En5ider Issue 5 Release!

En5ider Magazine, Issue 5, image by EN Publishing

I had another awesome experience recently working on Draconic Finds, a collection of original 5e dragon-themed magic items that you can check out from EN Publishing. Researching when coming up with the concept for this piece I realized how few items in 5e across many sources are only tangentially related to dragons and the lack of both draconic motifs or items crafted from dragons. It was also a great opportunity to practice my design skills and once again getting to work with veteran editor Mike Myler. 

There’s also some amazing work from the other authors here including a villain, dragonettes, and more for your 5e game!

The Lament of Karcius

This dark tome tells of the rise and fall of Lord Karcius, said to be one of the "blessed of demons." The book purports to be the visions of those events recorded by a prophet of the "Potentates Abysmal" named Zecharn. 

Zecharn writes: "First a fiend of the tiniest variety came to me, calling itself Farnasoth. This being extracted greater and greater demands from me for the taste of forbidden knowledge." Finally a being called Jakozark, said to be "of terrible visage, horned and trailing chains with the scent of sulfur and brimstone on the air" dictated the words of Karcius after his death. Now blessed as a "dreadknight of the dark potentates" Karcius awaits his faithfuls' efforts to open a way back to the world for him to reap terrible doom against the hated followers of the Nine.

5e Table Aid: List of Approved Familars

I have a multitude of interesting monster and sourcebooks that have lots of cool options for familiars for spellcasters. However, it’s difficult to provide players a consolidated list of their options when making spellcasters. Thus this page.

First, the section below provides the text of the spell Find Familiar from the SRD.

Find Familiar Spell

1st-level conjuration (ritual)

Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S, M (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier)
Duration: Instantaneous

You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast.

Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal.

When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again. As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar to a pocket dimension. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. Whenever the familiar drops to 0 hit points or disappears into the pocket dimension, it leaves behind in its space anything it was wearing or carrying.

While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.

You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature.

Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.

Gaining a Familiar 

Additional ways to gain a familiar include finding one. Typically this should involve discussion between a player and a GM, so that such an opportunity can be provided, and an appropriate familiar that doesn’t impact the play experience negatively can be selected. These types of familiars normally can choose to leave the spellcasters at anytime should they act in a way that is negative or perhaps as a dramatic story element.

Options that can be used in this way include the traditional animal familiars, along with those in the other familiars section below.

Other Familiars

Faerie Dragon (Monstrous Menagerie, pg 205)

Flumph Familiar (Monstrous Menagerie, pg 207)

Psuedodragon (Monstrous Menagerie, pg 363)

Imp (Monstrous Menagerie, pg 85)

Quasit (Monstrous Menagerie, pg 74)

Alkonost (Creature Codex, pg 12)

Kuunganisha (Creature Codex, pg 245)

Leonine (Creature Codex, pg 250)

Living Shadow (Creature Codex, pg 255)

Wolpertinger (Creature Codex, pg 382)

Stryx (Tome of Beasts, pg 369)

Library Automaton (Tome of Beasts, pg 273)

Witchlight (Tome of Beasts, pg 409)

Lymarien (Tome of Beasts 2, pg 248)

Wicked Skull (Tome of Beasts 2, pg 368)

Aviere (Tome of Beasts 2, pg 36)

Blood Imp (Tome of Beasts 2, pg 103)

Keyhole Dragonette (Tome of Beasts 2, pg 118)

Light Drake (Tome of Beasts 2, pg 125)

Barnyard Dragonette (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 148)

Sedge Dragonette (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 149)

Shovel Dragonette (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 150)

Light Eater (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 262)

Rock Salamander (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 333)

Sunflower Sprite (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 358)

Torch Mimic (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 370)

Catterball (Tome of Beasts 3, pg 76)

Tomegrub (Monstrous Menagerie II, pg 245)

Midgard: The Legend of Valeresh & the History of the Elves

This lore is based on my own Midgard campaign experiences and the information available in the Midgard Worldbook. Some is research and some is information that will be revealed diegetically. It was created as a GM aid to tailor campaign lore for my player running a cleric of Valeresh. 

