New Figures: Reaper, Dwarven Forge, and others

Here's pictures of a couple of figures I painted last night.

The armored lady is Reaper's undead hunter, a figure I got because I loved the pose - very dynamic - and the flames on the sword so much. I feel like I did a good job, but of course my camera doesn't capture it.

And here's one of her backside, since we all love a lady's backside.  Seriously though, I like this figure because she's in full armor instead of a chainmail bikini.  Another part of me is happy that they left a generous amount of cleavage showing through a low neckline on the breastplate.  I'm complicated like that.

The spider is another Reaper figure, and the paintjob on it was pretty perfunctory.  Sometimes it's nice to not care too much how a figure turns out.  I just need painted spiders to throw at the players every so often.  Now my monster collection is that much closer to being complete!

The third guy is some type of space-centurion one of my friends gave me.  Not sure who made him.  I'm having fun painting him blue-green and purple with white details.  He just has his base coat and a blackwash on him at this point.

I also received a box from Dwarven Forge last night, and we used the dungeon furniture I got in the game. I was suprised at how quickly the figures arrived. I also got a whole mess of pre-painted skeletons for half price. Not bad!  I really like how the archers have real string for their bowstrings.  It gives them a nice texture that you don't usually see in archer minis, and of course they came pre-painted which I appreciate in large mobs like this.  Also, they are cast from a nice hard plastic and so aren't deformed or bent like Reaper's pre-painted plastic figures or Wizard's D&D minis.  I'm sure it means they will break instead :)

 Click thumbnail for larger image.

You can see our party enjoying a meal at a table in the background - all the furniture and food are from Dwarven Froge's dungeon & tavern furniture sets.

Gremlins!

Of all the unseliee fey none are better known for causing annoying mischeif then gremlins. Cruel pranksters of the first order, gremlins love to untie knots, steal linchpins, pull stoppers out of drains, or anything else that will cause consternation in their victims. So sneaky are gremlins that their victims usually never see them, only hearing cruel, sniggering laughter as the gremlin's pranks come to fruition.

Gremlins make their homes in caves and caverns, and are found in large numbers in the feywild's underdark.  They live by theft, and usually take food from a target.  If retaliated against they will make a career out of harassing someone with dangerous pranks and sabotage.

Gremlins - Level 2 Lurker
small fey humanoid - XP125
Initiative +6 Senses darkvision, Perception +3
HP 25 Bloodied 12
AC 15  Fortitude 12   Reflex 16   Will 13
Speed 6

Powers
Dagger (At-Will, Standard, melee 1)
+6 vs AC, 1d4-1 damage.

Steal (At-Will, Standard, only usable while invisible)
Younk!
+6 vs Reflex (note: Gremlin will usually have combat advantage while making this attack)
Hit: the gremlin has stolen a small piece of non-held equipment, such as a purse or a loaf of bread, from the target without being noticed.  If the target is aware of the Gremlin's presence they take a -10 on this check.
Special: if the gremlin misses by 5 or more the target notices the attempted theft.

Sneak (At-Will, Standard)
As stealthy as a kitten in mittens, the gremlins tiptoe towards their victims.
The gremlin becomes invisible until the end of its next turn.

Disappear (At-Will, Immediate Interrupt, when attacked)
You raise your weapon to strike the horrid little thing, only to find it is no longer there!
The gremlin becomes invisible until the beginning of its next turn and teleports 2.

Alignment Evil - Languages Elven, Common
Skills Acrobatics +11   Stealth +11  Theivery +11
Str 8  Dex 20  Wis 14
Con 13  Int 12  Cha 6
Equipment leather clothes, dagger


Tactics
Gremlins who come upon adventurers will often sneak up on them and steal all of their food, though they may instead take an object that the heroes consider especially important or valuable, such as a quest item.  Usually this happens during several surprise rounds, since the gremlins are so stealthy.  This can then lead to a rollicking chase, perhaps culminating in a challenge of riddles or some other such frustrating confrontation.
Gremlins will never simply attack someone.  They would rather set a trap or, better still, sabotage their victim's equipment and watch them die as a result.  Climbing kits and ropes are favorite targets for this treatment.
As cowardly as they are cruel, gremlins will never stand and fight.  If somehow cornered or caught they will bite and scratch desperately to try to escape, and may plead for their lives if unable to do so.

