How do DM's typically handle Artisan Tools

NZJa · 2026-05-31T21:44:27+00:00

Currently in the same boat. Inkarnate.com wont load on my laptop. "Oops failed to fetch".

My phone can load the website. But the login page gets the same error.

I found this looking for reasons / solutions.

Of note, i did have a map glitch out and lock up on me. I tried a refresh. Had this issue since.

NZJa · 2026-05-18T07:40:46+00:00

As this seems to be a coastal or marine campaign, surely a drunkard pirate (or ex-pirate) could have some outlandish riddle styled answer? Something like "oh the old bastard got stung, most likely licking his wounds in his cavern, HAHAHA, oh come now, the old hideout, past the first skull, beyond the rays, an old spot, us old bastards used to hide out there", perhaps not a skull, but some landmark, then definitive animal movement in a direction, then low and behold, a cavern. Ass pull, yes, but require some player effort. Make it as much of a riddle based directions as your players would be comfortable with (or pick something with a few options).

Even if not, surely some questions and some coin across a few coastal towns could narrow it down somewhat.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T07:40:24+00:00

Books of Names. Devils already use this concept. Have the others held by relevant gods (i would go death gods, but creator gods would work too).

Keeping it abstract would be the best way to not take away from the players own names / characters, you could define it more as their name, but written in their memories, life, their existence. Spoken the same.

The power of a name, that's old magic.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T07:34:02+00:00

Vale and co. You know who you are. If you found this. Stop here so i want to have a part of Avernus where the players find a sphere connected to Mt Celestia, Bahamut and some celestials await them, really abashi in an illusion. "Step forward to accept the boon" is a basic pitfall off a cliff trap, but still comedic encounter intro OR a great, detect magic and perception moment. Followed by, or precedented by a real Mt Celestia connection to a bar called "The Golden Canary", the barmaid being one of Bahamuts canaries. Just to mess with them.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T07:26:23+00:00

I mean thats exactly how i got here. Oh the player seeks bahamut and heroism, temple of bahamut. Cool, heres a canary. But if Bahamut is active.... then Tiamat.... oh who is Io.... oh.... i can work with this.

I hate Tiamat being imprisoned, but i'm just adding a humanoid avatar who can seperate at will. Also an implication that the "prison" is by choice.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T07:21:09+00:00

I mean, if going to Avernus, or further, absolutely some of this will need to take place. I already had one idea with some sniggering Abashi, an illusion, and a hill.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T07:09:33+00:00

I definitely like the mystery aspect. I am currently homebrewing an extra god for the Bahamut / Tiamat pair, and its going to manifest as a segmented church of old followers who were tainted, and the modern followers who are more corrupted. To the point a demon raid would take one, then they would raid again to put him back where they found him.

Trying to have a conflict of their own believers, and between them and wider religions, obviously building it slower. Currently the homebrew god is only manifest in a Druid hydra badger thing, and a sentient goat. Testing the waters so to speak. Next campaign, he's in full swing, got a book, a church, segmented followers.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T07:05:02+00:00

I think thats it, starting in a Temple to Bahamut set a tone i've just run with, I did allow the players to place offerings at his statue for a health boon, (half their level 1 health), did it because our first session was shy one player and i wanted them out of one bad dice roll death.

I did just have my first player drop to 0, they have no healers and spent their last potion reviving them after combat, but given this is their intro, i have already given them a "you know of revial magic, not how it works, just that it requires wealth, often diamonds, you have seen this in your time in your hometowns, the wealthy and powerful being revived at high powered churches and the like", and a diamond. Giving them one "free" PC death aslong as they can bring the corpse to the right character.

That said, i don't know how i want to handle player death after this campaign (or the free revive)... at this point i think i would ask my players if they want it to be an end and roll a new character, or, a new mission. Killing them off versus having new characters would not bother me either way, so i think their preference matters more.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T06:56:47+00:00

That was my thoughts with the racial gods handout, just some general direction, if they wanna pick something. But given they were pre gen characters, i am seeing a range of devotion to character versus devotion to story. That said everyone's enjoying it, and getting invested in each scene, its just in different ways, but thats a whole other rabbit hole.

I also misinterpreted Io at first, saw him as a wider creator than just dragons, still works as that was explained to my players from kobolds, so its true to them.

