Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to Corellon, God of Elves

Corellon vs. Lolth

This guide is an attempt to collect the lore of Corellon, God of the Elves. Hopefully this can be used as a reference if you decide to use Corellon in your campaign.

Gruumsh, God of Orcs: There is a bit of overlap between this and my Gruumsh guide, so check that one out for the details of the elf/orc issue.

Corellon's Gender: I find this god interesting for many reasons, one of which being that Corellon's gender shifts. In most books, Corellon is referred to as a "he." In 5th edition, they went out of their way to explain (PH page 121): "The elf god Corellon Larethian is often seen as androgynous or hermaphroditic."

The Essential Information

• Corellon Larethian is god of elves and the leader of the elf pantheon known as the Seldarine. 
• Ruler of Arvandor, a planar realm that elves go to when they move on from the mortal world.
• (Wife) Sehanine, elven goddess of the moon. 
• Realmslore: The Forgotten Realms setting has some differences. Corellon's wife in the Realms books is Angharradh, a combination of the personification of three gods.
• (Daughter) Eilistree - Lolth is her mother.
• (Deceased - Son) The Rose King - Enemy of the Drow.
• (Deceased - Daughter) Eliara - The Perfect Elf, legendary archer.
• (Servitors) Lashrael and Felarathael - Twin elf messengers in gleaming white robes.
• Sahandrian: His longsword, made from a star.
• Amiath'hana: His magic bow that never misses.
• The elves were created from Corellon's blood and Sehanine's tears.
• Corellon is alternately male or female, both or neither.
• Corellon and Gruumsh are twins, sons of a progenitor god.
• They fought side-by-side in the Dawn War. 
• Lolth betrayed and nearly killed Corellon. He banished her to the Underdark.
• Corellon cut out Gruumsh's eye during the Godswar.

Corellon's Titles

• Coronal of Arvandor
• The Divine Muse
• Creator of all Elvenkind
• First of the Seldarine
• Preserver of Life
• The Protector
• Ruler of All Elves

The Seldarine

• Rillifane Rallathil: God of nature
• Labelas Enoreth: God of longevity
• Hanali Celanil: Goddess of romantic love
• Aerdrie Faenya: Goddess of air, weather, avians
• Deep Sashlas: God of creation, magic, sea elves
• Erevan Ilesere: God of mischief, change, rogues
• Fenmarel Mestarine: God of feral elves, scapegoats
• Sehanine Moonbow: Goddess of dreams, death, journeys
• Solonor Thelandira: God of archery, hunting

There are a bunch more elven gods in old issues of Dragon Magazine, but this list seems to be the main group.

Deities & Demigods

 

This is where Corellon debuted. Here's what we learn:

• Corellon is the patron of music, poetry and magic.
• "Corellon is alternately male or female, both or neither." Corellon banished Lolth from the sunlit Upperworld.
• The race of elves sprang from the drops of blood Corellon shed in battle with Lolth and other demons.
• Corellon has a magic bow that never misses.

The Complete Book of Elves

Corellon vs. Lolth

This book has tons of information. It has some cool stuff in it, but it feels like they could have done more.

The Godswar: Gruumsh hated the elven gods and wanted their blood. He gathered some evil gods together for an assault. Corellon called on The Seldarine for aid, along with Moradin and Garl Glittergold. It was an epic battle.

As the fighting wound down, Corellon and Gruumsh continued to fight. "They traversed the planes, and they splashed the others blood across the lands."

Aided by tears from the moon, Corellon drew back his sword and cut out Gruumsh's eye. Gruumsh fled. The elves were created from the blood and tears.

Daughter of Corellon: After the Godswar, Corellon had a child named Eliara. She was the most perfect elf ever born. She was a great archer who killed a red dragon with a single arrow through the eye, but the dragon fell on a tree that collapsed and killed her. At her funeral, the elven mourning song was born.

The Elfwar

The Elfwar: The elf race flourished, but began to bicker internally. Lolth granted some elves dark magic. Eventually, a war broke out between Lolth's elves and Corellon's elves.

The Elfwar lasted for decades. Lolth's elves became known as Drow. Corellon attacked Lolth herself. He drove her deep into the earth and was victorious.

After the last drow was driven underground, the elf gods went to Arvandor, abandoning the elves to their own devices.

Monster Mythology

• Corellon has "dazzling battle gauntlets."
• He is the overseer and guardian of the elves. The refer to him as "the protector and preserver of my life."
• He keeps a careful eye on the boundaries of elven lands.
• He creates magical woodland mazes that reveal deeper secrets to those who explore them.

There is a big story about Corellon and Lafarallinn:

Lafarallin was an elf ranger. He had a ring of detect evil and he killed anything that was evil.

Corellon proceeded to have him meet a beautiful, evil thief with a fatal disease. Lafarallin couldn't bring himself to kill her. He tried to find a cure for her, but she died of the disease.

Corellon appeared before him and explained to him that love, mercy and pity divide good from evil. He thought he had taught Lafarallin a lesson.

Years later, Corellon had forgotten all about Lafarallin and bumped into him. Looking at the miserable wretch, Corellon realized he himself had shown Larafallin no mercy. He magically healed Lafarallin and together they went to the Abyss to reclaim the soul of the thief.

On Hallowed Ground

Arvandaith is also known as Arvandor. The elven gods won the realm from the gods of the giants. Giant ruins litter the glades and meadows.

• Corellon lives in a marble tower in the heart of Arvandor. Smaller towers spin off of it. The rooms inside are never the same twice.
• Adarc Brightleaf: Corellon's proxy, a quick thinking elf. Has the power of foresight.
• Eimher Flow: Close confidant of Corellon. She is fiercely devoted. Very blunt and forthright. Can charm anyone in Arvandor except the gods.

Demihuman Deities

Corellon had a daughter with Lolth. Her name is Eilistree, a drow deity. Corellon banished her from Arvandor after the Elfwar.

• Sehanine is Corellon's consort. 
• Corellon oversees elven high magic.  
• Apparently now Corellon banished Lolth to the Abyss and "named her tanar'ri." He made her into a demon? 
• Corellon has a lot of enemies - anyone who tries to oppose elves.
• Corellon always wears a sky-blue cloak, a large amulet in the shape of a crescent moon and battle gauntlets.
• Sahandrian: Corellon's giant, glittering long sword. Does double damage to goblinkin.
• Amiath'hana: A long bow +5 that never misses to a range of one mile.

Sometimes Corellon manifests as an azure nimbus that envelops a creature, weapon or natural geological formation in an aura of flickering sky blue flame.

There are special divine spells for followers of Corellon:

• (lvl 1) Augment Artistry: Gives a bonus to checks when creating art which could be gem-cutting, painting, dancing, singing, etc.
• (lvl 1) Sixth Sense: Alerts the caster of danger within 10 feet. Lasts for an hour.
• (lvl 4) Sylvan Creature Form: The caster can turn into a sylvan creature like a dryad, nymph, pixie or satyr. You can't become a centaur or unicorn.
• (lvl 5) Crystallomancy: The caster can use a clear gemstone as a scrying device. The caster can use it like a crystal ball - certain divination spells can be cast through it on the location shown in the crystal (detect magic, detect evil, etc.)

Elves of Evermeet

Corellon vs. Gruumsh

Servitor Twins: Corellon has two demigod servitors, Lashrael and Felarathael. They are tall shining androgynous elves in gleaming white robes. They deliver messages for Corellon to various worlds and planes. Lashrael is emotional, Felarathael is rational. They have the power to put people to sleep, teleport them d10 miles away or polymorph them into woodland animals.

Home: Corellon lives in Gwyllachaightaeryll, the Many-Splendored - a tower in Arvandor.

Seekers of the Misty Isle: An organization devoted to finding an elven island stolen by Gruumsh and Kurtulmak.

Fellowship of the Forgotten Flower: An organization devoted to recovering lost elven relics.

Prayer: Prayers to Corellon, which are always in Elvish, begin "Hei-Corellon shar-shelevu," which means, "Corellon, by your grace grant..." Before battle, worshipers of Corellon recite a prayer called the Litany of Arrows.

I looked for this prayer online, but I don't think there is an official version. There are some homebrewed ones. Apparently one was taken from the Dark Tower series.

D&D 3rd Edition

Deities & Demigods

Corellon and Eilistree

Check this out: "As a greater deity, Corellon automatically receives the best possible result on any die roll he makes (including attack rolls, damage, checks and saves)."

Faiths and Pantheons

Corellon

Not much new, but we get some cool art. Everybody draws Corellon so differently. Corellon's longsword Sahandrian is made from a star.

Races of the Wild

Champion of Corellon

This book is pretty great. Elves have a whole section with tons of good, useful content. The Corellon entry doesn't really have anything new, but there's a lot other stuff:

Champion of Corellon Larethian: This is a prestige class. The champions hold a special place in elf society. They are advisors, bodyguards and questing knights. They belong to a religious order known as the Aelavellin Corellon ("The Sword Knights of Corellon"). They have some special powers:

• Corellon's Blessing: This power is like lay on hands. You can also use it to damage undead.
• Corellon's Wrath: You can channel Corellon's energy into your weapon for extra damage a few times per day.

Complete Divine

A Seeker of the Misty Isle

There is a prestige class tied to Corellon. This is an expansion of the ideas in Elves of Evermeet:

Seeker of the Misty Isle: Gruumsh and Kurtulmak whisked away the Misty Isle, a precious island that is the site where the elves were first born.

A portal to the Misty Isle could be hidden anywhere - a lonely mountain or even the Abyss. The Seekers spend their entire lives searching. They have a special trait:

• Corellon's Perception: Has enhanced sight and hearing.

Millenial Chainmail: It is made of pale green rings and it painlessly extends roots onto the wearer's skin. These roots give the wearer special healing benefits.

