Today on EN5ider we have undead dwarves unable to see they've long since passed from the living, eager to defend their fallen kingdom with the fearsome bone weapons they've carved out of their enemy's corpses. Just another Monday!
Lately on EN5ider:
Lately on EN5ider:
- #275. Intriguing Organizations: The Osseous Dwarves of Hollow Mountain. In the ancient past the exiles of a dwarven kingdom made their own home by hollowing out a mountain and building a fortress atop it, embracing the defensive measure that saw them cast out by their kin—necromancy. Eventually the world saw their civilization undone but someone (perhaps even the party or someone they know) raided the entrance to their seemingly abandoned city. This trespass has disturbed the slumber of the stout folk and now they rise again as undead, masterless and deluded into believing they live still. The few who know of them call them the Osseus Dwarves for they believe the weapons and armor they forge is made of steel, unaware and unable to see not only their own changed forms, but also that they wield and wear the bones of the dead.
This killer entry in the Intriguing Organizations series includes 2 new magic items (bone plate and the bone warhammer), 3 new monsters (Osseous Agent, their leader Blue Helm, and the awesome Siege Mammoth!), and all the details a GM might need to include this group in a game. Thanks to designer Eran Aviram for another brilliantly written article; amazing illustration by the inimitable Indi Martin!
- #274. ZEITGEIST #7 - Schism: Part 1. Finally the party has a chance to infiltrate the Obscurati, master conspirators they've been chasing for much of the adventure path! On a bleak, remote isle, the gathered villains plot the final stages of their grand design. This heavily-guarded affair is the best chance to land a killing blow against the Obscurati, but to get close enough to strike the constables will need an invitation. Fortunately an old enemy of the party is having a bit of an identity crisis.
Alexander Grappa crafted the mind of the conspiracy's colossus, then was slain when he had second thoughts. But the crafty mage managed to transfer his consciousness into Leone Quital, who is now responsible for ferrying conspirators to the meeting's secret location. If the constables can help Grappa get control of his new body, he can get them into the conclave. This adventure is provides the maps, narration, sidequests, and encounters that a GM needs to get right up to that point!
For patrons not playing through the adventure path, this PDF includes 5 unique NPCs (including a headless fellow) and 3 railroad-themed maps (a train station, platform, and some rail cars).
- #273. Enchanted Trinkets: Thanks for the Memories. Memory can be a funny, ephemeral thing and today's article has almost a dozen charming little Enchanted Trinkets all revolving around mnemonic themes. When making use of these innocuous magic items not only will your adventurers gain a small bonus or extra ability, they'll briefly experience the memories of others as well. Whether we're talking about the ever-shifting map, flute of the forgotten feast, ivory knights, or plague doctor's mask this is an issue of EN5ider that you won't soon forget! Written by Charlie Brooks and illustrated by Rachel Maduro.
- #272. Planar Diseases. By the time adventurers are hopping between dimensions they are largely beyond fearing virulence, equipped with healing magics that make diseases an easily ignored threat. No longer! This article explores afflictions that can strike wayward planar travelers, sicknesses that extend beyond the confines of the realms material. Adverse ascension affects those who have overly exposed themselves to divine energies, fractured rift disorder can result from the use of dimensional portals, fey longing influences the minds of mortals too fond of the Feywild, and both the pastrasites of Limbo and spectral thought-worms of the Astral Plane can eat away the very memories of a creature to change history itself! Brilliantly written by Eran Aviram; wonderfully illustrated by Rachel Maduro.
- #271. Mini-Adventure: Tree of Truth. For centuries the Tree of Truth has answered vexing questions of genealogy and paternity, but usurpers annoyed by this fail safe mechanism have gradually surrounded the magically protected tree with a vicious garden to prevent access to the truth. Most of those who try to trespass perish among the weeds, leaving their precious cargoes where they fall. Can the players reach the sacred tree and escape with the knowledge they need to avert a cataclysm? This mini-adventure for 3 to 5 characters of 3rd-5th level was written by John Gorkowski, illustrated by Savage Mojo and using maps by Dyson Logos!
- #270. Villain Spotlight: Skanafel the Devourer. Once a mighty and noble planetar warrior, the monster that is now Skanafel was captured during a raid into the Abyss by the forces of a powerful demon lord. Dragged into the depths of that wicked domain, he was subjected to centuries of torment and mutilation—his wings destroyed, his face torn from his skull, and his mind and soul twisted and warped by vile demonic craft into an abomination of rage, destruction, and unending hatred for all he once was. Skanafel the Devourer has become a nightmare for the forces of law and good, a demonstration that even the highest of beings can be broken, corrupted, and remade into a fiendish weapon. By Joe Crow; illustrated by Mike Tenebrae.