Gremlin Lore
The following can be recalled with a successful Arcana check of the following DCs:
DC 15 - That horrid little madly grinning goblin is a Gremlin, awful pranksters from the faerie lands.
DC 20 - Gremlins like to steal and sabotage things, and can disappear at will.

Ale Break: 24 Hours in Faerun

Update: more OwlCon photos available here!

I just spent 24 hours in the Forgotten Realms, and boy am I tired!

This weekend Steve and I packed up our PHBs and trekked on over to Houston for OwlCon 2010.  We left early Friday because I wanted to play some D&D, actually I wanted to play a lot of D&D, and I got what I wanted!

When we got to Rice University, where OwlCon is put on, we were really pleased at how well organized everything was.  Steve had the foresight to book a hotel just a few blocks from campus, so every day started and ended with a nice walk across their stately campus to the buildings where the games were.  Inside, we got our packets, peeked into the exhibit hall, noting the Battletech Pods with excitement, and made our way over the the building where the RPGA games were held.

Now, in my experience, with the exception of GenCon, RPGA is the red-headed stepchild of convention events.  That is to say the RPGA events tend to get shuffled off to a corner of the convention, and I usually get the impression that the convention organizers either don't really care too much about them, or, at some historical-miniatures-focused conventions I could name, seem downright hostile towards them.

OwlCon was different.  When we arrived at the nice large room the RPGA events were in there were plenty of comfortable chairs and large tables.  I was directed to the Houston RPGA organizer and right away started to have my socks blown off.  My pre-registeration on Warhorn was indicated on his printout of all the weekend's games, he directed me to the GM for my game, and we sat down and started playing.  We didn't have to stand around for an hour trying to muster, we didn't have to fight other players for a GM, we just showed up and started playing.  Pow.

And that was just the start.  On Saturday the morning slot started at 10 AM instead of 8 AM as you usually see at a con.  That meant we got a good night's sleep and didn't have to rush breakfast or run like mad to catch our games.  Steve headed off to play some Advanced Civ and Rail Baron, while I put on my dragon-skull helmet and headed back to Ferun for more bloody fun.

As a side-note, I've always been a Greyhawk fan, and was a little disappointed to see it replaced by Forgotten Realms by WoTC.  But I really liked the stories that they ran this weekend.  The organizers had put a lot of work into the scenarios and it showed.  The adventures dove-tailed into each other and after an adventure or two you really had the impression that you were in a living setting where your actions would have an effect on what was ahead.  They even played a round where the player's success or failure at the other tables affected what was happening at the other tables.

After my elven barbarian got his ass handed to him by were-rats (actually, a total party kill) the organizers went around and got sandwich orders from everyone from the campus deli.  30 Minutes later lunch arrived.  That meant we didn't have to rush to wrap up our game, run off to find some lunch, and run back to make the next slot.  This convention had a very atypical relaxation component to it that I could really get used to.  I pretty much couldn't believe it.

After the third slot of the day finished at midnight we strolled over to the dealers room, perused the wares on display, and played a round of the Battletech PODS, which I had never had a chance to try before.  It was every bit as fun as I imagined it would be.  I was once again impressed by the fact that the dealer's room didn't close up at 7pm or so as is typical at conventions I've been to.  Usually, even at GenCon, I have to decide between playing a game or skipping something to shop at the dealer's room.  Not so at OwlCon.

Sunday followed Saturday's great lead with more of the same: friendly, if tired, GMs and players playing two more slots of RPGA events.  At the end of the weekend my elf was 3rd level, I was tired and satisfied, but not frazled or exhausted as is ofter the case after a con, and we headed on home to Austin.  We had met a bunch of great players and GMs from all over, and we had hit the monsters until the gold came out.

I'm already looking forward to OwlCon 2011.  Thanks for a great time, guys!

