Redbeard's Ravings

Today's Catastrophe.  Catastrophes are obligatory character choices that involve rolling on tables like the one below.  I'm looking for critiques or brilliance that's evaded me before I put them onto their final dice tables, arranging odds of about the same chance for good and ill on the different catastrophes. Here is what you could get as a Famine Survivor   1.       Haunted by memories of cannibalism.   Make a DC 10 charisma check to benefit from a short rest due to a memory of a different meal. 2.       You must always have twice the amount of rations expected for a trip (ie, twice the average of any group you are with, minimum 3 days) when you pack. 3.       Must eat double rations on any rest, pay twice food costs at any stop. 4.       If food is used as an incentive or to tempt you, you are at a disadvantage on any ability check or savin...

A little late in the day to post, but trying to actually consistently blog for once.  Waiting on a ride to a game at the moment. So, Catastrophes are obligatory character choices that involve rolling on tables like the one below.  I have a decent start for all of them. I'm looking for critiques or brilliance that's evaded me before I put them onto their final dice tables, arranging odds of about the same chance for good and ill on the different catastrophes. Without further ado, here is what you could get as a Follower of Failed Apocalyptic Vision 1.        You have no starting cash, only the basic equipment of your background and class, and nothing else but disillusionment.   You are currently begging for work to pay for food and lodging. 2.        Wise from your experience, you have advantage in your intelligence (investigation) checks to discern illusions. 3.      ...

I’m making changes to the default race/class choices to create a more consistent feel to the world, and each has an entry in my Player's Guide to ground them in the setting, Bright Sun, Dark Forest .  Catastrophes Also to really give the players something to integrate them into chaos and disasters of the setting, each character will choose a Catastrophe with random effects. The setting is an amped-up version of the Dark Ages, with some actual historical background as well as exaggerated myth of those lost years. My list of catastrophes is: Battle Survivor Cursed Famine Survivor Follower of Failed Apocalyptic Vision Heretic Hunted Pagan Monster Carnage Survivor Plague Survivor Raided Village Survivor I'm considering adding one other: Unhoused, specifically for those with the Noble background in 5th Edition D&D. The aim is to add more setting detail so that the world will feel like it is reeling from a series of disasters. The cat...

TL;DR The setting was inspired by study of the transition from the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages, the creation of the Holy Roman Empire and amalgamation and exaggeration of the disasters of the Dark Ages.   The Lords are just yesterday’s war chiefs and we only know they’re Kings now because they don’t have shit on them. And yes, it's a mythology necessitated by the evolving backstory (because all the best stories evolve from necessity and not design) of the megadungeon mentioned here . Now that you've read the TL;DR version, here's the one page flavor text version: How the world came to be The 8 Pointed Star of Sol Invictus, The Almighty Sun The New Empire was blessed by Patriarch of the Church of the Almighty Sun.   But now this beacon of hope is breaking, the pieces slipping into darkness.   Plagues, war, and worse ravage the survivors.   Saxon war chiefs aspire to be lords and re-forge the glory of the Old Empire, but the...