d&d sideblog

"It's just one bonus comic!" I say, "how many panels could it be, 4?"

I gotta stop lying to myself and pretending I'm capable of doing short follow up comics lmao. There'll be a part 3 to this eventually, it just won't be quite as quick as this one was

My Tav wasn't raised by Tieflings and hasn't really lived as one until the events of the game. As a result she has no concept of tail body language and broadcasts shit she doesn't mean to.

NATHRAE — URCHIN OF MENZOBERRANZAN

Who is the best hugger?

Patron was sealed for a long period of time, and more than seeking their revival, they miss the world and its experiences, and thus seek warlocks who are willing to share their senses with their patron and thus ameliorate the loneliness and fatigue of ages

Patron likes money and valuables and will bequeath power in exchange for a warlock who will share their adventuring fortunes. 

Patron has a chaotic sense of humor and likes fire and explosions; causing spectacular destruction pleases them.

Patron is just kind of a (relatively wholesome) frat bro who gave the warlock powers because they decided the warlock was chill and could hang, maintaining powers hinges on navigating said relationship. Patron may manifest physically for the exclusive purpose of fistbumping warlock if they do something really cool.

Patron is a foodie and warlock is a chef traveling the world looking for rare ingredients and lost techniques to construct dishes that please their patron’s palate

Patron is a literal patron- warlock is an artist of any form and the patron commissions them for works from time to time.

Warlock babysits (or performs another service) for patron, who prefers to pay them in dark powers.

Variant on above where warlock is occasionally ordered to perform various esoteric tasks such as delivering an object to a site or obtaining something and sending it to their patron- they are simply running their reclusive patron’s errands as the latter would rather not leave home.

Patron and warlock promised to be best friends forever when one or both of them was a small child and patron takes that very seriously

Patron likes blood but is disinterested in full-body sacrifices as their particular taste means that some people are exceptionally delectable to them, and it seeks to prolong those people’s lives as long as possible in exchange for semi-regular ‘blood donations’

Patron was disembodied and in exchange for being allowed to inhabit the warlock’s flesh, is willing to fight to defend the shared body.

Patron specifically seeks to cultivate adventurers and support them throughout their career, in a manner similar to a professional wrestler’s manager.

Warlock was a child sacrifice, offered live, at a dark altar; patron has an interesting definition of what ‘the child is now mine’ entails.

Hand Painted Dice

"Railroaded" often has a negative connotation, but it isn't inherently a bad thing. In fact, most streamed D&D/TTRPG shows have railroaded campaigns. The Adventure Zone and Dimension 20 are two big examples of this. There's an endpoint to the story the DM has planned in advance and is trying to get to. Some deviation for character beats can happen on the tracks, but everyone is playing along with a story that has clear beats and a traditional structure. Even Campaign 1 of Critical Role, I would argue, was much closer to being a railroad campaign than a sandbox. There was one large crisis or plot to address at a time, giving the characters clear direction and a wrapped-up ending.

With a "Sandbox" campaign, though, the narrative of the world isn't structured as clearly, and the real narrative is centered on the characters' journeys. The world lives and moves apart from the characters' actions upon it. Characters will be presented with multiple directions in which to act, each viable, and the road not taken will go on without them. The world, likewise, will have big problems and mysteries that may not ever be addressed by the characters. Critical Role Campaign 2 is much closer to being a sandbox campaign.

This distinction seems to be at the heart of some of the disparity between reactions to the end of Campaign 2. (And, frankly, reactions during the entirety of the campaign along the lines of "the characters are ignoring [x plotline], clearly intended to be the main plot, why is this story so fractured and meandering?") Questions of: "What about Molaesmyr? What about Ruidus the mysterious second moon? If those were brought up, why won't they be addressed in the campaign?" - I think these questions come from expectations drawn from watching railroaded campaigns, where anything brought up must be significant, vs. sandbox campaigns, where these sort of details could be explored, but also just exist as world-building depth and flavor.

(As an aside, this also reminds me of how frustrated I've seen some people get when Matt has responded to fan questions about the "real answers" to some of these hooks he brought up either in the campaign or in the Explorer's Guide with "create your own answer for your table!" - he's inviting people to join in on creating the world, but people get frustrated there's not a "canon" answer.)

So as a sandbox campaign, yes, this final arc vs Lucien is the climax of the campaign, because it's the emotional climax of these characters together. The world continues on after and around them, and some of them will have things to act on and take care of when Cognouza is defeated. But the story of the Mighty Nein together has drawn to its own internal conclusion. Their friendship is secure and unbreakable and they saved Exandria (hopefully - big battle tonight!), even if no one else knows it.

And that emotional story of their care for each other leaves a conclusion where, for example, Beau and Caleb can be secure in knowing they'll help each other spend potentially years fighting corruption in their country. Where Fjord can be sure he'll have backup as he continues to evade U'kotoa's forces and keep the cloven crystal hidden and the serpent locked away. Where Caduceus and Veth can feel safe returning home and know they'll have allies to call on in an emergency. Where Yasha can finally be at peace to process and grieve with support. Where Jester knows she's not alone anymore. We don't necessarily need to see these things to know they'll happen, because as a sandbox campaign, the world will continue on with or without our heroes directly acting. The story was them, and what they chose to do -- and that could have led any number of directions, but it took us here.

The Procgen Mansion Generator produces large three-dee dwellings to toy with your imagination, offering various architectural styles and other options. Each mansion even comes with floorplans: