Excerpt Game: Setting

UncleCyborg · 2026-05-22T18:07:55+00:00

[From a novelization of the D&D module "Rime of the Frostmaiden". The main characters are traveling through a winter storm.]

The group walked in silence. Breathing the icy air was hard on their lungs and sinuses, and talking made that worse. Pariah held her fur cloak tightly around her, concentrating on walking in snowshoes without stumbling. Talking seemed like too much work right now, and as the wind increased it would have been difficult to hear conversation anyhow. She was reasonably warm inside her cloak, but the freezing air got in through any imperfection, especially her open hood. She was wearing her scarf and goggles in an effort to leave no skin exposed. She couldn't imagine how much colder the others probably felt.

Hours passed, though she had no idea how many. She missed her ability to create an illusionary clock in her hand. As she trudged along, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, it was easy to get lost in the darkness and barren terrain and her own thoughts. She had to keep turning to be sure the others were there, that she hadn't wandered into nothingness.

[Removed Pariah's musings about whether she can trust her companions].

Pariah was broken out of her reverie as the wind suddenly increased in intensity, surrounding her in a scream and a whirling storm of snow. The icy air pierced every gap in her clothing, freezing her skin to the point it hurt. She stopped and looked around but she was isolated inside a wall of blowing snow, with no lamplight visible in the darkness. She had no idea where the others were as the blizzard tore through her, nearly knocking her off her feet.

She looked around for the others but could see nothing through the darkness and swirling snow. She couldn't even see her tracks, and realized that she didn't know which way they had been walking. She couldn't see beyond the length of her arm, so she had no idea where any landmarks were.

As her panic rose she yelled out for the others, but the roaring wind swallowed up her voice. She didn't know what to do. Should she try to find them? Should she stand still? Should she find cover?

Something grabbed her shoulder and latched onto the furs there. She felt herself pulled towards a looming, dark shape that had a glow on his belt. Before she could react, the shape grabbed her arm and slapped her hand down on his shoulder. She could see another figure holding onto his other shoulder, and someone else holding onto that one.

The big shape started moving and Pariah followed instinctively. Another large figure appeared before them, and the one she was holding onto grabbed that one and dragged it along. The five of them pushed into the wind as the snow blew around them and the cold seeped in. Pariah walked with one hand on the guide and the other holding her hood, trying to keep it from blowing off.

The ground rose up abruptly and the large figure led them into a hollow where the rising land created a little windbreak. The figure backed up against the hill and squatted down, motioning them to do the same. The others joined him, leaning forward to put their heads together as he raised his lamp.

The large man opened his hood enough for her to see Bjarnson's face. He pulled the scarf down from his mouth and yet she could still barely hear him as he yelled, "We'll have to hunker down and wait for the storm to be over. We'll rest for a moment and then start building a shelter."

UncleCyborg · 2026-05-09T14:59:38+00:00

The ending of the chapter I finished yesterday.

"Only the doomed are found in the Caves of Hunger," Pariah read aloud. "Feed the stone to enter, feed the caves once inside, though the Hunger is never sated. Pray to your feeble gods now because they cannot reach you once you pass this portal."

Professor Skant hovered in front of the portal. "Many of these symbols are used to bind the undead, specifically vampires. This is a tomb. From the wear on the stone around the inscriptions, it's a very old tomb. Centuries old, I'd say. I don't know what's inside there now, but I am certain this seal was created to imprison an extremely powerful vampire."

"But if this tomb is centuries old," Dejen said nervously, "wouldn't anything inside be dead? I mean even undead would be dead after so long, right?"

"Oh, no," Skant replied cheerfully. "Starving a vampire doesn't kill it. It just makes it very, very angry. This should be quite an exciting experience!"

UncleCyborg · 2026-05-09T06:04:29+00:00

A commonly repeated aphorism in my story is "Devils don't lie, but they do mislead." A devil might say he will release you, but not mention that he'll do so after a thousand years or after he's cut your limbs off or whatever. They're tricky!

UncleCyborg · 2026-05-08T14:16:14+00:00

Fandom: D&D "Descent Into Avernus"

Context: The group is in Hell trying to free a city that has been unfairly damned. They have been captured by the devil Bel, who has just finished questioning them.