D&D 4th Edition

There is a ton of Corellon material in 4e! Everything from magic items to lore to a massive elaboration on what Arvandor is like.

Player's Handbook

Symbol of Corellon

Corellon is one of the core gods in 4th edition. There's a note that Corellon is often depicted as an eladrin, but that Corellon transcends physical laws and can appear as whatever. More details:

• God of Spring, beauty and the arts.
• Patron of arcane magic and the fey.
• Shrines to Corellon are found throughout the Feywild.
• One of the goals of the followers: Thwart Lolth at every opportunity.

Wizard of the Spiral Tower

There is a paragon path linked to Corellon:

Wizard of the Spiral Tower: The traditions of the Spiral Tower are the arcane teachings of the followers of Corellon. They can casts spells through their sword and "the secrets of the Feywild become pages in your spellbook." Their swords glow with the arcane beauty of the Feywild.

Manual of the Planes

Arvandor

In the feywild city of Astrazalian, there is a temple of Corellon called the Tower of Stars.

Arvandor, the Verdant Isles: In 4th, Arvandor is moved to the Astral Sea, which is weird. Corellon and Sehanine live here, but they are frequently absent. Corellon often roams the Feywild.

The Ruesti: Arvandor is home to the ruesti - exalted souls of eladrin and elves. They are spirits whose great beauty/wisdom/skill/deeds in life earned them approval in Corellon's eyes.

Arvandor is made up of six islands up to 100 miles in length each. Some are detailed:

• Estaira: "Elevenhome." Ruesti and fey roam the forest. Gloaming eladrin towers dot the island's shores.
• Gloaminghold: This isle is tiny, and is home to a legendary tiefling warlock named Duskmoon. The halls are filled with curiosities and magical guardians.
• Nath Seldarie: This is where the Seldarine feast, revel and take council. Walls of enchanted mist ward intruders away.

Dragon 378 - Domains in Eberron and the Forgotten Realms

In this version of the 4e realms, Corellon is the Forgotten Realms god of arcana, skill and wilderness. Not much information here. It says that the lush reaches of the Feywild owe much of their beauty to Corellon.

Adventurers Vault

Star of Corellon: This star-shaped pendant flashes with an inner light when you unleash arcane or divine energy. The symbol boosts healing powers and cleric/paladin channel divinity abilities.

Adventurers Vault 2 

The Screaming Bow: This bow has silver eagle talons mounted at either end and a golden bowstring. Arrows drawn on the string are transformed into the likeness of a screaming eagle's head. Once the arrow flies, it shrieks.

It contains a soul fragment from an elf warrior slain in battle. Only the ruesti who reside in Arvandor can provide a portion of their soul to reside in the bow.

Ribbon of Limitless Questions: The first one of these was inscribed on cloth by Corellon with ink mixed from golden sunlight and mithral dust. When this blue, silky ribbon is unrolled, a new question appears on it in glowing gold and silver runes.

This item allows you to ask an extra question with any spell like speak with dead. It also boosts certain skill checks dealing with intelligence and charisma.

Dungeon Masters Guide 2

Ossandrya

Boon of Corellon: "Corellon brought arcane magic to the world. Mortals who please him gain access to powers that otherwise take years of study to master." It lets you use powers/spells you normally can't use.

Emblem of Ossandrya: This is an artifact: "This medallion, shaped like a shield and glowing with soft golden light, bears Corellon's star symbol in its center."

A legendary eladrin named Ossandrya wore this in the Last Battle of the Spiral Tower, which was hen the drow were finally driven out of the Feywild.

The item is sentient and devoted to the cause of justice and good. It nurtures heroes, spreads the story of their deeds and encourages daring acts, bold action, and clever strategems.

When you touch this item, it telepathically asks you if you seek glory for your heroic deeds If yes, it attaches itself to your armor or clothing to the left of your heart. It speaks almost every language. It hares the lore of other heroes.

It grants poison resistance, bonuses to certain skill checks and saving throws, and allows you to re-roll a die roll once per day.


Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium

Greater Staff of Power: This is a copy of a staff wielded by Corellon in the Dawn War. It is covered in thousands of runes that glow green.

The staff has a bunch of powers that block attacks and do damage to those who just hit you. It also lets you re-roll an attack roll.

Wand of Conjuring: This wand is made from metal that is infused with magic from the blood of Corellon. This blood was spilled way back when Lolth attacked Corellon and sparked the Elfwar.

This metal wand is covered in silvery runes that glow with arcane might. Here and there, strands and crystals seem to exude from it. The wand can create a large zone that does damage to all creatures each round - you choose the damage (fire/cold/poison). You can choose to fill it with darkness instead.

There's a whole paragraph that sort of encourages you to have your characters go to the cave where the battle between Lolth and Corellon took place.

Heroes of the Feywild

Learned in the Temple of Corellon: This is a pseudo-background. The character sought formal training at the temple. The player rolls a wisdom check. High means the character understands the teachings and gains a special "discovery event." A mid-level roll means the character didn't get it. Low means you are shunned and the player rolls on the "ruined" table.

• Discovery: The character might have had a prophetic vision from Corellon.
• Ruined: The character either fell in with the wrong crowd or went on a quest for redemption.

Divine Power

Chosen of Corellon: This is a paragon path. These paladins are knights of the eladrin courts. They serve the fey. This is an update of the 3e Aelavellin Seldarine - the Knights of the Seldarine.

There is a section on domains.

Corellon Domain: "You feel Corellon's favor when you find and foster magic and when you protect or create beauty."

Blessing of Corellon: This feat lets the character heal an ally when elven accuracy hits.

Dragon Magazine #373 - Art of the Kill

Corellon's Wrath Style: This feat lets the character do more damage to demons, drow, orcs and spiders.

Dragon #384 - Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figures

Bronze Griffon: An alchemist named Boreani created nine of these statuettes for nine eladrin lords. In the eon since, the figurines have scattered across the planes.

You can use this item to summon a griffon for you to ride. When it's summoned you can also give it temporary hit points.

The Plane Above

According to this book, Arvandor is not "elf heaven." There were three big events that shaped Arvandor:

1. Triune Harmony Lost: Corellon, Sehanine and Lolth headed the fey pantheon. Lolth kicked off the Elfwar just as the Dawn War started. She nearly killed Corellon, but Sehanine saved him.
2. Gods of All Races: During the Dawn War, Corellon and Sehanine realized that the other mortal races were beautiful too. They went from elf gods to gods worshiped by many mortal races.
3. The Glorious Hunt: The ruesti are still here! They help track and slay any abomination that cuts loose in the realm. Sometimes, a hideous creature from the prison plane of Carceri is able to escape through a portal to Arvandor. These events are called the Glorious Hunt. "A ruesti who dies while on the Hunt can expect to receive only between three and a dozen resurrections inside Arvandor before dying a final death."

There is a description of different areas in Arvandor. I especially like this one:

The Wasteland of Burnt Blood: A ravaged black desert pitted by pools of scalding red liquid. This is a result of the ancient battle between Corellon and Gruumsh.

It says that Gruumsh came to Arvandor and Corellon battled him atop a mountain. Corellon won. Gruumsh's blood fell in thick droplets that scalded the land for ten miles in all directions. In this tainted land, all creatures have +2 damage and -2 AC.

There's a nice big sidebar about Corellon and Gruumsh. "Some stories cast Corellon and Gruumsh as divine echoes, showing Corellon blessed with the power of beautiful creation, while Gruumsh can only destroy."

The story hints that Lolth was having secret relations with Gruumsh behind Corellon's back prior to this! How about that?

Dragon Magazine #386 - Channel Divinity: Corellon the House of Flowers

The Rose King, son of Corellon

Corellon has a son. He is the Rose King, an Elric-looking fellow who led a massive assault on the drow. Things went very poorly. His daughter was one of the few survivors. The Rose King was apparently killed by a band of drow matriarchs.

His daughter, Liria, and the captain of the guard fled deeper into the Feywild. They founded a place called The House of Flowers. They have a spy network watching the drow who recruit people to join their cause.

Dragon Magazine #394 - Channel Divinity: Corellon's Devoted

Azure Guard

This is one massive article by Robert Schwalb, one of the most prolific and fantastic of the 4e creators.

Nobody knows how the elves were created. There are three main theories:

1. Corruption: Elves arose from the tears Corellon wept from sorrow, beauty and mirth the days before Lolth's fall, when he lived in perfect harmony with her and her sister Sehanine. Lolth's corruption eventually sparked the Elfwar.
2. Betrayal: Lolth was not Sehanine's sister but was a vile demon who seduced Corellon. When Corellon realized this, he fought and banished her to the darkness. The blood Corellon spilled from this battle created the first elves.
3. Battle: Corellon and Gruumsh were twin siblings. They had a titanic struggle for dominance and the spilled blood produced orcs and elves. "If this tale is true, then there is an unsettling bond between these two races - one no right-thinking elf would dare to accept."

There are theories as to why Lolth turned:

• Traitor: Lolth thought the primordials were going to win the Dawn War and decided to turn against the gods.
• Evil: The Chained God and his demons corrupted her.
• Jealousy: She hated Sehanine, her sister, and wanted Corellon for herself.
• The Maiming of Gruumsh: This is thought to have taken place after the Dawn War. They battled for seven days and seven nights. There was a distraction that cost Gruumsh his eye. The distraction was caused by Sehanine or Lolth.. or both. Nobody knows except the gods.

Omens and Signs: Corellon sometimes uses stars to send an omen, especially the azure star. Falling stars suggest Corellon offers support. A falling star moving across the crescent moon indicates displeasure.

