The World of Eave: V'taran People

[Playtest]

V'tar (human)

"I have never encountered a people who were fierce as well kind, though the way most of them treated women definitely left something to be desired."

-Lady Rosilar Ulsham

The V'taran people are a diverse race of humans that have settled the Northern Reaches of the Eavlan Continent.  They are a hearty breed of people that still hold true to the ancient primal religions.  They are divided into a variety of Clans based on the totem animal that the clan reveres.  They are further divided into a variety of tribes.  They used to be a heavily paternal, women having little to no rights save for the Witches that have a near mythical standing in their society. 

Now there was a couple of other clans.  The Wyrm, the Kraken, the Sleet Elk, the Frozen Seals and the Hail Muskox.  During the wars with Nerath, they were destroyed either in the fighting by the Wyrm when they would not join them.  Many of the Clans did join them at first, mainly out of fear and did not turn against the barbarian horde when after Lady Rosilar saved the Witch Klee.

V'tar Witches are an all-female cadre of wizards.  Other arcane spell casters, sorcerers and some warlocks.  They are usually tested by the Witches and if they are found worthy, they are taken in by them to renounce their Clan and tribe.  They serve all the V'taran people, for they are usually called upon to settle disputes by Clans and tribes.  They are usually protected by an all-female group of warriors, the Shield Wardens.

There are thirteen different Clans.  Each Clan reveres a particular totem animal that they gain their strength from.  Each tribe gains a bonus to according to the totem that they revere.  Other than the totem gift, they are just the same as normal humans save they may lose their totem gift if they displease their totem. 

• Blizzard Eagle are a semi-nomadic tribe that mainly lives in the Vale of Hyrak within the Barony, with high mountainous walls amid the rivers that run thick and wide.  They live by fishing as well as foraging.
• Totem gift: they gain advantage on Perception skill tests that deal with sight.
• Flurry Ram, noble and majestic they live in small families in high cliffs of the mountains and because they are so remote to get too, they have a near mythical quality about them.  They have in recent years become allies with a clan of storm giants, supposedly due to a wedding between a prince of the Ram and a storm giantess.
• Totem gift: as long as they do not wear heavy armor, they gain advantage on Athletics checks when climbing.
• Frost (Saber-toothed) Tiger are a savage people whose male warriors as a rite of passage go out from the tribe for a year to prove themselves before coming back to be anointed a full member of the tribe.  They are still a paternal tribe and women are not that well known.  If they do not have any reason for coming back, the female warriors do not come back.
• Totem gift: they gain a +1 on all damage that they do.
• Glacial Otter who, like their totem are excellent swimmers and very family oriented and build excellent ships.  They like to swim in the ice cold waters.  In fact, every year when the ice melts, they have a contest to swim their fjords.  In the capital of their clan, hundreds of naked people of the Otter clan to swim their fjord and the winner is showered with prizes.  The ships that they build are not for the oceans, for they are built for the Northern Sea, a large, landlocked sea.  Ever since the age of Nerath, a great glacier came in and cut off the Northern Sea from the Adarac Ocean.  The Witches often commission the Icebound Otters to make the base for their Witch Boats.  They live in the Barony.
• Totem gift: as long as they do not wear medium or heavy armor, the gain an advantage on Athletics checks for swimming. 
• Hoarfrost Wolverine are like the Frost Tigers and they have a rivalry going back generations.  Like their totem, they are some of the fiercest warriors and many great heroes are found.
• Totem gift: when they rage, they may rage for an additional 2 rounds.  The Wolverine totem has been known to grant this to non-barbarians.
• Ice Bear, silent and taciturn and powerful warriors.  They live a semi-nomadic lifestyle and are master foragers, and can survive on things that would make other people sick.
• Totem gift: they gain advantage on all Survival checks.
• Rime Owl are a mysterious tribe who live in the great woods.  Silent and deadly.  The Hallow, their main home and hunting ground is within the Barony though the keep their autonomy.  They have a secret lair of the Witches that lies deep within the forest, Ysigdal.  Closely aligned with the Snowstorm Foxes, they are the most mystical of V'taran people.
• Totem gift: As long as they do not wear heavy armor, they gain advantage on Stealth checks.
• Slush Boar are a rude people, but they are strict adheres to honor.  They are usually what people describe as barbarians, mean, rude and powerful warriors. 
• Totem gift: if they go down, they only have to make two death saves instead of three.
• Snow Lion are the most technologically advanced tribe as the Snow Lion are now known as the Theocracy of the Sun.  They are getting away from their barbarous past, but there are still the hold outs that still believe in the old ways.
• Totem gift: they may choose any Skill to become proficient in, being highly skilled.  This is this the new gift granted to the followers of the Snow Lions.
• Snowfall Lynx, quiet and stealthy the Lynx's are consummate hunters.  They live in the hills and valleys of the south mountains that overlooks the Andian Plains.
• Totem gift: As long as they do not wear heavy armor, they gain advantage on Stealth checks.
• Snowstorm Fox the only matriarchical tribe.  Lives mainly live in Wynterfrost, the capital of the Barony of Ysigdal.  They possess a knack for diplomacy.  They are a small clan that has gained a great clan status due to their actions during the Nerath War.
• Totem advantage: gain advantage on Perception that deal with hearing.
• Tundra Mammoth.  They are a hearty people of the north, living near great geothermal vents in the ice.  They are big people given to excess.  Mainly lives in their cities that they have claimed in the north.  Two towns and a countless villages.  They are part of the Barony and the largest clan.
• Totem gift: they're powerful and gain a +4 to their strength when calculating their lifting and carrying capacity (PHB 176).
• Winter Wolf live in nomadic tribes for their home was destroyed by the Wyrm clan during the Nerath War.  They were nearly destroyed and as such they are secretive about their people to outsiders.  They guard against the horrors that they suffered by the Wyrm always on the lookout for the evil that they brought.  They are a noble people and have strong warriors.
• Totem gift: gain advantage on Perception tests that deal with smell.

