Pregen Characters for Descent to Avernus

Spoilers for Descent to Avernus and the Alexandrian Remix.

I've spent a fair bit of time reading through Justin Alexander's Descent to Avernus Remix, and I really enjoy it and would recommend a read. As far as Baldurs Gate: Descent to Avernus goes in general, I don't think the campaign is great for a beginner GM, but it has some great ideas, improved upon with the additional connective tissue Justin adds. But perhaps my favorite addition is the additional history and metaphysical justifications Justin creates to explain the story. Now you might go the entire campaign and depending on the players not require much of this extra info. But if like me you use the framework provided by Mike Shea in Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master, then you'll find some of this extra history useful as secrets and clues you can lay on your characters. And how can you make them even more invested? Tying it all to their background! So I created eight pregen characters tied into this campaign.

Now, depending on your group your mileage may vary. My group is currently using modified versions of the pregens for the original Lost Mine of Phandelver starter set campaign, and character creation is still a difficult process for them (and for me at times). So in a fit of inspiration (since I have no idea when or if I'll end up running Descent to Avernus) I made a selection of highly themed pregen characters that can be used for an adventure preceding the disappeance of Elturel that have pretty heavy ties to the lore of the Alexandrian Remix. Note the trinkets and background items that I have modified to provide potential story hooks into the lore. I personally envision this party as a group of idealists. Most are younger )with a few exceptions) and none of them are aware of the secret plots of the Cult of Zariel within Elturgard, but they are advancing within their respective orders and likely would have been initiated into the Cult (or eliminated if they proved disloyal) had Elturel not been transported to Avernus. 

I would probably run an intro scenario of the party partoling in the Trollclaws on the Northern Frontiers of Elturgard and stumbling upon some sort of dungeon, perhaps with some Zarielite or Gargauthian imagery to hint at discoveries yet to come in the campaign. As the characters complete their patrol and they begin their return to Elturel to report their findings. The sun has just set as they come into sight of the city, still aways off, but the night remains lit by the comforting, everpresent light of the Companion. Suddenly the earth tremors, and the light of the Companion seems to fade then begins to "emit a strange, purplish-black light..." and the surface seems to crackle with lighting that arcs downward, lighting fires like tiny candles in the city below. Thunder booms as this energy flashes. The players have a chance to react before the cutsceen continues. At an appropriate moment, the tremors and thunder crescendo, as the city blinks out of existence, leaving a massive crater behind, and taking all of the characters friends and loved ones with it. The characters are left to figure out what to do. You can launch into the journey of refugees that fled Elturel towards Baldurs Gate, and have folk plead with them to help as Hellriders and Knights of the Companion, thus launching the journey.

My goal with these character descriptions is to tie the characters deeply to the plot of the adventure. Make them deeply invested in their city and give them personal payoff when the GM relates the lore about the history of the Hellriders, the Knights of the Companion, and their own families. For instance, the Warlord character (see below) has hooks in their items and backstory that should demonstrate during the adventure that their own family were senior members of the Cult of Zariel (perhaps this character meets their father as a transformed Hellknight in Elturel). This confronts the character with a dramatic issue of identity, complimenting the adventure theme of a descent into darkness with the hope of a redemption to the light. You'll also see that all members are sworn to the Creed Resolute, meaning the have direct personal stakes in freeing their own souls from this pact. It also means that you have built in hooks if you want to continue your journey through the Nine Hells after Descent by playing the recently released Chains of Asmodeus. There are also characters with ties to Baldurs Gate that could create interesting story beats as the players go through the mystery of the refugee murders in part three of the Remix and interact with the Flaming Fist. (Remember to strip out the GM notes in italic below before providing this info to your players).

As far as leveling, you can start with these first level characters, or alternatively start them at third level. For level progression, I'd just be upfront with your players if this will then slow down their initial progression, or alternatively just level them up when you choose to and adjust the encounters throughout the adventure accordingly.

I use character options from KibblesTasty (Warlord Class, Crusader Fighter, and Divine Hand Rogue), Spectre Creations (Oath of Purification Paladin), and Benjamin Huffman (Pugilist Class and Street Saint Subclass). The other character classes and subclasses are available in the Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

I'm sharing the OGL covered portions of the characters and the subclass name (but not the copyrighted features) so you should be able to recreate them fairly easily. Note that I provide a proposed name for male or female versions of the characters. For players looking to play non-binary characters just encourage them to maintain the surname since it ties to the lore. They can chose their own given name. Additionally, note that I give my first level players five extra hit points, which you can subtract from their total HP if you desire.