The Misty Isle: There is a big sidebar on this topic. Not a lot of new information. The Misty Isle is where Corellon's tears first fell to the world and created the elven race. Gruumsh and Kurtulmak stole the island and hid it in a place none would ever find.

Azure Guard: These warriors prepare for the day when the drow invade. They sometimes refer to the drow as "The Banished Darkness."

• You can only join by invitation.
• They can teleport their enemies, blind and immobilize them.
• They can teleport.
• They can summon an aura of blue luminescence that does radiant damage.

D&D 5th Edition

Player's Handbook

In 5e, Corellon is the elf deity of art and magic. Corellon is chaotic good and the suggested domain is light. From what I understand, he is mentioned a few times in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, but there is nothing earth-shattering.

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

This book has an entire chapter on elves.

Corellon

• Chaotic Good
• Province: Primary god of elves
• Suggested Domains: Arcana, Life, Light, War
• Common Symbol: Quarter Moon or Starburst

Chaos and beauty personified. Loves magic, artistry, nature, and freedom. 

Deep Joy: "Anyone who has felt the mystical presence of Corellon describes it as a joy like no other, followed by a deep melancholy when his presence is no longer felt."

Raw Magic: Some speculate that Corellon is the personification of raw magic itself, the primal force that underlies the multiverse. Magic in its original form: a well of endless, splendid possibilities.

History: Before elves existed, Corellon danced from world to world and plane to plane. Corellon could take the form of anything, including a "teasing breeze" or a flock of birds. 

Gruumsh did not care for Corellon's mutability/passionate behavior and attacked Corellon. Gruumsh lost his eye in this conflict.

"Depending on who does the telling, the battle was a clash of titans fought across many planes and worlds, or it was little more than an annoyance to Corellon."

The first elves emerged from the blood Corellon shed. Many of them followed Corellon around and also had the power of mutability. Corellon named them, and in doing so, each became an elven god (Aerdrie, Solonor, Labelas, etc.)

One new elven god was Lolth. Lolth convinced the other elven gods to take static forms - she hoped to unite them to make an impact on the mortal worlds.

The elven gods began to view Corellon as their father, and Lolth as their mother. The elves began to choose loyalty to one over the other.

Lolth tried to kill Corellon, but failed. Corellon and Lolth parted ways. Lolth became a demon lord in the Abyss, and Corellon became the "de facto leader of a pantheon that could no longer be trusted." 

• The elf gods who stayed loyal to Corellon became known as the Seldarine.
• Corellon cast out the primal elves from Arvandor to the Material Plane.
• The elves who most revered Lolth became drow. 
• Elves who stayed in the Feywild became the eladrin.

When an elven soul returns to Arvandor, it is adopted by the other gods of the Seldarine and given respite from the world for a time, during which it is left alone to contemplate its creator's disappointment. Then the soul emerges from Arvandor, to be "reborn into a lissome, graceful body that for an incredibly long time.."

As long as Lolth exists, the responsibility for her betrayal falls on all elves. 

Eilistraee

• Chaotic Good
• Province: Freedom, moonlight, song
• Suggested Domain: Life, Light, Nature
• Common Symbol: Sword-wielding, dancing female drow silhouetted against the full moon.
  

A god of moonlight, dance, and song. She rejects the evil ways of Lolth. 

When drow go to the surface, she calls to them with song. Those drow who respond to it and remain on the surface world "opens her followers' hearts to the wonder of nature in night, and her songs and signs can show a drow how to persevere in that alien environment."

"Drow who are beloved by Eilistraee sometimes appear to vanish when they die, as the body dissolves into pale light and leaves no clue to where the soul has gone."

Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to Gruumsh, God of Orcs

This guide is an attempt to collect all of the lore about Gruumsh from the many different products he's appeared in. My hope is that this will give you a nice pool of stuff to work with if you decide to use Gruumsh in your game.

Gruumsh is a guy that doesn't see a lot of use, as far as I can tell. He's actually a really cool bad guy. His wife, Luthic, adds a lot.

The Essential Information

• (Wife) Luthic: Goddess of fertility, medicine, families and servitude. 
• (Son) Baghtru: God of strength and combat. 
• (Chief Lieutenant) Ilneval: Orc lesser god. Schemes against Gruumsh. 
• Bloodspear: Gruumsh wields an artifact called Bloodspear. 
• Armor: The armor of Gruumsh is made from forty dragon hides.
• Home: The Iron Fortress of Nishrek and/or the Tower of Skulls in Chernoggar.
• Originally, Gruumsh's army fought in hell against Maglubiyet's goblins. Then Gruumsh moved to the Iron Fortress of Nishrek in the plane of Acheron. Gruumsh ended up magically moving the whole fortress to Chernoggar, where the army went to war with the armed forces of the god Bane. That was in 4th edition.
• Gruumsh commands an army of "battlesworn," deathless orc warrior souls. 
• Hates elf deities, especially Corellon. 
• Gruumsh wants to drink Corellon's blood in order to gain special powers.
• Corellon cut out one of Gruumsh's eyes. The eye gave Gruumsh the power of prescience.
• It is believed that Corellon and Gruumsh are actually brothers.
• Gruumsh has never forgiven the gods for dividing up the world without him and laughing at him. He made it so that orcs can live in really deadly areas of the world.
• He is searching for his other eye. It might still be in the possession of Hecate, a Greek goddess.
• Gruumsh stole the Misty Island, the place where the first elves sprang into being.
• Gruumsh and Moradin made a pact to allow dwarves and orcs to share a ghost-infested town called Hammerfast.

