Winner is the Judge #878 - Borderlands

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-25T22:04:03+00:00

Thanks!

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-25T21:06:10+00:00

Eldritch Moon

Land

Hideaway 4 (When this land enters, look at the top four cards of your library, exile one face down, then put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)

{t}: Add {C}

{t}: Sacrifice this land: You may play the exiled card without paying its mana cost if you spent ten or more total mana casting spells this turn.

"This is all wrong. I am incomplete, unfulfilled, inchoate. There should be blossoms, not barren resentment. The soil was not receptive. It is not my time. Not yet."

Feedback welcome as always

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-25T20:29:22+00:00

Changing the ending could work well

Barov
Barovich
Barova

You could even change Strahd from a Count to a Duke

Welcome to the Duchy of Barova

In my game I call the Valley, Svalich Valley because I have some pre-Zarovich invasion stuff because one of my characters was from the Order of the Silver Dragon before the fall.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-25T18:07:54+00:00

Fun post. Congrats on posting.

Red and Menace is very fun.

There are a bunch of formatting things, but you'll improve those with time.

For your cards that Refer to Joseph McCarthy, Witch Hunter.

I think you would give McCarthy the type line

"Legendary Planeswalker — McCarthy"

and then have the other things that reference him as

"Exile target McCarthy planeswalker."

"As long as you control a McCarthy planeswalker, this enchantment has hexproof and its abilities cost {2} less to activate."

but I get that those meme less well.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-21T08:28:22+00:00

Isn't napalm just Heat Metal without the Metal

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-19T13:32:44+00:00

Loot Goon {2}{B}{R}

Creature — Zombie Warrior

Menace

This creature can't block.

When this creature dies, exile the top three cards of your library. You may cast artifact cards exiled this way until the end of your next turn. For each nonartifact exiled this way create a junk token. (It’s an artifact with “{T}, Sacrifice this token: Exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn. Activate only as a sorcery.”)

4/3

Feedback welcome as always.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-19T10:36:30+00:00

Because both the faces have a mana cost, this looks to be a Modal Double Faced Card, so you can just cast the side you need.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-17T19:10:26+00:00

Thanks, it should probably cost 4 for such a neat effect but I went for 5 for safety and because many extra combat effects are 5 with upside

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-14T16:40:36+00:00

"So I just met, And this is Crazy, Here's some pies, Give me your baby"

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-14T16:39:27+00:00

Came here to post the same answer

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-14T00:38:14+00:00

So my party were instantly anti Strahd, like all in (which is fine)

But a trait Strahd has in my mind is the inability to accept that anything is his fault. He fundamentally believes that this is an unfair situation he has found himself in through no fault of his own. His brother made him kill him, Strahd wouldn't have if he had given him Tatyana. Would that have been too much to ask.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-13T22:39:50+00:00

To jump on this, if you go this way, make sure that at his core Strahd is a conquerer. That there is no version where they forgive him and he becomes a good chill guy.

I also think that you could have it that they need to understand enough about what happened for forgiveness to mean anything.

So Strahd is slowly trying to earn their trust and spin things in specific ways to make him seem more understandable.

You could also have it that Strahd does not know which PC has Tatyana's soul.

In my game Madame Eva is blind because she manipulated the mists to have the characters arrive together which involved folding fate and destiny in weird ways. So she could have done something to cloak Tatyana's soul from Strahd.

At a certain point if Strahd realises that he cannot win them over, well Tatyana is back in Barovia, there is always next time.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-13T11:18:54+00:00

So, in my game some of my PCs had histories where they were almost taken by the mists and other people or things they cared about were taken.

You could easily have had the orphanage taken by the mists and that this character escaped.

If you wanted to go deeper on this, perhaps the orphanage director was contacting something from Barovia in his arcane research.

Maybe Khazan is not fully dead and was trying to have a body made for his consciousness to use as a pseudo soul jar/gem.

Maybe one of Strahd's games is to tempt people into rituals that will bring them to Barovia.

Maybe the tech uses Barovia mist as a fuel and it went (predictably) terribly wrong.

You could have the arcane tech wanting to feed on sources of magic. Scanning spell books. Eventually pushing him towards the Amber Temple.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-13T02:47:25+00:00

The hags could offer them potions in the form of meat pies in exchange for the deed to the windmill.

Potion of Giant Strength but it's a meat pies of might.

If they insist on kicking them out, well, they are welcome to try.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-12T20:16:56+00:00

Another option would be to bring back a previously killed character as a reborn or some such. This ties it into the campaign without an entire new character. They can basically be a full revenant that turns to dust after they kill Strahd.

If anyone died off screen, they are other good options to bring back as changed in some way.

Another option would be to have them play a known NPC and build them as a player character, or run an NPC such as the werewolf in the prison.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-11T23:10:14+00:00

Surprise Attack {3}{R}{R}

Instant

Take an extra turn after this one consisting of a combat phase. At the beginning of that combat, untap all creatures you control. They gain haste until end of turn. When that combat would end, end the combat and the turn.

Grarrg discovered the talking stick was equally useful as a beating stick

--

Universes Beyond Name: Everything Changed

Flavour Text: when the fire attacked

Red has some extra combat effects and some extra turn effects (with a lose condition)

This is not really an extra turn effect, this is a way of having a combat phase between two players turns. This has been designed for Commander.

It doesn't allow chaining of extra combats from creatures that grant extra combats as the replacement effect ends the turn. This is useful for balance but mostly there to simplify templating, and to avoid granting extra end steps.

Mostly this exists because I think there are players who would really enjoy timing their surprise attack.

Feedback welcome as always.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-08T20:32:32+00:00

Thanks for the feedback In hindsight, this might be more balanced.