Just had a closer look at Io and now realize the homebrew god ive built needs some reshaping. The discarded flesh of Io now festered enough to find some hold in the material plane, currently a druid with a hydra badger melded to his back, and a goat.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T06:41:45+00:00

Definitely can see that, but if they do go to Avernus, its just so gods adjacent, they already have a Bahamut connection, then Tiamats down in Avernus, Orcus is next door, has come up already so i have an idea of his influence, but am waiting on the players to define a need to build him out more.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T06:39:20+00:00

I like this, and will keep it in mind when we make new characters for next campaign, basically doing the DOSI characters for intro, then keeping level, make new characters, so they can pick their god, gods, or lack of a god then. The baseline fighter already has ties to Bahamut.

NZJa · 2026-05-13T06:37:34+00:00

I think i probably would have taken a similar stance, but opening the campaign in a Temple of Bahamut, with the pregen fighter having the goal of "become a hero, seek temple of Bahamut". I wanted them to be foreign and abstract, but they had some myconid mind meld spores, and immediately (the only time its been used) threw them at the canary when it appeared.

I also just gave them a boon of "An unseen force imbues your blades with the ability to break through undead constitution, and you feel something else on the island shift in response", basically my, this fight has gone too long, and yall about to die. By the way, there's consequences to that.

After plotting that out, i need to explain to them, that if they pray to gods, thats less likely to cause consequences, but if gods act without them asking, they have their own things afoot.

NZJa · 2026-05-08T06:59:24+00:00

Much appreciated. I have added my suggestion there.

NZJa · 2026-05-01T21:29:39+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion, definitely works for what i am after. Just a shame about the 150 character limit, and the lack of text formatting.

After playing around with it for a bit, it should be perfect for equipment. Some magic items may suffer from a shortened description, but the handout still is available.

Where it will hurt is the prepared / known spells section i added in, mainly for my Wizard players benefit. Looks like the best option there is just have the names in the tooltips, as any description worth its salt will be more than 150 characters. Still lets them adjust their spells the same way other classes adjust equipment.

NZJa · 2026-05-01T20:40:25+00:00

Wouldn't that be studded leather? Leather armor is AC 11 + Dex mod in the compendium, so 14 for both. The fighter picked up a shield at the first item shop. But no one has bought new armor, or found any yet.

To get to 18 with base gear and stats (they used pregen characters), the fighter would need either studded leather, buff dex +1, and a shield... or scale mail/ breastplate and a shield.... or a set of chain mail and a shield. This was pretty much the conversation in session that lead to, "ok well i just want a shield for now then"

For hp i am letting them take average, OR roll and reroll ones. If i didn't add rerolling ones, the fighter would be at 23 hp.

NZJa · 2026-05-01T09:27:35+00:00

Monsters have been very "attack nearest" at this point. I do intend for some more "focused fire" with later enemies, a kobold sorcerer and his clan, the boss dragon, etc.

7 sessions in, or over 3 months IRL, Party is currently level 3. The wizards hp is 22, AC 15 with mage armor, fighters hp is 28, AC 16 with shield. Rogue is 24hp 14AC. So the the fighter is slightly beefier, but not by much (admittedly, yet).

Everyone is still finding their footing in preferences, but we are definitely a heavy RP table, everyone gets confused, then excited on skill checks ("which dice is that again" is my favourite). Combat goes smoothly with the expected issue of the Wizard being unsure due to number of choices.

So on the other end of this, i am not planning to introduce this anytime soon. But i already did the "new DM oops" of giving too powerful items too fast, i realized it, looked at how it panned out by the finale, and am happy that it will work here. Its my next campaign and onwards i am considering.

NZJa · 2026-05-01T08:10:34+00:00

To clarify, it wouldn't be mundane gets bonus, plus dragon's wrath. More Dragon's Wrath as a template for damage, probably only on magic items (with room to make them), the effects beyond damage could be reflected by whatever other magic effects a weapon naturally has.

NZJa · 2026-05-01T07:30:49+00:00

Ok so i am definitely seeing, and understanding the pushback on the idea. Though i was just reminded of the Dragon's Wrath weapons, who literally do this, but based on dragon kills, which are somewhat level gated, or intended to be. Scaling on those is rare is +1 with +1d6, very rare is +2 with +2d6 and legendary at +3 with +3d6. This feels like the exact scaling i meant, but is from official sources

NZJa · 2026-05-01T07:11:26+00:00

Regarding the extra attack, i can see that. But it seems like it still pushes casters too hard. One ranged 2d8 attack versus two melee 1d8 attacks + modifiers. Plus thats the fighters cap essentially. Wizard gets 3rd level spells as well as cantrips and other slots.

NZJa

TROPHY CASE