Wine of Song
This magical elixir works like a potion to improve the quality of songs sung by bards. It is a slight magic that enhances the natural quality of the wine to loosen vocal chords and remove inhibitions, improving the bonuses provided by the song by an additional point. The wine must be fully consumed for its effects to be felt.
This wine is produced using a unique style of grapes found only in the most enchanted vales. The wine can be either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, depending on how it is produced. Most bottles contain at least a moderate amount of alcohol.
Profession: Vintner of at least 5, Craft Wondrous Item, Price: 500gp per enhancement bonus per bottle.
Posted in Magic Item and tagged potion by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Beacon Beetles
These bugs are employed for the vivid colors what explode out of their hides when they are slain. These colors are not unlike fireworks, providing beacons in the nearby environment. They are most often employed to defend regions where sentries would be less effective, since they can survive for long periods without meals. These beetles represent foes that must be encountered, leading to a warning that launches into the sky when they are vanquished.
Beacon Beetle
Size/Type: Medium Vermin
Hit Dice: 2d8+5 (14 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+6 natural, +1 dex), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d4+1)
Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d4+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Acid spray
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., vermin traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +0
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 12, Con 16, Int Ø, Wis 10, Cha 9
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Forests, barren lands, and chasms
Organization: Cluster (2-5) or clique (6-11)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Medium); 5-6 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
The typical beacon beetle is about 6 feet long. Bred exclusively in captivity, these creatures feed on whatever they can find, scavenging the areas around where they are left by those who raise them. They have been bred to stay in close proximity to where they are left. Beacon beetles usually occupy locations where there is little food, so they usually attack whatever comes within view out of hunger.
Acid Spray (Ex): When attacked or enraged by passersby, beacon beetles release a 10-foot cone of acidic vapor once per round. Those within the cone must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1d6+1 points of acid damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Posted in Creature and tagged vermin by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Truthberries
Found in the wild on slopes around the Central Valley, truthberries, or as they are known in the halfling community, welshabaer, have the effect of causing those who eat or drink their juice to remain honest, even under duress. The effect is similar to a zone of truth focused on the consumer of these berries, with a duration of anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour depending on how many berries are consumed.
Their oily outer skin gives them a texture almost of an olive in its own oil. These berries are seen in a number of forms, since they also work when baked into pies or distilled into wine or schnapps.
Truthberries can be used as the material components in various spells.
Forward thinkers in the Republic of Esrun have also used truthberries to calm warriors about to head into battle or negotiations by coating armor with their oil.
These berries sell for as much as 10gp per pound in regions far from the Central Valley, but since they grow in the wild, nobody has yet thought of trying to package them for markets.
Posted in Magic Item and tagged Central Valley, food and drink, spell component by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Adventurer’s Backpack
This backpack contains all the standard tools an adventurer would need: a shovel, a pick, a coil of 50′ rope, 2 torches, flint and steel, pitons, a small mallet, a bedroll, a whistle, chalk, pouches to store dried food, etc. The exact contents vary, depending on the region where the backpack is bought. Some include medicinal herbs, candles, incense and other quasi-religious items.
Prices range from 3 to 10gp, depending on the size and contents.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged backpack, container, mundane by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Wine of Travel
These various vintages have been magically enhanced to provide teleportation to the regions where they are from. Blends teleport their drinkers to somewhere in the region where the grapes originate, whereas wines of travel specific to a field teleport their drinkers to that field. Vintners of this variety usually keep gazebos or other structures in their fields for their travelers to escape strong weather.
Other varieties have been keyed to other locations, such as castles, keeps, and crypts, depending on the garden of vines and the incantation which enchanted them.
Those who drink these wines often disappear in the night, and awake groggy under the effect of a hangover-like jetlag. The bottles remain where they are drunk, remnants of their consumption.
Minor conjuration; CL 3rd; Craft Wondrous Item, Profession: Vintner of at least 10, Prices range from 100 to 25,000 gp, depending on the rarity and choiceness of the destination; Weight 3 lb per bottle.
Posted in Magic Item and tagged food and drink, teleportation by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Purple Ooze
Purple Ooze
Size/Type: Large Ooze
Hit Dice: 5d10+20 (51 hp)
Initiative: –3
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 7 (–3 Dex), touch 5, flat-footed 5
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+6
Attack: Slam +6 melee (1d6+2 plus 2d6 acid)
Full Attack: Slam +6 melee (1d6+2 plus 2d6 acid)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Strong acid, constrict 1d6+2 plus 2d6 acid, improved grab, attack from below
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., immunity to cold and fire, ooze traits, transparent
Saves: Fort +10, Ref –2, Will –4
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 5, Con 22, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Barren wastes
Organization: Solitary or vast ooze flows
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Metal items dropped by their recent prey
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6–8 HD (Large); 9–12 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
A purple ooze can grow to a diameter of up to 15 feet and a thickness of about 18 inches. A typical specimen weighs about 1200 pounds.
