Monthly Archives: May 2024

The Best—Slyth Hive

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The PrinceofNothing, master of word and prose, has received ‘The Best’ from Bryce Lynch over at the 10 Foot Pole: https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=9160

There are not many high-level adventures out there….actually…GOOD high-level adventures. Usually I see instead of 1 dragon, they add 3 dragons to make things more difficult. While that can certainly make the situation more difficult, I always felt it took away from the awe and savagery of the dragon–I guess I’d rather see a ramp up of a single dragon’s abilities and power rather than just slapping in 2 more.

Another challenge is why are the characters going on an adventure when they are that high of level? Wouldn’t they be defending and ruling their own keeps and they send their minions to do the dirty work? Do all high-level adventures have to involve saving the world to make it feel epic? I think setting up a good adventure hook would be challenging.

Personally, in all my years of playing D&D, I’ve never really played a character much pass 9th level or so. I think it’s because I like the struggle of the low levels…the danger…and once my mage gets fireball at 5th level, for whatever reason, I feel like I won the game or something. So there are a bunch of spells and abilities I’ve never used except maybe by the monsters as DM. So I don’t want to appear like I’m bashing published high-level adventures out there–I think they would be very challenging to write, but I do give a sigh when I see the usual (adding more monsters of the same kind, preventing spells/abilities from working, etc.).

Anyways, I didn’t write Slyth Hive but I did work on the layout. I remember one of the first encounters is a shitload of animals and I thought, here we go again–just adding numbers to make something more dangerous for high levels….but as I delved deeper into the adventure, I became pleasantly surprised. Complex environments and interesting foes as well as ever-changing/adapting enemies to keep players on their toes…(sorta rhymed there…). I don’t know if as a player or DM, Ill ever run through a high-level adventure, but if I did, I would be down for going through or running Slyth Hive as it has the type of challenges I would be looking for with a high-level character. Another would be Geir Loe Cyn-crul by Andrew Huso. It’s a bit combat heavy with some additional monsters–but I liked the vibe when I read it.

Anyways, you can purchase Slyth Hive at DrivethruRPG. Prince has hinted at a Kickstarter to get more art and at that point we would offer a POD version (buyers of the PDF now would get the updated PDF).

Deity Contest

We have had a few submissions trickling in….the deadline–June 4th approaches!!!

Deity Contest Part 2

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Hey All—

Quick update: The Cauldron will be the Deal of the Day on DrivethruRPG tomorrow (5/7/2024) so if you need a great island adventure for your players, pick up the discounted copy! Bryce Lynch at 10 Foot Pole gave it ‘The Best’ rating.

Jonbar wrote up some quick descriptions of some of the areas of our world that I thought I would throw on here. I know I said for Uzudum, but we decided the god/goddess could be from anywhere. There is also some more information at our shop at DrivethruRPG– The Zontani Sea Region Gazette which is free.

Deity Contest–The Realms

Several great empires have risen and fallen upon the shores of the Zontani Sea, and beyond. More have been swallowed by cataclysms, war and time, no lost to the minds of men. Here is a brief overview of current Realms in need of God.

  1. The continent of Uzarra: A vast continent to the South of the Zontani Sea. It contains blistering deserts, seas of grasslands, nomadic tribes, high mountains, dense jungles and lost civilizations. They say deep within these jungles is an advance reptilian race, advanced enough to work metal and wield magic. They are known to build stone structures under the surfaces of lakes and worship strange gods, possibly dragons.
  2. Uzadum: An ancient civilization now beginning to wither. The sages say the people of Uza survived a great cataclysm in times past. The survivors created the Empire of Uzadum on the north side of the Uzarra continent. They are builders of incredible pyramids, water works and ships. The people are tall with olive skin and black hair, though they often shave their heads in the cities. Uzadum is in a state of decay, rot from within due to the constant strife between the Theocracy (God King) and the Arcanan. (Wizard Lords). The Uza worship a pantheon of deities, and have mastered all the known schools of the Arcane.
  3. Rhone: Upon the northern shores of the Zontani Sea, the empire of Rhone has risen to dominance. By land and sea, the industrial Rhonii have conquered their neighbors in all directions. Though to the north they still contend with the Horse Lords and Verloren. To the east they’ve an uncertain peace/truce with Asheena, but to the south, the Uzadum empire is a significant threat. The Rhonii are ruled by an Emperor wielding incredible military might, with both priest and wizards to protect him. They worship a plethora of Gods and Goddesses, from various people they have conquered, along with their own Pantheon. But it is the War Gods that are most highly esteemed. The people tend to be a bit swarthy but with various hair and eye color. They are great architects in stone and builders of roads. They had a stalemate war with a Dwarf Kingdom, which resulted in allies. The dwarves taught them masonry skills, thus their cities are the most impressive of the continents.
  4. Asheena the Thirsty: This is an arid realm though highly fertile along the eastern coast of the Zontani Sea. A sea faring people, they excel at making trade far and wide, though their martial strength is to be respected. Their cities appear beautiful in the arid surroundings, like a heavenly mirage. Plants grow over white washed stone providing fresh fruit and flowery aromas. They worship both gods of the desert and sea. They are known for their fine wine and other spirits. The people are a bit darker in complexion then the Rhonni and tend to have dark hair and eyes.
  5. The Thundering Plains: North of the Rhone empire is a vast grassland that has seen many armies marching and battling within it, thus it’s name. Here the northern expansion of the Rhone Empire has been stifled. This is mostly due to the people who are known as The Horse Lords. They are a nomadic people traveling the region following the great herds of animals that cross the plains. These people are highly skilled at mounted combat, and breed some of the finest horses known. At this time, an uneasy truce has been made with Rhone, allowing for some trade. The Horse Lords are a tall, fair-haired people, free and wild as are their gods. To the west of the plains, centuries ago, some of the Horse Clans settled and created the Kingdom of Kel. Though they are kin to the Horse Lords, they are not their rulers and often raid each other usually for horses.
  6. The Fallen Lands: Far to the northeast is a wasteland, of roving humanoid, ravenous monsters and warring clans of men. In ages past, this land was beautiful and bountiful, known as The Four Kingdoms. But then came the cataclysm of the God’s Wrath War that sundered the four realms scattering the people in all directions and despoiling the land. Now it is a place of constant struggle for those that remain, both monster and man, demi-gods, and demons roam the wilds of this fell land, claiming by force or will what they can. The people survive by grouping into nomadic war bands, skilled at arms being most highly valued. They have little faith in the gods or wizards, but know their value. The land is riddled with ruins of cities, fallen temples, wizard towers and dungeons. A great rift scars the land where demons were summoned forth to fight during the God’s Wrath War. From this foul pit, evil things still linger and prowl. Strange cults have begun to form, drawing followers using their strange powers and promises of protection, wealth or other nuggets of coercion.
  7. Zontani Sea: Many islands are scattered throughout its waters, populated by all different types of people, worshiping all types of different deities. Some of the islands are populated by nothing more than hungry savages, while others have sophisticated societies, and still more are led by the Brine Lords and roam the seas looking for easy plunder and glory. Some island have been claimed by demi-gods, either to retire from the realms of man, or to begin a campaign of conquest. Or perhaps to build a temple for their followers to worship and bring their offerings to.
Artist: Enmanuel Martinez ‘Lema’

Throughout the world there are many Spirits and Gods known to all the various races. Humans, dwarves, elves, orcs and humanoids, etc. So meditate, ponder and enlighten us with an understanding of a new god and their specialty priest.

–Jonbar

Contest–Deity

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Photo by Ellie Burgin on Pexels.com

There was a book I picked up, Petty Gods: https://www.orderofgamers.com/petty-gods/ and it had a bunch of petty and minor godlings and was fun to read the creativity. I’m not necessarily promoting it and had nothing to do with the book, but I thought it was a super cool idea to have the community put it together. I think back on it as Jonbar and I work on our next project.

We are busy working on gods for our world which I believe adds some flair and culture to our adventures. We were playtesting a museum adventure in Vermilion and I had tons of info about different gods, heroes, and history which I felt made the world come more alive. Yeah, I’m aware some people don’t like museum adventures, but it was a pretty great exercise for me as it helped me develop Vermilion and the world and if you are creating a city, I recommend doing one (but make it an adventure, not just a boring place). It also snowballed into making new magic items having potential stories–like that spear was used by the demigod Spear Guy or whatever and bards could have a field day discovering the legend of the item.

As we are muddling through our deities, I find myself asking questions–why would someone want to worship a God of Death….or a God of Decay? There has to be more of a reason of just ‘because they are evil’ or ‘because its cool’…although, I guess there is always the rule of cool. But I find that my first step is maybe thinking up a deity (i.e. God of the Sun) and then really delve into the worshipers (or cults) and why they want to pray to this specific deity? And then ask…why would anyone worship a lesser deity or even just a demi-god? Which can lead to foes and allies of the deity and stories/legends begin.

Then, since we are mostly 2e enthusiasts (with a healthy respect and joy for 1e), we are delving into Specialty Priests. Some Specialty Priests can be a bit overpowered (in my humble opinion), but I definitely like the flavor of them. Growing up, no one really wanted to play the healer…and I feel the Specialty Priest idea made it actually fun to play one. It also forces you to go deeper into the deity and helps answer the ‘why’ do worshipers pray to this deity as well as the culture of the religion (holy days, special colors or ornaments that must be worn, specific weapons, etc.). Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve played a cleric since… unless it was multi-classed.

This also brings us to new spells which really makes the Specialty Priest stand out. Very fun to create…all of it.

The Contest

So this brings up the idea of a contest for those interested. I don’t want to compete with NAP or other dungeon adventure contests as I don’t have time to review them all. But in my last post, I discussed a little bit about The Marrow Ravine (Part 2 from the Tar Pits of the Bone Toilers) and one of my ideas is to have an imprisoned demigod or lesser deity that is worshiped by the denizens of the jungled lands of Uzuduum. They would be stuck in this dying dimension and the heroes may have a chance to save them, if they wish… Ya…that about sums up my idea so far…lol, but I can picture the scene in my head. I already made a lesser goddess of Whispers and Vines for Uzuduum…but anything else is fair game. Heck, we don’t even know much about Uzuduum yet except there are thick jungles and plains and they sail in HUMONGOUS ships called Juggernaughts. Jonbar may write something up soon. Got questions? you can add them in the comments below.

Photo by Rifqi Ramadhan on Pexels.com

Jonbar and I will look over the entries and pick one. It may (or may not) be added to our pantheon, but I will definitely use it my Marrow Ravine adventure regardless. I want to see only lesser deities or demigods for humans. I want to see some history or legends, what they look like, etc. I want to see a Specialty Priest, any special holidays or rituals or something specific they have to wear, and at least 1 new spell.

First Place: Ill add your name to the credits for your creation in The Marrow Ravine, there is a chance your creation would be added to our Pantheon, AND I’ll give you a copy of our newly released The Coming of Winter (PDF AND pay for cost POD) OR 3 adventures (PDF and at cost POD) of your choosing.

Second Place: You will receive The Coming of Winter PDF OR 2 adventures (PDF only) of your choosing.

Third Place: You can choose one regular adventure PDF.

Deadline: June 4th by midnight (Pacific time). Keep in mind, in may be a long time before The Marrow Ravine is completed (a couple years at most), but I thought this contest may be fun since we are working on an internal project now of the Gods and Spirits of our realms. The more people submit, the sooner the timeline!

SUBMIT ENTRIES TO themercilessmerchants@gmail.com

Here is an example of the template I would like to see that is in super rough draft shape (even Jonbar hasn’t seen it yet, nor have we playtested). The bullets don’t need to be included necessarily (just having tech problems with copy/paste). But basically an idea of what we’re looking for (EXAMPLE):

Fedelmar

(Lesser) Goddess of Iron, The Iron Maiden, Rust Defier, Mother of Ore

  • Portfolio: Iron, steel, blacksmiths, miners
  • Aliases: None
  • Domain Name:
  • Superior: Vulridir
  • Allies: Vulridir, Juladir, Kjoldir
  • Foes: Vurth Kyrvr, Jool Vrora
  • Symbol: Spiked, closed-faced helm
  • Worshiper’s Alignment: Chaotic Good, Neutral Good
  • Major Spheres:  All, Combat, Creation, Divination, Healing, Elemental (earth), Elemental (fire), Guardian, Protection
  • Minor Spheres: Necromantic, Wards

  • Some may mistake Fedelmar as a duergar or dark dwarf, but she is actually a beautiful dwarven female made of iron and is known to eat iron ore! Her dark hair ends in flaming red tips of fire and her eyes are merely golden orbs with no irises. Legends state she was the first creation by the Great Smith Vulridir, in his attempt to create a daughter. Fedelmar can use her iron fists in battle but prefers wielding dual lava-runed warhammers and wearing a nasty spiked helm. Like iron, Fedelmar also can be soft, thus she is known to show mercy to some of her foes as well as having superb healing arts as she taps into the importance of iron in the mortal body. Fedelmar distrusts Vurth Kyrvr and gladly burns any of his wood work or carvings in an attempt to show the strength of iron’s resiliency to such things. She also has fought several times with Jool Vrora, Goddess of the Starless Seas. During their last battle, Jool attempted to drown her and make her rust, creating a fear of deep water for Fedelmar.

  • Specialty Priest
  • Titles: Iron Maidens (Female) or Iron Clad (Male)
  • Requirements: Wisdom 12, Strength 12, Constitution 12
  • Weapons: Any, but war hammer required
  • Armor: Any metal
  • Required Proficiencies: Mining and/or Blacksmithing
  • Bonus Proficiencies: Healing, Iron Will, Alertness
  • Major Spheres: All, Combat, Creation, Divination, Healing, Elemental (earth), Elemental (fire), Guardian, Protection
  • Minor Spheres: Necromantic, Wards
  • Most miners and blacksmiths prefer to pray to Vulridir or Kjoldir, so Fedelmar’s priesthood is rare and mostly composed of females, with an even rarer few male members joining the ranks. They are seldom seen alone, usually traveling in small groups for long destinations or adventuring together and rarely letting outsiders join them. Most tend to their shrines hidden deep in the mountains near veins of iron and other useful ores and outfitted with great forges and anvils for crafting. They are also known to consume iron shavings with their meals, a strange practice to most, but dwarves see it as a sign of respect towards the goddess. Because of this standoffishness and secrecy, some dwarves believe that Fedelmar is more of an evil goddess for duergar which has resulted in her not being a popular goddess for most. Although most dwarves are stubborn, Iron Maidens are known to be the stubbornest. They keep to their goals no matter the odds and possess a strong will over their mind. They are also known to show mercy to respected enemies and foes. Most are gifted blacksmiths, especially in the forging technique of cold iron. The priesthood usually has one weapon made of cold-wrought iron.
  • Powers/Skills:
  • Can’t turn or control undead but are able to hit undead needing +1 to hit and deliver an additional +1 damage to undead with their cold-wrought iron forged weapons.
  • All Iron Maidens gain +2 to their saving throws versus any type of disease, perhaps due to the extra iron shavings they consume (iron helps with immune system support).
  • All Iron Maidens and Iron Clad gain a +1 to their Perception scores. Healthy iron levels in the body help with energy and focus, thus making one more alert.
  • At 4th level, Iron Maidens can focus on the iron in their bodies, increasing oxygen to the cells in their muscles. Thus, they gain an ability similar to the spell Free Action once per day.
  • Iron Maidens receive a -2 to reaction rolls with other dwarves who are not of their order.
  • Iron Maidens have a healthy fear of water and attempt not to swim unless needed. They receive a -2 to attack rolls if fighting on a boat in open water.
    • Iron Maiden / Iron Clad Spells
  • Level 1
    • Feldemar’s Will
      • Sphere: Protection
    • Range: Touch
    • Components: V, S, M
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Casting Time: 5
    • Area of Effect: One target
    • Saving Throw: Neg.
    • Feldemar’s Will is similar to the 3rd level Remove Paralysis spell except it only works on one target. When cast on dwarves, they are immediately freed from Hold spells or paralyzing effects. Non-dwarves receive another saving throw at +4. The material component is the priest’s holy symbol and a small chunk of iron or iron nail.
  • Rust Protection
  • Sphere: Protection
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, 
  • Duration: 1d4 days +1 day per level
  • Casting Time: 7
  • Area of Effect: One target
  • Saving Throw: Neg.
  • The Rust Protection spell protects all metal from natural rust occurring from sea water and other natural ways for the rust process to start. Scrolls of this spell are valuable, especially to sea-faring folk such as those in Vermilion. This spell protects armor from Rust Monster attacks.
  • A second effect of this spell is that it causes 2d6 damage on a successful touch attack when used on a Rust Monster. There are also rumors that if cast on an Iron Golem, it confuses it momentarily, causing the golem to focus attacks on other enemies and ignoring the caster for 1d6 rounds. But this has been difficult to prove.