Zardnaar
Legend
Political Map
Tactical Maps.
So with the increased complexity of 5.5 with weapon masteries, emanations and more forced movements type meta (of 3.5 and 5.0) something had to be done.
Found a new venue. FLGS sells D&D stuff and war gaming stuff. Slanted towards older crowd as well. They don't sell card games focus on psints, warrants, models, collectibles. Ive found stuff there from the 1960s-80's and seen guys painting 2mm scale Napoleonc wargaming stuff. Full sets of painted Warhammer 40k minis, WW2 tank games, non D&D RPGs. Big venue, 2 floors, 2 private rooms D&D, Warhammer room, event room, board gsme room etc. First sessions free we loved it so much entire group paid the yearly membership fee to gain access to everything. Priority tables (now free), membership painting station, Priority table booking, Access to the terrain room, dice, minis, tokens, map books etc.
3E 4E, Pathfinder material is there. 2E and older turns up occasionally but disappears fast. Won't last a week apparently.
We have bought condition rings, spell templates, initiative whiteboard and fold up battlemats. Also got gifted beanies with store logo. American refugee player she was gifted free dice set. Cool place.
Might me best campaign yet. Great group. Best one I've probably ever had. Never had all the 3D terrain stuff and map books either. Warhammer nerds are very serious.
Political maps. Players spent lvl 1-5 securing the Stonelands for Cormyr. Store has a transparent grid overlay so I put that over the Anauroch map and used a mini to represent the party. Its also the mass combat map for when armies clash at the bastions.
Black and white maps are made to draw on. The Cormyr map has their Barony borders and the letters are each bastion. I added the town of Vermeilon (Candlekeep mysteries) Lost Library of Lethchauntos and the Door to Everywhere so they settled those locations, the start location and a goblin stronghold. They have access to Netherese portal network. Each bastion will eventually have a village or fort around it. Vermillion is the capital. Library of Lethchauntos is becoming a holy site to Jergal. Netherese descendant from Farsea marshes is gonna keep an eye on the portal network.
Today's session lvl 6 they finally entered Anauroch proper. 2 encounters using Fall of Netheril materials. Eldritch aeddies and Magen suck. Sandbox they have been tasked with exploring Anauroch. They've been pointed towards Oreme, Profit and Amazandar.
The Shades control the area around the new Shade Enclave. They've lost control of the rest of the former shade Imperium.
They reached a sanctuary oasis. Dallas ad oasis from Calimshan in the Adventures of Faerun. Another bastion under the control of Republic of Netheril. Capital Orofin. Not aligned with the Shades apparently. Neo Orofin is my own creation nothing in the FR wiki.
They inhabitants of the "The Republic " know the location of Amazandar the City of Gems. 1 PCs motivation. Securing Stonela ds was PC2 sideqyest. A Harper PC has been talked eith making contact with Orofin, find out what's there and report back.
And theres also Oreme to investigate. The council of Orofin also has information about three yhe surviving Shades are holed up. Unfortunately its an dead magic zone and they use the shadow weave so they're good. They can beeline there whenever they want or search for a work around. Sandbox choice is up to them.
Next week is group 2. Newbies and 2024 Starter set. TPK incoming. To many GMs apparently theres 16 or 17. Not enough players. Various games I only know of around 6 and talked to a few of them. Pathfinder, 5E, a LotR game and Morkh Borg apparently.
Tactical Maps are essentially random encounters. The 3D terrain was the more planned story stuff. Didn't use it on another table I had the ruins I planned on using.
They've found a netherese outpost (3.0 Lords of Darkness). Kept the shade commander and 2IC replaced the Shadowvar with Magen. 5.5 timeline the Empires gone so using more non Shadowvar.
Free the slaves, figure out what to do with Shadovar remnants, lots of sidequestsfor the grand finale level 10-12.
Wife turned herself into a pot plant via wild magic area. Vulnerable to all damage. 2 hits dropped her oops.
Theyre definitely getting better figuring out prone, stunned, incapacitated and grapple conditions. Spike growth grappling cheese grater tactic was mentioned as well. Sigh.
Monks and Cartographers are better than Internet thinks imho. 5.5 meta seems to be more forced movement and conditions vs brute damage.