Combat
A purple ooze strikes like a monstrous wave, slamming opponents with its body.
Acid (Ex): A purple ooze secretes a digestive acid that quickly dissolves organic material and stone, but not metal. Any melee hit or constrict attack deals acid damage. Stone, leather and clothing dissolves and becomes useless immediately unless it succeeds on a DC 18 Reflex save. A stone or wooden weapon that strikes a purple ooze also dissolves immediately unless it succeeds on a DC 18 Reflex save. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
The ooze’s acidic touch deals 25 points of damage per round to wooden, cloth and leather objects, but the ooze must remain in contact with the object for 1 full round to deal this damage.
Constrict (Ex): A purple ooze deals automatic slam and acid damage with a successful grapple check. The opponent’s clothing, wood and leather armor take a –4 penalty on Reflex saves against the acid.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a purple ooze must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.
Transparent (Ex): A purple ooze is hard to identify, even under ideal conditions, and it takes a DC 15 Spot check to notice one. Creatures who fail to notice a purple ooze and walk into it are automatically hit with a melee attack for slam and acid damage. It resembles a gray ooze, but with a lightly translucent purple surface.
Attack from Below (Ex): A purple ooze can attack from below by slithering into the floor below the target, and dissolving the stone or wood that the target stands upon, sending them splashing into the purple ooze.
Pool (Ex): Multiple oozes can join up, forming a larger specimen. This is especially deadly when used with the attack from below ability, creating large flows and moats that surround their prey.
Posted in Creature and tagged ooze by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Griffon Roosts
These Griffon Roosts are set toward the east end of the Goduanil, though this location can be placed into your world wherever griffons roost. They are intended to range from EL 7-9, depending on which is needed for your adventure.
The Goduanil is a region filled with rocky hills, where along the valley floors flows purple ooze in streams that run all the way to the sea. This roost is set in a valley off one of the main streams of ooze. The difficult terrain adds a +1 to the CR of this encounter.
1 Approach through the valley
A steep 100′ deep gorge devoid of a river branches off from the main valley, leading off in a direction clearly away from the central valley that runs with purple ooze. Stands of leafless birch saplings cling to the cliffsides in this otherwise barren landscape.
The characters hear the occasional flapping of wings as the wind gusts. Occasional rocks will break loose and tumble from the cliffsides. The party is not in danger of these small rocks, but they are an indication of something being afoot. When the party returns to the main valley, they will need to find a creative way around or over the rivers of ooze.
2 Bend in the rocks
The valley makes a turn to the left here, cutting a rocky path through the mountains. The bend obscures the view of the valley. Boulders cling to the ledges of the hillsides.
The characters see a shadow make its way across the valley floor. By the time they look up, whatever it was that caused the shadows has passed them over and is out of sight.
3 Hoodoos
Three sandstone hoodoos rise like towers from the valley floor, the result of years of extreme erosion in this valley. The scattered skeletal remains of large quadrupeds dot the valley floor. A few large feathers are blown about by the gusts of wind across the landscape, drawing attention to the tufts of hair clumped in small, regular dips in the ground.
In actuality, it is more the doing of the ooze that has caused the erosion and thus the hoodoos, areas of hardness where the erosion has not run its course on the rock. The skeletons and tufts of hair are those of horses, picked up from the lands to the north and east of the Goduanil and flown in to feed the griffons and their offspring. If the characters collect reagents or materials for fine brushes, they will recognize the horsehair and can collect a few horses worth, though not before they encounter the following.
Four griffons protect this valley floor, while the others hunt. They attack the party upon their entering this area. Resolve this encounter immediately after reading the above text.
Creatures: Griffons (4): MM page 139.
If the characters search the edges of the floor, they will find a broken staff and a torn red and white flag. This provides evidence that one of the horses belonged to a local knight.
4 View of Nests
From this vantage, it is clear that atop the hoodoos, large sticks frame 20’x20′ bowls filled with oversized, brown and white eggs.
The mound of rocks that form the vantage point have been affected by many years of erosion and the ooze begin to slip out from under the party’s feet, revealing a few pockets of a purple ooze that seep up to ground level, its acidic discharge spewing plumes of steam into the air.
Creature: Purple Ooze (see tomorrow’s post on CCB!)
5 Nests
The sticks and straw are bound together to make a nest. The sticks have been chewed at the ends by sharp beaks. In the center of the nest is a pair of speckled eggs.