There are a total of eight characters to choose from:

Joshod Restat (male) or Shidra Restat (female)

Human Warlord

Level 1

Subclass: Commander’s Presence

HP: 14 (hit dice: 1d8 per level)

AC: 18 (Chain Mail, Shield)

STR: 16 (+3) 

DEX: 10 (+0)

CON: 13 (+1)

INT: 8 (-1)

WIS: 15 (+2) (saving +4)

CHA: 12 (+1) (saving +3)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: +5 Athletics, +1 History, +4 Insight, +3 Intimidation, +3 Persuasion 
Tool Proficiencies: Three Dragon Ante, Cartographers Tools
Languages: Common, Goblin, Elvish

Background: Noble (Knight)

Inventory:

Flail

Shield

Chain Mail

A set of fine clothes

a signet ring

a scroll of pedigree

a purse

A blank book whose pages refuse to hold ink, chalk, graphite, or any other substance or marking (gifted to you by your father, a High Knight of the Companion)

Explorers Pack (Includes a backpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

25 gp 

Character Description:

A young and perhaps future leader in the Order of the Companion, sworn to uphold the tenets of the Creed Resolute and give thanks for the Companion which “walks beside us every day, a constant companion to us in times of trouble.” You are a descendant of a long line of noble knights that have long mapped and defended the frontiers of Elturgard. Your grandfather was Cathasach Restat, the second High Observer of Elturgard (ruler of the nation) and one of the founders of the Order of the Companion. He also established the worship of Torm through Elturgard, and reconsecrated the High Hall to the God of Order. Like all in your family, you are a dedicated devotee of the Companion and Torm. You are the leader of a patrol of Knights of the Companion and Hellriders (the party), ordered to investigate evil doing on the borders of the holy land of Elturgard. Your family back in Elturel are relying on you to defend the family legacy as you work to protect the Companion's holy light over the city. (GM Note: As mentioned above, this character has plenty of potential ties as they might see friends, relatives, or mentors reborn as fiends in Avernus. Their family began well, but now likely has deep ties to the Cult of Zariel, and perhaps worked closely with Thavius Kreeg to bring about the descent of the city to Avernus).

Brirar Starsk (male) or Mire Vov (female)

Human Cleric

Level 1

Subclass: War Domain

HP: 9 (hit dice: 1d8 per level)

AC: 16 (Chain Mail), 18 when using Shield

Spell Save DC: 13

STR: 15 (+2) 

DEX: 10 (+0)

CON: 13 (+1)

INT: 8 (-1)

WIS: 16 (+3) (saving +5)

CHA: 12 (+1) (saving +3)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: History (+1), Insight (+5), Medicine (+5), Religion (+1)

Tool Proficiencies: None

Languages: Common, Celestial, Dwarven

Background: Acolyte

Equipment:

Warhammer 

Shield 

a light crossbow and 20 bolts

Chain Mail

A holy symbol (a gift to you when you entered the priesthood)

a prayer book or prayer wheel

5 sticks of incense

vestments

a set of common clothes

pouch

A mechanical canary inside a gnomish lamp

15gp

Explorers Pack (Includes a backpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

Character Description 

You are a young War Priest of Torm, god of duty, loyalty, righteousness, obedience, and law (holy symbol is a right handed gauntlet). You are sworn to the high ideals of the Creed Resolute, and dedicated to defending the Companion's holy light from all evil doers, both mortal and from the beyond. You seek to advance within the Order of the Companion and have deep admiration for the High Observer of Torm, Thavius Kreeg (who also rules Elturgard in that office). Your superiors have promised to initiate you in the deeper mysteries of the Order if you perform well on your first patrol of the frontier. (GM Note: In case the subtext is unclear, this young priest was going to be initiated in the Cult of Zariel if they did well on this mission. They also have deep ties to the establishment and may have disturbing personal or familial connections revealed in Avernus).

Dornorin Veirnaves (male) or Faerona Elderfate (female)

High Elf Rogue

Level 1

Subclass: Divine Hand (Will take at 3rd Level)

HP: 15 (hit dice: 1d8 per level)

AC: 14 (Leather Armor)

STR: 8 (-1) 

DEX: 17 (+3) (saving +5)

CON: 14 (+2)

INT: 10 (+0) (saving +2)

WIS: 14 (+2)

CHA: 12 (+1)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics (+5), Athletics (+1), Deception (+3), Investigation (+4), Perception (+4), Sleight of hand (+5), Stealth (+7 expertise)

Tool Proficiencies: Thieves’ Tools (+4 expertise + DEX mod), Dice Set, Disguise Kit

Languages: Common, Elven, Goblin, Thieves’ Cant 

Background: Spy 

Equipment:

