc.) will help, but only if it’s a fall of over 500 feet, otherwise you won’t have a chance to cast it before hitting the ground (unless you can cast it as a Reaction).
There are a variety of abilities that let you reduce damage to yourself or others that seem to apply here, e.g., Spirit Shield, Bastion of Law, Guardian Coil, Song of Defense.
Anything that gives you resistance/immunity to bludgeoningdamage will likely help here, depending on how it operates.
Note that someone else using a Slowspell won’t help, as the falling creature‘s speed isn’t a factor in the damage or distance. (It doesn’t completely make sense, but them’s the rules).
Note that Athletics/Acrobatics do not, by RAW, do anything around reducing falling damage, though they have in previous editions. That’s all physics, baby.
I would, though, support a house rule that a successful Dexterity (Acrobatics) roll vs. a DC equal to the damage you took might keep you from going Prone (stick the landing!).
Part of an ongoing series of 5e Rules notes.
In 5e, combat takes place with the 
