lunchbreakheroes

Lothburgh Creature Codex + Amber Temple!

Hello one and all! This month's second release sees the launch of the Lothburgh Creature Codex. Think D&D Monster Manual, but for our Lothburgh campaign setting. We will be updating this codex as time goes on, adding more and more creatures, and updating them as we playtest and figure out what works and what doesn't. Feel free to download this and toss some of these enemies into your own games and let me know how it goes! I value all of the feedback I get here.

The...

2024-07-24 20:50:04 +0000 UTC View Post

New Lothburgh Subclasses - Monk and Sorcerer!

We've got two more subclasses for our ever-growing Lothburgh campaign setting, which (of course) will be the focus of our next book. I gotta tell you, me and my players are having an absolute BLAST in this city, and they're loving their character classes.

Up this round, monks and sorcerers are getting some love.

Monk - Way of the Illuminated. Monks who follow the Way of the Illuminated seem to be ordinary holy figures, but they are secret warriors protecting Lothb...

More Lothburgh Subclasses + Death House Map!

Do these two releases have anything to do with each other? No, of course not. But I think you're gonna love them both!

New Subclasses

First, we've added two additional Lothburgh Subclasses. I'd love to get your feedback on these: especially The Surgeon. There's just something about this one that I think needs tweaking, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Druid - Circle of Industry. As a member of the Circle of Industry, you have learned ways to ada...

Adventure: Tears of Ghosts (Silver+)

The ghostly apparition of a young man is attacking workers at the Majesty Depot. The rail companies pay the hauntings no heed at first, until the ghost ventures to nearby stations to attack paying passengers. A corporate troubleshooter at Commerce Lines hires the characters to get rid of the ghost, unaware that people in his own company killed him. The investigators have to navigate smugglers, corrupt corporate lackeys, and a crowded apartment building to get to the heart of this conspiracy.<...

Adventure: Tears of Ghosts (Bronze)

The ghostly apparition of a young man is attacking workers at the Majesty Depot. The rail companies pay the hauntings no heed at first, until the ghost ventures to nearby stations to attack paying passengers. A corporate troubleshooter at Commerce Lines hires the characters to get rid of the ghost, unaware that people in his own company killed him. The investigators have to navigate smugglers, corrupt corporate lackeys, and a crowded apartment building to get to the heart of this conspiracy.<...

Lothburgh: Four New Subclasses!

We're expanding our Lothburgh content by adding four new player subclasses for you and your players to enjoy! My own group is having a blast with these, and we'll be coming out with more soon enough.

Today, we bring you:

Bard Subclass: College of the Maestro

As a member of the College of the Maestro, you have honed your musical skills as a bard and learned how to lead a spectral orchestra. The performance of your orchestra can enhance your allies, debilitate your enemies i...

9 Things you (maybe) didn't know about Strahd. And more maps!

This latest video brings you a bit of trivia about Strahd, Barovia, and Ravenloft in general. I share some of my favorite little tidbits of lost arcana from previous editions, and I invite you to do the same in the comments!

In addition, our continuing partnership with The MAD Cartographer brings you some more maps of Berez! Here, we have maps for a church, a full village ruin, and Ulrich manor. Be sure to check out our 2024-05-10 20:02:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Downtime in Curse of STrahd

You may not think "downtime activities" when you think of Curse of Strahd, but I promise they can fit right in if you choose your moment(s) wisely! In this video, I go over some downtime activities that your players can partake in with just a couple of days of downtime in the town of Vallaki.

Free Map!

In addition to this video, our collaboration with The MAD Cartographer has yielded another map for your gaming pleasure. This time around it's an approach to the Swamps of Berez. ...

Lothburgh Adventure: Part 1, Chapter 3: Public Enemies

The final adventure of Part 1 (of three) for our as-of-yet unnamed Lothburgh campaign is ready for prime time!

By the way, if you've got any ideas of what we should name this adventure, I'd love to hear suggestions. Who knows, you might even find yourself in the book's credits when it comes time for publication!

All evidence from the party’s investigation into The Blades of Morning murders has either been stolen or destroyed, erasing any chance of p...

2024-04-17 16:24:33 +0000 UTC View Post

D&D Home Bases - Plus bonus maps for Curse of Strahd!