Stuff of Note

• Shield Wardens are mainly fighters, though barbarians and rangers are not unknown.

Stuff to Build

• V'tar Shamans, based on druids
• V'tar Witches, based on wizards
• New backgrounds

Threadbare RPG

Threadbare RPG by Stephanie Bryant.  Kickstarter is until June 8th.  Get it, it is pretty cool.

The Citystates: Statues of Ganimyre

The Statues of Ganimyre

The Statues of Ganimyre are a sight to behold.  Along the Rhane River for  just north of Caelix are the remains of eighty-four statues that rise up some hundred-twenty feet in the air made of white stone.  They are the Emperors of Bael Turath and these are their tombs as well as gigantic ego-machines.  In the days of Bael Turath, these statues were painted by the masses of slaves that used by the tieflings.  Now out of the hundred statues, only twenty-three remain standing.  There is something about the stone or the enchantments placed on it, but the thirty-seven seem untouched by the ravages of time.  Even the statues have fallen or destroyed look pristine having been toppled due to wars, undermined or pulled down for the stone and to look for the treasures that are rumored to be buried deep inside the chest.   Ancient legends say that some or all of them  are humungous golems that were under control of the Emperor.

Caelix would like to have them under their control.  The current Emperor Caelix IX, of the Shadowskulls has just put down a slave rebellion and cleared his ziggurat fortress.  However he is stymied by Ganimyre Twin-Tailed, the Queen of the Medusae.  She was a beautiful tiefling woman, the favored concubine of the Emperor of ancient Bael Turath.  When the Emperor died, as was the custom of the time, she was one of the hundreds who was buried inside.  But she was not ready to die for years before, she begged and pleaded and prayed to Suless, the Whore Goddess, to grant her beauty forever.  For years, she was a beautiful concubine, the envy of many among the court of Emperor.  She found out she was immortal when she awoke in the darkness of tomb for Suless granted her wish.  It was many years she was entrapped in the tomb that she became quite insane for when she was finally free of the tomb by robbers seeking treasures, she turned them,  to stone.  Bael Turath was no more.  She was cast adrift in the ruins of the great city where factions and gangs ruled the land.  She looked up and the statue of the Emperor looming above her.

Over the centuries, she has amassed a loyal following of beasts and men.  She wears a great horned mask so enchanted as to let walk among her people without petrifying them and has enchanted other masks so other medusae can follow her.  Seven other medusae follow her and each of them have a particular mask.  A saber-toothed cat, a blood hawk, a human girl, a snow lion, an octopus, a serpent and a dragon.  Each of the masks denotes something about the medusae who wears it. 

Caelix has been stymied by Ganimyre.  She in her insanity thinks that even though Caelix is trying to bring back the glory of Bael Turath, the line she figures ended with her Emperor.  Caelix IX has no claim on the glories of ancient days, a mere pretender to the Black Onyx Throne.

