yes and dragons

Friends, can I share one of my favourite bits of 5e homebrew?

This system (specifically the concept of a depletion die) has been a FANTASTIC addition to my campaigns, as it really breaks players out of that habit of hording consumable items and never using them for fear of needing them more at some point in the nebulous future.

You know what else this system is great for? ADVENTURING SUPPLIES. Now rather than expecting my party to go shopping and fiddle with small change and encumbrance, I just say they have a group "supply die" that's split across all their packs and baggage. How large is that supply die? Tally the group's collective strength bonus and compare it to the "average remaining uses" section of the chart. How much does it cost to resupply? There's a handy-dandy "cost" chart that you can just multiply by 10.

Rather than tracking rations, we just roll the supply die once at the end of each long rest. Whenever my party needs a random doodad that they that they could've picked up in town, they can roll the supply die and take it out of their bag, after that it's added to their permanent inventory until they lose it. Beasts of burden and carts

Iron Rope Wondrous Item, uncommon

So try this. You make a dungeon. Everything in the dungeon is positioned and behaves as if there are walls. In reality, there are no walls. There are incredibly high level illusions if walls. The doors are real, the floor is real, all the items in the dungeon are real. Some of the doors are even locked. But there's no walls.

And the trick is, unless a player specifically says they touch a wall or they lean up against a wall or anything like that, you say nothin to give them even a hint that the walls aren't real. Because they're going to assume that there are walls, even if you don't have miniatures, or a VTT map, or you don't describe them. It's unreasonable to poke around at every aspect of your surroundings to see if they're real or not.

With perceptive skill alone, a player requires an absurdly high check. 35 or something along those lines.

So there are really only four ways to discover the walls aren't really there.

1) player touches the wall and realizes that it isn't there.

2) player uses magic to detect or see through an illusion. I'm considering extrasensory ability in this category as well, but sensory still has to be mostly intentional because they have to have a reason to distrust their eyes.

3) skill check. They try to look around them to find something. They might notice a slight improbable repeating perfection to the illusion.

I love the idea of Bard Instruments coming with certain songs-like abilities that they can cast like spells. Personally, I've always thought Bards were a bit...odd compared to other spellcasters. They need more song-inspired mechanics!

The family of Duchess Scissorton plans to take over the council with powerful enchantments, and their spells can usually dominate the Paper Tigers

The Paper Tiger gang has lots of hired muscle to get ready to rob every bank in town, and they almost always vanquish the nerdy Stone cultists

The Cult of Stone has a silicon-based computer god poised to rebuild the city, and their enhanced brains are immune to the Scissorton magics.

First music, then voice modifiers... Now this. Perfect.

The Litterbug. You see a human man finish his meal and throw this grease-covered piece of parchment to the ground before you hear one of the Guards nearby, who apparently noticed this, shout “Oi! I saw that!” as everyone’s heads turn “Pick it up!” as he points his hand at the same man who quickly picks up the parchment and stuffs it in his pocket before moving on…

Giving Directions. You see two guardsmen on the corner who appear to be speaking to a colourful looking group as they’re giving directions.

Morning Preparations. You see a group of about ten-to-twelve guardsmen all conversing with each other as their superior starts to speak and split them up into groups of twos and threes as they begin their morning patrols around the local streets.

Helping the Weak. You see a trio of guardsmen helping an older man up off the ground as people slow their walk to catch a glimpse, as one of the guards shouts “Nothing to see here! Go about your business!”

Lunch Break! You see a pair of guards exit a small bakery with a bundle of sweet treats wrapped up in layers of thin parchment paper, as they divvy out their lunches amongst themselves as they return to their duties.

Canine Unit! You see a large hound beside one of the Guards, who currently has his hand wrapped around the dog’s collar and seems to be just watching and scanning the streets.

Some Tips on Town Guards….

Who are your guards, anyway? They can come from all walks of life. Maybe they want to prove themselves, or maybe they’re just tired of their old job and signed up in the hopes of seeing some crime-fighting action?

Here, we’re family. The smaller the town, the more likely that any given Guard is going to be emotionally tied to that town, and the more personally they’re going to take any threat to their home town.

A Bribe, good sir? The poorer the Guards, the higher the rate of corruption. According to the rules, some Guards can get paid anything from 2 Silver Pieces a Week to 1 Gold Piece a Day, so surely with enough money, any Guard could be bribed…

Arrest, not Kill. Few guards, if any, will immediately go to violence, most will try to deescalate a situation and try to arrest the individual. 

