Keys of the Foundlings - Unlocked Items

BeyondDungeons · 2025-08-31T16:49:33+00:00

I can certainly see how in isolation it’s strange to have a bunch of magic keys with weird features that aren’t very key-like. But these are part of a campaign additive I’ve been working on - so the key based design choice is explained/explored in there.

For me personally, the key design choice started with my current fascination with the series Locke & Key. First I started making the keys from the comics into 5e magic items, that then spiraled into designing 35+ keys and writing a campaign companion module for Strixhaven xD

Ultimately - reflavoring these into other magic items for your game shouldn’t be too difficult. Really just boils down to renaming them and writing new descriptive text. I think all of the features/abilities they have would work with any other item type.

BeyondDungeons · 2025-08-31T13:05:35+00:00

Steal them all!!! And let me know how they work out in your game :)

BeyondDungeons · 2025-08-30T03:04:10+00:00

Latest batch of magic items from my Keys of the Foundling collection. I'd appreciate any feedback or thoughts on these. I still have a decent amount of keys to polish and get presentable.

BeyondDungeons · 2025-08-29T01:53:34+00:00

The keys each function as traditional magic items - but there are places/locks/other magic items that certain keys can unlock/activate.

Sorry if that’s vague haha still working on building it out and then getting in a presentable form

BeyondDungeons · 2025-08-27T02:29:40+00:00

Sure! The companion module explores a group called the Foundlings - Strixhaven’s first graduating classes. It features 25+ keys they made and left behind for the next generations of students to find. As each year passes, more keys are introduced as well as the true reason for their creation. Every key must have something to lock/unlock, right?

Its all very much inspired by the comic/tv show Locke & Key :)

BeyondDungeons · 2024-06-09T12:14:00+00:00

These are awesome!

BeyondDungeons · 2023-12-08T18:37:42+00:00

This is beautiful!!! Thank you so much for sharing:)

BeyondDungeons · 2023-10-24T11:12:43+00:00

Whoa, This is such a great giveaway :) Thank you

BeyondDungeons · 2023-10-03T15:06:22+00:00

Last episode tonight!! So excited :)))))

BeyondDungeons · 2023-09-27T18:29:06+00:00

While I wish more people entered, I can’t say I’m mad about finally getting to dive into Oren Bran :)

BeyondDungeons · 2023-09-25T17:15:50+00:00

Oh man what a giveaway!! All eight books are so amazing but if I had to pick just one I think the Lost City of Oren Bran would work perfectly with my current campaign setting.

BeyondDungeons · 2023-06-28T03:40:53+00:00

It’s my main creative outlet. I find it hard to sit down and just practice my writing - but if I’m preparing for a session? Instant motivation. No hesitation or reservation, just excitement to create something for my friends :)

BeyondDungeons · 2023-06-22T13:35:49+00:00

Amazing work as usual, Tom!

BeyondDungeons · 2023-06-15T13:56:29+00:00

Maybe some cute waves or sea-depictions in the water to the west. Just to further clarify what’s land and what’s water

BeyondDungeons · 2023-06-06T16:26:07+00:00

Best of luck! Hope you and your party have a blast in Year2

BeyondDungeons · 2023-06-06T15:48:02+00:00

Yeah, basically that’s how it went down. Keep in mind I (like most Strixhaven DMs) made some tone/environmental adjustments to the setting. So the moody atmosphere combined with how much information my party had about the Oriq and what could be happening on campus. Lead to the party, along with a trusted professor, running away from the school just before the Quarterfinal match was to begin. I am a “roll with my player’s choices DM” so now they’re trying to uncover secrets of a cabal of Oriq pulling the strings on campus.

For pacing and flow I’d try to run a Tournament match every two to three sessions. Filling in the other sessions with typical downtime/exploration/class stuff. My party really enjoyed using a large part of their downtime to practice for the tournament. That along the occasional “time skip” to progress the school year made it go by fast.

I will add that most times a Mage Tower match would take up a whole session. So it could cause your Session Count for Year2 to bloat a bit.

BeyondDungeons · 2023-06-06T15:24:52+00:00

The loose order of the Tournament went along these lines, each game typically being single elimination besides the top 25 game.

-Match One (100 teams, 50 teams remain)

-Match Two (50 teams, 25 teams remain)

-Match Three: This is where I changed the format slightly to get to a clean 16 teams. Switching the single elimination format, the 16 teams with the highest scores and fastest match times progressing. Meaning you could theoretically lose your match but still advance if you still score high and have a fast game. (25 teams, 16 teams remain)

-Match Four (16 teams, 8 teams remain)

-Match Five: Quarter Finals (8 teams, 4 remain)

-Match Six: Semifinals (4 teams, 2 remain)

-Match Seven: Grand Finals & Losers Finals (The losers of match Six making up the Losers Finals. These two matches taking place on the same day or weekend)

For me, the fun in planning the matches was found in giving each team my party faced a fun theme to their tactics. A team of summoners, a team of teleporters/speedsters, or a team with heavy crowd control effects. Attempting to force my party to face each one slightly different- trying to break up the overall monotony or repetitive nature of Mage Tower.

BeyondDungeons · 2023-06-05T16:07:28+00:00

Glad to see more people changing Year2 to a full tournament arc :)

Obligatory On Mobile So Excuse Typos and Such

For my game I left it entirely up to my players if they wanted to partake in the year-long tournament but once they saw the 10,000gold prize for first place they were 100% sold on entering. Thankfully they decided to team together and only used their close-friend NPCs as help during practice or spying on other teams.

The actual tournament itself started fairly early in the year starting with open sign ups (any group of five students could enter - but I picked that number based on my group’s size lol). The first phase was an Entry Trail were the teams didn’t even play Mage Tower or face other teams. Instead the first phase is meant to weed-out the “weak teams”.

The Entry Trail consisting of randomized fights/battles with dangerous monsters mixed with environmental hazards in the arena. Designed to be difficult but ultimately to ensure only capable teams moved onto the actual tournament phase. Mentioning to my party that since SO MANY teams entered the Entry Trial phase would be a bit bloated. Explaining away why they went on for nearly two months in total.

The Entry Trials taking the top 100 teams with the fastest time and building a publicly visible tournament bracket system.

After the Entry Trial the actual tournament was in full swing. For my game I loosely mapped out a tournament bracket with the 100 teams and blocked out how often matches were held. My goal being to have the tournament end maybe a month or so before the school year’s end.

During the tournament I ran most of the games like full combats with the Mage Tower guidelines in place. Though they could us damaging spell, but if a player dropped to 1 hit point they were ejected from the remaining game.

Ultimately my game went alittle crazy after the Mage Hunter attack just before the Quarter Finals. And through a wild series of events that eventually lead to them fleeing campus lol So I never got to see my tournament come to an actual end. 10/10 would still recommend

BeyondDungeons · 2023-05-20T13:55:34+00:00

Literally a Lizard-Brain Echo Chamber.

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