River Dragon, Elder

These cruel river dragons crawl from their wet shells an icy blue color highlighted by tiny white spines in rows along their backs and limbs. Their long sinuous bodies are powerfully muscled making them excellent swimmers. As they age they spend long periods lying amongst the rocks and mud at the bottoms of progressively deeper rivers.  As they do their hides take on the coloration of the river they inhabit, be it mossy, muddy, or rocky as their scales become impregnated with those materials.

River dragons live in rivers; from cold mountain headwaters at young ages, to wide deltas once older. They spend their long lives hiding underwater, controlling currents, overwhelming boats and capriciously drowning people. They tend to bury their hordes in caches and caves they dig at the bottom of their rivers and in cavernous aquifers.

Occasionally, as they age and move slowly from their mountaintop springs to deeper waters, they will encounter another river dragon. When these encounters take place the two dragons will generally fight for dominance and control of the river.  Losers are slain if they cannot escape back upriver.  On the occasions when they are of opposite sexes mating may occur before or after the fight for dominance.  The victor will send the loser upriver to hide the eggs amongst the stones at the springs and headwaters of the river.

River Dragon, Elder✦ Level 16 Solo Controller
Large natural magical beast (dragon, aquatic, cold) ✦ XP 7,000
Initiative +13 ✦ Senses Perception +11; darkvision
HP 628; Bloodied 314
AC 30; Fortitude 28, Reflex 28, Will 28
Resist 10 cold
Saving Throws +5
Speed 4, Swim 9

Action Points 1

Powers
Bite (melee 2; Standard; At-Will)
The dragon lashes out in a spray of water and a flash of teeth, catching its prey and tearing at it.
+21 vs. AC; 2d8 + 7 damage, and the target is grabbed (until escape). Cannot make bite attacks while grabbing a creature this way.  A grabbed creature takes ongoing 10 damage.

Claw (melee 1; Standard; At-Will)
+21 vs. AC; 1d10 + 7 damage.

Tailslap (close blast 3; Standard; At-Will)
+19 vs. Reflex; 2d8 + 7 damage.

Claw / Claw / Bite (Standard; At-Will)
The river dragon can make two claw attacks and a bite attack.

Breath Weapon (close blast 5; standard; recharge 5,6) ✦ Cold
The dragon unleashes a torrent of icy water, overwhelming those caught within.
+19 vs. Reflex; 3d10 + 6 cold damage, and the target is pushed 4 squares.
Miss: half damage.

Maelstrom (area burst 4 within 10; standard; encounter) ✦ Cold
With a flick of its mighty tail, the river dragon creates a freezing whirlpool.
+19 vs Reflex; 3d10 + 6 cold damage, and all affected creatures are immobilized (save ends).
Effect: The maelstrom creates a zone of powerful, frigid eddies.  Any creature that enters or starts their turn in the eddies takes 10 cold damage.

Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied, encounter) ✦ Cold
The dragon's breath weapon recharges automatically, and the dragon uses it immediately.

Frightful Presence (Close burst 10; targets enemies; standard; encounter) ✦ Fear
+19 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dragon’s next turn. Aftereffect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).

Change Shape (minor; at-will) ✦ Polymorph
A river drake can alter its physical form to take on the appearance of any small to huge humanoid, including a unique individual.

Alignment Evil ✦ Languages Draconic, Common
Skills Arcana +17, Bluff +17, Stealth +18
Str 24 (+15) Dex 21 (+13) Wis 16 (+11)
Con 21 (+13) Int 18 (+12) Cha 19 (+12)


Tactics: River dragons are rarely found out of their rivers, and use the water as cover from which to make quick strikes and then disappear.  Often they will create a Maelstrom around them so that those attacking them take ongoing damage.

River Dragon Lore: The following can be learned with an Arcana check:
Arcana DC 10: These aquatic dragons are known to attack anything on their rivers without provocation.
Arcana DC 15: Highly adapted to the cold waters in which they are hatched, these dragons have some resistance to the cold. They can also control the waters of their rivers.
Arcana DC 20: These cruel dragons have the ability to mimic the shapes of people to trick their prey.

Fresco of Entrapment - Variable Level Warder

Powerful magic users will sometimes enchant their fortress's walls with these Frescoes of Entrapment - brightly painted images of guardians with the power to absorb those who touch the walls.