Sebastien Cirrus

GANIMYRE TWIN-TAILED, the Queen of the Medusae

Medium monstrosity, lawful evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 178 (21d8 +84)

Speed 30ft.

STR 10 (+0)  DEX 15 (+2)  CON 19 (+4)  INT 12 (+1)  WIS 13 (+1)  CHA 20 (+5)

Skills Deception +9, Insight +5, Perception +5, Stealth +6

Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common

Challenge 9 (5000 XP)

Petrifying Gaze. When a creature that can see the medusa's eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of the medusa, the medusa can force it to make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw if the medusa isn't incapacitated and can see the creature.  If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is instantly petrified. Otherwise, a creature that fails the save begins to turn to stone and is restrained. The restrained creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn, becoming petrified on a failure or ending the effect on a success. The petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes to avoid the saving throw at the start of its turn. If the creature does so, it can't see the medusa until the start of its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again. If the creature looks at the medusa in the meantime, it must immediately make the save.

If the medusa sees itself reflected on a polished surface within 30 feet of it and in an area of bright light, the medusa is, due to its curse, affected by its own gaze.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The medusa makes either three melee attacks one with its snake hair and two with her tail stingers.

Snake Hair. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft ., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6)

poison damage.

Tail Stinger.  Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., on creature.  Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damages plus 21 (6d6) poison damage.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS

Ganimyre can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn . Ganimyre regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Attack.  Ganimyre can make one attack with either her Snake Hair or Tail Stinger.
• Animate Statue.  Either she can animate a current statue or create one from the earth and dust around the fight.  She can animate a statue with 30 feet of herself and it can make a single attack.  +6 to hit a single target within 5 feet for 18 (4d6+4) points of bludgeoning damage.  The statue then then either freezes back into place or crumbles back into a pile of rubble.
• Forced Look (2 actions).  One target within 30 feet of Ganimyre are affected by her petrifying gaze as if they have seen Ganimyre.  If a creature naturally blind, they are not so affected.

LAIR ACTIONS

When fighting inside its lair, the Emperor's Tomb in which she was buried in, Ganimyre can invoke the ambient magic to take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Ganimyre takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:

• The statues move or are created from the rubble and dust of other victims to surround a character and prevents the character from moving by either grabbing them or blocking the path.  A target cannot move or be moved for the round.
• She may cast a wall of stone that last for one minute and doesn’t require concentration.
• The area for thirty feet around Ganimyre is littered with rubble form her past victims that make the ground rough terrain for her enemies to move through.

REGIONAL EFFECTS

The region of the Ganimyre's Statues lair is warped by her presence.  With the area of Ganimyre's Statues are the areas along the Rhane River in which the twenty-three remaining statues still stand, roughly a mile from the river and fifteen miles from the Emperor's Tomb in which she was buried. 

• The area of Ganimyre's Statues it seems that all the statues will stare at the party members.
• Mirrors and other reflective surfaces are clouded and scarred, so much so that they cannot be seen in or reflected upon.

The regional effects will remain in play for 1d10 days after Ganimyre's death.

The Citystates: Junkers and the Rubbish Pile

Christopher Clark

The Rubbish Pile is a huge pile of rubbish, trash and refuse that is near Restenford.  Restenford uses this huge junkyard to dispose of their trash as it is several square miles in area with piles of garbage.  There is what used to be a thieves guild, the Junkers there, but they have turned a dirty existence into a profitable one, taking all the garbage that the colony city can spew out, from human waste to whole buildings.

Because of it, the Junkers have grown and they have as many people as a good sized village.  They have taken an old idea from the days of Bael Turath and have gone and captured several otyughs to eat the garbage.  Now they have done something else, as they have been known to dispose of bodies for the local thieves guilds.  They have one queen otyugh, a massive creature who gives birth.  On occasion when she is hungry, the young to not get out in time before she devours them.  But she sits in the middle of the Pile like a giant antlion, devouring anything that the Junkers throw her way.

The Junkers have been around since Nerath fell.  They are as big as a town but still run things like a thieves guild.  The guildmaster is human male named Rigo Carnino.  He has four lieutenants, a Asgorath (tiefling male), Bronhil (dwarf female), Verstane (human male) and his daughter Maraha (half-elf female).  They have countless other people who live and work for them and as such are almost considered a small city in their own right.  They do the hauling trash thing but also protection, kidnapping and they charge exorbitant rates to hide bodies, dispose of bodies and escorting people to and through their lands.  

  

JUNKER

Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment

Armor Class 12 (leather, dex)

Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)

Speed 30ft.