Rapier

Shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows

Leather armor

Two daggers

Thieves’ tools

Burglars pack (backpack, a bag of 1,000 ball bearings, 10 feet of string, a bell, 5 candles, a crowbar, a hammer, 10 pitons, a hooded lantern, 2 flasks of oil, 5 days rations, a tinderbox, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

Crowbar

Dark set of common clothes with hood

A white, sequined glove sized for a human

Pouch

15 gp

Character Description 

At times, the light finds us in the midst of darkness and raises us up. So it was for this rogue, formerly a common thief grubbing for survival in the Outer City of Baldur’s Gate. One fateful day a priest of the common folk, a street saint (see pugilist character) found you, and taught you the ways of the light. Now you are a dedicated follower of Lathander (also called Amaunator), the god of life, light. Keeper of the Golden Sun. You are sworn to the Creed Resolute as a Hellrider, training to serve the Companion and the Keeper of the Sun as a Divine Hand when the time comes. Sometimes to serve the light, one must descend into the deepest darkness and work in the shadows. (GM Note: This member is intended to be an bit of an outsider, but has connections to Baldurs Gate that might be used to ground the setting during the murder investigations. There is the possibility of tying in mentors because this person was likely going to be coopted, perhaps unknowingly, as an assassin for the Cult of Zariel. They would have eliminated those idealists who impeded the Cults goals in Elturgard, all under the guise of doing that which is right according to "the light of the Companion and the orders of the High Observer").

Lampert (male) or Teresa (female)

Human Pugilist

Level 1

Subclass: Street Saint (Will take at 3rd Level)

HP: 15

AC: 14 (Leather Armor, Iron Chin Feature)

STR: 17 (+3) (saving +5)

DEX: 14 (+2)

CON: 14 (+2) (saving +4)

INT: 8 (-1)

WIS: 12 (+1)

CHA: 10 (+0)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics (+5), Acrobatics (+4), History (+1), Sleight of Hand (+4), Stealth (+4)

Tool Proficiencies: Thieves' Tools

Weapons Proficiencies: Simple weapons, Improvised Weapons, whip, hand crossbow

Languages: Common, Thieves' Cant, Goblin, Infernal

Background: Sage

Equipment:

Leather Armor

Dungeoneer's Pack (backpack, a crowbar, a hammer, 10 pitons, 10 torches, a tinderbox, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

Thieves' tools

A bottle of Ink

A Quill

A small knife

Letter from a dead colleague posing a question you have not yet been able to answer about the doctrine of the Companion

a set of common clothes

A nightcap that, when worn, gives you pleasant dreams

pouch

10gp

Character Description

You were once a Seeker, a sage who learned to write and copy books from the Avowed of the great library of Candlekeep (GM Note: See Elminster's Candlekeep Companion or Candlekeep Mysteries for more info on the Avowed), but a visit from a paladin in your youth changed your path forever. You joined the Hellriders and the Order of the Gauntlet, taking the Creed Resolute and dedicating yourself to helping those less fortunate as a priest of Lathander (also called Amaunator). But you are the priest of the people not like any other. You help as much with your fists as your kind words and service. You know when force and less scrupulous means can be used to the God of Light's ends (You will gain your subclass abilities at level 3). You used all these skills to help many children off the streets (see Divine Hand character description) and out of the gangs of the Outer City of Baldurs Gate, working sometimes alongside and against the members of the Flaming Fists, a mercenary company charged with defending Baldurs Gate. Now you are older, but not done with your duties. You have been recalled to Elturgard to help defend the holy land of the Companion. (GM Note: Again, another relative outsider and priest of the people. This character brings ties with organizations in Baldurs Gate and could be an older mentor and guide to others in the group. They likely would have been killed due to their loyalty to their ideals instead of coopted into the Cult).

Cikrim Bellandi (male) or Ionvo Bellandi (female)

Aasimar Paladin

Level 1

Subclass: Oath of the Watchers (will take at third level)

HP: 17

AC: 16 (Chain Mail) (18 when using shield and one handed weapon)

STR: 17 (+3)

DEX: 12 (+1)

CON: 14 (+2)

INT: 8 (-1)

WIS: 10 (+0) (save +2)

CHA: 14 (+2) (save +4)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics (+5), Intimidation (+4), Persuasion (+4), Religion (+1)

Tool Proficiencies: Dragonchess

Languages: Common, Celestial, Abyssal

Background: Knight of the Order

Equipment:

Chain Mail

Holy Symbol

Shield

Great Sword

Spear

Set of travelers clothes

A signet representing your rank and parentage in the order of the Companion

An iron holy symbol devoted to an unknown god (gifted to you by a favorite uncle) (GM Note: You can make this a mysterious Zarielite symbol)

