The 2024 Pumpkin Spice RPG Contest (Last Day to Vote!)

[CleverNickName]

Here are all of the entries for the Pumpkin Spice RPG Contest! Links to the original article are below, and I've quoted the entries themselves in the first post of this thread...so there are two ways for you to review them for yourselves before voting.

All ENWorld members are invited to take a look, and vote for up to three!

The List of Entries
The Pool of Soothing Lament, by @Lidgar - A 5th Edition D&D encounter for your next dungeon.
The Cult of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, by @CleverNickName - A new faction (and NPC quartet) for your 5E D&D game.
Pumpkin of Spice , by @GreyLord - a new 5E D&D monster that can spawn other, smaller Jacks.
Isla Calabaza, by @KoolMoDaddy-O - a One-Page Side Quest for PIRATE BORG
5-Spice Blend to Flavor Up Your Character, by @GMMichael - a suite of character roleplaying options to bring pumpkin spice complexity to your RPG of choice
It's the Great Pumpkin Spice, Charlie Brown, by @Snarf Zagyg - a One-Page RPG about pumpkin spice and the True Meaning of Halloween
The Great Pumpkin, by @Deset Gled - a 5E D&D Warlock Patron
Pepo, the Pumpkin Planet, by @Yalım - an entire planet! that is also a pumpkin!

Voting
Polls are now open, and they'll stay open for the next 15 days. Everyone on ENWorld is invited to cast a vote.

Select up to three from the list of entries. Vote for any reasons you like: most original, most creative, best use of the theme ("Pumpkin," "Spice," and/or "Latte"), most likely to use in your own home game, you can use whatever criteria you wish. You can even vote for your own entry if you think it's worthy; nobody can stop you.

The entry with the most votes wins! Any ties will be decided by the clock: the entry that was submitted first will win the tie.

Winning and Prizes
There are three prizes this year:

• a $25 gift certificate to EN Publishing's Online Store
• a $25 gift card to Starbucks
• a two-pack of pumpkin-themed adventures for D&D 5E: "Rise of the Pumpkins" and "Wickerjack"

The entry with the most votes gets first pick of the prizes. The entry with the second-most votes gets second pick, and the entry with the third-most votes gets the third prize. (Prizes will be delivered by electronic gift certificate to your EN World account by direct message. The usual fine print applies: no purchase necessary, void where prohibited, etc.)

Thanks to Our Contestants
Special thanks to @Lidgar, @GreyLord, @KoolMoDaddy-O, @GMMichael, @Snarf Zagyg, @Deset Gled, and @Yalım for putting their work out there for everyone to enjoy...and for giving me something else to fixate on that isn't another argument about the "2024 edition" of Dungeons & Dragons.

 

[CleverNickName]

List of Entries
In case you want to read them without leaving this page, I've copied the entries here for your convenience.

Our first entry, by @Lidgar:

Spoiler: The Pool of Soothing Lament

The Pool of Soothing Lament

The Pool of Soothing Lament (PSL) is a 5e encounter that can be placed in any underground cavern or dungeon environment. It can easily be adapted to other editions or OSR games.

As you enter this chamber, you are immediately struck by the strong scent of spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves being most prevalent. The air here is warm and humid, almost sticky. Near the center of the chamber is a large, frothy pool of beige liquid.

Should the characters approach the pool, read the following:

Upon closer inspection, you see the froth on the pool is speckled with brownish grains. There is a long silver spoon or ladle and a dirty rag near the pool’s edge.

Anyone handling the soiled rag must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become infected with sewer plague disease (DMG, pg 257).

The long spoon is the Twin-tailed Siren’s Ladle, a minor magical item, detailed below.

Twin-tailed Siren’s Ladle
Wonderous item, uncommon

You can use an action to insert this long silver spoon into a cupful of water or another liquid. Once inserted, the liquid immediately warms, and the surface turns frothy. The liquid is not hot enough to cause damage. Drinking the warmed liquid results in a warm, cozy feeling spreading through the imbiber, granting the benefits of the resistance cantrip for 1 minute.

Anyone drinking from the PSL is immediately subject to one of the pool’s effects, determined randomly. Creatures can only be affected by the pool’s magical properties once every 24 hours. The liquid tastes like a warm, sweetly spiced drink. Liquid removed from the pool remains magical for 1 hour.

PSL Magical Effects (d6)

1 – Lactose Intolerant. Receives the poisoned condition for 1 hour.

2 – Sugar Crash. Receives one level of exhaustion.

3 – Soothing Sip. Receives the benefits of the cure wounds spell.

4 – Double Shot. Receives the benefits of the haste spell for 1 minute.

5 – Warms the Cockles. Receives the benefits of the Protection from Energy (Fire) spell for 1 hour.

6 – Venti Cup. Receives the Soothing Sip, Double Shot, and Warms the Cockles magical effects simultaneously.

Our second entry, by @CleverNickName:

Spoiler: The Cult of the Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Lattes have a bit of a cult following here in America. And in the City of Neverwinter, they take that cult status very seriously. Behold, the Cult of the Pumpkin Spice Latte!

The Cult of the Pumpkin Spice Latte
The Cult of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, sometimes referred to as the Order of the White Chalice, is an organization dedicated to a coven of powerful witches: Esne, the Goddess of Milk and Cattle[1]; Kahawa, Goddess of Coffee[2]; Sokeria, Goddess of Sugar and Sweet Things[3]; and Ingver, Goddess of Spices and Herbs[4]. Contrary to their name, their pantheon does not contain a pumpkin deity.

Activities
Across Faerûn, the Cult operates many hospices--called "cafes"--whose mission is to aid those who they believe are suffering under the oppression of summertime. Most of these cafes enjoy a positive reputation in the community, educating the populace about the dangers of summertime (heat exhaustion and heatstroke, insect bites and insect-borne illnesses, poison ivy, droughts, wildfires, etc.), and provide refreshment and encouragement to those who toil under the hot sun. But this is a front for their true, sinister goal: they seek to hasten the end of summer and herald the arrival of autumn earlier with each passing year, eventually eradicating summertime altogether and plunging Faerûn into an endless autumn.

Base of Operations
The Cult's most active cell is located in Neverwinter, at a well-known cafe called Serenbwch[5]. Here, the high priestesses of the Cult brew their potions and concoctions and sell them to the general public by day...and work their dark rituals in the basement by night. This basement contains a teleportation circle that connects the coven to other cafes across Faerûn, with more added with each passing year.

Dogma
The secret faith of the Order of the Pumpkin Spice Latte holds that summertime is a blight upon Faerûn, the result of a magical curse from tens of thousands of years ago by a deranged witch. They believe that the world was never intended to experience hot weather, and they labor tirelessly to free the world from this ancient curse.

The Cultists of the Pumpkin Spice Latte believe the ultimate expression of autumn is the holy union of the four goddesses of their pantheon: milk, coffee, sugar, and spices. They craft this concoction in their cafes, where it is sold to the populace as a means of legitimizing their front (and generating profit), and consumed in their rituals as an act of reverence and worship.

History
In 1450 DR, the original cafe (Serenbwch) was opened in Neverwinter by an urban coven of druids. It has been expanding ever since, opening new cafes in nearly every district of the city and even expanding to new cities across the Realms.

Typical Cultists
Use the following stat blocks for adding the Cultists of the Pumpkin Spice Latte to your campaign.

-------------
Fun facts!
1. Esne is Basque for "milk"
2. Kahawa is Swahili for "coffee"
3. Sokeria is Finnish for "sugar"
4. Ingver is Slovenian for "ginger"
5. Serenbwch is Welsh for "star buck"

Our third entry, by @GreyLord:

Spoiler: Pumpkin of Spice

Lets See if I can use my newly found powers of monster creation just for a bit of fun.

Once upon a time...not so long ago, in the City of Spice, there appeared a strange pumpkin in a pumpkin patch. It turns out that an Elderly Man and his wife had always wanted children, but never had managed to have any. So, they begged to heavens and the hells that some being of power would grant their dearest wish.

One on All Hallows Eve, that wish came true with this strange, living, pumpkin like humanoid. They took this little pumpkin shaped child in and called him Pumbor. As he grew, he was much tougher than any pumpkin, for his skin was mottled and tough as Iron. His body was shaped like a pumpkin in many ways, but with a head of an orange faced human, and limbs as humanoids go as well.

His adopted parents doted on him, but he was evil through and through. One day, shortly after his twentieth birthday, he showed his true colors and ate and devoured his parents. He also showed an uncanny ability to create strange creatures he called Jacks which basically were creatures with sticks as their bodies with Jack O'Lanterns on their heads.

With the ability to create one of these per day, he soon took over the city of Spice and demanded its citizens worship him.

His nickname behind his back is one his mother used to call him...pumpkin. These days, if he hears it, he goes into a rage and single-mindedly tries to slay the one who used it.

His creations, Jacks, enforce his will in Spice. They are deceptively weak, and many would be saviors of the town find that though they easily mow these creatures down, it gives them a sense of over-confidence when facing Pumpkin. They have all died to Pumpkins evil rage.

Pumpkin is the son of a pumpkin, Fraz-Urb'Luu, and the essence of pure evil. Fraz-Urb'Luu found the Monkey's Paw he gave the elderly couple hilarious, as it granted their fondest wish which became their doom.

The Citizens of Spice Pray for the day someone can deliver them from this horror that has arisen (or raised by their own beloved couple) in their town.

Our fourth entry, by @KoolMoDaddy-O:

Spoiler: Isla Calabaza

Our fifth entry, by @GMMichael:

Spoiler: 5-Spice Blend to Flavor Up Your Character!

This suite of character elements adds pumpkin spice complexity to your best set of die rolls. Just sprinkle and serve!

Concept: Ginger
The character has natural or dyed red hair, with optional pale complexion that suggests easy sunburning or vampirism.

Goal: Allspice
Wants to be a people-pleaser, and a solution to all problems. This might stem from a feeling of inferiority, or just a zealousness for spreading goodwill.

Flaw: Cinnamon
Being a people-pleaser has led to a common mindset, and a personality that's just as interesting as cinnamon in a world of spices.

Perk: Clove
Has a tendency to cut through opponents instead of into them. This can sometimes mean damaging two opponents with one attack.

Gear: Nutmeg
Primary weapon: the Nutmace, a flanged mace (see: nutmeg shell), with one pronounced and sharpened flange for above-mentioned cleaving.

Bonus Element: Myristica
As an observer of the nature/tree god, Myristica, the character invokes her (and might gain mysterious powers) before partaking of meals with vegetables, when traveling through woods, and when grasping the wooden haft of the Nutmace. Carries a patch of bark as a holy trinket. (This bonus element works well with open-ended character features like Hero Points or Inspiration).

Our sixth entry, by @Snarf Zagyg:

Spoiler: It's the Great Pumpkin Spice, Charlie Brown!

A game about preserving the true spirit of Halloween from the clutches of Pumpkin Spice Mania.

It's that time of year, again. Linus is getting ready to get everyone in the Peanuts Gang excited for the true spirit of Halloween... the arrival of the Great Pumpkin!

But no one is listening to him. Instead, all they want to do is talk about pumpkin spice. And drink and eat pumpkin-spice flavored treats. Linus's tenuous grasp to reality is shaken, as he realizes that all of this spice ... needs pumpkins. And if they keep consuming the spice, they will eventually look to hunt down the greatest pumpkin of them all, The Great Pumpkin, to fulfill their addictions.

Linus has to do something....

Preparation-
Every player must go and purchase eight (8) short double-shot Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL). This is assuming Starbucks, but any 8oz PSL with two shots of espresso works.

Variations-
1. The Steven Wright. One shot of espresso per PSL.
2. The Billy "Heart attack (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack)" Joel- Three shots of espresso per PSL.
3. The Snarf- add alcohol to each PSL. One shot of booze is the Hoda. Two shots is the Mama Snarf.


Division of Authority-
One participant is the GM. The other participants are characters. The GM controls everything not controlled by the characters.


Characters-
All characters in the game are the voices and insecurities in Linus's head that are battling to be the dominant motivation for him. Characters are referred to as "Egos." Or "Voices." Or "Security Blankets." It's all good.

Every Ego gets 8 PSLs. This is your Ego's only stat. It is always equal to the actual number of PSLs the player has.

Before play, the GM will rip up and make a small number of pieces of paper equal to the number of players +1. On one piece of paper, the GM will write "Great Pumpkin." On the other pieces of paper, each player will write down an obsession (see below).

The GM will take the players' paper, discard one, and add the Great Pumpkin. Then, each player will randomly pull a piece of paper without telling the other players or the GM what they have.

Each player also can write down two skills for the Ego. Something like, "Good at playing piano." Or, "Charlie Brown will listen to me." If you do anything generally involving one of your two skills, you can subtract one to your rolls. If you do something that really specifically involves you skill, subtract two!


Mechanics-
Only one Ego can dominate Linus at any given time. At the start of the game, the Egos will have a Domination test to determine which Ego starts as the dominant motivation.

Domination tests occur at the beginning of the game, and whenever Linus either (a) gets hurt, (b) allows another member of the Peanuts gang to drink or eat a pumpkin-spiced flavored food or beverage, or (c) loses his security blanket. During a domination test, all egos that want to be the new motivation for Linus must secretly bid a number of PSLs. The highest number wins. If two or more players have the same number, then they will roll dice to determine which is the winning bid. The winner consumes the PSLs that they bid. All others keep the PSLs that they bid.

If an ego want to do anything that might involve failure- something a normal person, or in this case, child would fail at, they must roll a die. What die? Well, how hard do y'all want this to be?
A. Not that hard. d6.
B. A little harder, about the right amount. d8.
C. Tomb of Horrors? d10.
D. You have got to be kidding me. d20.
E. DEREK! I am just here to get loaded. d00.

You need to roll a 5 or lower (with skill adjustments). You can also consume a PSL to subtract two to any challenge.

If an Ego fails any challenge, then Linus loses his security blanket and a domination test occurs. The Ego that wins the domination test start by finding the blanket. In addition, if an Ego completes an obsession, a domination test occurs.

Finally, if an Ego in control of Linus doesn't do anything interesting for fifteen minutes (game time) or more, the GM will announce that member of the Gang has consumed a pumpkin spice latte.


Obsessions and Scoring-
All Egos have an obsession. It can be anything from "Help Charlie Brown kick the football from Lucy" to "Get Pigpen a shower." If someone writes a particularly difficult obsession ("Convince Charlie Brown that Snoopy is possessed and kill the demon") that will be a Level 2 Obsession. The person writing the obsession should make a good-faith effort to write the correct Level- if there is any dispute, resolve it after the game, especially if you're playing a variant and have consumed copious amounts of caffeine and alcohol.

Egos that are in control of Linus will try to fulfill their obsessions. Every time they do so, they get two points per level of the obsessions. If another player happens to fulfill your obsession, you also get the points.

The Great Pumpkin's obsession is making the holiday real for the Gang. This Ego fulfills its obsessions by making the Gang think the Great Pumpkin is real, and not just Linus acting strange.

All Egos get a half point each time they prevent the Gang from acting out on a pumpkin spice obsessions. A full point is awarded if the Ego is able to cause significant disruption to pumpkin spice in the area (such as burning down a Starbucks).


How Does it All End-
Once all the Egos are out of PSLs, the game is over and the points are counted. Highest number wins!

Our seventh entry, by @Deset Gled:

Spoiler: The Great Pumpkin

The Great Pumpkin
D&D 5e Warlock Patron
(not playtested at all)

Legends of the Great Pumpkin have spread across myths and lore for generations. To some, he is a fairy tale, and his stories inspire a mixture of fear and wonder. But to those who have dared to follow the legends and find this mysterious being, he is a powerful patron. His acolytes are only most fiercely devoted, and are defined by their strong sincerity, determination, and hope. In kind, he rewards them with powers of imagination and kindness, especially in the face of skepticism from those that would claim this powerful being isn't real. To join forces with a Great Pumpkin patron, a warlock must first locate one by spending an entire Halloween night in the most sincere pumpkin patch.

Great Pumpkin Features

Warlock Level - Feature
1st - Great Pumpkin Spell List, Pumpkin Spice Casting
6th - Faith in the Great Pumpkin
10th - Safeness of Sincerity
14th - Unending Devotion, Great Pumpkins

Great Pumpkin Spell List

The Great Pumpkin lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Spell Level - Spells
1st - Goodberry, Disguise Self
2nd - Pass Without Trace, Spike Growth
3rd - Plant Growth, Magic Circle
4th - Grasping Vine, Guardian of Faith
5th - Commune with Nature, Wrath of Nature

Pumpkin Spice Casting

Starting at 1st level, the Great Pumpkin inspires all of your spells to be infused with the power of Pumpkin Spice. All magic modified in this way give off feelings of fall and the harvest. Most conjured food and beverage will taste of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and occasionally allspice. Some powerful warlocks are capable of making Goodberries in the form of small candies, or Conjuring Water as if it were apple cider. All other spells also take on an eerie orange and pumpkin-like feature.

These modifications make spells mysterious, even to other magic users. All ability checks to counterspell, dispel, or identify spells cast with Pumpkin Spice Casting are made at disadvantage.

Additionally, you can cast the spell Conjure Food and Water once per long rest. However, you can only summon pumpkins as food, and pumpkin spice latte as beverage. Unlike the spell, these creations are not bland, but full of flavor. Like the spell, they spoil after 24 hours.

Faith in the Great Pumpkin

At 6th level, you can close your eyes and take an action to channel all your faith into the Great Pumpkin. During this time, you can see through solid objects to a range of 30 feet, even though your eyes are closed. Within that range, you also see with darkvision if you don't already have it. This special sight lasts for 1 minute, or until you open your eyes. You cannot perceive colors with this vision. Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Safeness in Sincerity

The followers of the Great Pumpkin are the most sincere, and only the most sincere foes can threaten them. At 10th level, you may activate Safeness of Sincerity as a reaction any time a foe attempts an attack or harmful spell targeting you. The foe must make a Charisma check against your Spell Save DC. On a failed check, the foe must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell. This ability doesn’t protect you from area effects, such as the explosion of a fireball.

You may use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, after which you must make a long rest to use it again. Uses where the foe succeeds on their check do not count as uses of this ability.

Unending Devotion

At 14th level, your devotion to the Great Pumpkin is so great that it transcends the mortal plane. When you fail a third Death Save, you are instantly transported back to the pumpkin patch where you first met The Great Pumpkin. Additionally, you are stabilized and healed 1 hit point. After using this ability, it cannot be used again until the next full moon.

Great Pumpkins

At 14th level, you can use the spell Conjure Food and Water at will. However, you can only summon pumpkins as food, and pumpkin spice latte as beverage. Unlike the spell, these creations are not bland, but full of flavor. Like the spell, they spoil after 24 hours.

And our final entry, by @Yalım:

Spoiler: Pepo, the Pumpkin Planet

(see the original link for the PDF attachment)
Pepo, the Pumpkin Planet
Pepo is a planetoid megaflora in the shape of a massive jack-o’-lantern, 5 miles in diamater. A massive flame at Pepo’s core grows and fades to mark the passage of the day, and the entire planet enjoys eternal tropical weather. But danger lurks below Pepo's surface. The planet is in a natural state of decline, hastened by extractive harvesting. As Pepo's nights grow ever longer and colder, strange and hostile creatures have begun to surface from its depths.

This PDF is a planetary overview and a gazetteer for a small planet that you can drop in any old section of wildspace for your players to engage with. It's the ideal environment for growing the many ingredients of our contest's flagship latte, but it's also an adventuring location best suited to a low-to-mid level party, with a variety of interesting locations and lurking threats.

 

[CleverNickName]

And for those who care: In the submission thread, I mentioned that "pumpkin pie spice" is typically a blend of 5 spices, and asked everyone to vote for their favorite. The results are:

Cinnamon: 15 votes​

Ginger: 9 votes​

Nutmeg: 9 votes​

Allspice: 2 votes​

Clove: 2 votes​

Long live the cinnamon!

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

And for those who care: In the submission thread, I mentioned that "pumpkin pie spice" is typically a blend of 5 spices, and asked everyone to vote for their favorite. The results are:

Cinnamon: 15 votes​

Ginger: 9 votes​

Nutmeg: 9 votes​

Allspice: 2 votes​

Clove: 2 votes​

Long live the cinnamon!

Reflections-

1. First, the nine votes for nutmeg? Yeah, we know.

2. Aside to the person who once cooked me dinner- Allspice is not, actually, all of your spices mixed together.

3. Cinnamon. like vanilla, is a really good spice that is destroyed by the banality of its overuse (and the lack of the good stuff).

4. Cloves- so good for flavor, so unfortunate when you eat one by accident.

5. Ginger? I hardly knew ... sorry. When I want to get back to my roots, I eat a little ginger and horseradish.

That last one is courtesy of "Jokes Your Dad Tells at Thanksgiving, Before Everything Descends into a Hellscape of Booze, Passive-Aggressive Snide Remarks, and Fighting Over Politics."

 

[CleverNickName]

Well well well. I never thought I'd see the day where, in a sea of D&D offerings, a Mörk Borg adventure would be the top pick.

Well done, @KoolMoDaddy-O! So far, you have the lead!

 

[Old_Skool]

What, no B/X creations this year? Tsk, tsk.

The new warlock patron looks fun, tho.

 

[CleverNickName]

What, no B/X creations this year? Tsk, tsk.

The new warlock patron looks fun, tho.

Missed opportunity. Why didn't you submit an entry this year, OS?

 

[Deset Gled]

Ceci n'est pas une bump.

 

[CleverNickName]

Ceci n'est pas une bump.

Seriously. A four-way tie for 3rd place? We need more votes.

 

[CleverNickName]

Just four days left to vote before the poll closes!