Well hello again everyone! In our latest video, I go over some tips and opinions on player home bases. I really love Trollskull Manor in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, and home bases will be a core part of life in Lothburgh for our upcoming adventure setting and campaign.

In addition to this video, our collaboration with The MAD Cartographer has yielded another map for your gaming pleasure. This time around it's Van Richten's Tower!

Lothburgh Gazetteer: Welcome to The Burg

I'm pleased to bring you a big step forward in our creation of the Lothburgh adventure setting and its forthcoming (and as-of-yet-unnamed) campaign! The Lothburgh Gazetteer lays out the history of the city, its current politics, geography, economy, and more. I hope you all read over this, enjoy it, and begin to imagine what your own adventures in the gothic metropolis of Lothburgh will look like!

Lothburgh Adventure: Prelude - Humble Beginnings

We're extending our Lothburgh campaign even further by adding content that takes place BEFORE the primary quest line.

This release contains four introductory adventures that will introduce characters to the city of Lothburgh and some of its key inhabitants, who will pop up later in the campaign. These adventures are one-shots geared for 1st level players. At the end of these, characters should advanced to 2nd level in preparation for the main campaign. 

Those of you who are f...

Waterdeep: Get Money for Trollskull Manor

For as great as Chapter 2 of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is, there's almost no guidance on how players are expected to raise 1,250 gold to reopen the inn that they were just given. I'm going to remedy that with this guide full of ideas on how they can get that cheddar and open their doors to the public in short order!

Also included in this release are three short bounty adventures that your players can pick up in the Palace of Waterdeep. These one shots will see your players roving around t...

Adventure: Chapter II - Trail of Blood (Bronze)

The next leg of our Lothburgh campaign is here! We pick up where we left off, with our adventurers investigating a conspiracy surrounding the murder of a famous ex-adventurer. Now, his compatriots are in danger, and the characters must race to track them down before it's too late.

The pieces of this campaign are coming together, and we'll see the release of a Lothburgh Gazetteer soon, which will help flesh the city out as an adventure setting. Myself, and a very talented grou...

Adventure: Chapter II - Trail of Blood (Silver+)

The next leg of our Lothburgh campaign is here! We pick up where we left off, with our adventurers investigating a conspiracy surrounding the murder of a famous ex-adventurer. Now, his compatriots are in danger, and the characters must race to track them down before it's too late.

The pieces of this campaign are coming together, and we'll see the release of a Lothburgh Gazetteer soon, which will help flesh the city out as an adventure setting. Myself, and a very talented grou...

Waterdeep Factions - The Harpers Overhaul

Our latest guide sees The Harpers quest line overhauled into a complete overlay for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Now, the entire campaign can be played through the lens of The Harpers faction!

MAD Cartographer Teamup

A while back, MAD Cartographer approached me and asked if they could include Raising the Stakes as part of their take on Curse of Strahd's maps. I said yes, and as a result we get to release their maps to you fine folks!

Their latest release brings the Werewolf Den into stunning detail.

In addition to the images in the gallery above, there is also a 300 PPI version of the den attached below.

Waterdeep Factions: Force Grey

Our latest guide for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist see us overhauling the Force Grey faction. Just like with the Bregan D'aerthe before, the Force Grey missions have been revamped to become a narrative overlay for the Dragon Heist adventure as a whole. This works particularly well because Raenar Neverember--being a central figure to the adventure--has a personal connection to Vajra Safahr, the leader of Force Grey. 

In this guide, we focus on the themes of losing a loved one, and the cor...

Waterdeep Factions: Bragen D'aerthe

Our latest guide for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist sees us overhauling the faction system. Rather than a collection of unrelated side quests (not that there's anything wrong with that), we've reimagined the factions as an overlay for the main narrative of Dragon Heist. This provides a deeper integration of the factions into the adventure, and a greater variety of narratives that can spring out of it.

In this guide, we go over the Bregan D'aerthe, led by the charismatic and mysterious Jarlaxle...

Adventure: Chapter I- The Missing Blade (Silver+)

I'm happy to announce the commencement of a new series of adventures that take place within the gothic steampunk metropolis of Lothburgh. These adventures are all part of a series that will form a full campaign that will be compiled, along with a Lothburgh Gazetteer, into our next book.