STR 12 (+1)  DEX 12 (+1)  CON 13 (+1)  INT 10 (+0)  WIS 10 (+0)  CHA 9 (-1)

Skills Athletics +3

Senses passive Perception 10

Languages any one language (usually Common)

Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

ACTIONS

Club. Melee Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning damage.

This is your average Junker who hauls the trash and hides the bodies.

The Citystates: Hanali

The Citystates, an overview

Lying on the banks of the Rhane River is the remains of the largest city that has ever been seen of the world of Eave.  A massive city the size of current day LA or Tokyo, that covers hundreds of square miles and estimates put it holding over four million people though that number is still contested.  Now a days the whole thing is collectively and commonly known and The Citystates.  Most of the city are overrun with ruins and monsters and is the largest cemetery in known Eave.  The Citystates have been here continually building for millennia.  During the Bael Turath Empire, the tieflings expanded their power and the city expanded to its current size.  Great buildings were erected and massive parks where planned.  The Plains of Marro were one such park, the greatest in all the lands of Eave.  It was after the great war between Turath and Arkhosia that the great city fell to conflict, civil war and saw its eventual downfall.

There are miles upon miles of monster-infested ruins, but that does not mean that people have left, though it makes life a little hard.  Some settlements in the ruins are completely walled off, like Hanali and Caelix.  Life inside the walls are goes on and are good.  Life outside the walls can be quite short, filled with monsters and bandits and worse.  Under the city, a vast cave system that lies miles upon miles runs under The Citystates and goes very deep.  The city was built upon continuously and some archaeological teams have discovered that there are fifteen different cities that lie beneath the streets in certain areas.  Powerful thieves guilds that have claimed great stretches of tunnels and chambers in a maze of trap filled death.

It has been many more millennia since the war and only a dozen cities remain, walled off from the rest of the ruins.  A dozen citystates now claim rulership over the districts that once made up the city.  Slowly, the city is being set to right.

Hanali

Hanali is a large city run by Daecis Half-Elven.  Daecis, also known as the Glass Wizard, is a powerful spellcaster, a cleric of Corellon and warrior of great skill.  He has ruled over Hanali ever since Nerath fell, over a hundred years ago.  He does not look that old even with white hair and goatee that he keeps neatly trimmed.  He has a small Magic Conservatory and over the years has trained many great and powerful spellcasters (examples).  He is a skilled tactician and has ruled over his city and strengthened it to not to be trifled with.  Deacis does has not taken another wife since the death of his first well over a hundred years ago, but that has not stopped him from taking mistresses from time to time.  He has a number of progeny though, though none from his mistresses, all from his wife.  Currently, at home, he is watching some six great-grandchildren  The oldest is Daelia Stormfrost, a 16-year old magical prodigy with the families noted white hair.  Daelia has somewhat of a rebellious streak in her, but is generally a good kid.

Hanali is walled off and continually manned.  The General of the Guard is a half-orc warrior name Gualar Glaivestrike, a huge man, almost seven feet tall who uses a glaive in combat with great skill.  Because he is so large and he has a ill-mannered bearing, many think of Gualar to be a brute, but that is far from the truth as he is glib and very convincing with his incredibly deep voice.  The city is a cosmopolitan city.  All races are welcome within their walls, and as long as they obey the laws of the city.  Besides Gualar, the laws of the city are overseen by the red-robed and staff armed Justicars.  They are a small order of guardsmen of many races, that bring law and order to the people of Hanali.  These minor judges are set up in every quarter of the city and people bring to them their disputes from grievances of merchants to thieves caught by the guard.  Higher offences are taken care of by one of the three High Justicars who handle the big cases such treason and murder.  Mylon Highscale (dragonborn male), Hydee Wiseacre (halfling female) and Jordaan Spree (human male) are the current High Justicars.  The army of Hanali isnt a true army.  Part of the city guard, the army is several Stands (100 men) of beings trained in city fighting and guerilla tactics.  With one Stand divided into Fists (5 men teams, so 20) of specialists that include mages, priests and specialized warriors.  The army usually guards merchant caravans and takes out large gangs of monsters that have taken up residence near Hanali.  Many great heroes of Hanali have come from the many Fists that make up the Specialist Cadre.

