Sister Saren and WotC

A few weeks ago I reviewed Three Curses For Sister Saren and today I want to talk about how I'd include them in a few official WotC settings.

Forgotten Realms

In the Realms I'd place the adventure on the eastern side of the High Forest, near the Grey Peaks. This area is isolated enough. The Makers were probably a group of ancient Netherese wizards. They could also be elven and have ties to Hellgate Keep. Not sure why, but the clergy give me Helm vibes. I think this also works because he's a LN god which means he could grant spells to an evil follower (who thought they were working for the greater good). 

Adventure Hooks

• A member of the Emerald Enclave could be asked to investigate the the corruption of nature in the area.
• The Order of the Gauntlet want the land to be cleansed of evil and could seen a pc agent to the are to help with that.
• A Harper could get word of a dangerous relic found in the ruins and travel to the valley with their party. They seek to retrieve it and stop it from getting into the wrong hands.
• A Zhentarim agent could be said wrong hands. The ancient relic could be a nice piece of leverage or useful tool.
• The Lords Alliance send agents to investigate after shipments of lumber don't arrive. This is the "My Shipment is Over Three Weeks Late!" hook in the book. The "Something Strange... and Dark... is Afoot in Crow's Rest" is also an appropriate hook for members of the Lord's Alliance or Order of the Gauntlet.

Eberron

I think this adventure fits in perfectly with the vibes and such of Eberron. Ancient empires and ruins dot the land. The Makers could have been one of these. Geographically I would set this adventure in northern Aundair. Place it north of  Starpeaks. The Whisper Wood and Whisper Rock would be  the perfect place for Crow's Rest. After the Last War, bandits definitely tried to take advantage of citizens and Crow's Rest could have been a target. While you have to change the overall geography a bit, this location is off the beaten path and works nicely. The Whisper Woods and Whisper Rock are thought to contain ancient ruins dating back to the time of the Dhakaani Empire. There could even be ties back to the Age of Demons. The other reason I chose this location is its proximity to Thrane. The Silver Flame faithful of that nation are perfect for the clergy that sacrificed Sister Saren. Zig and his cousins could be travelers from the lands of Draoamm. 

Adventure Hooks

• The party's patron here's rumors that one of the Lords of Dusk has taken interest in the area and sends them to investigate.
• If any of the characters are connect to the Church of the Silver Flame they may be called on to check in on Father Albrecht.
• News of the library ruins have reached the ears of House Sivis. The house of scribes hires the party survey the ruins for them.

Exandria

You could use the adventure with little changes in Tal'Dorei or in the northern part of the of the Dwendalian Empire. Those are the boring choices though. I thought I'd spice it up and talk about how to place it somewhere else. This adventure definitely makes sense in the nation of Xhorus. In particular the intelligent and polite ogres seem like citizens of that land. Additionally it is a land of ancient demon haunted ruins. Perhaps the Makers were tied to the Betrayer Gods. It makes a lot of sense to me. Honestly the biggest change this would involve is making the citizens of Crow's Rest be from various humanoid races, rather than standard humans and demihumans. You'd also need to make the Blackheart's a rogue tribe that doesn't follow the Luxon. The Clergy and Sister Seren could be followers of the Luxon, though the clerics have fallen. Perhaps they are granted powers by the Whispered One now.  If you make them followers of the Luxon, I'd make them all drow. 

Adventure Hooks

• A  pc follower of the Luxon has troubling dreams that lead them and their friends to the valley.
• Members of the Kryn Dynasty haven't heard from the settlement of Crows' Nest recently and send the party to investigate on their behalf.

Glimmering Crypt of the Ioun King and WotC

 I've already reviewed Glimmering Crypt of the Ioun King, but now I want to discuss what I would to make it feel at home in established Wizards of the Coast settings (as I've done with all other Planet X Games adventures).