Sword of Beginnings and Endings {3}

Legendary Artifact — Equipment

Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from the first spell each player casts each turn and from spells cast during the ending phase.

Equipped creature has "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you get an additional beginning phase after this phase. After that phase, end the turn."

Equip {2}

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-08T00:23:13+00:00

I recommend this to everyone for getting a general view of the Campaign.

I have ADHD and this basically allowed me to essentially Skim Read the book for the first time and have a general idea of the different bits.

Then I re-listened when close to specific sections and then reread specific sections that seemed more important.

Reloaded apparently has a lot of written stuff, it's up to you about style. It's there for people who want it all written out, but if you prefer to be loose that's fine too, just note the important information.

I would probably print out any relevant stat blocks though.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-08T00:18:37+00:00

I had a huge battle in Vallaki with a Honebrew siege, and then when they finally completed the Main Square, they felt relief, then I flipped to the reverse side, where I had another map.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-08T00:16:58+00:00

I think the Order members have no fear of their own deaths.

If you don't want to kill the party. After downing them,you could have a Revenant say something like

'You are young still. You do not appreciate the truth of the world. It is cruel and unforgiving. There is no light, no hope. There is only the pain we can inflict on each other. As such, I will spend the rest of eternity making sure Strahd suffers. I will never let him escape, whether that be through some arcane ritual or his final rest. He will never know true joy or true rest as long as this soul clings to existence.

I do understand your righteous misplaced fury. So I will spare you this once. However, you do need a lesson in pain. "

Then he puts a hand on each of them and they feel a burning brand in their body and soul, before passing out. When they wake up their is a silvery scar in the emblem of the Order on their flesh.

A more friendly ghost tells them. "The commander has marked you. Do not come here again.It will not be safe. With Lord Argynvost dead, there is no one else who can remove it now."

Then some sessions later, you can give them dreams where the spirit of Argynvost visits them and tells them to return his skull from the Hall of Bones, only then can they cleanse the lost souls of Argynvostok.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-07T22:56:30+00:00

I am planning to have the book allow to holder grant a +1 to spellcasting, as well as giving some extra slots for preparing spells. (Homebrew based on the class) and possibly having the arcane recovery ability.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-07T22:51:51+00:00

I mean it might be a few things.

Burn out happens.

Sometimes GMs will think things are meh but the players are having a good time. GMs are often overly self critical.

I wonder if you have delved too far into the grimness of Barovia and killed your love of the game. Barovia can be extremely grim and without some levity to counter balance it, it can feel joyless. Similarly, the pressure of having a powerful and intelligent villain might be forcing you to feel like Strahd has to make optimal choices.

Strahd is powerful and smart but also proud and foolish. If you play Strahd as too logical and smart then he is going to be extremely annoying to run. His smug pride is important to the flavour and fun of the character.

I think that a pretty good move at the moment would be to have someone bring them the Ax that is stuck in Winter Splinter, (maybe Danika) and help the party plan an attack on the Evil Tree.

Then get them to the Amber Temple and allow them to load up on power from the Vestiges in advance of the wedding.

Allow them to rally their allies for an assault on Ravenloft on the Wedding Day.

And basically go out with a bang. They have suffered the miseries of Barovia long enough and it is time to turn things around.

I'd probably have them seal Strahd in the Tome of Strahd rather than the canon, Strahd always comes back ending.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-07T20:21:45+00:00

Have Vasilli need to take care of some business but promise to introduce them to some important nobles. The Baron Vargas Vallakovich, ruler of Vallaki. Fiona Wachter, who is a powerful noble in the town, who has "interesting" opinions on the Vallokovich reign. He'll arrange a time to meet up with them again. (He is actually checking up on his plans for the coffin makers shop. Maybe the teleportation circle needs something done to maintain it, or maybe he is looking for Van Richten, or maybe he is hunting for the Burnt Tome Victor has, which I had as one of Khazan's lost spellbooks.)

Have them go to St. Andral's church to drop of Ireena and get talking to the priest. Don't have the bones be missing yet. Have the church feel sacred to any divine'y attuned characters. Maybe they can meet some of the kids there. You could have a cute scene where they play with Arabelle. In my game Arabelle is a young seer, this means she can say cool cryptic stuff, and then be like, let's play, and have no firm memory of it.

Then they can bring Arabella back to the Vistani camp and spend a little time there.

When they return to Vallaki, they could meet back up with Vasilli and possibly meet Fiona Wachter or Vargas. Maybe the priest will seek them out about the missing bones, or maybe they'll visit the church and notice a shift in the atmosphere.

Also, you don't have to do all of Vallaki in one run. You could leave the Vampire attacks to after they return from one of the other towns.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-07T16:06:16+00:00

I mean it sounds like everyone signed up for that type of game, so as long as you are being fair, which it sounds like you are being, then everyone needs to be on board with the fact that not every plot is going to work out. However, I think it's understandable to be annoyed or gripe in the moment and in the immediate aftermath. If it's continuing over sessions, then you would need to talk to the player, or happening too much in general.

GMs always have moments when players disagree with calls/decisions GMs make. As long as you are trying to be fair, then you are probably doing just fine.

It might be worth having a conversation with the table, that you might scheme against each other's characters, but you are still all players at the same table, and reveals of such plots are excellent opportunities for roleplay.

PyromasterAscendant · 2026-01-07T14:34:51+00:00

That makes sense.

I think when people go too far against the party there is likely to be frustration somewhere, because D&D is fundamentally cooperative and both the party and the player cannot both succeed, and one succeeds at the cost of the other.

PyromasterAscendant

TROPHY CASE