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Post by vwilliams32407 on Jan 12, 2016 8:26:19 GMT -9
Greetings everyone, I am following oldschool's migration from Fat Dragon Games forum to here due to the evolution from paper terrain to 3D terrain that is happening over there. Fat Dragon Tom says he is not abandoning paper terrain but the forumites are heavily into the 3D thing right now. I'm still posting over there but I thought I might find a more interested audience here. Here is what I posted over there. My gaming group started Hoard of the Dragon Queen this past Sunday. I really like this adventure because unlike previous adventures it leaves a lot up to the DM to flesh out. I really got to spread my creative wings and incorporate my own ideas into the game and. I watched a several groups online play through this adventure and I borrowed (stole) some great ideas from them and it also inspired me to create my own version. As usual I will assume those reading this are familiar with the adventure so my descriptions will not be that detailed. This thread is more about the terrain and showing it in play. I hope to maybe inspire those just getting into the hobby and maybe some “old timers”. I know that for myself seeing what others have done has really helped my design maps in the past so I’m paying it forward. The group consist of a human fighter, elf ranger, half-elf sorcerer, gnome bard, and a tiefling druid. I warned them that resource management would be vital to their survival during this first episode and boy was that true. When they got to the keep they were is rough shape. They entered Greenest from the east and were in the town proper when the human family ran out from between some buildings with kobolds on their tales. The party immediately jumped in to help the humans who were outnumbered and already injured. The kobolds struck the woman down and even attacked and incapacitated two of the children. My players were not too fond of that. The bard cast sleep on the kobolds and the last standing child in an attempt to save him. It worked. One memorable moment from this fight was when an errant fire bolt from the sorcerer caught an orphanage on fire. They didn’t even try to put the fire out! They stabilized the injured family and the druid gave them some kind of berry that she can produce and it brought them back to one hit point. Rather than carry the children they decided to load them up into an overturned cart and bring them along that way. That would leave more of them with free hands to fight rather than carry them. As they continued through Greenest they saw what appeared to be two kobolds being chased by a dwarf and an elf who really were cultist. The ranger used a cantrip of some sort and yelled in a booming voice to halt. One kobold and two cultists stopped just long enough for the party to dispatch the kobolds. They then realized what was going on and charged the party. Having dispatched the second group of raiders they decided that being stealthy was a better tactic. The ranger got up onto the roof of a building and spotted Frulam Mondath directing kobolds to load the pillaged loot into wagons that were parked in the town square. They wanted nothing to do with her. By now some of the party members have donned some of the fallen cultist robes and they tried to bluff their way past the last group of kobolds and raiders who were outside of a building throwing rocks and torches through the windows of the building. They pretended to be raiders themselves and commanded the raiders to move out and go to the square to help load wagons. The raider bought it and left and the party saved ten townsfolk from the attack. They sprinted the last way to the keep and just made it inside before the gates slammed shut. They met the governor and Castellan Escobert the Red. Their next mission was to go seal the breach in the sally port. They arrived to find it guarded by six kobolds, a drake, and an acolyte. Two guards of the keep accompanied them and they ended up doing the most damage. After dispatching the raiders Castellon showed up with a few health potions for the party and a second wave of raiders arrived. They sealed the door and were able to keep them out of the keep. Fun was had by all and we introduced D&D to a new player this session. She did very well and fit right in to our group. I am looking forward to our next session. The previous maps were a combination of Dave Graffam and Fat Dragon Games terrain. Coming up next will be the use of Ravenfell sewers, water mill, and Winterhawk Castle sets.
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Post by Vermin King on Jan 12, 2016 10:35:00 GMT -9
That was an excellent report and thank you for showing pics of the campaign and terrain.
Now, if I could only get you to throw in my Harvard House and Garrick Inn, I would positively be beaming!
Thanks for the share
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Post by squirmydad on Jan 12, 2016 10:49:10 GMT -9
Cool, I love seeing big city setups in paper.