Eberron

The Ioun King's tomb can be placed anywhere in Eberron. Levi's description of the deepearth fits perfectly into the aberrant madness involved in Eberron's take on the Underdark, the Khyber. The creatures on the cover look like dolgaunts. These creatures and dolgrim added to the random encounter mix make the adventure feel more Eberron-esque. Also making the glimmering crypt a source of khyber dragonshards makes a lot of sense.

Perhaps the Hatecant is some sort of corruption of the Mark of Scribing. If you decide to go this route, then making Dvar a gnome of House Sivis, rather than a dwarf makes a lot of sense. The other option with the origin of the Hatecant is to make it some sort of ancient and living offshoot of the Draconic Prophesy. The Hatecant also probably has something in common with the living spells the plague Eberron.

Forgotten Realms

I'd place the adventure in the Underdark along the Sword Coast. Dvar's native kingdom could be Mithral Hall. The adventure would be a great tie in to Candlekeep Mysteries. While the Ioun King wasn't famous, his mission and origins could definitely be tied to Candlekeep. Special attention should be paid to the Tome of Devouring Spells. Should this book be brought into Candlekeep, it could be devastating to some of the scribes and visitors. 

Being an ancient magical evil, the Hatecant is probably a holdover from the ancient Empire of Netheril. It could also be some sort of former herald/servant of Mystara. Finally, the Hatecant could be tied to Halaster the Black. the Made Mage of Undermountain. Honestly, any of these make sense and make the antagonist feel like a natural part of the realms. 

Exandria

Honestly, like Eberron, there isn't really a bad spot to place the crypt. I can't think of too much you need to do to make this feel more Exandria-like. The Order of the Cobalt Soul would have some interest. The Candlekeep ideas mentioned in the Forgotten Realms ideas above could be carried over here. I think the Hatecant could have ties to Vecna, the Whispering Tyrant. Perhaps the Hatecant is a part of Vecna's essence when he was mortal or could even be a part of him that separated with the lich ascended to godhood. 

Escape From Skullcano Island and WOTC

Now that I've reviewed Escape from Skullcano Island, I wanted to talk about how you could customize it for use with established Wizards of the Coast settings, just like I did with An Occurrence at Howling Crater, The Horror Out of Hagsjaw, and Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride. 

Eberron

I think the first step to making Escape From Skullcano Island feel like it belongs in Eberron is to tie it in to the impenetrable  Draconic Prophesy. 

There are many options for Ornthalis of the Seven and One Omens. There are many options for who he is. Here are my favorite suggestions:

• While known to the world as Ornathilis, the great prophet and sage is actually Sora Teraza (page 201 of Eberron: Rising of the Last War), daughter of the ancient night hag Sora Kell. Teraza is known for her powers of divination.
• Ornathalis is an ageless half-orc druid and member of the Gatekeepers. Though he appears to be a fit man in his early 30's, he dresses in a simple spun tunic, and speaks slowly and methodically.
• Ornathalis is a a fiery missionary of the Church of the Silver Flame. He dresses immaculately and goes from calm and composed to fiery at the drop of a hat, just like the best televangelists. 
• Ornathalis is a deathless elf from Aerenal.  The archmage is  thousands of years old and a former paramour of Lady Vol, last bearer of the Dragonmark of Death. 

The Doomsayers of Krak-Thuul are a Cult of the Dragon Below. Their madness and goals give them a lot in common with the various groups and it's just a great fit. However, not all of the Daelkyr want to see the world burn quite like the Doomsayers, so it's possible that one of them passed the information of the group to Ornathalis. This definitely fits with the moral ambiguity common in the setting. 

Geographically, I'd put Skullcano Island somewhere in the Thunder Sea between Xen'drik and Argonnessen. Somewhere in the Lhazaar Sea between Argonessen and Sarlona would be appropriate too. Being a mysterious place of power, the island should be littered with dragon shards. Members of House Cannith should salivate at the sight of Mecha-Kaiju. You can also beef up the island's cultists and give them a Eberron feel by giving some of them Aberrant Dragonmarks (bonus points if they have the appearance of the various kaiju).