This wall or door is painted with colorful, gilded images of guardians - each unique.

Perception (easy) - the images of warriors are very detailed, and there seems to be little in common among them.
Arcana (easy) - the observer realizes that this is an enchanted wall.  (medium) - the observer understands the nature of the trap.  (hard) the observer gains or can grant a +2 on thievery checks to disable the trap.
Thievery (medium) - the observer can tell that the painted wall stinks of magic and almost seems to pull at you, as though trying to draw you in.  (hard) the observer disables a 5 foot section of the wall by scraping off or covering up the paintings.  Failure on this check results in an attack by the wall.
History (easy) - the images do not seem to depict any historical event or personages that you know of.
Attack - Immediate Reaction, when a creature touches the wall - trap level +2 vs. Will
Hit: the target is stuck to the wall and immobilized (save ends).  A Strength check (DC: hard) can free the target and end the effect.  First failed save - the painted figure the target is touching begins to take on the appearance of the target.  Second failed save - if still touching the wall, the target is absorbed into the painted figure which now looks exactly like a painting of the target.  Once absorbed, a Break Enchantment or similar ritual is required to free the target.

Encounters - brutes who can push and controllers can up the ante of this warder by pushing characters against the wall where they become trapped.  Artillery can be stationed on battlements atop the wall, melee fighters on the field in front of it.

Heroic

• Fresco of Entrapment (level 8 warder)
• Young Chimera (level 8 solo controller)

Paragon

• Fresco of Entrapment (level 13 warder)
• 1 balhannoth (level 13 elite lurker)
• 2 kuo-toa marauders (level 12 skirmisher)
• 2 kuo-toa harpooners (level 14 soldier)

Epic

• Fresco of Entrapment (level  24 warder)
• 2 bluespawn godslayers (level 22 elite brute)
• 1 storm giant (level 24 controller)
  

Sithadel

Sithadel is an elf of the Kitel Woods to the west of the former kingdom of Soguer. There he lives a solitary life in the wilderness hunting the game of the feywild for meat, hides, sinew, bone and teeth. He claims no allegiance to any of the elven houses, though he is not hostile to any of them as a whole. He has a fierce hatred for anything that encroaches on the elven lands, be it orc, goblin, man or dwarf, and has fought all of them both alone and at his elven brethren's sides.

A wild and spontaneous elf, his heart burns with passion for life, whether dancing with fey beneath the open sky, running through the woods after his prey, or standing on a mountaintop watching the sunrise. All these things make his heart swell with joy at creation's raw glory. Not one to plan or analyze, Sithadel acts decisively based on his instincts.

Sithadel ✦ Level 11 Barbarian (Frenzied Berserker)
Medium Natural Elf ✦ XP 600

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Initiative +15 Senses Perception +13
HP 85; Bloodied 42 Healing Surges 8
AC 22 (+5 on full defense or second wind); Fortitude 20, Reflex 20, Will 18
Resist 5 cold and fire
Speed 7

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Attack
+15 longspear, 1d10+8 (+3 when raging, +1d6 when charging)

Features

• Frenzied Blood (when spending an action point to attack, deal half damage on a miss)
  
• Warpath (+2 damage while raging, must attack when starting adjacent to an enemy)
• Feral Might: Swift Charge (Encounter, Free Action - when dropping a target to 0 HP, gain 6 temp HP and charge an enemy, use a healing surge if charge hits)
• Rampage (make a free melee basic after a crit)
  

Powers
At-Will

• Wild Shape
  
• Howling Strike (can use with charge (+2 speed when raging) Str vs AC, 2[w]+str)
  
• Pressing Strike (shift 2, attack Str vs AC, [w]+str (+1d6 while raging), push 1)

Encounter

• Pounce (Beast Form, Can use when charging, Wisdom vs. Reflex, 1d8 + wisdom damage, Target provides combat advantage to the next attack that targets it within 1 turn)
  
• Great Cleave
  
• Hammer Fall
  
• Curtain of Steel
  
• Persistent Frenzy
  

Daily

• Rage Strike (2 / day)
  