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Post by oldschooldm on Jan 12, 2016 11:28:45 GMT -9
The build is amazing, and the POV shots are particularly wonderful!
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Jan 14, 2016 18:45:26 GMT -9
Thanks everyone for the comments. I can't wait to show you the next maps coming up. For the sewers I used the FDG's web page photo of Ravenfell sewers for inspiration for this build as it was not provided in the adventure. As usual I went overboard.
I was able to use the Winterhawk pieces I made way back when for the adventure in Harkenwold that came with the starter set for 4E for the “Dragon Attack” encounter. Ravenfell water mill will see some action too.
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Post by sk8brdr540 on Jan 24, 2016 12:09:54 GMT -9
I really enjoyed this write up and the detailed terrain set up. I'm also super excited for your sewer build. I have been hunting for sets and working out designs for a sewer for some time now and I hope your next post will motivate me to get mine completed.
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Mar 7, 2016 9:15:17 GMT -9
Hello everyone, the stars finally aligned and we were all able to get together to continue our adventure. At the end of our last session the party had been given the task of rescuing the mill from being torched. They also learned that with the keep completely surrounded the only way out would be through the sewers. As written in the adventure, the exit was an access tunnel to the river so as to be able to fetch water when the keep is under siege. I decided to convert them into sewers because come on, sewers, why not! There was no map provided for this encounter so I used the pictures from the web site for this set to inspire me. I wanted narrow slippery ledges, rickety bridges, and a gap they would have to leap over. I threw 3 rat swarms at them and hinted of something large splashing around somewhere in the sewer. They reached the bottom of the stairs and the stink hit them. Immediately the warlock slipped and fell into the muck. While trying to pull him out the druid slipped and fell in on top of the warlock. The rest of the party used the tried and true method of pounding a piton into the wall and securing a rope to it. Little did they know it but they had just been exposed to sewer plague. They made their way to the gap and were too scared to try and jump it for fear of falling into the sewage. Not to mention the large thing splashing around. They back tracked and removed one of the bridges they had already crossed and brought it forward to bridge the gap. It was a lot of fun to watch them trying to make athletics checks as the passed one another on the narrow slippery ledge. The fighter ended up paying the price for it and slipped into the water. He quickly got out and that’s when I released a rat swarm on them. The fighter acted quickly and kicked the bridge off of the ledge and the swarm ran away on protruding bricks along the wall. The party was able to pick it off as it did so. When they reached the end of the southern branch of the sewer I released two more rat swarms. Two of the characters were engulfed by the swarms and it was fun watching them trying to figure out how to get them off of their allies without hurting them. The bard was able to use a feature of his that enables him to coax small animals to do things. He made one swarm run away and it ran off the ledge right into the mouth of an alligator. Now they know what has been splashing around. I forgot to take a picture of the gator in the water. I used the one from the sewers set and it looked great on the board. After avoiding a bandit search party at the mouth of the sewer exit they were able to sneak to the mill undetected. They saw six kobolds lighting various things on fire around the mill. The party hid while the bard attempted to distract them. Here is the point where I’m going to give you a bit of insight into the kind of players I have. The bard put on his kabuki costume and jumped out and created an illusion of fireworks spraying out of him. He showed me a giff on his phone of his kabuki costume which looked like a harry squirrel with a giant scrotum and it was swinging it back and forth. He then said that he turned around and dropped his pants and mooned the kobolds. I said “Sure why not. Give me a performance check.” Let me also remind you the bard is a gnome. The party was wary when this actually worked and thought something was amiss. Entering the mill with thoughts of an ambush on their minds they immediately detected movement up in the loft and were ready when the guards and cultist came running down the stairs. The first guard down the stairs was killed just as he reached the bottom and fell directly on top of the fighter knocking him to the ground. The quarters were tight and the combat brutal. There was lots of flanking, lots of parrying, and the bard put three cultists to sleep at the