This first adventure starts at the beginning, of course.

Part I - Chapter I: The Missing Blade

Deaver Combweather, an ex-adventurer turned retiree, is dead. Officially labeled as a “Missi...

Adventure: Chapter I - The Missing Blade (Bronze)

I'm happy to announce the commencement of a new series of adventures that take place within the gothic steampunk metropolis of Lothburgh. These adventures are all part of a series that will form a full campaign that will be compiled, along with a Lothburgh Gazetteer, into our next book. 

This first adventure starts at the beginning, of course.

Part I - Chapter I: The Missing Blade

Deaver Combweather, an ex-adventurer turned retiree, is dead. Officially labeled as a â€...

Dragon Heist: Alternate Start Guide

This video marks our very first guide for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist! In this short video, I go over an alternative start to the adventure that takes us down into The Undermountain. We provide a set of adventure hooks that explain why your squishy level 1 character is—quite literally—in too deep, and some guidance on running a chase sequence, during which you'll have character introductions.

Attached to this post is the written guide that you can download and keep handy for when you st...

Chaos Unleashed - Volume 3 (Vampires!)

This month brings us another issue of Chaos Unleashed! I promise, we'll get back to doing adventures soon. But I really wanted to create new vampires and share them with you!

This issue contains eight original vampire stat blocks and lore, and I hope you enjoy them. Let me know how and if you use them in your games. 

Another reason I wanted to come out with this collection of vampires is to announce our next big project: a full-blown campaign book set in the gothic metropolis...

Where to next?

What module would you like to see us create a guide for next?

Madam Eva isn't who you think she is

The woman that lured hundreds of adventurers to their untimely deaths in a demiplane far from home isn't the helpful Vistana you think she is. No, Madam Eva is someone/thing far worse.

In this video, let's take a look at who she REALLY is (according to this modification), and an interesting change we can make to the March of the Dead.

Chaos Unleashed - Vol 1: Now on Foundry VTT!

Hello everyone! I'm pleased to announce that our first pack of creatures from Chaos Unleashed - Volume 1 is now available to Platinum Tier members on Foundry VTT.

To install this content pack, open Foundry VTT and go to the Add-On Modules screen. Click "Install Module." From there, either search for "Chaos Unleashed," or go to the Premium Content section and find it there. Then, click the "Install" button.

2023-10-12 19:41:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Chaos Unleashed - Volume 2

This month we're subbing an adventure for another supplement of spooky monsters! I bring you, Chaos Unleashed - Volume 2. This supplement presents ten more terrifying creatures that you can add in to your own games. All of them are inspired by our current autumn/Halloween season. 

Also, please please come out and show your support for our upcoming Kickstarter, 2023-09-27 20:09:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Tell Better Stories - The Baldur's Gate 3 Way

In this video, I cover the storytelling technique of Scenes and Sequels, how it applies to the first act of Baldur's Gate 3, and how YOU can implement it in your own games! This technique helps us keep up narrative momentum and prevent boredom and listlessness in our games. It also drives characters forward in the story so that there's always progress being made.

Additionally, PLEASE sign up for launch notifications for our latest Kickstarter, Librus Nocturnum! I absolutely want this to...

Our book is back this October!

October is closing in to cast its eerie spell, making it the ideal moment to (re)ignite our Kickstarter campaign for Librus Nocturnum! Prepare yourselves for a physical compendium filled with our spine-chilling adventures, containing over 200 pages of thrilling adventures, and a plethora of new monsters and items to infuse into your games.

We've revised our pledge tiers and rewards, and our grand relaunch is set for October 1st. We extend a heartfelt invitation to all o...

Adventure: Big Trouble in Little Grassmarket (Gold+)

This month's adventure brings us back to the city of Lothburg, the gothic metropolis on the banks of the Thistleback river. Here, in Big Trouble in Little Grassmarket, players are tasked with finding peace in the gang-ridden borough of Grassmarket. On one side, a group of industrious frog-like thugs, and on the other an ancient dryad gone mad with power.

This is the Gold+ tier release of this adventure, which includes the print-friendly and full-color v...