• Mace Tail's Rage (3[w] + knock prone, gain 5 temp HP on any hit)
  
• Silver Pheonix Rage (2[w] + ongoing 5 fire, gain regen 3, and can spend a HS when dropped to 0 HP)
  
• White Tiger Rage (2[w] cold damage + immobilized, adjacent enemies are slowed)
  

Utility

• Combat Sprint (move 11 squares)
  
• Instinctive Charge (at start of combat get +5 init, +2 to first attack)
  
• Black Harbinger (wild shape to a tiny raven, fly 7)
  

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Alignment neutral Languages Common
Feats Initiate of the Old Faith (Multiclass Druid), Paragon Defenses, Rageblood Recovery, Improved Initiative, Quickdraw, Deadly Rage (+1 damage when raging), Acolyte Power (Multiclass Utility)
Skills Acrobatics +14, Athletics +15, Nature +13, Perception +13
Str 21 (+10) Dex 18 (+9) Wis 16 (+8)
Con 11 (+5) Int 9 (+4) Cha 11 (+5)

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Equipment: defensive longspear +3 (+3 to defenses on full defense or second wind), wounding longbow +1, pinning dagger +1, elven battle hide armor +2, cloak of survival +2, Bracers of Defense (interrupt - reduce damage or an attack that just hit by 10), Horned Helm (+1d6 damage on a charge), Ironskin Belt (daily - gain resist 5 for 1 turn), Bag of Holding, Parry Gauntlets (+2 defenses on full defense or second wind), 4 potions of healing, 220 gold worth of carved ivory

Heritage Feats

These feats represent mixed ancestry from another race and give your character powers or abilities inherited form their other bloodlines. You can use these feats to represent the arcane tendencies that come from having an eladrin great-grandmother, or the temper from a distant dragon in your family tree.

Characters of any race can take these heritage feats - even from the race that your character already has. When you take a heritage feat from your own race, it represents a particularly strong bloodline that your family has.

Once you take a heritage feat from a particular race, you count as a member of that race for the purposes of meeting prerequisites for that race's racial feats. In this way heritage feats work somewhat like multiclass feats, in that they give your character access to feats they did not already have. Of course, just because you have access to the feat does not mean you can take advantage of it. For example, a little dragonborn heritage does not give a character a breath weapon, so the feats that modify that breath weapon would do nothing for your character.

These feats do not count as prerequisites for racial paragon paths or epic destinies.

All the feats presented below are available to characters in the Heroic tier.

Dragonborn

• Dragonborn Anger - Encounter, Free Action - You receive +1 to your next single attack roll. Usable only when bloodied.
• Dragonborn Recovery - Daily, Free Action - Add your Constitution modifier to the next healing surge you use.
  

Dwarf

• Dwarven Gut - Gain resist 1 poison, and a +2 to saves against ingested poisons.
  

Eladrin

• A Touch of Fey Magic - Your character gains use of the wizard cantrips.
• Roots in Another World - Add +1 to the distance of all your teleports.
  

Elf

• Lively Step - Encounter, Free Action - Add +2 to your move speed until the beginning of your next turn.
• Elven Senses - Gain a +1 to your Perception checks.
  

Half-Elf

• Turn on the Charm - Encounter, Minor Action - Add +2 to your diplomacy or bluff checks for the remainder of this encounter or the next 5 minutes.
  

Halfling

• Just a Little More - Daily, Free Action - Add +1 to one roll that you just failed.
• Big Heart - Receive a +2 racial bonus to saves vs powers with the fear keyword.
  

Human

• Heave Together - When successfully assisting on a skill check, add +3 instead of +2 to the total skill check.
  

Tiefling

• Arcane Blood - Receive a +1 racial bonus to Arcana skill checks.
• Feindish Skin - Gain resist 2 to either cold, poison, electricity, or thunder.
  

Dunheng Side Door

Invented by the dwarves of the Dunheng Kingdoms, these hidden and trapped doors are also used by the gnomes and ice kobolds in the northern reaches of the Stokaraz Mountains.

Dunheng side doors are typically used as a secondary entrance to a dwarven complex, or as the main entrance to a secret area.