top of the stairs making it difficult for the rest to file down the stairs. You can see the second floor off to the side. After the fight the ranger went upstirs and finished off the three cultists that had been put to sleep. A relief force of 18 guards arrived to hold the mill and informed the party that they were to return to the keep. Once back at the keep they met up with the governor who offered them a place to rest. They were only able to complete a short rest before being summoned by the governor. He told them of reports of townsfolk holding up in the town’s temple. He asked them if they would take on a rescue mission and save them. They agreed and set out for the temple. They arrived from the back side of the temple grounds and observed several groups of bandits, cultist , and kobolds engaged in different activities around the temple. The first group was engulfed in smoke from the fire they had lit at the back door to the temple. The second group was using a battering ram to try and force their way through the front doors. The third group was strung out in a long line circling the temple in a frenzy of cultist fervor. The druid used a relic passed down to her from the characters in our last adventure and cast spider climb on herself and the fighter. The gnome caught a ride on the fighters back and once the line of cultist had passed they ran around the cloud of smoke and climbed up the back side of the bell tower and broke into the top level next to the bell. The gnome crept up to the front of the temple via the ridge line of the roof. By this time there was a constant booming of the battering ram on the front doors. To slow them down the gnome cast an illusion on the skulls on the side of the battering ram and made them come to life snarling and bleeding from the mouth. The kobolds ran away in fear thus halting the operation until the cultist could reign them back in. The fighter climbed down the stairs and approached the monk and they devised a plan of escape. The druid would start to cut the ropes securing the bell and the fighter would open the back door to the temple letting in the cultist. The druid cut the rope just in time for the bell to drop down through the tower and land on top of the cultist rushing in. The rest of the party that had been hiding outside in the bushes picked off the remaining cultist at the back door. The monk and fighter rushed the townsfolk out of the temple just as the battering ram broke down the front doors. They directed them towards the awaiting characters and they were able to save the townsfolk from certain death. They escorted them back to the keep via the sewers and arrived just in time for the green dragon to attack. It swooped in and breathed its poisonous gas onto a ballista crew and they all died instantly. The governor begged them to one more time defend the town. The agreed and that is where we left off for this session. On a side note I attended the 15th Annual Gulf Coast Renaissance Faire and Pirate Festival this weekend a picked up some neat replica weapons and a cool tankard. They are not that fancy but they are fun conversation pieces.
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Post by cowboyleland on Mar 7, 2016 14:46:38 GMT -9
What did you use to give the water that wet look? I am guessing plastic sheet of some kind or maybe tiles of glossy photos.
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Mar 7, 2016 18:35:15 GMT -9
What did you use to give the water that wet look? I am guessing plastic sheet of some kind or maybe tiles of glossy photos. I used a roll of clear wrapping paper as an overlay for the sewer sludge tiles. It's the kind of material used to wrap Easter baskets or flower bouquets. I've used it before in my Thunderspire Labyrinth adventure to simulate pools of blood.
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Post by cowboyleland on Mar 8, 2016 9:25:08 GMT -9
Very effective.
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Post by sk8brdr540 on Mar 11, 2016 15:49:05 GMT -9
Another great update! Thank you for sharing and I agree that the plastic wrap is a great effect. I will certainly be using this for my builds.
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Post by chiefasaur on Mar 15, 2016 15:44:51 GMT -9
Oh wow! Those big terrain setups look like so much fun. Now I'm mad at my DMs for being so lazy and not building an entire city
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Post by Vermin King on Mar 15, 2016 16:56:57 GMT -9
In my day, we used whatever was handy for terrain. Kleenex boxes, stacks of books, yoghurt containers. Enough scotch and it was perfect
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Mar 17, 2016 20:52:31 GMT -9
In my day, we used whatever was handy for terrain. Kleenex boxes, stacks of books, yoghurt containers. Enough scotch and it was perfect I also had humble beginnings, nothing but graph paper to start with. I’m grateful that I can take it to this level now.
