In which I tell you about my setting...

When 5e was announced, I hummed-and-hawed about what kind of a setting to run it in. 

For 4e, I wiped the slate clean and ran a homebrew setting that fulfilled a few personal goals I had at the time. Those goals were to get away from feudal Europe as a default. I swapped feudal Europe for feudal China of the warring states period. It wasn’t a huge leap, but the Chinese cultural default worked great. This was arguably because 4e was essentially a Wuxia version of D&D.

I debated using that same setting, the Six Kingdoms, again for 5e, but encountered two stumbling blocks. The first was the amount of work I would have to either finesse the structure of the setting to fit 5e, or vice versa. Neither of those options really seemed like it did the setting or the game justice.

The other problem was one of the pay group. Two out of my seven players had played in the setting, and it felt like the prior campaign’s success would rear its head disruptively. It seemed better to let thos group build their own setting along with me and create their own narratives of success and failure.

So I wandered back to feudal Europe and doubled down on the medievalism of the setting. One Catholic Church which worships a dual set of deities, one male, one female. There are cults, knights’ orders, kings, merchants and a generalized lack of convenience.

My campaigns tend to wander into a tension between realpolitik and heroic-action adventure, which would be fine. I even know the endgame of the campaign, that is, I know roughly what levels 18-20 should look like. Everything else was loosely sketch, and the players have done a great job of adding to that sketch, providing me with strange holy relics, oaths to retake lost dwarven cities, and the curse of a dying dragon, to round things out.

I wanted the setting to be loaded with potential conflict. If much of D&D is set in a post-collapse setting, where there’s fallen kingdoms to discover, I wanted to have a setting which was in the process of collapsing. Evil is winning on all sides. There isn’t much of a place to call safe. To leave the borders of the main human kingdom is to risk life-and-limb or mind-and-soul.

Here’s the elevator pitch for the setting, The Dying Lands:

It is a dark time for the realm. The king is slain, fallen in battle. The king is but a child. The regent is strong, one of our best men, but the barons of the land have fallen into squabbling and sword-rattling.

The darkness they say began at the edges of the world has encircled us. Kingdom after kingdom has fallen to its forces.

The lands of the elves and gnomes were consumed by the Empire of the Red Moon, their blood drained and their forests and barrows unhallowed. Now undying lords and their skeletal armies stalk our eastern border.

The great Northern fortresses of the dwarves were broken by the hordes of the mountains and now their great forges lie cold while their treasure halls seethe with the twisted hatred of the Orc and Goblin.

The Southern lands of the Zala and the dragonborn have been slowly consumed by the swamps of the Oligarchy. Ancient towers crumble as the scaled worshipers of the Unclean Gods flay themselves and commit blood sacrifices to the sun.

The trees and vales of the halflings have been scorched and burned, turned to the Charnel Wood, where demon lords rule from a great unholy throne. Only a few, scattered fey linger at the edges of what was once a fair and peaceable land, but they are shrunken and terrible things, tainted by the ash which they eat.

This is a dark time indeed. We face the darkness without, but I fear there is a darkness within.

Painted THMiniatures Terrain

I painted up the THMiniature terrain that arrived last month. The process took four paint sessions after priming. I decided to go with "tabletop" quality at the moment...it would take one to two more sessions to really highlight and texture the pieces totally.

I used Krylon Camouflage Brown spray for primer, a Citadel white spray for under-painting, and a mixture of craft paints and Reaper/PP3 colours to paint. I try to avoid using "minature" paint on projects like this, mostly because of the size of area to be painted, but a Reaper "Wood Brown" traid worked well for the, well, wood.

Here are some pics:

Obviously, the apprentice and I used the pieces for a game of Warmachine. It was a 25-point Legion vs. Protectorate game using the "Close Quarters" scenario. The apprentice won the game through Control points in the third turn. I'm finding the speed and ranged attacks of the Legion difficult to counter with the Protectorate, who are a faction I've been trying out. I feel a need to drift back to Khador. Giant Steam-powered Russian Robots!

The pieces painted up easily and with good detail. My original review stands: these are a solid four-star product. Here's a link to the company's website: http://thminiatures.com/. You should check these guys out.

Animal NPCs and Traits

Each animal that you train is essentially an NPC. You should name it, and probably record its stats. A Beastmaster Ranger should be able to take advantage of these rules, adding a trait to their companion and, if the DM allows it, adding an advanced training ability to their companion.

Not every animal players owe or use are necessarily NPC-level. If a horse, dog, cat, familiar, or similar creature is regularly part of the adventure and important on some level to the continuity of the game, then you should name them and make them an NPC animal. An NPC animal tracks its levels, which starts at level 1. 

At first level, an Animal NPC has the Trained trait plus one additional trait. Each session of downtime allows you to train your animal with your Wisdom (Animal Handling) or you can pay a trainer 50 gp per level to train for you.

Every increase in level allows you to choose an Animal Feat for your animal NPC.

