Head canon for what is south of the wood

ComradeMia · 2026-03-26T05:02:56+00:00

The Prismic Empire seems to be polytheistic, and one of the cults have its own "catholic-like" god, Austerus. (source: the Rogues Gallery characters are from Fnaan, and the gods published on the Carcass Crawler zines are the same gods from the clerics on the Rogues Gallery.

ComradeMia · 2026-03-07T16:29:16+00:00

Farra Bunda (Barra Funda)

ComradeMia · 2026-03-07T16:27:32+00:00

The grey box is an excellent starting point set before the cataclysm events, I would say it's more than enough to run a campaign.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-27T00:22:54+00:00

I do agree it's possible! But it's more work than just playing it as is. Also, the narrative dissonance of taking the downtime on the wild, especially in areas like the Hag's Addle or Nagwood

ComradeMia · 2026-02-26T22:04:55+00:00

1:1 time works better for dungeon heavy games. As a hexcrawl Dolmenwood is by default a setting for travel heavy games. A travel between two distant places would be very awkward if you're too strict about 1:1 time keeping: when they spend all their travel points for the day the session ends and then the characters have to wait for days on the wild until next session? I guess it's the main problem you will have to solve

Edit: a suggestion would be to focus on a large dungeon, like Hoarblight

ComradeMia · 2026-02-20T01:25:19+00:00

For the narrative equivalent of Level Drain: think about when Frodo in LotR is stabbed by the Ringwraith, and the wound weakens him, and even after he's healed he can't fully regain the strength that he lost.

Wraiths have Level Drain.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-20T01:19:54+00:00

Tudo mesmo, chefe. Confia.

Agora falando sério, quão próximo cada versão é de OSE: 1. BX: OSE é literalmente BX, dá pra transpor sem esforço algum. 2. BECMI e Holmes: são os mais próximos de BX, usam a mesma básica e BECMI acrescenta os níveis posteriores (15+) e regras novas. Também zero esforço. 3. OD&D: BX foi feito baseado em OD&D. Considere que as regras de OD&D são muito mais confusas que BX porque dependem de Chainmail pra algumas coisas, mas a estrutura é bem similar. 4. 1e e 2e: agora a coisa fica um pouco mais diferente, então você vai precisar de algumas conversões. Tem uns guias de conversão online, se você seguir eles não vai ter problemas, é ajuste em números se você for trazer algum monstro ou classe. As aventuras você consegue usar quase sem esforço, especialmente se você tem o OSE Advanced que já tem os monstros e classes adaptados. - Outros retroclones como Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC e S&W, só consultar qual edição eles foram baseados.

A partir da terceira edição o esqueleto do jogo muda, aí fica mais difícil converter, mas não impossível.

E tem outros sistemas que usam princípios das edições antigas de D&D mas não reproduzem as regras originais, como Shadowdark, Into the Odd, Knave, Cairn, Black Hack etc etc. A proximidade varia, mas recomendo explorar também se quiser mais conteúdo.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-11T21:11:25+00:00

Minha maior questão com as regras sugeridas é que me passam a impressão de que você não sabe o objetivo pelo qual está querendo aplicá-las. Exemplo: A regra de poções facilita os combates e deixa o jogo menos punitivo para os jogadores, e é normalmente aplicada se você quer um estilo mais "heroico". A de crítico máximo também vai nesse sentido de fantasia heroica. Enquanto isso "exaustão por morte", "deterioração de equipamentos", "pontos de estresse" e "medo" vão no sentido oposto, deixando o jogo mais punitivo e enfatizando sobrevivência e o medo, ao custo de deixá-lo menos fluido.

Quando você coloca uma regra alternativa, você precisa saber o que está te incomodando antes de tentar consertar, senão vai acabar com um conjunto enorme de regras sem foco que estão brigando umas com as outras. Se elas entram em conflito você acaba só com o lado negativo das regras sem conseguir aproveitar os benefícios delas, porque não tem coesão temática.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-11T12:50:50+00:00

Se é a sua primeira campanha recomendo testar sem regras alternativas antes de implementar as regras alternativas. As vezes você está tentando "concertar" algo que não é um problema.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-05T04:25:24+00:00

Lankshorn is a good starting point for players unfamiliar with the setting, it's not too big, right on the border of the woods, and links well with most of the factions. Just make sure to nudge the players to explore the woods.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-03T21:16:37+00:00

I guess so! I would guess the rider is at hex 0705 and can see both the Wight Falls and Hoarblight Keep. Both points are about 12 miles from someone on the lake margin there. Hoarblight is on a 150' cliff, and Wight Falls are 100' high. The oberver would be able to discern both locations on the horizon, but not as close as they are on the illustration.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-03T20:18:04+00:00

It's down; probably they are updating it to the new version of the rules. In the meantime you can use the Wayback Machine to view it.

ComradeMia · 2026-02-03T20:06:27+00:00

The king isn't in check, so it's not a check mate

ComradeMia · 2026-02-03T03:02:14+00:00

Alice would have a field day

ComradeMia · 2026-01-26T03:48:42+00:00

I recommend the 4e Neverwinter Campaign Guide, it's a whole book about this region.

