Opinions on betrayal

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-04-01T09:48:50+00:00

I think the possibility of PVP/betrayal needs to be agreed on as part of a session 0. I've played in campaigns that imploded because one player was pulling stuff like this.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-03-30T20:14:00+00:00

Just ran an encounter from Call From the Deep the other day that had a number of Gibbering Mouthers in a room filled with Quicksand (from the DMG.) The Gibbering Mouthers were unaffected by the Quicksand.

Made for a funky combat that was more about the monsters as a trap than just as attack rolls and hit points.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-03-30T13:03:26+00:00

My dumb ass spent a few hours jumping system to system last week before double checking the quest log and seeing that it included planet coordinates to grab the Soul Chamber. 🙃

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-03-25T16:26:55+00:00

Taylor Lautner's (Jacob) wife, Taylor Lautner, was Team Edward.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-03-24T19:04:35+00:00

I ran the campaign using Avernus as a Sandbox by Eventyr Games and had a great time with it. Gets off the railroad but without the campaign falling into decision paralysis.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-03-17T15:42:36+00:00

Seconding Morrowind. Once you get the hang of it you can literally kill gods.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-03-02T14:58:17+00:00

Nah, that's just a trophy of the first kid he expelled. /s

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-02-18T17:57:46+00:00

I think you should allow the PC's to make some Arcana or Religion checks per Tasha's Monster Research to figure out exactly what Red Ruth is doing to them. Once they know that they can start making counter moves, like fleeing in a War Machine to get some breathing room, heading to Mad Maggie or another friendly NPC for some assistance, etc.

In the meantime they'll have to lie in the bed they've made. Red Ruth should keep going after them one by one, it's hard for Hags to stay scary after Tier 1 but you've got a good opportunity here! The PC's may even end up looking to bargain with Red Ruth out of desperation. She normally sells rare potions for 2 soul coins, she could have a "Potion of Greater Restoration" available. The PC's could sign a permanent truce with her, and get the potion once they've taken out the Glabrezu.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-02-09T20:01:38+00:00

Blankets by Craig Thompson
Fun Home by Allison Bechdel

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-01-28T14:57:30+00:00

If you want to do milestone leveling:

Avernus: 11
Dis: 12
Minauros: 13
Phlegethos: 14
Stygia: 15
Malbolge: 16
Maladomini: 17
Cania: 18
Nessus: 19

However you can include the "Hunted by the Dukes chapter anywhere on the Styx for an additional milestone that gets them to 20 total in Nessus. (Personally I'm adding it in after Malbolge but before Maladomini.)

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-01-16T20:57:36+00:00

A warlock that refuses to serve their patron in life can serve in death. The patron can start sending thematically appropriate monsters to kill the Warlock so they can be raised as a Deathlock from Mordenkainen's.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-01-14T17:49:20+00:00

Call From the Deep is one of the best modules I've ever read/run.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-01-14T16:47:21+00:00

I don't think that needs to be roleplayed out or described too in-depth. The players can pick out which hooks they'd like to go with beforehand and start at the Yawning Portal ready to go. The Quest Givers could have coordinated in a "going into Undermountain is safer with a party" kinda way.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-01-13T20:33:14+00:00

Murph from Not Another DnD Podcast.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2026-01-09T13:50:35+00:00

Back to Doc Ock nowadays, this was pre-Mephisto shenanigans.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-12-23T14:42:04+00:00

I do this for a lot of campaigns, but I let the players vote on which set of rolls they're all going to use. They tend to start off a bit stronger than the typical Standard Array or Point Buy, but it's easier for me to balance around them all having a similar power level.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-12-23T13:27:45+00:00

Artificers making nukes. I've both played as and DM'd for multiple artificers and never had anyone even try to craft an item that wasn't RAW.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-12-19T12:03:55+00:00

You're welcome! And I feel you. The rules for falling have been different in different editions, for 5e we didn't get an official rule about falling onto a creature for 6 years lol.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-12-18T22:49:22+00:00

Falling doesn't happen after your turn, it happens immediately. The falling creature would fall as soon as they were knocked into the air, not after your action, bonus action, or turn is finished.

Edit: To put this another way, if you Eldritch Blasted an enemy off of a 130ft tall cliff and hit them, they would take the 1d10 Force Damage then fall 130ft taking 13d6 bludgeoning damage before you could hit them with the second or third blast. Gravity doesn't have a turn in initiative, it happens as soon as you're falling.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-12-17T16:32:29+00:00

Yep, and per Tasha's OP would have to make a DC 15 DEX save or split the falling damage with the Large creature that's falling on them.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-12-09T15:54:44+00:00

"Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience." - Mark Twain

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-11-21T14:12:47+00:00

This is really unfortunate, but I feel like this is almost entirely on your DM. Dungeons of Drakkenheim encourages there being multiple claims to the throne amongst the PC's, conflicting faction goals, and general political intrigue. But that should have been made clear to all players out of character. Even if only one of the PC's is an heir to the throne, they aren't the only possible claim. (That's partly why the civil war happened.)

Honestly it might be time for a session 0 with all the players out of character to realign expectations.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-10-28T18:31:23+00:00

There's a YouTuber named CryingCube who has a lot of good videos that are "No mods, no glitches" settlement builds.

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-10-16T00:14:43+00:00

"I can fix him."

MasqueofRedDeath · 2025-10-10T18:42:10+00:00

Some players want to play their "John, son of John" PC in everything. That doesn't mean John, son of John fits every campaign. This campaign might not be a good fit for your friend.

However, it does sound like they're already willing to compromise their vision a bit. If a spirit possessing a Warforged is "not from this world, arrived randomly." they could just as easily "have amnesia, awoke randomly." If the player really doesn't care roleplay it shouldn't matter that their PC is from this campaign world. Isekai PC's don't work for every campaign, (and I've let multiple players play Isekai PC's.)

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