A Guard may say things such as “State your Name and state your Business!” or “Drop your weapons and raise your hands to the sky!” before they begin running people through with swords and spears.

Magic? Since when? It’s not just Wizards that can be trained in Magic, some higher-paying Guardsmen might be trained to spot common spells and others might be trained to defend against certain Magics like a Fire Bolt or Charm Person…

RANDOM TABLE: BOOKS

Yes, 100 random books, notes and diaries for your fantasy library, office or otherwise. Maybe your players find them in the burned out husk of a home, or maybe they’re hidden away in a dark tomb somewhere? Some of these are not exactly as they seem, so beware! 

Carnival and celebrations

Chance for players to practice role playing a bit.

Locations

Inn- Arm wrestling, eating and drinking contests

Town square/centre- Find the coin, ring toss, knock over the bottles

Town Green-Target shot, ring the bell, log toss, checkers

Food Ideas

• Candy apples, sweet and crunchy 10 silver

• Shush kabobs, lamb&haloumi, chicken&mushroom, beef&capsicum, halloumi, mushroom&capsicum 10 copper

• Apple pie and other sweet pastries 5 copper

• Hand pulled candy floss 10 silver

• Raspberry/strawberry taffy 10 silver

Drink Ideas

Main price Per Bottle(per cup is 1/4 price)

• Ale 20 copper(5 copper)

• Wine 20 silver(5 silver)

• Spirits 20 gold(5 gold)

• Fruit juice 20 copper(5 copper)

• Sarsaparilla 20 silver(5 silver)

• Sparkling fruit juice 20 gold(5 gold)

GAMES

Town Square

• Knock over the Bottles: Dex DC13, 3 balls for 25 copper knock down the milk bottles. 3 times in a row to get spell scroll animal friendship, 2 wins gets an animal plush and 1 win gets a lolliepop Run by a young halfling girl with blond pigtails and freckles, she has a sweet and cheery disposition and appearance, wearing a simple blue dress, her name is Lizzy.

• Find the coin: Int/perception Dc15. 10 silver per game, watch the cups and find the coin. If you find the coin you win an item from the Magic Item Table A. held at the shrine of luck and run by Sister Ashling, a zealous young elf who worships Tymora

• Ring Toss: Dex Dc18, 3 rings/hoops for 50 copper Throw hoops onto bottles. Win a dagger worth 25 gold. Run by a shady old man named Rowland, who is wearing a rough spun tunic, dc13 insight/perception reveals that this game is rigged and he's very sure no one will win

• Ring the Bell: Dc20. 25 silver for 1 try. Hit the bell and win an item from Magic Item Table B. Run by Falmire a tall human male with huge muscles and and a rough beard, showing off his muscled arms by previously tearing off his sleeves.

Town Green

• Target Shot: Dex DC10-20, 3 bolts for 50 silver. Hit the bulls eye of the targets to win a prize. Easy target Dc10-redbrand ruffian dog toy. Medium Target Dc13 candied apple. Hard target Dc16, bronze engraved light cossbow. Impossible Target Dc20, win 10 special +3 Crossbow bolts/arrows . This game is run by a sharp-tongued human woman Lillian Greyjoy, she seems to be advertising her weaponry and armour.

• Checkers: Int vs opponent, minimum 10 copper to enter, winner takes all. Seems to just be a friendly game set up by a few older townsfolk. 1d4 for opponents.

• Log Toss: Str vs 1d6 opponent dc 15 to succeed. 25 gold to enter. 1st place gets an item from the 250gp art object table. 2nd place prize Morningstar. 3rd place prize decorated iron flask. Run by Torin a lean and balding human male shopkeeper of fifty years with a kindly manner

Inn/Tavern

• Arm Wrestle: Str vs opponent, minimum 25 silver to enter competition.Prize = total coin added to pot.1d6 for number of opponents. Not run by anyone in specific just a congregation of burly men drunkenly having a go

• Eating Contest: Dc10 first to 5 successes wins, 5 fails you're out of the running, 10 silver to play. Prize is 25 gp Art Objects Table and the total of the all participant's entry fee minus 10% for the proprieter. 1d6 opponents. Organised by the innkeeper/bartender

• Drinking contest: Dc15 first to 5 successes wins, 5 fails you're out of the running 10 gold to play. Prize is an itdm from the Magic Item table A and the total of the all participant's entry fee minus 20% for the proprieter. 1d6 opponents. Organized by the innkeeper/bartender.