An evocative environment is just as much a part of a compelling adventure as motivated villains and heroic action. This article sets forth several considerations for bringing wintry themes into your Pathfinder Roleyplaying Game and Dungeons and Dragons adventures. Primarily for DMs and GMs, this advice is broken up into four key areas: communicating the environment to players, advantages of winter-themed adventures, on-the-fly rules to support cold-based adventures, and guidance regarding adventure conversion.
Over the past few years we’ve been secretly hard at work on our latest project for the Underworld Races & Classes for 5th Edition and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. This immense tome (two books actually, one for each system) has been in the works for many years now, starting originally with individual books created by popular demand after our best-selling Rise of the Drow became a heavy hitter in the RPG world. Since the original builds we’ve gone back and revised/added a ton of new material, produced new gear, spells, archetypes, domains, and more to craft a solid book filled with gorgeous top notch artwork (thanks to stretch goals).
PDF, Print, Hero Lab, Realm Works, and Fantasy Grounds!
For those of you who are fans of Hero Lab, Realm Works, and Fantasy Grounds we’ve got some amazing backer goals which everyone gets by pledging for a copy of this amazing book. Sure to be a classic and weirder, more insidious companions to your core books– Underworld Races & Classes Kickstarter awaits you!
Help us make this project a reality- there’s only 6 days left to pledge!
Welcome, friends, to my library. Once just my workplace, it’s now my greatest treasure. To introduce myself, I am Acanthus, this region’s foremost sage.
The Past
Over the years since King Tokolvor expanded the Klavek kingdom, I’ve helped adventurers, merchants, and travelers alike gather vital information. Whether about where they’re going, who and what they’ll encounter, or how to deal with all three, I’ve been there. As fine a collection of views, thoughts and facts as exists in all Klavek is upon my scrollshelves and bookcases. Perhaps nothing rivals it in all Aventyr, but that is for others to decide!
The Present
However, now I’ve made my own fortune and live an easy life, I intend to share it all. What I know to be true, surmise to be broadly correct, am in the process of clarifying, and imagine is worth further investigation, will become yours. Topics will be wide, allowing interested parties to gain insights wondrous and delightful, amazing and awe-inspiring, and hopefully entertaining. They’ll be worthy of a pipe of tobacco at a campfire, if not a meal at a prince’s table, during their retelling.
Welcome to the Future
Of course, I’ll take commissions, and happily dig into my resources, giving you my opinions on any and all topics. But remember, what you hear and read in my reports may set your feet inching, heart pumping, and mind racing. Far horizons and distant adventures are yours to discover when you know where to look. For what is a visit to a sage if not the key to the locked chest of unexpected but great rewards!
So, my friends, I await word from you with regard to your questions and queries. Until then, I’ll make my thoughts available on myriad subjects whenever something interesting comes my way. Good fortune to you all!
We have soared far past the initial goal (funding on the first day!) and are trying to push beyond every fantastic stretch goal before the pledging period ends. The video preview below shows what’s in store, but only for a small portion of the book—funding has gone so phenomenally well that the number of monsters within far exceeds what you see on these pages!
Not convinced?
Skeptical of what sorts of beasts you’ll get for your buck?
Want a closer look at the goods so you know you’re getting the highest quality bestiary this side of the Paizo golem?
There’s a FREE Preview PDF of the Aventyr Bestiary right here [for folks that prefer: DriveThruRPG.com link]!
When we’re past 400 Backers new cover artwork by the esteemed Raven Minumara is unlocked and there are still stretch goals for BrianBerg of TPK Games, Jason Nelson of Legendary Games, Owen K.C. Stephens of Rogue Genius/Green Ronin/Paizo, and Wolfgang Baur of Kobold Press—all designing brand new creatures to go with the other monsters we unlock!!!
Replacement Hat Trap CR 7 Type magic; Perception DC 31; Disable Device DC 31 Trigger touch; Reset none Effect spell effect (geas/quest compels the target to replace the touched hat with a brand new, exact replica)
A particular zwerc loved his hats and hated the thought of anyone touching them—or, Amber Roads forbid, wearing them. After having too many chapeaus spoiled by the prying fingers of well-meaning but clueless guests, he came up with a clever solution: the replacement hat trap. By taking a few of his favorite hats and casting geas/quest on them, anyone that even touched one of his hats immediately became compelled to replace it with an exact replica (ensuring that, at least, his finery wouldn’t be soiled by others). Every now and then a replacement hat trap appears; no one knows exactly how they get there, but rumors abound revolving around ancient dwarven spirits, hat gods, and even more outlandish explanations.