AD&D First Edition

Deities and Demigods

Only shamans refer to him by name. Most orcs call him He-Watches or He-Who-Never-Sleeps

• Orcs think he always watches them with his one "unwinking" eye.
• He's 10 feet tall, wears black plate mail, wields a torch in one hand and spear that paralyzes in the other.
• He commands a might army of spirit-orcs in Hell! They war with spirit-goblins controlled by Maglubiyet.
• Worship of Gruumsh requires blood from humanoids, especially elves.

Dragon Magazine #62 - The Gods of the Orcs

There are actually two articles about orcs. The first is about half-orcs, but it goes off on a big Gruumsh tangent. We learn that:

• Gruumsh is narrow minded. He's quick to be insulted and will attack.
• Orc shamans pluck out an eye to gain Gruumsh's single-minded perspective.
• All tribes pay homage to Gruumsh. Elves see many sides of an issue. Orcs see one.
• Elves live long. Orcs live to about the age of 40.

This issue details the orc gods. It's got awesome art by Jim Holloway. Gruumsh now has an eye patch and is no longer a cyclops. Personally, I much prefer this version.

We start with a myth about how the other gods split up the world between them and then laughed that there was nowhere left for the orcs. Gruumsh used his spear and stabbed/corrupted many parts of the world for his orcs to inhabit. "Orcs shall inherit the world you sought to cheat me of!"

Corellon vs. Gruumsh: Corellon tried to shoot out Gruumsh's eye but missed, according to the orcs.

• The Orc Version: Gruumsh ambushed Corellon. He wanted to kill him and drink his blood in order to inherit his special powers. Corellon's arrow missed.
• Elf Version: Corellon missed on purpose as a warning. He hinted that the loss of the eye would break the divine power of Gruumsh. Gruumsh never again tried a direct assault against Corellon. He takes his fury out on mortal elves.

Warfare between tribes is encouraged to weed out the weak.

Baghtru: This orc fellow is the son of Gruumsh and Luthic, the Cave Mother.

• Very powerful, very stupid.
• He can crush people in his hands for 10-120 points of damage!
• He is 16 feet tall, has tusks and tan skin.
• His skin is so tough that blunt weapons only do a single point of damage to him.
• He follows the commands of his mother, Luthic, above all others.

Ilneval: Chief lieutenant of the orc armies "in Hell."

• He may be planning to overthrow Gruumsh. Gruumsh does not trust him.
• He's 9 feet tall, wears a suit of red iron chainmail, and he has a sword that kills any non-orc that it strikes.

Luthic, Goddess of Female Orcs: She is also the goddess of orcish fertility, caves and caverns, servitude, primitive medicine, and "helps restore orcish morale."

• Her claws can tunnel through solid rock.
• She is 8 1/2 feet tall, four foot long black claws, hair and eyes dull black, dark brown skin.
• When in contact with the ground, she regenerates 3 hit points per round.
• If she hears anyone abuse her name, she might issue that person a disease or make them more susceptible. Any ailment kills the person within 2-7 days. Only three wish spells can undo this curse!
• Her worshipers rub dirt on themselves to ensure they have many children.
• Her Tribe: Vile Rune. They don't raid.

Unearthed Arcana

Both of those Dragon Magazine articles are reprinted in this book.

AD&D Second Edition

Monster Mythology

I love this book. We learn that in pre-history, one or two now-unknown orc gods conspired to depose Gruumsh and were destroyed utterly. Gruumsh always seeks new territory for his race. There is no word for 'peace' in the orc language.

Luthic:

• Luthic actually sometimes sends an avatar to a battlefield to heal the wounded.
• Speaking her name now inflicts a wasting disease that kills in d4+4 days.
• Omens: Claw marks in a rock, magical darkening of an area, rumbling in a cave mouth.

On Hallowed Ground

This Planescape supplement really shakes things up in a good way for the orc gods. The orcs were defeated badly in the war in Hell. For the most part, they've retreated to Acheron.

They had to flee Hell because the orc lieutenants squabbled and the orc army was taken by surprise. Now they'll do or die from Nishrek, a realm on a cube in Acheron.

Fun Fact: "Female" is actually a swear in Orcish.

Gruumsh: When a tribe of orcs becomes complacent, he either destroys them with fire or sends another orc clan after them. He is 'searching the cosmos' for his eye.