People often grow their own food in small gardens that they have, a practice that has gone on to many of the other cities.  Food is one of the many items that the people will have stored and many people in a particular quarters in the city store any extra food in communal storehouses that the Justicars have in their offices.  Merchants can make money growing and bring in food.  The Rhane River splits into three tributaries within the area that Hanali controls.  The northern tributary is known at the Eiker River, and flows out to the Adarac Ocean and the rest of the Shattered Coast.  It is the only tributary that doesn't flow through Restenford, a colony city of the Emaan Empire.  The Empire has a very strong navy and due to a variety of contracts, the Empire doesn't blockade The Eiker.  They have a seriously guarded highway that goes south to The Plains of Marro, where it skirts the dangerous plains and continues south and out of The Citystates.  Hanali controls four Roadside Stations that act as mini strongholds to protect the many travelers that pass through The Citystates.  The largest one crosses the river to the south that splits off the Rhane at the Cathedral of Erathis, The Pretkel River.  Called Griffonstone, it host a large stable of hippogriffs (and a smaller number of actual griffons) that are used to scout the highway through the other three castles as well as all the way back to Hanali.  A full Stand and two Fists of specialists guard Griffonstone at all times.  Ten Fists of the army guard each of the other Roadside Stations. 

Other cities to come

• Jurkenfell is a martial city that lies in the western part of the Citystates.  It is ruled by Hydankol the , a powerful hobgoglin warlord.
• Restenford is a colony city that is claimed by the Emaan Empire.  Restenford was the sight of Nerath's expansion into the area.
• Caelix is a city run by teiflings seeking the greater glories of Bael Turath.  It is run by a cruel and evil Emperor Caelix IV for whom the city is named for. 
• The Grand Cathedral of Erathis lies in the center of The Citystates.  They are very powerful and seek to return The Citystates to their full status.
• Osgath controls the Rhane River in and out if The Citystates to the east.
• Burkan is a poor citystate being ruled by The Islands as a buffer state to combat the growing shadow of Jurkenfell.
• The Islands is a large section of the North River tributary of the Rhane.  A vastly rich citystate.
• The Tower of Zarphan.  A small city ruled by wizard of considerable skill who conjured demons to do his bidding.  Controls the entrance to the North River.
• Nhepru is a city that is controlled by an aberration of great power, the real evil of The Citystates.
• Corduha is a partially sunken city that is ruled by a cabal of sahaugin.
• The Curse, originally known as Highmount is a leper colony.

Notes

• Make the Urban Ranger for the specialist cadre.

5e Playtest: Masterwork Armor

Masterwork.  It is a think I thought that they did good in 3/3.5e and it was something I thought that should've been expanded on.  Now this is a serious playtest of the system and I am looking for some serious feedback.

Masterwork Armor. 

Light armor +250gp

• Padded does not gain the disadvantage on stealth.
• Leather, +1 armor class
• Studded leather, +1 armor class

Medium armor +500gp for each chosen ability

• Hide, +1 maximum dexterity modifier
• Chain shirt, +1 maximum dexterity modifier
• Scalemail, +1 armor class, no disadvantage on stealth, 30 pound weight
• Breastplate, +1 maximum dexterity modifier
• Half-plate, +1 armor class, no disadvantage on stealth, 30 pound weight

Heavy armor +1000gp for each chosen ability

• Ringmail, +1 armor class, no disadvantage on stealth, 30 pound weight
• Chainmail, +1 armor class, no strength minimum, no disadvantage on stealth, 35 pound weight
• Splintmail, +1 armor class, Str 13, no disadvantage on stealth, 40 pound weight
• Platemail, +1 armor class, Str 13, no disadvantage on stealth, 45 pound weight

World of Eave: Zordia Frozen-Heart, frost giant archer

Zordia Frozen-Heart

Zordia is a tall, rather pleasing looking frost giant maiden, descendant of many powerful frost giant chieftains.  She is quick and graceful and deadly with the bow.  She became a Handmaiden of Thyrm and in doing so gained some residual power from Thrym and Gröingar Icy-Death.  The armor she wears is made from the hide of a red dragon that she has slain and in which she looks quite fetching. 

Frost giant, huge giant, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (studded leather, dex)

Hit Points 187 (15d12 + 90)

Speed 40ft.

STR 22 (+6)  DEX 18 (+4)  CON 22 (+6)  INT 11  WIS 10 (+0)  CHA 14 (+2)

Saving Throws Con +10, Wis +4, Cha +6

Skills Athletics +10, Perception +4

Damage Immunities cold

Damage Resistances fire

Senses passive Perception 14

Languages Common, Giant

Challenge 9 (5000 XP)

Sharpshooter.  Zordia's attacks at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on her ranged weapon attack rolls with the longbow.

