As soon as once more, I come to you a number of days after the most recent subject of Arcadia has already been launched, as a result of, wow, has there been rather a lot occurring. I don’t know if you understand this, however there have been a number of issues occurring with D&D recently. However right here we’re, able to dive into this month’s subject.
Disclaimer
I used to be supplied a assessment copy of Arcadia Subject 19, as I’ve been for the reason that journal first began publication, nonetheless, I’ve additionally been a Patreon backer for the whole run, which implies I simply get my assessment copy a number of days sooner than my Patreon copy. I’ve reviewed a number of MCDM merchandise up to now, and whereas I haven’t used any of the fabric on this article, I’m accustomed to D&D 5e each as a participant and as a DM.
Arcadia Subject 19
Managing Editor: Hannah Rose
Lead Developer: James Introcaso
Manufacturing and Playtest Director: Lars Bakke
Editors: Scott Fitzgerald Grey, Sadie Lowry
Authors: Justice Ramin Arman, Anthony Joyce-Rivera, Jacky Leung, Amber Litke, Sadie Lowry
Structure: Jen McCleary
Cowl Artwork: Patrik Hell
Title Brand: Tom Schmuck
Accessibility Guide: Chris Hopper
Group Coordinator: John Champion
Buyer Help: Bobby McBride
Sensitivity Readers: Raffael Boccamazzo, PsyD (Take This) and Nathaniel Kreiman
Between the Covers
This month’s subject of Arcadia is 35 pages lengthy, together with a credit web page, a desk of contents, the letter from the editor, a useful resource web page with hyperlinks to numerous maps, an creator bio web page, and an OGL assertion web page.
Each subject of Arcadia has appeared nice. This one isn’t an exception. The duvet is superior, the inner artwork is superior, the format seems to be nice.
This Month’s Content material
This month has the next articles:
- Cursed Treasures (Magic Objects)
- Divine Trials: Shadows of the Moon (Adventures)
- Break in Case of TPK (Encounters)
Cursed Treasures
The main target of this text is to current cursed objects as objects that may present story components for a marketing campaign. A part of that is achieved by making a threat versus reward dynamic, making objects harmful however helpful, however this text additionally introduces the thought of redeeming cursed objects. Objects created utilizing these solutions could have a method of cleaning them, which removes detrimental results and should change the powers of the merchandise.
There’s a couple of web page of dialogue about learn how to design an merchandise with this type of curse. This consists of detailing the merchandise’s historical past, goal, the way it was cursed, and what can elevate the curse from the merchandise. Whereas a participant character that has been cursed to wield the merchandise is likely to be freed by a take away curse, the method of eradicating the curse from the merchandise itself is a extra detailed course of.
Because it introduces these ideas, the article makes use of examples pulled from the three magic objects launched:
- Scepter of the Unanointed (Legendary)
- Boots of Tartarus (Uncommon)
- Amulet of the Seer’s Eyes (Very Uncommon)
The Scepter of the Unanointed is an merchandise used to imprison a demon. The demon can talk with the wielder, and sometimes twists spells solid by the scepter. It additionally (shock) lies about its nature when speaking with a brand new wielder. The demon makes an attempt to trick a wielder into destroying a number of particular websites that will enable the demon to flee, and cleaning the merchandise includes visiting these websites and meditating on 15 totally different virtues.
The Boots of Tartarus grants their wearer resistance to warmth and the flexibility to journey to the Ethereal Aircraft, however have been used to lure a bunch chain satan in a demiplane. There’s a probability that the customers are transported to the demiplane jail after they use the flexibility to journey to the Ethereal. The one solution to take away this risk and unbind the devils is to trace them down within the jail and destroy them.
The Amulet of the Seer’s Eyes permits the character to solid varied divination spells, along with permitting the wearer to look by way of the amulet to see with darkvision. The curse of the merchandise is that it gleans data from a number of realities, the place the data supplied by the divinations is simply barely fallacious for the caster’s present actuality. The person can solely cleanse the merchandise by touring to the Oracle Engine and releasing themselves from their destiny, and if the caster fails, they’re haunted by time wraiths, making an attempt to maintain realities separate and free from tampering.
The idea of this text is nice, and the instance magic objects are all robust. If there may be something I’d have quite seen, it could have been a number of extra “generic” examples of curses and purification rituals, however I additionally suppose the examples are clear sufficient for a DM to work from.
Divine Trials: Shadows of the Moon
A pair points again, we noticed the primary article on this collection, which introduced The Solar Trial. That trial was all about humility. The Moon Trial, against this, is about isolating your flaws and mastering them.
To make use of this trial, the DM and the gamers have to isolate one thing that feels just like the PCs most necessary flaw. The journey itself offers the next examples, and whereas it permits for individuals designing flaws exterior of this record, the DM can be a bit extra on their very own for offering particulars in a few of these encounters:
- Cowardice
- Greed
- Recklessness
- Wrath
To be trustworthy, that’s in all probability a very good record to start out from concerning adventurers.