Explorers Pack (Includes a backpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

Pouch

10 gp

Character Description:

You are a paladin of the Knights of the Companion, sworn to both the Creed Resolute and the Oath of the Watchers (you will gain the benefits of this subclass at level 3) Your celestial birthright is celebrated by your family as a mark of the blessings of the Companion and Helm. The rest of your family is human, but you have been touched by the heavens and born as an aasimar. You have a great heritage in the land of Elturgard; your grandmother was High Watcher Naja Bellandi who over fifty years ago fought off the incursions of vampires into the heart of Elturel. It was a dark time, and your family does not often speak of it. Your grandmother died shortly after becoming High Observer (ruler of Elturgard) and is remembered with great fondness by the whole nation. You now look to the High Observer Thavius Kreeg as ruler of Elturgard and leader of the Knights of the Companion. (GM Note: This character is descended from the ruler of Elturgard who made the original pact with Zariel that would forfeit the city of Elturel and the souls of those sworn to the Creed Resolute. This revelation should be potentially devastating as this character seeks to understand their own identity. Adding a tomb of Naja Bellandi in Elturel where the players might have to opportunity to use Speak With Dead could be an interesting roleplaying scenario).

Uricius Bladevale (male) or Levkaria Bladevale (female)

Tielfing Paladin

Level 1

Subclass: Oath of Purification (will take at 3rd level)

HP: 17

AC: 18 (Chain Mail, Shield) 

STR: 17 (+3)

DEX: 12 (+1)

CON: 14 (+2)

INT: 8 (-1)

WIS: 10 (+0) (save +2)

CHA: 14 (+2) (save +4)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling (+2), Insight (+2), Medicine (+2), Persuasion (+4), Survival (+2)

Tool Proficiencies: Brewer's supplies, Vehicles (land)

Languages: Common, Infernal

Background: Folk Hero

Equipment:

War Pick

5x Javelins

Chain Mail

Shield

Holy Symbol

Brewer's Supplies

Shovel

Iron pot

Set of common clothes

Pouch

A crystal knob from a door (GM Note: You can perhaps give this some sort of celestial or arcane power...or it can just be a lame knickknack)

Explorers Pack (Includes a backpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

10 gp

Character Description:

It is difficult being a tielfing in the land of Elturgard. Your loyalty to the Companion is often questioned due to your ancestors' history of devotion to Asmodeus, the ruler of the Nine Hells. You have spent your life seeking to prove yourself and dispel all doubts. You are a devotee of Tyr, the Blind Overlord, the Evenhanded god of Justice. When all else have shown you injustice, he provides a guiding light with his blind scales. As a Hellrider you uphold the Oath of the Creed Resolute and your Oath of Purification (You will get Oath benefits at 3rd level). The proudest moment in your life and for your family is when you took those oaths. You will not tolerate evil or injustice, regardless of the victim. You and your family have paid too dearly to live in Elturel to allow any form of darkness in the land of the Companion.

Tenets of Purification

Paladins who take this oath often emblazon the tenets of Purification upon their shield or weapon as a forthright display to others of what they fight for.

Bring the Truth to Light. Be not clouded by the laws and expectations of others. You seek truth, no matter what challenges impede your path.

Purify the Wicked. Rehabilitation is preferred. A fiery death for the unrepentant is an acceptable alternative.

Defend the Undefiled. Those who remain clean from the toxic path of evil are worthy of your protection. Safeguard their purity. (GM Note: This character is another type of outsider that could provide interesting roleplaying opportunities. They discover through the course of the adventure that those who discrimated against their family and people where truly the evil ones in Elturgard. This character also has plenty of reason to explore their own infernal legacy and plenty of justification to renounce their oath and become an Oathbreaker Paladin depending on their reactions to these situations).

Rorcum Thent (male) or Cilil Thent

Human Fighter

Level 1

Subclass: Crusader (will take at 3rd level)

HP: 17

AC: 18 (Chain Mail, shield)

STR: 16 (+3) (save +5)

DEX: 12 (+1)

CON: 15 (+2) (save +4)

INT: 8 (-1)

WIS: 14 (+2)

CHA: 10 (+0)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: insight (+4), Perception (+4), Religion (+1), Survival (+4)

Tool Proficiencies: None

Languages: Common, Giant, Orc, Elven

Background: Faction Agent

Equipment:

Chain Mail

Longsword

Light crossbow and 20 bolts

Dungeoneer's Pack (backpack, a crowbar, a hammer, 10 pitons, 10 torches, a tinderbox, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

A badge of the Order of the Gauntlet

An illuminated copy of The Labors of Torm, an important religious text, gifted you by your aunt Tamal

A vial of dragon blood

Set of common clothes

Pouch

15 gp

Character Description:

You come from a proud line of holy warriors as a member of House Thent. Your parents and grandparents were great knights of the Companion, but your aunt Tamal Thent made the greatest impact upon you. She was a mighty paladin, next in line in the order to be named High Observer and rule over Elturgard until she disappeared while patrolling the frontier near Boareskyr Bridge. Now you carry on her legacy defending the holy land of Elturgard, loyally upholding your oath to the Creed Resolute and as a member of the Order of the Gauntlet. Your family have long worshiped the god Torm and have lived in Elturel for generations. (GM Notes: Another layer of potential intrigue as this characters' aunt was murdered by Zarielites. The Cult members could have been led by a relative of another party member, adding some interparty dramatic tension).

Rildar Zhael (male) or Maja Zhael (female)

Aasimar Sorcerer 

Level 1

Subclass: Divine Sorcerer

HP: 13

AC: 11 (unarmored (10 + DEX)

Spell Save DC: (13) 8 + CHA + Proficiency bonus

STR: 8 (-1)

DEX: 13 (+1)

CON: 15 (+2) (save +4)

INT: 12 (+1)

WIS: 10 (+0)

CHA: 17 (+3) (save +5)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana (+3), Deception (+5), Medicine (+2), Religion (+3)

Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism Kit 

Languages: Common, Celestial, Infernal

Background: Hermit

Equipment:

light crossbow and 20 bolts

an arcane focus

Dungeoneer's Pack (backpack, a crowbar, a hammer, 10 pitons, 10 torches, a tinderbox, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it)

Two daggers

A 1-inch cube, each side painted a different color

Scroll case stuffed with prayers you wrote during your sojourn as a hermit

Winter blanket

Set of common clothes

Herbalism kit

5 gp

Character Description:

Legend tells of an angel that blessed the Hellriders of Elturel as they rode into the Hells. Your ancestors are said to have been blessed by that angel, charged forever to defend Elturgard as aasimar in the Hellriders. You too are a Hellrider who has taken the Creed Resolute. Seeking spiritual answers about the nature of this divine power, you spent many years as a hermit in the Cloud Peaks. This time taught you much about yourself. You returned to Elturgard to seek your divine destiny. You are a devotee of the god Tyr, the Maimed god of Justice. (GM Note: This character derives their power from the blessings of Zariel, setting up some interesting possibilities if the characters seek to redeem the fallen angel. Their family name should also hint at this history and connection. Alternatively, this character could also explore themes of being the fruit of the poison tree as it were. Are their powers truly divine, or destined to be used for infernal ends?)

Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen Reactions

Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen is the D&D 5e reboot of the classic adventure setting (although many who purchase and use this product are probably completely unfamiliar with the source and previous material like me). Prior to my upcoming playthrough of this module, I wanted to capture some of my reactions and thoughts about it. I also plan to periodically post about alterations that I've made to the adventure as written. When (if) my group finishes the module then I plan to post a final "actual" review because I will have playtested it by running through the adventure.

Initial thoughts: I was very excited to hear about the planned Dragonlance title as I began playing D&D in 2022. It seemed that all of the settings that shaped so many players experiences from 2e AD&D and onwards were now becoming more accessible for new members of the hobby. I'm not sure what I expected. I had just barely purchased my copy of Eberron: Rising from the Last War when Dragonlance released, and I didn't have any other of the in-depth sourcebooks. I supposed I expected at least a gazetter of the world, descriptions of the deities, calendar, and some ideas for adventures if not a mini adventure or two in the setting. That isn't at all what we got in this product though.

For the positives regarding setting details, I do appreciate the descriptions of the deities. They take several pages, and the depictions of their holy symbols are some beautiful art pieces. Some more evocative art harkening back to depictions of the deities in earlier editions would have perhaps improved it, but I suppose Fizban's Treasury of Dragons did a bit of that the year prior at least for Paladine and Takhisis.

Much of the design work is focused on the character options for the Dragonlance setting; how are those then? Not bad at all actually, although I have to agree with other reviewers like Mike Shea (Slyflourish) that I’m not a huge fan of handing out a feat at first level. There’s already plenty for new players to keep track of. 

As for the new sorcerer subclass, I actually quite like it in concept. I’m not the best judge of balance until I see a character in play (remember, I’ve only run for about ten different characters), but the subclass seems to have some design assumptions baked in because of the mages of high sorcery feat that the designers intend you to take. The initiate feat essentially gives you constant access to one of the first level spells that the lunar sorcerer gets depending on the phase of the moon you select. The subclass also doesn’t seem to match the dichotomy of good, evil, and neutral being major and almost incompatible that is an important theme of Dragonlance according to a video by the Dungeoncast I watched while writing this post.

My main critique; in general, information on the world of Krynn and the Dragonlance setting is severely lacking. The section on player ancestries name drops many locations, but there’s no information to flesh them out. The GM is left to figure out what Thorbardin and Nevermind are like out of their own mind or have to consult another resource or the internet. Outside of the information on Vogler, Kalaman, and the Northern Wastes provided in the adventure, the wider world is not described and unpopulated with adventure hooks. The adventure suggests the possibility of continuing a higher level adventure against the dragon armies, but without doing the extra work of purchasing an older book like the Dragonlance Campaign Setting from 3e or reading through lots of wiki pages, I honestly wouldn't know where to start. No fantastic locations corresponding to the places on the beautiful poster map are described, nor any clues about their inhabitants, notable NPCs or hooks for potential stories. It's really very disappointing that I’ve learned more about the setting researching what is missing for this reaction that is available to me in the book. I even noticed passages where the current book appears to simply be a paraphrased, shorted version of the 3e setting book. This is probably why what information there is on other locations in Ansalon seems sporadic and incomplete. As it says itself in the introduction to chapter two “Prominent details about the setting are covered in these sections, but the wider world is left for you to detail as you please.” It’s audacious to set the price for this product as the same as for a real setting book like Eberron then.

So what do we have left? Well, we have an adventure that minus the regional map and town names could probably be transplanted to any world or setting if you decide to add a dark goddess (maybe we can call her Tiamat?) and an army of evil dragons (oh wait, I think we already have one like this). In all seriousness, the adventure has some interesting elements, but as a whole is extremely linear and often marginalizes the player characters or removes their agency over the story (in part because the adventure provides no information about any part of Ansalon beyond the Kalaman regional map. Everything outside it would have to be made up anyway). Making an NPC that should be a sidekick have a more compelling and more rapid arc that the characters also strikes me as lazy railroading. Another thing that bothers me is the lack of a meaningful system for mass combat outside the peripheral board game marketed beside the book (but check out MCDM’s Kingdoms & Warfare if you’re interested in fixing that—I’ll be using it in my upcoming Dragonlance campaign, and I plan to do a deep dive and additional spotlights of its systems as I use it in my Storm King’s Thunder campaign). 

Reservations and issues from my reaction aside, I will be using this adventure and book in a campaign. One of my players is a Knight of Solamnia, and another is a Mage of High Sorcery, so I’ll get a view of their progression. As mentioned, I’ll write about modifications (improvements) I make to the adventure. As far as a recommendation or not, I’d say if you have any interest in running the setting at all then probably pick the book up. If you can’t see yourself playing in the setting, then definitely pass of this book and put your money towards something else nice like a title from MCDM or Kobold Press instead.

Classic Traveller: Beginning a Journey

Classic Traveller Cover

I got a pdf copy of Classic Traveller from DriveThruRPG several months ago (as of writing, the pdf is available for free). I've been too busy with life to read through it, but the holidays are proving to be a good time to was it down, relax, and learn some new RPGs other than D&D 5e.

I've read about Traveller in passing from Grognardia and others, but not had the chance to try it out yet. I've also picked up the Cephus Engine, which is an OSR-type remake of Traveller available as a free SRD or paid core rulebook from DriveThruRPG. I will probably try to read through it once I've gone through Classic Traveller to determine which variation I would prefer running in, although my research seems to indicate that they are very similar 2d6-based games. 

In my initial reading I noticed several things that I appreciated about the presentation of Traveller. First, on page 28 of book one there is a diagetically provided character sheet. It is clean, simple, and looks an awful lot like many real government or military forms. It is much less intimidating to me than the D&D starter set sheets were. Next on page 29, there is a clear and concise step-by-step guide to creating a character. A handy reference. I feel like I could hand a player these pages as print outs and they could take care of most of character creation just asking me for the results of their character creation rolls. The chance of a character dying during creation also just intrigues me. Like the level-zero funnels of some OSR and OSR-inspired games, it means there is real risk and true randomness during character creation. It's very different from the carefully crafted with an extensive backstory type of characters that are some times seen (my first RPG character was one of those).

Hopefully I'll have time over the holidays to try to dig a little more into the rules--I find the idea of reinforcing different styles and types of play through different RPG system mechanics extremely compelling, and Traveller has longevity over almost 50 years of the hobby.

Anxiety and Useless Prep

Unlike so many in the TTRPG space, I haven't been Gaming since I was ten or twelve. So I think I tend to overthink my prep. I started GMing while my spouse was overseas for work in part to get over some social anxiety and make sure I was having meaningful interactions with other people outside work. But I definitely spent more time setting up maps and monsters in Roll20 than I should have. I spent that time because I was stressing. Not because it was going to make a better game for my players. 

The more I do it, the more I discover that the most fun and liberating experiences are those that are improvised. You need less than you think to run a good session. I've found the best structure that helps me stay focused on trying to do effective prep is the Lazy GM prep process from Slyflourish. Mike Shea provides an outstanding and repeatable process that can help you assemble the material you need to run a game. I don't always go through the steps in order, but it provides a touch point and example of how you really can get effective session prep done in a half hour.

The bottom line is that our games are meant to bring us together and help us break out of our insecurities and have fun together. We should play with people that make us feel safe to do that and seek to be genuine and supportive of their ideas and goals as we play. The best stories are the ones we build together through imaginative and collaborative efforts. That's how we can overcome our own anxieties and fears to find fulfillment in our games.

MCDM RPG

If you enjoy heroic fantasy you should head over to Backerkit and check out the MCDM RPG. The campaign is running through 05 January 2024, and fulfilment is expected by June 2025, but backers will be getting playtest packets throughout the development so they can start playing the game as early as next year! It should be a really interesting, non-d20 RPG (it'll be a 2d6 system), and MCDM's products are always a safe bet if you're looking for high quality, rigorously playtested, and beautifully crafted RPG products.

Arcadia 1 Reaction

Arcadia 1 features a colorful, but grim depiction of a harpy (or harpy-like creature) roosting on a branch in a dark forest while clutching a hapless victim in a taloned claw. The bones tucked up behind suggest that this is the monster's lair. This evocative scene is by Gustavo Pelissari.

The inaugural editors note by James Introcaso (an amazing designer whose name has an extremely high probably of being on your favorite non-WOTC 5e product and who also has writing and design credits on a number of WOTC works) leads with a quote from Matt Colville regarding the magazine's mission; “ARCADIA should be full of stuff that is super actionable and really freaking dope.” On a side note, I think that while history and consumers will be the ultimate judge, Colville definitely has the personality and potential to be seen as a person as influential as Gygax or others on the development of this hobby. He certainly could be considered among the biggest names that have and will pop up in the 21st century.

Introcaso relates how the magazine will be a three issue experiment before the company assesses its direction and how to proceed. Oh, if he could only know then how long it would run. The articles credited are two adventures by Leon Barillaro and Sadie Lowry respectively, a Sorcerer subclass by Gabe Hicks, and new mounted combat rules and mounts by Willy Abeel. Spoilers follow for the adventures, so reader be warned…

The Workshop Watches by Leon Barillaro is essentially the story of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this case it is a magical lab rather than a computer, but in any case, the lab is now sentient. The parallels with HAL are made even more obvious by the lab named S.A.M. it's also building a magical robot body to contain itself so it can leave its confines on a mountain. It's interesting in making the dungeon itself the enemy in this adventure. One criticism is that information that would normally be held in a stat block is instead embedded in descriptive paragraphs. I think it would simply be more user friendly and easy to read if provided as an abbreviated stat block. Another critique is that some critical progression is locked behind possibly unnecessary skill checks, but there are minimal consequences for failure because this would completely derail the adventure. The section on approaching the workshop commits this foul, with a group survival check required to successfully navigate the overgrown trail and a group athletics check if you lose the way with a level of exhaustion for each failure. Presumably then a party could also simply die of exhaustion on the mountainside, given enough failed rolls. I suppose my point is that if the checks add no real narrative value then just cut it so we can get to the dungeon. On the other hand, I love the dynamic and creative actions that are included in a “Workshop Reaction Table,” which outlines random actions that the lab can take that remind the characters that they are in a sentient creature, not just a dungeon crawl.

While keyed to seven areas, the dungeon is basically a five room dungeon, meaning that it isn't arduous to run or prep. My complaint is that it's totally linear, and I personally think it's a bit of a waste to have a full color map mostly colored brown. But those are nitpicks. The maps are available via links at the back of the pdf, as they are with all MCDM products (which is amazing! Especially for folks tied primarily to VTTs for battlemaps). There are also some great handout illustrations for your players. Overall, while I personally don't really go for the “machines will take over and destroy us” type of story, I think this could be an interesting one shot or story work into a longer campaign. If I were to use it I might try setting it in Midgard or Eberron to if I had a gearforged or warforged player to confront them with a moral dilemma as to how to deal with another magically sentient construct.

On to the Titan Heart sorcerer! This is a five page subclass, along with a Titan Heart sorcerer NPC stat block, five new spells for the subclass, and a Titan Heart retainer (from MCDM's Strongholds & Followers). The flavor is unique, providing an early buff to size and in essence creating almost a frontline sorcerer build by buffing AC while in a titanic form, along with an option to use Charisma for the melee skill modifier, along with a boost to melee attack damage. The progression is simple, increasing the number of times the basic ability is available for the most part and following narratively themed grows in power like allowing an even larger size increase. Abilities that might seem more unbalanced are given at levels 14 and 18. Because those are already high levels that are appropriate to have some larger powers at, I think the Titan Heart is fairly balanced on paper, and perhaps in some circumstances it may even be underpowered. I say this because the core feature, Titan Manifestation, can only be used two times per long rest, and this only increases to three times at sixth level. Each instance also only lasts for one minute. All of the additional features of the Titan Heart, including its powerful first level spells are tied to activating Titan Manifestation. So if the DM throws more encounters at a party than that, then the sorcerer will primarily be playing as a regular old sorcerer. I would definitely allow this subclass in my own games. The art in this section is also beautiful. My favorite is the art by the Titan Mage retainer stat block.

Titan Mage illustrative art by Ognjen Sporin

Willy Abeel’s updated mounted rules are the next article. First, a summary of the existing 5e mounted rules is provided. I’ll admit, mounted combat was one of those things that seemed really hard to keep track of when I first started D&D. I still regret railroading the players in my very first campaign when they asked where they might find mounts and there was no ferrier or stable on the map in Saltmarsh so I simply said there weren’t any suitable mounts available.

The mounted combat rules as summarized in the article are helpful, and easy to grab for a GMs notes on their screen or as a reference so they can avoid my railroading mistake (I’ll be taking my own advice ASAP). The new content provided is really focused on building out better mount options that provide better abilities for the mount in combat and also help it scale as the player advances so they aren’t a powerful hero astride a fragile mount as they advance in level. These mounts end up being very similar to the final design for the companions in MCDM’s later product, the Beastheart. Stats are provided for a Basilisk, a Giant Toad, a Hippogriff, a Nightmare (my personal favorite), an Owlbear, and the dressed up warhorse (several years later, Willy also appeared in an MCDM video on these rules and stats out an Axebeak). There is accompanying art for most of these creatures (not the hippogriff or the warhorse). Some simple rules for taming a wild mount are also provided, and an encounter that can be dropped in your game to employ these new mounts. Notably this story contains a link to an audio recording by an NPC recorded by Willy. It’s a creative multimedia inclusion. The adventure as written is a bit railroady, but has interesting themes and ideas. It would be good drop in content for a wilderness town in your setting.

Finally, we have Uqaviel the Recreant, by Sadie Lowry, a high level arc featuring complex interactions between a fallen archangel and the peer who has betrayed and framed them. This adventure encapsulates the character-focused themes of 5e, providing complex motivations for Uqaviel, and offering the possibility of redemption or destruction as the betrayed becomes the type of villain they were bound to destroy. I really enjoy this story and would love to weave it into a campaign at some point. The art is very inspired by biblical ideas of celestial beings, an artistic motif that is also seen in MCDM's Strongholds & Followers. The article also provides some unique stat blocks for high level archangels that could be remixed or used for other purposes. These have some unique features, but are largely pulled from the solar stat block available in the 5e SRD.

Onwards to Arcadia 2!

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Arcadia is an outstandingly produced product and, as of my time of writing, the entire backlog is available for subscribers to the MCDM Patreon. It's worth it. Alternatively, Arcadia issues are available on the MCDM store, and DriveThruRPG. The magazine ceased production in July of 2023 as MCDM pivoted to support development on its own RPG (which I am excited to eventually try out).

Arcadia 1 cover art by Gustavo Pelissari

Outside of the MCDM community forums, I haven't seen much discussion or highlighting of Arcadia, the company's now defunct monthly magazine providing 5e content. That's a shame, and one I would like to rectify. 

This reaction series will be similar to James Maliszewski of Grognardia's excellent retrospective series about Polyhedron, White Dwarf, and other classic products and zines.

In the future I'd also like to try looking through older magazines and products (Warlock from Kobold Press will be high on the list once I acquire their back issues in their various Warlock Grimoire). With this and those potential series, we'll see how far this goes. There are thirty issues of Arcadia magazine for us to chew on, and each one has some beautiful art and cool content. Here's to the journey.

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