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Mar 17, 2016 21:36:26 GMT -9
I really enjoyed this write up and the detailed terrain set up. I'm also super excited for your sewer build. I have been hunting for sets and working out designs for a sewer for some time now and I hope your next post will motivate me to get mine completed. How’s your sewer build going? I hope I was able to give you some inspiration.
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Mar 17, 2016 21:43:27 GMT -9
By the way, as I aspire to be an uber nerd, I have not reached that level. If anyone can tell me what this says on the leather tankard wrap here, I would appreciate it. I hope it doesn’t say “Ha Ha sucker, you paid way too much for this!”
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Post by Vermin King on Mar 18, 2016 3:44:34 GMT -9
I'd probably head off remarks by telling people up front that that is what it says.
A Chinese restaurant in Rolla, MO had a batch of fortune cookies with no English translation. So we'd open them up and do our own translations. 'You eat too much' or 'Better service to those who tip better'
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Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Mar 18, 2016 4:52:05 GMT -9
This site (http://www.jenshansen.com/pages/online-english-to-elvish-engraving-translator) does transliteration of to the Tengwar Annatar italic font. I stumbled onto it, and the word "one" (used in the Elvish Love Poem example on the page) looks an awful lot like what your mug starts with. So... a little trial and error:
"one mug to rule them all and with a dar k ale bind them."
(note I had to throw a space in "dark"...)
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Post by inkhorn on Mar 18, 2016 15:27:06 GMT -9
"A Chinese restaurant in Rolla, MO had a batch of fortune cookies with no English translation." Which one? My money is on the Mandarin Garden, it could have been the Great Wall.
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Post by Vermin King on Mar 18, 2016 16:24:11 GMT -9
That was so long ago, I don't remember the name of it. It was the one on the north side of 63 near TJ Hall.
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Post by sk8brdr540 on Mar 21, 2016 13:29:56 GMT -9
I really enjoyed this write up and the detailed terrain set up. I'm also super excited for your sewer build. I have been hunting for sets and working out designs for a sewer for some time now and I hope your next post will motivate me to get mine completed. How’s your sewer build going? I hope I was able to give you some inspiration. Temporarily on hold until I complete my town (thoumonts) build. I'd like to have the sewers align under the houses.
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Apr 26, 2016 6:00:08 GMT -9
Greetings everyone, I’m back with another update to our adventure. At the end of our last session the party had just returned to the keep with the townsfolks they had saved from the temple. They had just enough time to take a short rest before they were summoned to the ramparts to defend the keep against an adult green dragon. I changed the dragon from blue to green because the blue dragon I built a long time ago was standing on its rear legs and I needed one that was on all fours so that I could simulate it flying around the keep. Since I already had the blue I wanted to build a different color thus the green dragon. There were already many militia men on the walls manning three ballistae and throwing spears at the dragon with little effect. The dragon used its frightful presence and frightened all but one PC. All but one of the frightened PC's was able to shake the feeling of fear in a couple of rounds. Having made a successful history check they remembered that green dragons have a fondness for elf flesh so they created an illusion of an elf bursting through the gate on a horse in an attempt to flee the keep. This momentarily distracted the dragon and it turned and swooped down upon it and when it snapped its jaws shut on thin air it renewed its attack on the keep with a vengeance. Eventually they were able to drive off the dragon but not before it killed many militia men and even wounding Castellon. The dragon also used a tail attack to destroy the roof of one of the towers. Lucky for the characters it was not the tower that some of them were occupying. No sooner than they drove off the dragon a half dragon approached the keep and offered a trade for some prisoners. If the keep would send out a champion to fight a duel with him he would release the prisoners. Here is my modified version of the read aloud text in the adventure. Suddenly you hear what must be a rather large gong ringing from outside the keep. Bong, bong, bong… You rush to the ramparts just in time to see a creature stride from the darkness and into the dim light of