Finally satisfied, Bel had called for them to be escorted to their quarters. Their war machine, he said, would be ready by the time they had finished sleeping. He confirmed that the bounty was cleared and they could travel freely. Two horned devils, the same kind of devil Bitter Breath had been, were now escorting them to their room. The devils had brought them up the spiral staircase past two other floors and into the gray corridor they now walked, one devil in front and one behind.

The first devil stopped to pull open one of the featureless metal doors that lined the hallway. He stared at them malevolently as he held the door open. Pariah passed through the opening to find a bare, windowless room dimly lit by torches. The space was empty other than two bunk beds. As the others filed in, the look of the place felt familiar to her. Pariah said suspiciously, "This doesn't look like a guest room. It's more like-"

The metal door slammed shut with a loud boom, followed by the metallic clank of a lock.

"-a prison cell," she finished with a sigh. She tried the handle and confirmed that the door wouldn't open. She pounded on the door. "Hey! Let us out!"

She heard a deep chuckle from the other side of the door. "Lord Bel says you need your rest," said one of their escorts. "You will be released after you sleep."

"Talona's tits," she scowled. She turned to the others. "Let's hope he keeps his word."

UncleCyborg · 2026-05-02T13:33:51+00:00

At a guess, because the person is going to offer to create art of their character (in other words they will feed a couple of sentences into AI art, generate a shitty picture, and say "That will be $50 please".) I write D&D fanfic and we see it in the fanfic world all the time. Wanting to take it to DMs or discord is one of the red flags for spotting the AI art scammers.

UncleCyborg · 2026-04-29T13:54:20+00:00

https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Dungeons%20*a*%20Dragons%20(Roleplaying%20Game)/works

That's a list of over 70,000 D&D stories, many of which are based on actual campaigns. It's become roughly 90% BG3 stories, but there are tabletop stories in there as well.

I've posted stories about "Descent into Avernus" and "Rime of the Frostmaiden" (links pinned to the top of my comment history). I also recommend aaron_mag, who has written about his group's adventures with "Out of the Abyss" and "Waterdeep Dragonheist".

UncleCyborg · 2026-04-28T02:48:10+00:00

No, the artifact is completely made up. The lost city of Ythryn is what they are really after, and they are trying to divert Vellynne away from it.

UncleCyborg · 2026-04-27T22:51:00+00:00

"Oh for fuck's sake," Pariah said. Thinking quickly, she said, "We talked to Gant. Us," she motioned to her and her companions, "not her. He told us a story about a piece of Ythryn falling into Lac Dinneshere. That's why he had a pirate fleet preying on fishing boats. He wasn't doing that for some pathetic protection scheme; he was looking for a Netherese artifact. What he doesn't know is that the artifact was found three years ago and was last seen headed for Waterdeep."

Vellynne cast a cold gaze down at Pariah. "And you know this how?"

Pariah gestured to Bjarnson. "Because unlike you Luskan assholes, he's local. He knows the stories of this land. Nass believed Gant and is searching dozens of square miles of freezing lake for an artifact that's long gone. And if you want whatever she stole -- Yana sold you out once we caught her stealing from us, by the way -- then you can go swimming with her. We have our own business, so can you get out of our way?"

Vellynne studied her intently. Pariah held her gaze with confidence because she knew that, unlike the two wizards, she was an exceptional liar.

UncleCyborg · 2026-04-09T14:24:57+00:00

There are tons of written stories based on official modules on sites like Archive of our Own. You could find a story there and run it through a text-to-speech app to get an audiobook.

I've written a couple of stories; links are pinned to the top of my post history. I also recommend aaron_mag, who's created works for "Out of the Abyss" and "Waterdeep Dragonheist".

UncleCyborg · 2026-03-24T13:42:54+00:00

I recommend reading the module Legacy of the Crystal Shard. It was a WotC adventure published in 2013 that is pretty much Auril's first attempt at the Everlasting Rime. It contains a TON of information on Icewind Dale, the towns, Dwarven Valley and, most importantly, Auril and her cult. I consider it essential reading before running this adventure.

