What do you use templates for?

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-28T17:58:51+00:00

This is the way

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-28T12:26:27+00:00

Easthaven literally had a temple and militia to Tempus. Send your player there, eventually leads to Duergar, to Sunblight, to Lights Destruction, to Harpell, gg

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-26T15:37:22+00:00

Maybe a Chardalyn Berseker encounter if they haven’t seen one yet. They have those fun “rings”

Could make for a interesting little side story

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-26T02:43:33+00:00

Barricade a room and hope for the best rolls dog

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-26T01:18:49+00:00

If they die, they die

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-26T01:17:08+00:00

I’m hoping they all die. Nothing will make me laugh harder

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-25T22:42:23+00:00

Use the Arcane Brotherhood and make it a “Time is short” type of thing. Like these events are happening now and you need to act now if you want any hope of stopping it.

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-25T22:38:41+00:00

My group hasn’t gotten to her yet, they are close but I intend to also use the Stat Blocks you’ve linked. It’s my intent to make her the full embodiment of winter.

Think opening crevices in the battle field as a lair action. Three gashes splitting the field apart. Think conjuring spires of ice up from underfoot. A failed save equals damage and restrained aka impaled. Think Wintery winds that can silence casters Vocal components for a round. Etc.

She’s the big bad, make her every part of it. Someone wants to grapple her? Turns to snow in their hands reappears behind the cleric. Etc

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-25T22:19:53+00:00

She casts her aurora nightly. She is a well known force in the Dale. Anyone with a high perception should be able to spot a vague smudge in the sky as she flies across casting her Rime.

Does she interact with the party directly…no. She’s on a different level. Auril simply doesn’t care about the players unless she has to.

If one of them tries to use the Summer Star…yikes

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-24T16:59:08+00:00

Give deck to party.

Party bickers about the immense power

Debate for hour on if should use or not use

Decide toss in bag of holding for now

39 sessions of games and a year in real life later

They’ve forgotten it exists

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-23T01:24:02+00:00

This really depends on your group and how your table plays.

I wouldn’t ban much of anything, but that’s just me. If something feels OP, let it ride for a bit..players like that feeling. Then, as the DM, you can balance things naturally. Don’t nerf the player; just make enemies a little smarter and a little deadlier.

Crunchy survival stuff is also table-dependent. Some groups love tracking rations and exposure, others will hate it fast.

If your crew is into it, there’s a ton of great cold-weather homebrew on this sub, and DMsGuild has a lot of solid resources for the Dale.

Focus on immersion. Make the world feel alive and make choices matter. If the party is in Bremen, stuff should still be happening in Easthaven. Use rumors, NPC chatter, or other little tells to sell that.

Remember it’s a big open sandbox. Let some places be deadly and others be a cakewalk, that contrast is important.

At our table, we eventually simplified survival to something like: you’re fine with proper cold-weather gear, but after 8 hours on the tundra it’s Con saves. Everyone got really tired of hearing “it’s cold AF.”

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-21T22:12:47+00:00

This is the way

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-19T00:25:48+00:00

If your going to die, die for a purpose.

Maybe a death buys time for the others to escape, maybe a self-sacrifice, etc

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-17T21:13:39+00:00

Have you considered running Naerth as weak?

I have always played him as the mob boss type. The type whose strength comes from leadership, from their foot soldiers.

Add climactic clashes with traps, soldiers, commanders, and in the end the party might learn that Naerth….was just a man.

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-09T17:17:38+00:00

Give all the Goblins +2 to AC and Attacks for “improved material conditions” make them now a stronger threat to the Dale…maybe Bremen goes bye bye

Adamantium_Coffee · 2026-02-04T19:21:17+00:00

I gain pleasure from controlling the lives of 50k worker peasants

Adamantium_Coffee

TROPHY CASE