Secret Warlock: Breaking the World

So we started the session chained to the top of a demon temple. Not exactly how I wanted to begin my day, but the good news is that when the sun set it would all be over. By over of course I mean we would be turned inside out to begin our 1,000 years of torture. Now as a winter fey I am a fan of torture. A good torture is a wonderful way to start the week. But I really like having my insides on the inside.

Your entrails will be your extrails

It can be fun to have a game with a countdown. Nothing motivates you like the certainty of having your insides become your outsides. We needed to find a way off the roof quickly. Of course I tried teleporting and there was some sort of arcane energy blocking us in. After poking around a bit the Psionicist found a catch in the arcane energy. She sent some focused thought at the catch and broke the world.

I’m not entirely sure what happened. All I know is that we faded to black and I woke up standing in a beautiful green field. My friends were all there, but they kept talking about the horrible things they were seeing like a pit full of Demons. Have you ever seen the first episode of Deep Space Nine? It was kind of like that. I had been having kind of a rough day so when a devil showed up and started threatening to eat us I said, “Why don’t you come over here and say that.” I was a little surprised when he did so I bugs bunny kissed him.

I spent the rest of the evening unleashing the fury of winter on the devils, while the rest of the party tried to figure a way out of the situation we were in. It turns out we were still locked on the top of the temple and the world we were in was some kind of arcane construct. I’m still not sure why I saw it as a green field, but it makes a good story.

I am not sure how we are going to escape, and I know we need to get back soon or we might have nothing but dead giants waiting for us, but I didn’t care. It was fun to just unleash the fury for an evening and let the rest of the group worry about the consequences. I’m sure I’ll be back to worrying about things soon. Until next time remember, don’t let your DM tell you no. It’s always, “Yes, and…?”

Sexuality in D and D: The Spoony Bard

Who's Scruffy Looking?

I just saw an article about a study that says having sexual intercourse one to two times a week can boost your immune system. I have also noticed that when I am playing a character with any personality I tend to be edgy, occasionally even inappropriate. I’m not entirely sure why that’s so, but I think it may have something to do with really liking the scoundrel as an archetype.

 I won’t speak for everyone’s experience, but most of my games have had at least some degree of sexuality involved in them. If they had movie ratings they would tend to PG-13, but I have had occasional moments of R or even NC-17. It is an important aspect of the game, but can make people very uncomfortable. Additionally, it can be very difficult to do well. It can easily distract from the game if it is overdone. On the other hand when used correctly sexuality can add another dimension to the game making it feel more like a real world. If it is done well it can be a fun addition to the game, as long as everyone is on board.

The first thing you need to keep in mind when thinking about adding an element of sexuality to your game is the other players. D and D is a family game. Obviously you want to be careful about bringing in PG material in your game if you have kids in your game.

Even beyond the obvious many people might be made uncomfortable by any amount of sexuality in the game. There are many good reasons for this. If someone is uncomfortable with it at the table then you need to respect their wishes. D and D is a cooperative game, and generally you are playing with friends. I submit the first rule of D and D is Wheaton’s law.

Don't you wish this blog post was rated R?

The best thing to do is to have a discussion with the other players about general table etiquette. It’s always good to set good expectations for things at the table. Once you have set some expectations about general table etiquette you should discuss whether any amount of sexuality is allowed, and if so how much. In many games some degree of innuendo would be appropriate, say a PG or PG-13 rating. Like I said I enjoy at least a little bit of innuendo in my games.

If you do allow sexuality in your games there are a lot of complex issues that you may deal with.  Often it is better to simply hand wave some of the complicated issues away. There are times when it might be interesting to roll with some of the issues. One of the best games I was in had one of the PC’s get pregnant. It was really funny, because though she had a bit of a reputation for some reason, she was actually a virgin. My friend ran with the story and it turned out to be an excellent diversion. She even turned the story into an excellent fictional account for a creative writing class.

Oh my god he is doing what to inspire courage?

If you are interested in adding a bit of sexuality to your games there is an excellent resource for you. The Book of Erotic Fantasy has an excellent discussion of the ideas as well as some wonderful resource material for the game. Though it is written for 3^rd Edition D and D much of the material is useful for any game that features adult content. I will say that one time I played a Spoony Bard who had training in perform sexual techniques. If you aren’t aware in 3^rd Edition many of the Bard’s features keyed off being trained in perception. I will give you a minute to get the image of my Bard Inspiring Courage with that skill out of your head.

D and D is supposed to be about fun. It’s a time for you to get together with your friends and take a break from the real world grind for a few hours. As long as you are careful not to upset anyone at the table adding a little spice to your game can be a wonderful thing. If you have any Spoony Bard stories feel free to leave a comment or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time remember don’t let your DM tell you no. It’s always “Yes and…?”

Secret Warlock: An Introduction

For the past few weeks I have been playing in a really fun campaign called Flight of the Dragon. The campaign is run by the same DM who ran the excellent pirate game I played in a couple of weeks ago. The campaign is set in Eberron on floating continent of the DM’s design. The characters are an elite fighting group in the country’s flying battalion. Unfortunately, I missed the beginning of the game so I am not precisely sure how the game started.

White Dragon

From what I understand, there had been an unseasonably long and cold winter. The party had been tasked with figuring out what had caused the winter. It turned out to have been caused by a powerful Dragon. Somehow the party procured some of the dragon’s eggs. Then when the eggs were stolen tracked down the thieves and got them back.

I joined the party when they were trying to open diplomatic relations with the country of Droam. The Droamites had kidnapped the crew of our airship and we had recovered them. Apparently this was some sort of a test. They wanted to see how we handled the stress. We recovered the crew and went to confront the Droamite leader one of the sister’s of Sora Kell.

Aranis the Spoony Bard

Before I continue with my first appearance in the story I would like to tell you about my character.  My character is Aranis an Eladrin Warlock who is also a Noble Eladrin a Bralaini of winter. I took several powers that reflect my connection to the Winter Court including something that leaves a blizzard behind me whenever I teleport. When I made the character I had no idea winter was going to play such a prominent role in the game, but I am glad it worked out that way. I am thinking about having my patron have sent me to deal with the dragon because the dragon took on some of the prerogatives of winter.

When the DM described the game to me she explained that it was a game of secrets. I ran with the idea. Long ago in second edition I played with a lady who was playing a rogue who didn’t want to be known as a thief. She carried a mandolin and told people everywhere she went that she was a bard. I decided to do something similar and play a secret warlock. I am a multiclass bard, and I have told everyone I am a bard. I’m not sure how long the ruse will last or what the consequences will be, but I am excited to find out.

If you follow me on Twitter I have already made a few posts with the hashtag secretwarlock and spoonybard. For the most part these refer to this character. I am very much enjoying the game and I look forward to sharing it with you. Until next time remember don’t let your DM tell you no. It’s always “Yes,and…?”