Forgotten Realms

The first change I would make to make the adventure feel more like a classic Realms adventure is replace Ornthalis of the Seven and One Omens, with Elminster the Sage of Shadowdale. Ed Greenwood's stand-in for himself has been a part of nearly every major Forgotten Realms event, and should be a part of it's potential end. The Sage would definitely be aware and concerned with what's going on, but would have the party investigate because he would be too busy with damage control from all of the catastrophic events happening. 

The Doomsayers are from the same realm and could serve Dendar the Night Serpent. Given her nature as the Eater of Worlds, they could even be her spawn. 

Geographically if you want to keep it closer to the more common Realms, I'd place Skullcano Island in the Great Sea between Faerun and Zakhara. If you want to go for more of a Skull Island South Pacific vibe, I'd say place it South East of Kara-Tur.

Exandria

The Doomsayers are definitely servants of Tharzidun, the Chained Oblivion. Their mission on the island would bring about the Epoch of Ends, bringing its fredom and causing Exandria and all life in it to be consumed by its endless hunger for oblivion. 

Tying the Doomsayers to Tharzidun means Ornthalis makes a perfect follower of Ioun, the Knowing Mentor (since a group of his followers focus their lives on keeping the entity imprisoned). I'd tie him into one of the factions. On Tal'Dorei he is an ally of the Tald'Dorei Council. The Library of the Cobalt Soul is a great choice for Wildemount, unless the characters are a part of the Kryn Dynasty (which means he could be a drow, goblinoid, or some typically monstrous race that serves the Light).  

Geographically, Skullcano is in the Lucidian Ocean, south of Tal'Dorei and Wildmount. While the area has been described in much detail, Skullcano Island could be a part of Shattered Teeth.

Dark Tides of Bilgewater

Howdy folks,

I've not been blogging much recently, because I've not been in the best mental state. Recent political and social events have exacerbated that. I'm keeping on though. It's a struggle sometimes, but I'm still here. Okay, that personal update aside, here's some awesome new content from D&D Beyond.

The original content has been taken down because the licensing agreement with Riot Games ended, but I've linked a compilation pdf someone made here.

Dark Tides of Bilgewater is a mini-setting that takes place in the world of League of Legends/Legends of Runeterra. It's a pirate city and wretched hive of scum and villainy. The setting includes three new archetypes:

• Path of the Depths - This barbarian path is for those that have experienced the crushing weight of the sea and been changed by it. The path is really cool, giving you a swim speed and the ability to breath underwater. As you level up your body further adapts and changes to suit aquatic life
• Renegade - This fighter archetype lets you play a sly and dashing warrior with swagger in abundance. It gives you some rogue skills and gunfighting ability. It also includes gun tinkering rules and upgrades.
• Wild Card - The rogue archetype allows you to twist fate and is perfect for silver tongue gamblers.

In addition to the archetypes, the setting includes an adventure, 6 monsters, 3 npcs, and 7 magic items. One humanoid described is the turtle-like ironbacks. I'd just make these a warrior off-shoot of the Tortle race.

I know that this is just promotion for another game, but this is quality content and I'd love to see more things like this. I figured I'd end with how I'd use this in established settings.

Eberron 

Honestly this can be used as is in Eberron. I'd place Bilgewater on the coast of or near Xen'drik. That seems like the perfect spot for it.

Exandria

Bilgewater sounds just like Darktow Isle to me (except the Plank King still reigns). I'd just merge the two. Ignore Bilgewater's lore where it doesn't suit you. Honestly this mini-setting is wonderful for anyone with characters in the Revelry. 

Forgotten Realms

Bilgewater can either be the a part o the Pirate Isles in the Sea of Fallen Stars or you can put them somewhere off the Sword Coast. Putting it near Chult would also be an excellent spot. 

Howling Crater and WotC

As I mentioned in my review, I think An Occurrence at Howling Crater is a serious contender for best adventure of 2020. If you'd like to ow  it, you have two options. You can get the pdf here. If you'd like a physical copy I'm sure you could send a message to Planet X Games Facebook page and find out if they have any available.