While conducting the research for this article, it became apparent that there are both large gaps in the Bard’s Chronology timeline as provided in the Midgard Worldbook, and very vague language throughout that book and the Book of Ebon Tides. Perhaps the most confusing portions are the conflicting references to events and locations, such as Thorn. It is said to have fallen during the Reaving of the Dwarves, but then reappears during recorded history as a center of elven civilization. The Northlands source book refers to Thorn as fallen in the Vanir War, yet the Worldbook says that the capital of the second

The History of the Elves of Midgard

The Earliest Days and the Vanir War

The elves of Midgard have a long history defined by different eras. In the far distant past was the age of the first elves, who allied with the giants and the ancient elements as part of the Vanir against the dwarves and the Northern gods (Aesir) in the Vanir War. It appears that Valeresh may have lived as a mortal and ascended to godhood during this time based upon available sourcing. The gods of the elves likely worked together as they forged this early empire, forming a elven court of Thorn that set the pattern for their current elven pantheon and presaging the structure of current elven and fey courts. Valeresh's wife likely died during this time period, and somehow he and his court ascended to godhood. It is also said that at this time the elves planted the seeds of Yggdrasil in the Silendora, or Summer Lands. The elven version of this story attributes this act to Yarila & Porevit, while dwarves and Northerns say it was Freyr & Freyja (these are both true, as Yarila & Porevit were exchanged as hostages in the peace that settled the Vanir War and their now are gods who dwell with the Aesir). 

The elven court that became the pantheon consisted of at least:

• Baccho (Baccholon)
• Holda
• Valeresh (Valeros)
• Yarila & Porevit

And potentially:

• The Green God
• Gytellisor
• Volund, in his aspect as “armorer of Valeresh”

This empire’s legacy is seen in truly ancient elven ruins and the legacy of great magic later used by the Second Elven Empire. The Reaving, in which the rival Dwarven empire fell and drove many dwarves South, caused the fall of this empire, as elves retreated into the lands of the West in Midgard and to their strongholds in the Summer Lands, much like the Great Retreat that sealed the end of the Second Empire.

The Coming of the Valeran Elves

Roughly 2,200 years ago, a new group of elves departed the Summer Lands to reestablish the elven peoples in Midgard. Over the 1,300 year reign of the elven empire, there emerged five centers of civilization. The first was under Emperor Xindrical the Explorer, who founded the River Court of the Arbonesse. The second was Sephaya in modern day Perunalia on the Ruby Sea, ruled by Queen Shillesh Greensun Sephaya. Queen Sephaya was said to be the daughter of Yarila. The third, abet short lived comparatively, was the High Court of Liadmura, in the modern Ironcrags, under the Eagle Emperor, famed for his conquests and veneration of Valeresh. The fourth and longest was at Thorn under the High Queen Lelliana Thorntree Endiamon. Most notable was the influence of her daughter, Shadow Princess Sarastra Aestruum, whose actions resulted in the creation of the Shadow Fey and their and her exile into the Shadow Realm. Queen Osilessi in the late fourth empire also built the “Summer Garden of Queen Osilessi,” or Osilessidra. She sought to restore the ruling caste of elves’ dominant position.

The final elven capital was at Valera after the fall of Thorn, with Triolo as another great elven colony (though it appears that Thorn and other cities remained inhabited by elves, due to their sudden vacancy in the Great Retreat).

The expansion of this period was driven by the combination of elvish magic, including prowess in navigating the Fey Roads, and in their martial strength with their archers and light cavalry. Valeresh took on a grim aspect in this time, with many conquered adversaries purged or sacrificed to him. 

Corruption of the Shadow Fey

In the dark days of the Black Sorceress’s Revolt, Shadow Princess Sarastra and her followers joined with the dark mages of Caelmarath, calling upon dark powers. This corrupted them into the Scáthesidhe, or Shadow Fey. This people departed the Summer Lands and Midgard, breaking with the other elves, to follow Sarastra (Hecate) into the Shadow Realm. The Shadow Realm was reached by the corruption of the ley lines by the fiend-aligned mages of Caelmarath. The Shadow Fey, lured by the promise of powerful magic from the darkness and infernal—hence why many possess horns. This schism occurred roughly 582 years ago.

At some time after this, Sarastra, the Queen of Night and Magic, fell out with her husband, Ludomir Imbrium the XVI. He is better known as the Moonlit King of the Shadow Fey. Before the Moonlit King followed his wife into the Shadow Realm he was a high born noble, as the Duke of the Ironcrags, Baron of Bratislor, Earl of Zobeck, and Count-Palatine of Salzbach. His regret at leaving the world behind drove him to sorrow and madness. During this time, Sarastra also corrupted the Miremals of her sister, the Faerie Queen Titania.

The sable elves followed after the exodus of the Shadow Fey. Their motives are shrouded in mystery, but the truth is that unlike the true elves who remained in Midgard and were driven from the Northlands by the dwarven empire before the Reavening, or the Shadow Fey who forged pacts with the darkness, the sable elves instead fled this destruction in disgrace. This era is called the First Flowering of Shadow. Both these groups brought their own servitor peoples with them into the Shadow Realm. 

This period led to the rise of the dark elven god, Sarastra. The worship of Valeresh is not wholly lost in the Shadow Realm though. The sables elves and Queen of the Court of the Golden Oak worship him under the name “Valeros,” prizing martial and arcane power.