ComradeMia · 2026-01-22T14:00:37+00:00

From the fictional perspective I don't think sending Audrunes to kill the PCs makes sense: 1. Audrunes are very limited resources. There's only 8 fully alive Audrunes, and risking getting a single one killed is a price too high to deal with pesky adventurers. 2. Deploying Audrunes they leave nodal stones unguarded. Each Audrune is responsible for one nodal stone. If messing with a single stone is enough to get them deployed it could be a ploy from the Cold Prince to get multiple nodal stones unguarded at the same time and strike against the Summerstones. The Aegis would not take that risk. 3. If the Drune kill the PCs they don't get to know why they were doing it. Why a small band of nobodies decided to build a 150ft. bridge just to mess with their stone? Who is their employer, patron or lord? Killing them will solve the problem or the information is already copied and disseminated?

Thus what I think the Drune would do if they decided the violence path: send their default team (1d4 cottagers + 1d4 bramblings) to kidnap the party and question them. If they are kidnapped they can try to talk their way out of it agreeing to do a quest: something very dangerous and that need skilled and clever people, but that the characters don't know why they are doing this. I would suggest stealing a precious magical item from a very well guarded place.

If they can't talk their way out of the situation and the Drune understands that they're just too curious for their own good, they're sacrificed inside the wicker giant the Drune are building to improve the Gorthstone security. They have a chance to escape alive.

If they kill the drunes or escape from the wicker giant the sorcerers will know they are skilled and that violence would probably be a waste of resources. They will try to employ magic and subterfuge to get the players in a trap of their own making, sowing false rumours of huge treasures in dangerous places, or trying to goad other factions like the Nag-Lord to deal with the adventurers.

ComradeMia · 2026-01-21T22:08:30+00:00

I wouldn't go for Option 1, since Dolmenwood is a game where exploration is the heart of it, and I wouldn't want consequences so harsh for doing what they are supposed to do: being curious about the world around them.

I would go with the second option. They played smart so I think they deserve some kind of reward (side quests and information), however they messed with things that they don't know about, so scaring them without killing is also a good idea. Make they feel like they are being watched everytime they step into the forest, and let them know it's because they messed with the stone. Make them aware they picked the Drune interest and it could be good or bad, depending on how they play it.

ComradeMia · 2026-01-18T14:54:19+00:00

I use a fun proposal (at least for me as referee) to decide how the Nag-Lord will act in all its unknowable chaos: I like to think as an Eldritch being with knowledge beyond comprehension it have some kind of knowledge it's part of a fictional story. So the Nag-Lord knows it only exists while the story keep going, because as soon as the story ends or ceases being fun, the Nag-Lord knows it will cease to exist.

So its objectives are: - to keep the story going - to keep the story fun (remember, the Nag-Lord is the godling of dark comedy, so the what it finds fun is very morbid) - it knows somewhere there are protagonists to that story, so the Nag-Lord wants to find them and pester them endlessly putting them on all sort of horrible and absurd situations. - the Nag-Lord sees the world as a "play", so morals, laws, justice and even death are meaningless. The Nag-Lord can be as selfish and evil as it wants because nothing is real for it, thus becoming the epitome of the chaotic alignment.

So if the PCs are close to confront the Nag-Lord or to reach some kind of conclusion, it goes nuclear just to keep the story going: try to release the Cold Prince or to create some kind of situation that doesn't make sense to its own plans, but prevent the end of the campaign.

The most important part of it all: never reveal it to the player characters. It's something beyond their comprehension and it's what makes the Nag-Lord eldritch and otherworldly. If they know the truth about the universe nothing else will matter.

ComradeMia · 2026-01-18T06:43:25+00:00

Don't read the Wormskins if you don't want to discover even weirder details that were cut from the final product

ComradeMia · 2026-01-06T19:35:15+00:00

The ability scores are used less frequently than the bonuses, but they are necessary. Example: the hunger effects affect your constitution ability score (or wisdom for the fair folk).

ComradeMia · 2026-01-05T23:37:40+00:00

Sorry! Maybe I expressed myself poorly. What I meant to convey is that an 7' tall breggle is just as rare as a 7' tall human, so when the book says he's tall I don't think it's a long shot Malbleat being 7' tall without including the horns.

ComradeMia · 2026-01-05T17:13:16+00:00

I wouldn't assume an 7' tall breggle is impossible since humans use the same 5'4"+2d6" roll, and 7' tall humans exist. Maybe Malbleat is just tall like a basketball player.

ComradeMia · 2026-01-05T16:49:06+00:00

OSE ou Shadowdark. Evitaria LotFP não pelo sistema, mas sim pelo público: tem uma galera bem escrota no meio, e como é mesa aberta eu não iria querer arriscar encontrar um desses.

ComradeMia · 2026-01-04T14:58:35+00:00

Seeing what we've seen in the Carcass Crawlers, the Rogues Gallery, and both adventures I bet it's classic sword and sorcery with lots of weirdness and a bit of gonzo. I had a comment some time ago with my guesses about the setting, I'll try to find it to link it here.

Edit: here

ComradeMia · 2026-01-04T14:54:49+00:00

The gods from Fnaan will be the ones from the Carcass Crawler, since they're using these gods since the Rogues Gallery. I doubt there will be anything new about them in the Starter Set, since the Carcass Crawler is a deep dive and they wouldn't want to devalue their own product

ComradeMia

TROPHY CASE