the dying fires around the keep. Although it is shaped roughly like a human, it is at least seven feet tall, its skin is covered in blue scales, its fingers bear wicked claws, and its face has the muzzle and reptilian eyes of a dragon. The creature stops about eighty yards from the main gate of the keep and scans the walls. A line of kobolds, at least 16 most likely more beyond the dim light, fans out behind him. With their spears, they prod four human prisoners into the dim light. You can make out a woman, a teenage boy in a blood soaked tunic, and two children. Then the creature waves his hand and the ringing of the gong stops. He turns towards the keep and speaks. “Defenders of Greenest! This has been a successful night, and I am feeling generous. Do you see these four pitiful, useless prisoners? We have no use for them, so I will trade them back to you. Send out your best warrior to fight me, and you can have these four in exchange. I give you one hour to produce your champion or the prisoners will die a horrible and public death. ” In the adventure the half dragon could easily kill a level one PC with one strike so I decided to stack the deck in favor of the PC. The governor gave them a potion of heroism and Castellon gave them his ring of lightning resistence.The group tried to deceive the half dragon by sending out another illusionary creature that looked just like their fighter. The half dragon saw right through this and recalled the green dragon that landed nearby. He stated that there would be no trickery or he would kill everyone in the keep. They sent out their fighter and after exchanging blows they both retired from the battle field with only a few hit points each. The half dragon vowed that they would meet again. One funny moment of the duel was at the beginning when the fighter tried to kick dust into the half dragons face and crit failed. He ended up kicking a few pebbles that barely rolled to land at its feet, getting them a little dusty. This along with something that happened later in the game prompted the group to nick name the fighter Pebbles. They finally were able to take a long rest and level up. The next morning they were summoned to the governor’s office where they took up the mission of tracking down the raiders and gather information on them. They followed the raiders trail and came across a group of stragglers and were able to surprise them. The bard put four of the kobolds to sleep and then they quickly dispatched all but one of the human cultists. They attempted to interrogate the kobolds first but were getting nowhere so they turned their attention to the human. They learned that the raiders camp was south through a pass in the mountains. When they finished with the interrogation they killed the human and threw the bound kobolds into the stream. While the rest of the party prepared to rest for the night the fighter stood on the bank of the stream throwing pebbles at the dead floating bodies of the kobold. We ended our session there. They learned nothing of the waiting ambush at the pass so I’m looking forward to that. Here is a sneak peek at the build for that encounter. As usual I went overboard but that’s what happens when you have a month and a half between sessions!
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Post by klachowski on Apr 26, 2016 7:08:57 GMT -9
Your table set-ups are awesome! Can i come play?
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Apr 26, 2016 7:45:13 GMT -9
Your table set-ups are awesome! Can i come play? We're always looking for new players. If you are in the N.W. Florida area you're welcome to join in.
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Post by squirmydad on Apr 26, 2016 8:01:17 GMT -9
I love this setup! Is that all FDG terrain in this pic?
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Post by arcticdragongames on Apr 26, 2016 11:05:53 GMT -9
and the Blue Dragon said "Don't make me angry. I will become Green. Green Dragon Smash!"
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Post by vwilliams32407 on Apr 26, 2016 12:03:07 GMT -9
I love this setup! Is that all FDG terrain in this pic? Yes it is. It is from the Highland Adventure set. What you're looking at is two of every cliff model, four bridges, nine cave openings, eight small caps and one spire and stairs piece. There is also a ramp printed normally and in reverse. I'll post more pictures when we play next which will be in another month.
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Post by vwilliams32407 on May 16, 2016 8:27:56 GMT -9
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Post by shintokamikaze on May 28, 2016 9:38:02 GMT -9
Great builds and pics
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Post by sk8brdr540 on May 29, 2016 6:41:31 GMT -9
Another epic build!
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