The Great Retreat

482 years before the present time, for unknown reasons, the priesthood of Valeresh led the Great Retreat to the Summerlands under the direction of Emperor Jorgyn. The cities of Thorn, Valera, Liadmura, and Sephaya are left vacant. The elves left behind are few and scattered like windrunners of the Rotheian Plains, and a larger concentration in the River Court of Arbonesse, which closes its border. These pockets are but a memory of their former glory, and the worship of Valeresh is all but forgotten. Besides these small groups of true elves, only the elf-marked, those descended from their dalliances with human servitors, remain.

Stirrings of the Elves

After long centuries the elves show signs of restlessness once more. The Deathsworn, fanatical warriors dedicated to Valeresh (Creature Codex, of. 142) haunt the ancient forests. The relics of Valeresh, Illethandril (the Silent Sword of Valeresh), Korren-Gadresh (the True Bow of Valeresh, or Farseeing Bow), remain untouched in his temple at Hirschberg, said to be reclaimed when the elves return from exile. It is said a light appears at the Cathedral of Bright Honor on a hill outside Valera, and a voice speaks to those present in Elvish. In the same city, the Scolia Valeresh teaches martial and arcane battle skills, led by First Fencing Master and Ley Adept Tikkalan Illuvitesh. The First Fencing Master also calls himself the “Last Knight of Valresh.” Cults of the Return worship the elf-marked, and foretell of the elves’ coming back to Midgard.

Other portents seem to be appearing as an elven knight, dressed as the “Chosen of Valeresh” made a pilgrimage to the Seat of Mavros in the Western Wastes, praying to the warlike aspect of the deity. Elves examine old lore related to the shadow roads, and the ancient learning of the Magocracies that remains in Bemmea and Friula. Even the rumors of war pressed Magdar speak of a portal to the Summerlands, and elven hosts that will emerge to halt the growing Dragon Empire.

En5ider Reactions Issue 17

Image is property of En5ider magazine

Issue 16 of EN5IDER merits its own post due to longer length and it being a pretty cool stand alone adventure. This is your spoiler warning.

Titled Don't Wake Dretchlor, this adventure is by Kiel Chenier, designed for characters of 5-7 level. It's a unique and creative scenario which employs a couple different spins on the typical dungeon crawl, while maintaining the ease of use of that structure. The transitioning into a defensive "cat and mouse" game as it describes itself, as players work to defeat and slow down the advance of a bound demon they unleashed from its wards during their exploration.

The adventure features a forgotten mansion as the dungeon, and provides just enough detail about a nearby settlement and the history of the site that you can run with it and flesh it out further, and easily modify it to fit into whatever setting you are playing in. The description of the village of Sacred Bend is particularly good, detailing the basic services of the settlement, a named tavern, and the healing services of the local priest in a brief paragraph!

The structure also adds relics, or small sites/objects within the house that can be destroyed to weaken the demon. These make great secondary objectives to break up the simple combat loop of D&D, yet containing the action to the bounded space of the dungeon. 

The adventure synopsis is another impressively organized, concise, and well written portion, effectively providing a roadmap of all the relevant high level details of the scenario to the GM. Many adventures miss this, burying critical plot info deep in a room's descriptive text.

Overall, I think this is a great adventure to insert into a campaign or even use as a contained one-shot.

En5ider Author Debut: Falkenburg Times-Pale Moon Consortium

I can't begin to convey how excited I am to announce the publication of my first effort as a freelance RPG author in EN Publishing's En5ider Magazine #4! As announced by EN Publishing earlier this year, En5ider, which has run for over ten years, has been relaunched in a monthly magazine format. I had the amazing privilege of having my article on the Pale Moon Consortium, and intriguing organization specializing in smuggling magical items and other illicit goods in and around the town of Falkenburg in EN Publishing's Elissar setting.

I had an outstanding time working through this new experience with veteran editor and creator Mike Myler and hope for future opportunities to collaborate with the amazing team at EN Publishing. If you'd like to check out the article, along with access to over 600 past En5ider articles, please consider subscribing to their Patreon!

En5ider 16 Reactions

By Mark A. Hart, King and Country in En5ider 16, outlines the idea of using nationality as a background. This is in contrast to the typical approach in 2014 5e of basing backgrounds on occupation. It provides a list of fourteen nationality background themes, and provides the tools to create custom backgrounds, along with a couple examples of fleshed out ones.

Overall I like the approach this article takes. Equating background with nationality could be a problematic topic, leaning into negative stereotypes. However, this treatment does a good job of showing how various fantasy tropes can be tied into a player character’s background about an interesting place. As a practical matter, it is a great guide to how to develop custom backgrounds in general, breaking down the pieces into a more step-by-step process.

Looking forward to future En5ider articles!