The trial consists of three rooms, every with its personal take a look at. One trial includes dealing with stained glass photos representing a personality’s particular person flaws, which triggers a private scene for every PC to be rapidly resolved. The second a part of the trial includes touring by way of a darkish maze, whereas being stalked by a brand new lunar themed monster. The monster’s assault has a distinct impact based mostly on the flaw of the person being focused. The ultimate trial includes the PCs dealing with variations of themselves which have been totally given over to their flaws. This trial includes a lair motion based mostly on 4 phases of the moon, with the moon revolving by way of its phases every spherical.
The reward for dealing with this trial, along with studying extra about their private flaws, is a hoop that’s themed for phantasm and moon magic. If the DM is utilizing all the trials, the celestial that introduces the trial could reference the opposite trials, with out describing when or the place these trials will happen.
I loved the Solar Trial, though I felt prefer it was simpler for the PCs to overlook what was being examined with a number of reminders. I actually like this trial. It feels a bit clearer and extra targeted on the PCs coping with their shortcomings. After seeing each of those trials, I’m very to see what the Star Trial seems to be like, in addition to the framing narratives that can accompany that article.
Break in Case of TPK!
This text presents three encounters that should assist mitigate the marketing campaign ending penalties of a complete social gathering kill. Every of those encounters permits the PCs to return to life by taking part in by way of the encounter and navigating the trials they’ve been introduced.
These embrace the next:
- Beet a Hag’s Cut price
- Blood for Blood
- How Do You Plead?
- Soul-Loving Flurgnob
The primary encounter sees the PCs with their souls gathered by an evening hag, who reincarnates them as beets. She turns souls into sapient beets to make use of in her cooking. There are a variety of things within the PCs cage that will enable them to flee, however they’ll additionally discount with the hag by agreeing to do issues like bringing her information or components for her cooking.
The second encounter finds the PCs souls captured by a lich who’s prepared to return them to life, as long as they bear his 9 Lives stealer into the mortal realms and accumulate souls for him. In the event that they handle to flee with out making the deal, they find yourself being free roaming ghosts till they’ll discover some our bodies to inhabit.
The third encounter includes the PCs souls having been collected by brokers of Hell, and placed on trial. The method is mostly a farce, however the judges are open to being bribed, giving the PCs a number of choices for escape. They’ll pledge themselves to tackle the Illrigger class (mainly turning into an agent of Hell), signal a contract (normally forfeiting their soul as quickly as they die subsequent time), or bribe the court docket with a specific amount of treasure, granting them a continuance that lasts 666 years.
The ultimate encounter includes creatures created by a trickster deity to seize souls and retailer them in a diamond fortress within the Astral Aircraft. PCs can persuade the unknown creatures to allow them to return to life, since as adventurers they are going to be sending extra souls for the creatures to gather.
I like all three of those examples. I’ve, in my very own campaigns, used marketing campaign components to work together with PCs which have died, for instance, having devils within the Fugue Aircraft discount with participant characters which have died in Forgotten Realms campaigns I’ve run. A few of these encounters are begging to have observe up adventures, as nicely. For instance, a trickster god amassing souls earlier than they attain the afterlife looks as if it would find yourself being an enormous deal of different deities determine this out, and what occurs if the satan’s courtroom is overstepping its bounds within the hopes of gathering a number of extra offers or at the least tons of treasure based mostly on their granted continuances.
It’s a little bizarre to me that the flurgnobs, touring by way of the Astral and amassing souls, clearly able to reasoning and better ideas, are given the beast kind.
Remaining Ideas
This subject has a lot for individuals to make use of of their ongoing campaigns. It’s a bit onerous for me to provide you with a favourite article this time round, as a result of all of them are type of neat inside the purview of what they imply to handle.
My solely actual observe is that Arcadia is nice at arising with ideas, and as a part of their desk prepared focus, they make it very easy to implement encounters or journey components, however in a number of circumstances, I’d love a number of extra rules-based instruments exterior of the supplied examples.
Future Needs
I’d be pleased with sequels to any of those articles. I do know we’re already getting yet another trial and a few framing materials for them, so I don’t know if that counts as a want, because it looks as if a achieved deal. I’d truly like a full observe up journey coping with the trapped souls within the diamond fortress talked about within the TPK article.
Much less immediately associated to those specific articles, I’d like to see extra templates, monsters, participant dealing with choices, and spells. I do know which you could flood the fanbase with these issues, however they’re additionally a number of the objects that flare my creativity greater than absolutely anything else.
See you all subsequent month. Properly, for Arcadia evaluations. I might even see you sooner in any other case.