Ilneval: Now he not only wants Gruumsh's place in the pantheon, he also wants Luthic as his wife!
He's too scared of Gruumsh and Baghtru to do anything about it, though.

Luthic: She's one of the only people who can control Gruumsh and Baghtru. She's secretly communicating with Hecate for help against the goblins in Acheron, but so far, nothing.

I had to look up Hecate in this book. She's a Greek god. In D&D, she lives in hell. Check this out: Hecate has the Eye of Gruumsh, "the one put out by the elf high-up Corellon Larethian." She has left clues for Gruumsh, but he's to dumb to pick up on it.

Planes of Law

In the book on the plane of Acheron, there is a page describing Gruumsh's home of Nishrek Here's what we learn:

• Nishrek is on a cube.
• Guumsh rules three sides. Baghtru rules two. Ilneval rules one.
• "Luthic sends forth her plagues from deep within the heart of the cube, where her realm is said to lie."
• There are temples to Gruumsh. They are pyramids with a 'central eye.'

Luthic: Her tiny tribe in Acheron is called Black Claw. They are devoted to healing and fertility. One member of Black Claw is Tamurda. She is hated/respected for her powerful healing broths and salves. Her skin is bleached dusky white from years underground.

D&D 3rd Edition

Deities and Demigods

Grumsh is mentioned as an enemy of Corellon a few times. He is a god of chaos, evil, strength and war. We're back to Gruumsh having one unwinking central eye.

• "He tolerates no sign of friendliness from his people."
• Temples of Gruumsh are oppressive places full of smoke and the stench of blood. There are holding cells for those to be sacrificed, and gladiatorial areas.
• He has a power called Fog of War, which is a lot like cloudkill.
• His spear now has a name: Bloodspear. It can change sizes.
• His avatars: "Sometimes they have a single unblinking central eye, and sometimes they have an empty left eye socket."

Faiths and Pantheons

This is a Forgotten Realms book. Apparently the Realms version of Gruumsh is a little different? His spear is covered in the blood of elves.

Ilneval: He's the patron of orc crossbreeds, especially orogs (orc/ogres) and tanarukks? I don't know what a tanarukk is. I'll look it up:

A Tanarukk

Awesome art! They are half-demons/half-orcs. They have the ability to control flames. Many of them are sorcerers.

Luthic: She is known as "The Blood Moon Witch." There is a secret group called the "Luthicar monks" comprised of females who aren't allowed to use weapons.

Sons of Gruumsh

I had no idea Chris Perkins wrote an adventure about orcs! This is a module for 4th level characters. There are a ton of cool details in this. Here's some of the stuff related to Gruumsh:

• The Hammer of Gruumsh: A maul wielded by orc kings. It grants the wielder improved sunder and +4 to intimidate and diplomacy with orc-blooded creatures.
• The Mark of Nishrek: Scar on the forehead like a diamond-shaped eye. It gives orcs special once per day bonuses to damage and AC.
• Temple of Gruumsh: Pillars with manacles and niches with skulls and bones. The ceiling dome has a great lidless eye. You can lie in an indentation and look up at the eye. Those who are unworthy are devoured, body and soul.

Complete Divine 

Shield of the Severed Hand

Gruumsh has an entry in here. Prayers to Gruumsh begin with "Kharg-hark" - orc for "revenge."

• Temples have gladiatorial arenas where wagering is common.
• Rites: Ritual of the Poles. After battle, put a foe's head on a spear and stick it in the ground.

Relics:

• Shield of the Severed Hand: Bull rush, +4 shield.
• Spear of Retribution: Once in a great while, Gruumsh flings a spear at a cleric he's annoyed with. "If the cleric lives and keeps the spear, it has magic powers. +2 becomes +4 when the wielder took damage in the previous round, +5 when received a critical hit.

D&D 4th Edition

4e Player's Handbook

Not much in here. Gruumsh is not an enemy of demons. Chaotic evil god of destruction, lord of marauding barbarian hordes.

4e Manual of the Planes

In 4th edition, Gruumsh lives in a realm called Chernoggar, the Iron Fortress. It's in the Astral Sea. Bane lives here, and the two gods send their armies after each other.

• Gruumsh fused Nishrek with this place. The army of Gruumsh lives in caves.
• Gruumsh commands deathless warrior souls called battlesworn.
• Chernoggar is home to bladelings.
• Gruumsh lives in the Tower of Skulls. It actually says he's served by Baghtru, Luthic and.. Vaprak, an immense troll.

I think that I would say that Gruumsh won and chased off Bane. Maybe he left some allies there and returned to Acheron to conquer the other cubes. Maybe he stuck Ilneval here and charged him with exploring and conquering the astral?

Nishrek: Mountains riddled with caves. Crudely built stone orc hold. There are a lot of earthquakes, avalanches and fiery geysers.

The Plane Above

This book greatly expands on Chernoggar. There's a ton of material here, but very little of it gives any new info on Gruumsh. Some gods don't want the battle between Bane and Gruumsh to end because it keeps both villains occupied.