Ice Walk. Zordia can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra moment.

Ice Sight.  Snow and ice do not obscure Zordia's sight.  So if she is within a snowstorm or hail, her sight is not obstructed at all.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. Zordia makes two attacks with her battle axe or three attacks with her longbow.

Battle Axe. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) slashing damage or 21 (3d10 +6) two handed.

Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 600 ft., one target.  Hit 17 (3d8 + 4)

Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

Handmaidens of Thrym

Frost giant, huge giant, neutral evil

Armor Class 17 (breastplate, shield, dex)

Hit Points 151 (14d12 + 70)

Speed 40ft.

STR 22 (+6)  DEX 13 (+1)  CON 21 (+5)  INT 11  WIS 10 (+0)  CHA 12 (+1)

Saving Throws Con +9, Wis +3, Cha +4

Skills Athletics +9, Perception +3

Damage Immunities cold

Senses passive Perception 13

Languages Common, Giant

Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Ice Walk. A Handmaiden can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra moment.

Ice Sight.  Snow and ice do not obscure a Handmaiden's sight.  So if she is within a snowstorm or hail, her sight is not obstructed at all.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. A Handmaiden makes two attacks with her battle axe.

Battle Axe. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) slashing damage or 21 (3d10 +6) two handed.

Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

5e Playtest: Shields

I think I have been watching Vikings for too long...

Shields can be used as an improvised weapon to deal 1d4 damage.  No proficiency bonus to attack roll unless the wielder has the Shield Master or Shield Warrior Feats, the Gladiator Background or a Fighter Class (or any other background that may allow it, such as a Viking Warrior type background, talk to your DM).  The shield is a special case for even though it is bulky and unwieldly, it can be used as a light weapon when two-weapon fighting with a shield (which means the primary weapon must be light as well).  You do not gain defense bonus with the shield if you make an attack.

Now bladed shields or any such items will either gain a +1 damage or do 1d6.  It is up to you DM if they will allow them.  As for myself, well, specialized gladiators can have them.

Note, if a shield is magical, it does not add anything to any attacks it makes.  

New Feat

Shield Warrior

You know how to attack with your shield and still gain from it when using it to attack as a secondary weapon.

• Gains proficiency when attacking with the shield, if not already had.
• You can use two-weapon fighting you may use any one-handed melee weapon instead of just a light weapon.  When you take the Attack action and attack with a melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different with the shield that you’re holding in the other hand. You may add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack.
• Still gains a +1 Armor Class even when using the shield to attack.

World of Eave: Copperwood

Copperwood has just beaten back a goblin invasion and is now experiencing a sudden of people and trade from both the Moonsilver Alliance and the Emaan Empire.  The invasion was basically perpetrated by the Emaan Empire as they are moving north and displacing the goblins living among the coast.  It all ended in Copperwood with help from Emaan Empire's Nyss of the Blood, the Moonsilver Alliance's Naikel of the Moonsword and a group of adventurers that were stuck in between the two factions.

Now that the invasion is over, Copperwood is stuck between two powers that don’t get along, but they are both staying.  Nyss of the Blood has set up a small compound to hunt the goblin survivors in the Cold Woods that lie to the west of Copperwood.  But there is another reason why he is staying in Copperwood: Iona Raven's Daughter is a priestess of the Raven Queen.  A curvy, full figured woman who has captured his heart.  Iona is one of the adventuring group.  Nyss is doing everything to make his presence known to be a good thing.  Niakel doesn’t trust him and left in charge for the Moonsilver Alliance a dragonborn fighter by the name Agartaan Turanoth.  It may have been a stab at the Emaan forces there, for their animosity toward the dragonborn.  Agartaan is Knight of the Moon however and is a good choice to lead the Moonsilver contingent. 

There are elves from Courvale that fled before the goblin army and ended up in Coppperwood.  There were only fifty-six elves that made it out of Courvale alive.  The last fifty-six elves of Courvale for most of them left for Emaan Empire over the course of years.  They are led by an elf named Voremon, but their spiritual leader is Ervan of Corellon who leads four acolytes.  There is Liselai Autumnbloom, the most powerful mage in Copperwood.  She was in the first wave to flee Courvale and she came north and settled in Copperwood years ago.  She has a tower in town and is teaching two apprentices.  She sells low level scrolls and spells.