For DCs and damage for this variable level trap, refer to the Difficulty Class and Damage by Level chart in the DMG.

Perception: DC (medium): Success - you notice the concealed door.

Looking over the stone cliff face, you notice that an oval, 5 foot high rock leaning against the cliff looks like it might be easy to move.

If the characters open the door, they see the following:

Opening the hidden door, you find that it swings out on hidden metal hinges to reveal a ten foot long, four foot wide passage of worked stone walls with a flagstone floor and a low ceiling. At the far end of the passage stands a stone door.

The door at the end of these hallways is generally locked.

Perception: DC (hard + 2): Success - you notice a small pressure plate under the flagstones.

As you are about to step into the passage you notice that a small flagstone to the side of the passage has no mortar around it. Touching it gingerly, you notice that it moves slightly.

Once a character enters the hallway, they may notice the following:

Perception: DC (hard + 2): Success - you notice the suspended stone block at the end of the passage.

Looking at the low ceiling, you notice that the last 5 feet of the ceiling in this hall has a seam running around it, delineating a 4 foot wide stone square. Closer examination reveals that the seam appears to run up into the ceiling some way.

Perception: DC (hard + 2): Success - you notice a second pressure plate under the flagstones at the end of the passage.

As you are about to proceed to the end of the passage you notice that a large flagstone in the middle of the passage has no mortar around it. Touching it gingerly, you notice that it moves slightly.

How it works - When a character enters the hallway they can disable the trap by standing on the pressure plate and closing the door behind them. If they do this, the second pressure plate does not drop the stone block.

When a character enters the second square of the hallway and steps on the pressure plate the stone block suspended above to drops on them, possibly trapping them beneath it and blocking the hallway.

Trap
Attack (Immediate Interrupt, when a character enters the square at the end of the hallway): Level +3 vs Reflex
Hit: Limited High Damage, and the target is pinned. While pinned, the target takes ongoing 5 damage per tier and is immobilized. A creature can free themselves or an adjacent pinned creature with a DC Hard Strength check as a Standard Action.
Miss: Half damage and the target is pushed 1 Square back into the hallway.
Effect: The weighty stone block that has fallen now completely blocks the hallway. As a Standard Action a character can make a DC Hard + 10 Strength check to lift up the block, and must make the same check every round they hold the block up, or else be subject to the attack again. The block has 80 HP.

Countermeasures
Acrobatics: if a character has noticed the second pressure plate at the end of the hallway, they can make a DC Medium Acrobatics check to balance on flagstones around the pressure plate as they unlock and open the door and pass through the trapped square. Failing this check sets off the trap.

Thievery: DC Hard thievery check to disable the second pressure plate. Failing this check by more than 5 results in the trap being set off, attacking the character making the thievery check and any assisting them.

Strength: DC Hard Strength check to brace or block the stone block - though holding the block up bodily require a new Strength check every round as above. Using pitons or another object to wedge the block gives a +2 on this check, though they will only hold the great block's weight for 1d12 rounds after the trap is triggered.

XP: Award XP for bypassing this variable level trap according to the XP chart in the DMG.

Magic Mirror

This large oval gold-framed mirror stands on three thick legs. The carvings at the base depict winged lion-women supporting the mirror, and the top arch of the frame is decorated with moons, from crescent, ascending to half, to full at the top center, then descending to half and to crescent again.

Magic Mirror

Wondrous Item
level 30
3,125,000 Gold

Power (Daily, 10 minutes activation time) - Standing before the mirror allows one to cast the Observe Creature ritual without having to know the ritual or expend any components.

Power (Monthly, Standard Action) - Standing before the mirror allows one to open a magic teleportation portal to the place that is being observed by the mirror's Observe Creature power. The mirror forms one side of the portal, and a faintly glowing doorway appears at the point being observed. As long as the portal remains open it can be passed through both ways. When opening the portal, make an Arcana check to determine how long the portal remains open:

• Arcana DC 19 or lower - 1 Round
• Arcana DC 20-29 - 3 rounds
• Arcana DC 30-39 - 5 rounds
• Arcana DC 40 or higher - 10 rounds