Two griffon eggs are in each nest. The eggs are nearing the time to hatch, and when the characters arrive in this location, there is a 50% chance per egg that it will be hatching.
Development: As the characters explore the first of the nests, the four remaining elder griffons (14 HD) swoop in and attack, with the tactic of lifting them off of the floor of the nests and dropping them from the sky onto the valley floor. They will attack relentlessly until one side is vanquished. After the battle, in one of the nests, the party finds a mace +1 and a helm of alacrity +2 among some shredded metal that once was a suit of plate mail.
Posted in 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, Adventure, rules agnostic and tagged Goduanil, Location, Northbay by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Book of Transport
Upon reading from one of these mystical tomes, the reader is transported to the location described within. The book does not travel with the reader, but all other items worn or carried by the reader travel with her.
The reader must be able to read the language that the book of transport is written in.
Major conjuration; CL 13th; Craft Wondrous Item, teleport and plane shift; Price 50,000 gp; Weight 3 lb.
Minor versions exist that only teleport the reader, restricting the use of the book to the current plane.
Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, teleport; Price 25,000 gp; Weight 3 lb.
Posted in Magic Item and tagged teleportation, tome by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Sonic Earrings
These earrings cancel sound effects, providing a +5 resistance to sonic damage and other sound-produced effects. This includes sonic bursts, etc. This bonus stacks on rings of resistance and other bonuses.
Faint abjuration; CL 3rd; resist energy, Craft Wondrous Item, Price 6,000gp.
A greater version of these earrings provides a +10 resistance to sonic damage and also stacks with other forms of sonic resistance.
Faint abjuration; CL 5th; resist energy, Craft Wondrous Item, Price 12,000gp.
Posted in Magic Item and tagged resistance, sound by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Aldric Tréburne
Older brother of Kilmore Tréburne, Aldric stayed home to care for the ailing family while Kilmore went forth in search of adventure. Now that the family is stabilized, thanks to Avandra’s blessings, Aldric has now left home in search of his brother and his own adventure.
Along the way, he has met up with an eldarin war wizard and traveled from town to town, lending healing powers and fighting off brigands and ferocious wolves.
A playful, yet grounded, working-class elf, Aldric has developed many talents, though none that he pursues with more passion than his faith in Avandra, and healing in her name. he has been called too humorous for serious elven service, and too ill-mannered to ever represent his people abroad, so his only hope is in following his own dreams and desires.
He maintains his own gear, but is not too proud to ask for help in repairing or caring for it. His most prized possessions are a pair of ornate, buckled catgrace boots, a finely-carved shortbow +1 thunderburst, and his holy symbol of Faith to Avandra (+1d6 healing).
In addition, he wears a suit of chainmail with a small cape and carries an adventurer’s kit in a backpack.
Aldric in your game: Aldric tells a decent tale, and with his diplomacy will likely have learned some things about the local area. As a healer, he is likely to have learned much of the recent adventurers of others. Aldric could serve as an NPC in a party that did not have a player in the leader role. He would allow the DM to give the party some extra healing without having a character overly bent on seeing his own will done.
Aldric Tréburne: Level 3 Cleric of Avandra
medium fey humanoid – XP 2,690
age (equivalent of 28 in human years)
height 5’10”, weight 155, brown hair, green eyes
Initiative +1 Senses Perception +1
HP 35; Bloodied 12 Healing Surges: 9
AC 19, Fortitude 14, Reflex 15, Will 16
Speed 7
Powers
Channel Divinity:
* Healer’s Lore
* Healing Word (2/Encounter)
* Divine Fortune
* Turn Undead
Lance of Faith – (Standard; At-Will)
Sacred Flame – (Standard; At-Will)
Elven Accuracy – (Standard; Encounter)
Command – (Standard; Encounter)
Beacon of Hope – (Standard; Daily)
Shield of Faith – (Standard; Utility)
Basic Attacks
Short sword: +4 vs AC, 1d6 + 1 damage
Short Bow +1 thunderburst (40 arrows): +5 vs AC, 1d8 + 3 damage
Alignment Good
Languages Common, Elven
Skills: Athletics 4, Arcana 5, Athletics 3, Bluff 1, Diplomacy 6, Dungeoneering 2, Endurance 2, Heal 8, History 5, Insight 3, Intimidate 1, Nature 3, Perception 5, Religion 7, Stealth 4, Streetwise 1, Thievery 1
Feats: Elven Precision, Avandra’s Rescue
Str 12 Dex 15 Wis 16
Con 13 Int 11 Cha 14
Posted in Character by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.