Copperwood is experiencing a period of rapid expansion.  Before there were only two inns, The Silver Frog and Cold Comfort; and three taverns: The Dancing Maiden, The Copper Dragon and The Sad Devil.  Now there are three more inns and eight more taverns being built.  The harbor is being expanded to accommodate the increased traffic that Copperwood in now getting.  Sormen, the village elder is a bit overwhelmed.  He is getting help from his two assistants, the handsome Cowri Granson and Rade One-Hand.  Unfortunately Cowri is firmly in Empire's pocket, while the one-handed Rade is leaning in toward the Alliance.  There is much in the way of new construction here as well.  Not just damage caused in the war with the goblins but new construction as well.  Homes and shops and defensive construction.  There is the House of the Coins and Shield, the temple to Erathis and Bahamut.  The young priestess Corine of Earthis who now runs the temple is a bit swamped with her duties ever since the old priest died.  The Moon House is a temple to Sehanine, and it is run by Holmis, a half-elf who is a devout man and secretly a member of Eclipse.  The name of a spy agency that is run for the Moonsilver Alliance.  As of late there are more temples being built to Kord, Pelor and Avandra.  There are two major trading houses who are at war with each other.  There is the Darvan Trading Coaster based in Moonsilver and Vorkaan Trade House based in the citystate of Altanille, a magocracy that lies across the Sea of Morning.  They are bringing more and more materials to rebuild and fortify the city.

As for defenses, Copperwood is very well defended.  Besides a wall that is being built around the town, there is Brightscale Keep that lies two-miles up along the river is where the Moonsilver Alliance has based themselves.  Already, the Moonsilver Alliance has gotten more troops in here then they had here during the invasion, now that they have more time to arrange the defenses.  Some three-hundred souls make up the Moonsilver's forces and that includes archers, infantry, cavalry, acolytes and a small handful of arcane casters.  The Emaan Empire has a small camp across the river.  Nyss of the Blood still commands in Copperwood.  He is looking at building a bridge on the upriver side of the town and has started planning it.  He only has forty Imperial Emaan Flameshields and ten minotaur Doomhammers as well as the ship named Royal Pain.  Many of the settlers that are coming to the southside of the river are Emaan citizen.  That has caused some strife with the Moonsilver Alliance, but Agartann doesn’t really say anything about it.  The Emaan Empire keeps a low profile, they havent built any defensive buildings for themselves.  Then number of the Emaan Empire hasn’t increased either, all while the Moonsilver Alliance keeps on sending more and more troops here.  With Cowri on the side of the Emaan Empire influencing Sormen, the Alliance will be hard pressed to stay with any power in the months to come.

The whole thing might be moot however.  To the west the river feeds into the Cold Woods and finally into the Frozen Marshes.  In the middle of the marshes lies the greatest threat to the area, Birthice.  Birthice is an elemental volcano, spewing ice and snow.  The elemental chaos is strong in this area as well, the elemental energy slowly mutating creatures that were native to the Frozen Marshes and the Cold Woods.  Lizardmen, for example are cold blooded creatures that usually don’t live in the cold environs of the volcano.  But they do.  The elemental energy of the volcano has mutated many of the creatures who live here to survive here.  Many ice borne creatures have made this area home, but the most dangerous one locals call Hoarfrost, an ancient white dragon.  He makes his home near the top of the volcano.  Frost giants have gathered in this area for they heard the call of the frost titan Gröingar Icy-Death.  He is a frost titan, a shamen of Thrym himself and he is as mean and unforgiving as Birthice itself.  He is attended by the Handmaids of Thrym, six female frost giants and their leader Zordia Frozen-Heart, a giant who is as accurate with her bow as she is with a thrown rock.  Birthice just erupted spewing its cold all the way to Copperwood where it changed the rain to sleet and then snow just as the invasion was broken.  It snowed in the summer causing all to wonder about the ice-volcano.

Groups of adventurers have started out for Birthice, but the one with the greatest chance is the one who did a lot of work during the invasion.  Besides Iona Raven's Daughter, there is Kade of the Ten Blades, Ervan of Corellon, Otto the Mage, Streng the Barbarian and Thonkil the Dwarf.  They ended up slaying the hobgoblin warlord that was leading the goblins.