We are excited to tell you that AdventureAWeek.com has been nominated for the 2015 ENnie award for Best Website! Please take a moment out of your day to visit the ENnies website and vote for us (make sure to select 1 to mark us as your favorite!).
If you’re also a NERDTREK reader (another website many of the AAW Games crew take part in) that’s nominated for Best Blog and we encourage you to vote not only in that category, but all of the 2015 ENnies!
Thanks for reading and casting your vote! POLLS CLOSE TODAY so get your ballot in now!!!
DESCRIPTION This tartan woolen cap is woven in a cylindrical fashion and darted into six equal sections cinched by a wide leather headband. The center of the crown is topped by a shaggy pom-pon toorie. The fabric of the cap seams soiled and greasy to the touch, and emits the stench of stagnant sweat accented by the musky odor of mildew.
An infested tam o’shanter provides no magical effect directly to its wearer. Instead, the curious cap creates and provides a home for magical vermin called mystic lice.
A newly discovered infested tam o’shanter is inhabited by 2 mystic lice, and another 1d2 appear inside it every 24 hours that the cap is worn by a user. An infested tam o’shanter can house up to a maximum of 10 mystic lice at once. Each day when determining how many new mystic lice appear in the cap (or at the beginning of each day if the cap already contains the maximum number of mystic lice), the wearer must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the number of mystic lice living in the cap) or suffer an insatiable itching effect and the staggered condition for 1d4 hours. The daily check for new lice and the subsequent saving throw can only be bypassed by removing the cap for 24 hours.
The lice within an infested tam o’shanter can be eaten to activate a random magical effect. Plucking a mystic louse from the cap requires a standard action. Once plucked, a mystic louse can be given to another for consumption; however, a mystic louse can only survive outside an infested tam o’shanter for 1 hour and once plucked, a mystic louse cannot be returned to the cap. When housed in an infested tam o’shanter, a mystic louse is completely protected (when removed treat it as a CR 0 N diminutive vermin with 1 hp).
Random Mystic Louse Effects: 1d6 Effects
1 Consumed louse acts as a single transmuted berry fromgoodberry 2 User gainsguidance (CL 1st) on their next Fortitude saving throw
3 Air bubble (CL 1st) appears around user’s head
4 User gainsant haul (CL 1st)
5 User gainsfirebelly (CL 1st)
6 Consumed louse providescure light wounds (CL 1st) to user
Choking it down… If a user eating a mystic louse has a Constitution score of 16 or higher, or if their character backstory explicitly states that they were raised in a subterranean environment, consuming the magical vermin requires little effort and the random magical effect is automatically activated. Otherwise, the creature eating the louse must make a Fortitude save (DC 9 + the number that was rolled to determine the random magic effect). On a failed save, no magic effect takes place and the character becomes nauseated and sickened for 1d4 rounds. If the saving throw is successful, there are no ill effects and the random magic effect is activated.
An infested tam o’shanter exposed to 3 hours of continuous, vigorous washing in soap and water has its magic destroyed, leaving behind only a very fine hat.
CONSTRUCTION Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, air bubble, ant haul, cure light wounds, firebelly, goodberry, guidance, summon swarm; Cost 2,750 gp
We are excited to tell you that AdventureAWeek.com has been nominated for the 2015 ENnie award for Best Website! Please take a moment out of your day to visit the ENnies website and vote for us (make sure to select 1 to mark us as your favorite!).
If you’re also a NERDTREK reader (another website many of the AAW Games crew take part in) that’s nominated for Best Blog and we encourage you to vote not only in that category, but all of the 2015 ENnies!
Thanks for reading and casting your vote! The polls close TOMORROW!
wondrous and delightful, amazing and awe-inspiring, and hopefully entertaining. They’ll be worthy of a pipe of tobacco at a campfire, if not a meal at a prince’s table, during their retelling.
Replacement Hat Trap CR 7
Infested Tam O’Shanter
Choking it down…