TRAITS

Loyal: The creature is immune to fear effects in your presence.

Fearsome: The creature gains advantage on all Intimidation checks.

Mangled and Mangy: The creature is a bit slow, -5 move, but tough, +1d6 Hit Points.

Loveable: The beast gains advantage on all Persuasion checks.

Hardy: Add 2 to the beasts Con.

Fast: Add 10 to the creatures move.

Sturdy: The beast is slow, -10 move, but strong +1 Str, and tough, +1 AC

Trained: The animal can be called, responding to an audible signal. The animal is not hostile around your friends and treats strangers with caution, but is not violent.

Aggressive: The beast has advantage on Initiative checks. You can have the creature roll initiative instead of your character, but it must take the action on the first round.

Attentive: The beast has advantage on surprise and perception checks.

Weird: You may roll on the following table. A weird beast is difficult to train (disadvantage on all training rolls) but it has a special power.

D6	Result
1 Bit of Blink Dog in her	The animal has the Blink Dog’s teleport ability.
2 Displacer beast blood	The animal has the Displacer Beast’s displacement ability.
3 Speaks	The animal can speak 1d3 languages, plus one language your character does not know.
4 Telepath	The animal is telepathic within 60 feet.
5 Undead	The animal is a zombie. It gains the Undead Fortitude ability, but it is also rotting.
6 Berserker	The animal can use the Barbarian’s rage ability once per long rest. It rages as a first level Barbarian.

Blessed: You may roll on the following table. A blessed beast is rare, but has special powers. However, it cannot hide from undead or fiends, who detect its nature.

D6	Result
1 Healing presence	The animal can heal its owner of 2d6 damage during a short or long rest.
2 Singing voice	The animal can speak and sing; it us proficient in the Perform skill.
3 Angelic might	The animal can cast Smite Evil 1/long rest.
4 Tireless	The animal cannot become exhausted.
5 Winged	The animal has wings, and can fly at its base move.
6 Angel eyes	The animal can see lies, as per the Zone of Truth spell.

Cursed: You may roll on the following table. A cursed beast is rare, and has strange, possibly evil powers. The beast cannot hide from angels or Paladins.

D6	Result
1 Haunted by ghosts	A ghost haunts the beast.
2 Fiend in animal form	The animal is a fiend, and cast hellish rebuke once per long rest. Hell hath no fury like a fiend released from a curse.
3 Blood-drinker	The beast is vampiric. It gain the Vampire’s blood drain ability.
4 Cursed Lover	The animal is actually a PCs former or current love, transformed by a foe/evil entity into an animal.
5 Witch blood	The animal curdles milk, rots food, and scares livestock. But it has a hidden nipple. If you drink it’s milk, the owner gains 2d6 temporary hit points until their next long rest.
6 Old Familiar	The animal use to be or is a reincarnation of a wizards familiar. It can speak, knows one cantrip, but constantly compares you to his former, much grander master.

ANIMAL FEATS

You may choose one of these feats every time your animal levels. 

Advanced Training

You can choose an advanced pet ability for your animal.

Experienced

Your animal increases its proficiency bonus, affecting its attacks and skill checks. You can take this feat up to 4 times.

Toughness

You animal gains a hit die and you should roll hit points.

Additional Trait

Your animal NPC gains another trait. Please discuss this trait choice with your DM, as some choice may not work with the current game.

ADVANCED PET ABILITIES

You can train your animal in the following abilities.

Guard: The animal actively protects you. If you are attacked in melee by an opponent, the animal can take an opportunity attack.

Reactive Charge: IF you are charged by a foe, your animal will intercept the foe. It interposes itself between you and the foe as a bonus action.

Harry: The animal will make quick attacks at a foe and then retreat. Each other round in combat, the animal makes an attack on a foe without drawing opportunity attacks.

Protect area: Your animal will watch over an area and alert its owner to strangers, odd noises, and supernatural events.

Fetch: Your animal will fetch an object. This requires verbal instruction.

Read: Your animal can read. (This may not suit all animals...great for familiars though.)

Track: Your animal can track foes using their Wisdom bonus.

Search: Your animal is able to search an area for hidden objects, secret doors, and invisible foes. The search is Wisdom-based.

Silent Commands: You can give your animal commands through hand gestures.

Mounted Attack: Your steed attacks on foes in battle. You gain advantage on mounted attacks. 

Leaping Charge: The animal can leap over terrain or pounce. The animal can move through difficult terrain as normal if attacking and it and its rider gain advantage on the attack.

Quick move: The animal is able to move through any space of a creature larger than them; this does not draw attacks of opportunity. If the animal moves twice in a turn, its movement does not draw opportunity attacks.

Beast of War: Warhorses and the like remain steady in battle. The animal has advantage on fear-based tests and does not flee if injured.

Pathfinder: the animal can move through difficult terrain as though it was normal.

Straight Jump: the animal can leap straight up and over foes, with a successful Strength test.