Other dangers to Copperwood include Henstock the Bandit, an outlaw in the Cold Woods that lie to the west.  He is a handsome man and he avoids killing, preferring to rob his marks.  He is unfortunately being somewhat rousted by the remains of the goblin army and he and his bandits are in a constant fight with them.  There is the herbalist Firena that nobody knows is a worshipper of Suless.  A woman of middle years but still looks beautiful, she has been in the town for several years now.  She set herself up as an herbalist and sells potions, salves and unguents to people as well as buying the odd component from adventurers who gathers them.  She is also slowly corrupting people.  She is thinking about running however due to Marnuck and his Witch Hunters have come to town looking for followers of Suless.  They hunt for followers of the Whore Goddess for Marnuck's own wife was taken and killed by the followers.  There is a newly minted thieves guild that has been set up by way of Kade for the remaining Blades have come to out of Krusad and set up shop.  Otto is wanted in Moonsilver, for the mage is also a con-man.  He has a bounty on him and he is hiding out with his fellow adventurers.  Already Otto and Kade have convinced Streng (a bounty hunter) that Otto is not really Otto.  He is wanted alive by Renata Fallingwood and the bounty on him has risen to 500gp.  Other bounty hunters are still on the case, such as Misker Bow-weaver.  It is getting rough in this boomtown.  Thonkil is a lieutenant of the Copperwood Militia and he has to deal with all these problems and more.  During the siege of Copperwood, an old dwarf comes for a visit.  His name it Lhonkan.  He has said that Khun'drukar is open.  Only a few of the orcs that overran the small but ancient dwarven clan.  Thonkil is the grandson of the last of the ruling council.  He might be leaving the militia and going to Khun'drukar.

World of Eave: Vash the Ravenous

Ben Wootten/deviant Art

Vash the Ravenous

Vash the Ravenous is a short, skinny gnoll who looks dead and desiccated due to the Krusadi desert sun.  He however is smarter than you average gnoll and he has gotten to be the most feared pack lord ever seen in the desert.  The gnolls revere Vash for his insight and cunning, saying that he is the favored of Yeenoghu and merchants fear him and his gnolls.

Vash is never without his elite guard.  Eleven gnolls with maximum hit points and a nasty penchant for blood.  Vash can target up to three of his elite gnolls with his incite rampage special ability.   His pack usually contains upward to forty members and attendant hyenas.  His elite gnolls follow his lead and stay somewhat in position when they attack and the others make due with their wildness.  They are like a sea of calm amid a bloodthirsty horde.  Even though as smart as he is, he doesn’t seem to want to anything more than to do what gnolls do best, slaughter and burn.  What his intelligence does is just make him a very dangerous foes.  Ambushes are his specialty.  While he does not seem to have any great aspirations, there are those who look upon him with covetous eyes.

He is never seen without his hyena Crackbone.  Spawned by Yeenoghu himself when he took and ravaged Crackbone's mother, or so the legend goes.  All said, she is a spawn of something from the abyss as her maw is twice as large as a hyena's should be.  Vash attacks with two scimitars named Thrister and Biter.  He doesn’t like missile weapons and prefers getting into melee to spill the blood of his enemies.

GNOLL PACK LORD Medium humanoid (gnoll), chaotic evil

Armor Class 16 (breastplate, dex)

Hit Points 82 (12d8 + 24)

Speed 30ft.

STR 14 (+2)  DEX 18 (+4)  CON 14 (+2)  INT 14 (+2)  WIS 11 (+0)  CHA 12 (+1)

Skills Survival +6

Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10

Languages Common, Gnoll

Challenge 5 (1800 XP)

Rampage. When Vash reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on its turn, he can take a bonus action to move up to half its speed and make a bite attack.

Yeenoghu's Fury.  Vash is filled with the fury of Yeenoghu and other gnolls around him feel it too.  While they are in battle, he and all gnolls within 30-feet of him gain +2 on damage rolls.  For him, the damage is already included.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. Vash makes three attacks, two with his two scimitars and the third with his bite, and uses its Incite Rampage if it can.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d4 + 6) piercing damage.

Scimitars. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) slashing damage.

Incite Rampage (Recharge 5- 6). One creature Vash can see within 30 feet of it can use its reaction to make a melee attack if it can hear Vash and has the Rampage trait.  Vash can incite rampage on up to three of his elite gnolls or Crackbone.

Crackbone

DEMONIC HYENA Medium fiend, chaotic evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 35 (4d8 + 16)

Speed 50 ft.

STR 16 (+3)  DEX 13 (+1)  CON 14 (+2)  INT 5 (-3)  WIS 14 (+2)  CHA 5 (-3)

Skills Perception +4 

Senses passive Perception 14

Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities poisoned 

Languages Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Pack Tactics. The hyena has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the hyena's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Rampage. When Crackbone reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on its turn, he can take a bonus action to move up to half its speed and make a bite attack.

ACTIONS

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage