Roleplay powerful, otherworldly items that draw the party deep into their mysteries.
Ever thrown in a sentient item, thinking it would be an epic fantasy moment, only to have it become a joke? Or forgotten? A forgotten joke? Nothing worse. In this episode, we get into how to avoid their pitfalls and what you can do to unleash the many wondrous powers they give not just the heroes of your story, but you as the DM.
We also discuss The Beasts of the Dissonance, an incredible new resource for dark fantasy loving DM's.
In The Strategy Stateroom, we go through five steps we use to bring out the best in our sentient items.
Give the item character.
Starting off with our Character Planner, we talk through some unique options that make sentient items shine.
Decide how it communicates.
The item's method of communication can have a huge impact on the game.
Give it a relationship with its wielder.
The most powerful thing about these NPCs is the story they create with their champion.
Use its values to create a character arc.
Using 4 corner opposition, we can figure out some potential directions their story can take.
Pay off the relationship in the end.
Giving it a tangible goal and a boon of some sort for its wielder upon completion is a way to ensure it's never forgotten and to give that player something to look forward to.
Then we head to The Temple of Inspired Hands where we highlight Beasts of the Dissonance, an incredible Kickstarter beginning April 19th, 2022. It's a visually stunning bestiary packed with 40 new dark fantasy monsters, a new class that can summon and control these monsters complete with five subclasses, rich lore, and STL files for 3d printing these terrifying beasts so your table gets right into the horror. We love the theme, its easily navigable layout, the unique new monster abilities that help create tension and encourage roleplay, and of course, the detailed 3D printing files! Too often we have to represent some wicked creature with a giant toad, and it just doesn't land right. Now we've got it all.
Check it out and support it here. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grinninggod/beasts-of-the-dissonance-5e
As always, huge thanks to the support of our patrons for making this episode a reality.
DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Garr the Pirate, Timewarp, DangerousMarmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Alan E., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R., Aldrost, Leprecan, Will H-P.