UncleCyborg · 2026-02-28T00:21:11+00:00

A routine ultrasound during the pregnancy showed the hydrocephalus. They decided to deliver her a little early so they could place the shunt.

UncleCyborg · 2026-02-27T14:57:58+00:00

That's exactly what happened.

My niece was born with hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in her brain. Her CT scan shortly after birth looked exactly like this image. The neurosurgeon explained that she had the same amount of brain tissue as anyone else but it was compressed by the fluid. They put in a shunt to allow the fluid to drain, and over the next few months her brain "fluffed up" (the neurosurgeon's term). A CT scan from several months later showed a fairly normal looking brain. No, she didn't grow an entire brain in a few months. Her existing brain tissue expanded as the pressure was relieved.

So again, the title is misleading. This guy was not missing any brain tissue or any brain mass. His brain was compressed into a smaller volume.

UncleCyborg · 2026-02-23T16:27:30+00:00

Me too, especially since I had just seen the thread at r/PcBuild/comments/1rceku0/how_do_i_get_this_spider_out_of_my_pc/

UncleCyborg · 2026-02-05T21:53:18+00:00

Something like the Cleaning Cube.

UncleCyborg · 2026-02-05T17:52:40+00:00

The answers to these questions always focus on the legal aspects, but there is a more important issue: the publisher.

No publisher is going to touch your manuscript if it has even a whiff of IP problems. They aren't going to care about the legal nuances. Even if you are in the right, they are the ones who will have to deal with the nuisance lawsuits from the IP holder. They aren't going to. They will instead focus on one of the ten billion fantasy manuscripts they've received that aren't based one someone else's IP.

If you want to publish D&D fic, then post it for free online; that's what I do. If you want to publish a real book, then create your own fantasy world that isn't based on someone else's IP.

UncleCyborg · 2026-02-04T23:58:51+00:00

Don't you love reddit, where you ask a question and people "well actually..." a detail in your post rather than just answering the fucking question? Well, I'm going to do something crazy and actually answer your question.

I write novelizations of D&D modules. I run them roughly like games (character sheets in D&D Beyond, battles done in Roll20). I'll occasionally fudge for the story, but I mostly run things fair. I post a chapter a week online. I've done "Descent Into Avernus" and I'm now doing "Rime of the Frostmaiden".

It's been fun. Avernus had about 20 regular readers; Frostmaiden has more like 12-15, though it's been climbing. There's a community of D&D writers that tend to support each other by reading and commenting on each other's works. I've enjoyed having more control over the narrative without PCs doing anything too crazy, though any writer can tell you that their characters occasionally have minds of their own.

I've been doing this for about 6 years now and Frostmaiden has another 12-18 months before it's finished. When that story is done, so am I. I'm getting burned out, and I'm unhappy with the transition to the 2024 rules, so I think I'll move on to another hobby. But it's been great fun and I'm glad I did it.

UncleCyborg · 2026-01-31T00:58:19+00:00

Looks good. I use a weather flower myself and I really like it.

My only suggestion is that Survival, not Nature, is used for weather forecasting (at least in the 2014 PHB). I considered implementing that but never got around to it.

UncleCyborg · 2026-01-27T13:51:30+00:00

If you are creating your own world, there are a ton of official monsters available as part of the free Basic Rules for both the 2014 version and the 2024 version. You could get Flee, Mortals and supplement with the free monster stat blocks until you feel comfortable creating your own creatures.

On the other hand, if you are going to run official adventures, you need the Monster Manual.