Much like I did with Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride, I've decided to take this adventure and give my recommendations for incorporating it into WotC's big three settings: Eberron, Forgotten Realms, and Exandria/Critical Role.

Eberron
While there are several places you could place Howling Crater on Khorvaire, I think the most interesting would be Thrane. Obadiah Wotts has become a twisted holy man and that works great in the theocracy of Thrane. Perhaps Wotts and his clan see mutating radiation of the ship the true Silver Flame. Maybe they see the main church as heretics. Including these ideas really makes the adventure fit into the Eberron setting better.

Another thing to think about is how the artificers of House Cannith would view the technology of the crashed ship. I think they would seek it out and try to reverse engineer it with their magic.

Adventure Hooks

• House Cannith, not wanting to risk their own in the dangerous crater, have enlisted the party to gather the strange technology from Howling Crater. 
• A strange sickness is affecting communities near the crater. Is it possible that the magic that plagues the Mournlands has infected the crater and surrounding areas?!
• The Church of the Silver Flame has received reports of violent heretics. They recruit the party to investigate the reports and put down the false believers, if necessary. 

Forgotten Realms

I'd place Howling Crater on the Sword Coast within a week's travel of Phandalin (the main hub of both the 5e Starter Set and Essentials Kit). The hills near the Swords Mountains between the High Road and Long Road. In the Realms, the degenerate Wotts Clan originally inhabited the Neverwinter Woods before vile patriarch moved the clan to the crater.

Adventure Hooks

• The depredations have gained the attention of the various factions in the North (even the self-serving Zhentarim) and they must be stopped by any means necessary. You can further tailor this to factions presented in your party. The crater is a blight that the Emerald Enclave would love to see cleansed. It's presence affects the stability of communities and the Lord's Alliance can't have that. The Order of the Gauntlet can't let such a foul place go unchecked. The Harpers basically agree with the previous factions, plus a Harper agent could go missing while investigation the crater. Finally, the Zhent don't like the disruption to trade the Wotts cause.  
• Word of strange technology in the crater has spread. The nation of Lantan, followers of Gond the Wonderbringer are definitely interested. This could also draw in their allies, the drow of Bregan D'aerthe. 

Exandria

On Wildemount, the Dwendalian Empire is the perfect place for the crater. I'd place it in southwest part of the Marrow Valley (maybe near the Ashkeeper Peaks). If you want to make it a colder wasteland you could also place it in the norther, near the tribes of Shadycreek Run. These options works best if you want to keep the Wotts Clan human. If your game is set in the Kryn Dynasty, I'd make the family mutant orcs.

A great way to explain why nothing has been about Howling Crater until this point is have the common believe that the crater was created by the divine clashes of the Calamity. Of course it wasn't, but the threat of divine magic unchecked and unholy abominations would definitely keep folks from exploring it.

Adventure Hooks

• Dwendalian Empire -The crater mutants' actions have begun to affect nearby community in the Empire. With the war against the Kryn going on, soldier can't be dispatched to deal with them. A starosta has hired the party to investigate.
• Dwendalian Empire -The strange machines of the crater are of interest to the gnomes of Hupperdook. Could this technology be incorporated into war machines for use against the Kryn?
• Kryn Dynasty - An unruly clan of strange orcs have been disrupting war effort with the depredations. They have been targeting members of the faith of the Luxon. This cannot stand.

The Horror Out of Hagsjaw and WotC

Yesterday I posted my review of The Horror Out of Hagsjaw. Today I’m going to talk about how to use it in my favorite WotC settings (like I did with Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride).

The first (minor but interesting) thing I would do to modify the adventure is to have Wotts be a name mentioned in the town (or at least in the graveyard). While this doesn’t connect the adventure to any particular campaign, it does make a nice (minor) tie to An Occurrence At Howling Crater.