Tactical Maps.
So with the increased complexity of 5.5 with weapon masteries, emanations and more forced movements type meta (of 3.5 and 5.0) something had to be done.
Found a new venue. FLGS sells D&D stuff and war gaming stuff. Slanted towards older crowd as well. They don't sell card games focus on psints, warrants, models, collectibles. Ive found stuff there from the 1960s-80's and seen guys painting 2mm scale Napoleonc wargaming stuff. Full sets of painted Warhammer 40k minis, WW2 tank games, non D&D RPGs. Big venue, 2 floors, 2 private rooms D&D, Warhammer room, event room, board gsme room etc. First sessions free we loved it so much entire group paid the yearly membership fee to gain access to everything. Priority tables (now free), membership painting station, Priority table booking, Access to the terrain room, dice, minis, tokens, map books etc.
3E 4E, Pathfinder material is there. 2E and older turns up occasionally but disappears fast. Won't last a week apparently.
We have bought condition rings, spell templates, initiative whiteboard and fold up battlemats. Also got gifted beanies with store logo. American refugee player she was gifted free dice set. Cool place.
Might me best campaign yet. Great group. Best one I've probably ever had. Never had all the 3D terrain stuff and map books either. Warhammer nerds are very serious.
Political maps. Players spent lvl 1-5 securing the Stonelands for Cormyr. Store has a transparent grid overlay so I put that over the Anauroch map and used a mini to represent the party. Its also the mass combat map for when armies clash at the bastions.
Black and white maps are made to draw on. The Cormyr map has their Barony borders and the letters are each bastion. I added the town of Vermeilon (Candlekeep mysteries) Lost Library of Lethchauntos and the Door to Everywhere so they settled those locations, the start location and a goblin stronghold. They have access to Netherese portal network. Each bastion will eventually have a village or fort around it. Vermillion is the capital. Library of Lethchauntos is becoming a holy site to Jergal. Netherese descendant from Farsea marshes is gonna keep an eye on the portal network.
Today's session lvl 6 they finally entered Anauroch proper. 2 encounters using Fall of Netheril materials. Eldritch aeddies and Magen suck. Sandbox they have been tasked with exploring Anauroch. They've been pointed towards Oreme, Profit and Amazandar.
The Shades control the area around the new Shade Enclave. They've lost control of the rest of the former shade Imperium.
They reached a sanctuary oasis. Dallas ad oasis from Calimshan in the Adventures of Faerun. Another bastion under the control of Republic of Netheril. Capital Orofin. Not aligned with the Shades apparently. Neo Orofin is my own creation nothing in the FR wiki.
They inhabitants of the "The Republic " know the location of Amazandar the City of Gems. 1 PCs motivation. Securing Stonela ds was PC2 sideqyest. A Harper PC has been talked eith making contact with Orofin, find out what's there and report back.
And theres also Oreme to investigate. The council of Orofin also has information about three yhe surviving Shades are holed up. Unfortunately its an dead magic zone and they use the shadow weave so they're good. They can beeline there whenever they want or search for a work around. Sandbox choice is up to them.
Next week is group 2. Newbies and 2024 Starter set. TPK incoming. To many GMs apparently theres 16 or 17. Not enough players. Various games I only know of around 6 and talked to a few of them. Pathfinder, 5E, a LotR game and Morkh Borg apparently.
Tactical Maps are essentially random encounters. The 3D terrain was the more planned story stuff. Didn't use it on another table I had the ruins I planned on using.
They've found a netherese outpost (3.0 Lords of Darkness). Kept the shade commander and 2IC replaced the Shadowvar with Magen. 5.5 timeline the Empires gone so using more non Shadowvar.
Free the slaves, figure out what to do with Shadovar remnants, lots of sidequestsfor the grand finale level 10-12.
Wife turned herself into a pot plant via wild magic area. Vulnerable to all damage. 2 hits dropped her oops.
Theyre definitely getting better figuring out prone, stunned, incapacitated and grapple conditions. Spike growth grappling cheese grater tactic was mentioned as well. Sigh.
Monks and Cartographers are better than Internet thinks imho. 5.5 meta seems to be more forced movement and conditions vs brute damage.
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