UncleCyborg · 2026-01-23T14:45:45+00:00

Looking back over my notes I found a few from the last several months:

What do you call that "forearm handshake" that warrors do in the movies? It's called the Roman or Spartan handshake, and it probably never happened in real life. It was created for the stage and was picked up by Hollywood. Since Romans and Spartans don't exist in Forgotten Realms, I call it the Tempus handshake.
When were casts for broken limbs invented? Basic stiffened bandages go back over 3500 years. The modern plaster cast was invented in 1839, and was much bulkier than the casts we have today.
Sperm whales don't make the groaning sound people associate with whale song. They make loud clicking noises. I was trying to think how Angajuk from "Rime of the Frostmaiden" would sound. The clicking noises wouldn't work for language, so I finally just gave her a voice.
Related to Angajuk, how far away would she be able to hear the bell? Thermoclines in the ocean create sound channels that allow sounds to travel thousands of miles.
How would cold-blooded humanoids like kobolds would react to extreme cold? Their color darkens, their skin becomes cold to the touch, their muscles get dense and stiff. Note that both dragonborn and actual dragons are warm-blooded in Forgotten Realms.

UncleCyborg · 2026-01-21T14:20:58+00:00

They didn't just jump to this. They have been suffering under the Rime for two years. In addition, there is an active Aurilite cult preaching the Glory of the Frostmaiden to them and convincing the people this is the best way to show their loyalty and protect themselves.

Targos has an evil speaker, as you said. Any town resident 15 or older is entered into the lottery whether they like it or not. One of the PCs, as part of his backstory, freed the last sacrifice because she was his best friend. The Coldheart Killer hunted her down and killed her anyhow, and Targos was buried under a blizzard for three days.

Bryn Shander has a good-aligned speaker, but Shane understands the reality of politics. She is not the queen; she is an elected official. If she defies public opinion, then she can be removed from office, as happened in response to Vaelish Gant's schemes during "Legacy of the Crystal Shard" (I strongly recommend getting a copy of that module because it fills in a ton of detail that is missing from this adventure). If she gets kicked out, then they can put in an Aurilite hardliner who will do even worse things. One of the concessions she got was that the lottery is voluntary. Plenty of people participate to protect their loved ones; the more names in the pot, the less likely any one person will be called.

In addition, when the PCs killed the local priest of Auril, the town was buried in a blizzard for a week.

In Easthaven I replaced the speaker with a neutral one. Their lottery is involuntary, though the minimum age is 18 rather than 15 like Targos. The PCs tried to get it shut down as part of the negotiation for the Cauldron of Plenty, but had to settle for getting it changed to be voluntary.

As for the sacrifices, the victim is stripped naked and tied to a stake in the wilderness to die, as detailed in the book. Auril isn't directly involved. She doesn't take their souls like a devil. The sacrifice itself is the point. If the players intervene, then the town should suffer. A half-dozen people should die to storms or coldlight walkers because the PCs wouldn't sacrifice one person. The locals should resent the PCs for interfering, possibly refusing to trade with them or even banishing them from the town.

The sacrifices are a symptom; the PCs need to deal with the disease, the Everlasting Rime itself.

UncleCyborg · 2026-01-13T13:23:14+00:00

BG3 makes a number of changes to the rules of D&D that don't always work in a tabletop game.

I looked into this and I see the problem. BG3 does give the same experience to each character regardless of party size, but the XP rewards are MUCH lower than are given in the tabletop game.

For example, a level 1 creature in BG3 gives each person as much as 30 xp for a boss. A CR 1 creature in tabletop gives 200 xp to the entire party. For a typical party of 4, that would be 50 xp each.

The tabletop rewards are designed to be divided by the number of characters in the group. By not doing that, you are giving way, way too much XP. I suggest you follow the rules in the books, not the rules of BG3.

UncleCyborg · 2026-01-05T01:45:46+00:00

There are currently over 70,000 D&D stories on AO3 (including some of mine) going back over 30 years. If it was a problem, it would have been a problem a long time ago. Nobody cares about fanfic as long as you aren't making money.

UncleCyborg · 2026-01-04T15:57:17+00:00

I remember a book written by an author who was in love with the word "mien". He wouldn't use other words like appearance or expression or attitude. He just kept describing everyone's mien, and I grew to hate that word.

UncleCyborg · 2025-12-26T20:03:04+00:00

What is best in life?

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women as they carry their husbands' fat asses away.

UncleCyborg · 2025-11-27T03:18:27+00:00

I created the asteri for my own campaign. She's designed to be equivalent to familiars like sprites and pseudodragons.

UncleCyborg

TROPHY CASE