Eberron 
Honestly this adventure makes sense in nearly any nation in Khorvaire. That being said, I really like the idea of setting it in the Theocracy of Thrane. If you do so, putting Hagsjaw in the Burnt Wood near the Mournland makes a lot of sense. Instead of replacing Sefagreth with a specific deity use the pantheon of the Sovereign Host or Silver Flame (if you decide to set the adventure in Thrane. You can replace the Cult of Shub-Niggurath with the Devourer or even better, make Shub-Niggurath his otherworldly bride. If you make those little changes, the adventure will mesh seamlessly into an Eberron campaign.

Forgotten Realms

Since most of the Forgotten Realms adventures in 5e take place along the Sword Coast, I’m going to stick to that here. While Hagsjaw could be anywhere, I’d place it in the High Forest or the Lurkwood. This puts it less than a week from Phandalan (the hub of the Starter Set and Essentials Kit). Torm or Tyr (or the Triad as a whole) make a great substitute for Sefagreth. Use Shub-Niggurath or replace her with the Malar.

Faction Hooks

Harpers - An elder Harper calls in a favor to have the party check on an old friend in Hagsjaw (maybe Ol Jeb or one of the random chart residents).
Order of the Gauntlet - Obviously something evil stirs in the wood and brave agents of the Order must defeat it,
Emerald Enclave - The Enclave seeks balance between nature and civilization and something is disrupting that near Hagsjaw. Rumors of a darker power retaking hold has reached the ears of the hierophants.
Lords’ Alliance - Rumors of commerce coming back to Hagsjaw has the Alliance interested. Is the community worth saving and bringing into the fold? It’s up to the party to find out.
Zhentarim - A contact of the Black Network in Hagsjaw has recently gone silent. They were speaking of trade returning to the fallen village and the Zhent would love to establish a true foothold in the region before the Lords’ Alliance if it would be profitable.  

Exandria
Hagsjaw makes the most sense being a part of the Pearlbow Wilderness. It can either be a border town of the Dwendalian Empire or a small community of the tribes of Shadycreek Run. Segagareth could be replaced with Erathis the Law Bringer. The Far Realms interact with Exandria so you can keep Shub-Niggurath as is, or she could be connected to Ceratos. Another interesting idea is to have her be an aspect or powerful agent of the Wild Mother, corrupted by the Far Realm. If you want to have campaign specific plot hooks I would have spy of the Empire or ally of one of the Shady Creek tribes dwell in Hagsjaw. Either have important information or have gone missing. 

The Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride and WotC

Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride is an outstanding adventure and one of my favorite 5e releases. I decided to take the adventure and discuss how to use it with the three established 5e D&D settings I know best.

Eberron
There’s really no question about the best spot in Eberron for this adventure. The mysterious continent of Xen’Drik has numerous ruins dotting its immense jungle. The Mummy Bride and cannibals make perfect antagonists for the pulpy adventures there. I would change the humanoids to drow, since they are the primary inhabitants of Xen’Drik (other than giants). While the drow there aren’t typical evil drow, there could easily be decadent tribes among the race.  Give the cannibals the following adjustments:

Fey Ancestry: advantage on saves vs. charm, immunity to sleep magic

Innate Spellcasting (spell save DC 11)
At Will: Dancing Lights
1/day each: Faeire Fire, Darkness

Sunlight Sensitivity
In the sunlight, drow have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. Note: The dense jungle protects them from this most of the time.

Adventure Hooks

• The party’s ship or airship has been grounded near the tomb. Hearing rumors, they believe there is magic there that can help them repair it and go home.
• The University of Wynarn or Morgrave University send the party as part of an expedition to a newly discovered elven ruin. 
• A member of a Dragonmarked house has gone missing  exploring Xen’drik and his family want him found. 

Forgotten Realms

Honestly, the adventure can be used with little change in the Realms. The obvious place to place the jungle temple is Chult. It could be a location you add to Tomb of Annihilation. The setting already has undead and dinosaurs. However, if you want something a little different, I’d place it in far off Maztica. I got a Central and South American vibe from Jungle Tomb and Maztica is the Forgotten Realms equivalent of those places. It also makes the place more mysterious. 

Adventure Hooks

• The party are friends with Volo. They hear news that he’s gone missing and the last time anyone heard from him he mentioned exploring a lost pyramid. This plot hook works really well if you’re running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.
• Something is disrupting trade with Port Nyanzaru and the Merchant Princes hire the party to investigate. 
• The party is payed handsomely to be a part of an Amnian merchant’s trade expedition to fabled Maztica.

Exandria

In the Critical Role world, the jungle is based placed on a large island in the Lucidian Ocean between Tal’Dorei and Wildemount. This makes it accessible to both campaign books set in Exandria. I think I would put it somewhere not too far from the Menagerie Coast, but still a distance from trade routes. The dark gods and spirits the Mummy Bride is bound to could be betrayer gods (such as Zehir, Torog,  Vecna, or Tharizdun) or lesser idols like the Arms of the Betrayers, Ceratos, Desirat, or Uk’otoa).  

Adventure Hooks

• The Revelry - One of the Plank King’s favorite captains has gone missing and he offers a reward for their return. Not only does the party have to deal with the jungle and it’s dangers, but they also have to deal with rival pirates.
• Clovis Concord - Rumors of the jungle riches have reached a powerful merchant. They hire the party to investigate and offer them a percentage of the find.
• Kryn Dynasty - Bright Queen Leylas Kryn has had a vision of the Luxon in a distant tropical island. With her forces at war with the Dwendalian Empire, she sends the party to investigate.  

If you want the pdf of the adventure you can snag it from DriveThruRPG. If you want a print copy, you can message the Planet X Games Facebook page and ask if they have any left. 

Eberron Campaign Ideas

I don't own my own it yet, but the copy of Eberron: Rising From the Last War I requested from the library came in today. While I've only skimmed it, I really like what I see. Unlike previous 5e books, this one really is a campaign setting. I've been talking with a few folks and will hopefully have a 5e group again early next year. If that happens, I will be diving into Eberron.

While I haven't thought about the group's benefactor or things like that yet, I already have some ideas on what I want to use and how I want to include it into the setting.

A shipwreck (possibly even an airship crash) will see the low level party stranded on Swordfish Islands. The crystals being mined there are rare dragon shards. The mercenary company there will be one of the Dragonmarked houses and I think the Night Ogres might originally be from Droaam. The decadent elves can easily been a group that left Xen'Drik in a past age.

Speaking of Xen'Drik, that's the perfect place for the Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride. Since the drow are the main native humanoid/demihuman population on that island, the cannibal tribesman will be degenerate drow, who turned to demons and such to keep themselves safe from giants.

I'm still deciding where I should put the Howling Crater. I think I might place it in Breland not too far from the Mournlands. Obadiah and his kin moved into the crater during the Last War. Because of the blood shed and devestation of the Mourning, deaths related to it weren't heavily investigated. I think the hook I'll use will involve the mutants tainting nearby water sources and the pc's investigating the Howling Crater out of fear that the Mournlands are growing and that being the cause of the sickness. A part of me has also thought about putting the crater in Thrane. Given the theocratic nature of Thrane, I kind of like the idea of Obadiah being formerly associated with the Church of the Silver Flame.

As far as non-adventure specific things I want to include Siegeball into the campaign. I think it makes since for a sport to gain popularity. Without the war, citizens need something to take pride in. Even if pc's don't want to be players, I think Eberron has room for a game like Siegeball. Also, after watching a few episodes of Droaam & Defiance, I definitely think professional wrestling has a place in Eberron too.

Magical Industrial Revolution

Magical Industrial Revolution is a pre-apocalyptic setting guide. While written to be compatible with 5e, it's definitely designed with old school games in mind. Written by Skerples, layout by David Shugars, and fulfillment and shipping by Exalted Funeral, this project is only live for a few weeks and has already doubled it's funding goal in just a few days. The book is already written and should be released in October, which means an extremely quick turn around. Shown below is the unnumbered table of contents.

The art and setting looks really cool. Even if you don't run it as is, you could easily pull from this to add to a something like Eberron.