Tower of Skulls: Gruumsh lives in this massive structure of skulls lashed together by chains and the innards of the slain. There are skulls of primordials and deities that Gruumsh slew.

There's a section on the battlesworn of Gruumsh. It says, "Gruumsh culls his battlesworn from the greatest villains of the cosmos." They are immortal warriors plucked from the Shadowfell to serve Gruumsh in the afterlife. You could do a lot of cool stuff with these guys.

Luthic and Baghtru

Baghtru: Yep! He's in here. He's an "exarch" of Gruumsh. He is sometimes known as "The Fist of Gruumsh." He's got fun powers called "Hammer Fist" and "Backfist Bowl Away" where he sends you flying 50 feet, dazes you and knocks you prone. Ogres pay tribute to his power.

Luthic: She's also got some fun powers. She can make it rain blood. She can go into a blood moon frenzy, giving herself and her allies free attacks.

• Omens: Followers know Luthic has connected with them when they dream of a red moon and awaken with the taste of blood in their mouth. 
• Orc Females: In the other editions, there's a bit of talk about how orc females are subservient. Here, Luthic is more like the power behind the throne and as feared as Gruumsh.

Hammerfast

Not one orc picture in the whole book

Long story short, orcs and dwarves share a town thanks to a pact between Moradin and Gruumsh to end the bloodshed. Hammerfast is full of ghosts of those who died in the battles. The ghosts are treated like citizens.

The Festival of the Eye: Each year in winter, orcs set up a tent for a week. Champions of Gruumsh come from far and wide to do battle in ritualized combat. Some end in death. Anyone can jump in. Some fights are one on one, others are chaotic brawls.

Spear of the Sundered Eye: Apparently, Gruumsh has an ulterior motive. There was a dwarf who worshiped Gruumsh named Jaltar Hammerfist. He was actually on the side of the orcs in the battle. He had an artifact called the Spear of the Sundered Eye. It's lost, but the orcs know it is somewhere in town.

The Black Spire: A temple of Gruumsh. It's hollow inside, with rings of balconies along the inner walls. Priests of Gruumsh engage in ritual combat.

Dragon Magazine #394 - Channel Divinity: Corellon

There is a cool factoid here. Kurtulmak (god of kobolds) showed Gruumsh a way to the Misty Island, a place sacred to Corellon's faith. It was there that the first elves were born from Corellon's tears and blood. Gruumsh and Kurtulmak stole the island and hid it.

Dragon Magazine #408 - History Check: Corellon and Gruumsh

This is a regular orc

This is a heck of an article! We learn all sorts of new things.

Gruumsh and Corellon were originally twin sons of a progenitor deity that sacrificed its own life so that the offspring would live. One was given intelligence, life and beauty. The other savagery, darkness and chaos.

They fought as allies in the Dawn War. During the Dawn War, Gruumsh never slept. He tirelessly battled the Primordials, yet Gruumsh grew jealous of Corellon. People loved Corellon and they hated Gruumsh.

The Vale of Blood: The fight began in a vale in the mortal world where the barrier between the world and the feywild was thin.

Lolth aided Gruumsh by enchanting his spear before the battle. She made it invisible and poisonous.

Corellon's allies, the Seldarine, showed up to help. Gruumsh had evil deities lurking nearby. Both sides clashed. This became known as The Godswar.

Gruumsh was about to kill Corellon. One of two things happened:

1. Lolth distracted Gruumsh. Maybe this was Lolth's way of trying to win over Corellon.
2. Corellon plunged his blade into Gruumsh's left eye and twisted, making sure the wound could not heal.

Orcs say that Gruumsh only had one eye to begin with.

That eye, it turns out, had been giving Gruumsh powers. He was prescient and had prophetic sight. Supposedly the eye was destroyed. Sehanine blinded him with the moon's light.

Gruumsh's armor is made from the hides of forty slain dragons.

D&D 5th Edition

Monster Manual

In addition to being mentioned a few times in the PH, Gruumsh gets a huge section in the orc entry of the Monster Manual.

Most of it is the same as in earlier editions. Luthic gets a big paragraph, explaining that she wants orcs to be breeding a lot.

The Orc Eye of Gruumsh entry explains that sometimes an avatar appears before an orc, and if the orc plucks out one of their own eyes, they have the right to call themselves an Eye of Gruumsh. They are shamans.

That's where we're at so far! Lots of fun stuff, especially the battle between Corellon and Gruumsh.

Acquisitions Incorporated: The Series - Episode 6

 

You can watch this episode here.

Force Grey started this week! Episode 1 was really good. It's also half an hour long. It is definitely worth seeing.

Last Time: The group stole a piece of the rod of seven parts, but Carrington the drunk NPC blew their cover. A big pile of dwarves is probably about to attack them.

The Party

(Jerry) Omin Dran - Half-Elf Cleric
(Mike) Jim Darkmagic - Human Wizard
(Scott) Binwin Bronzebottom - Dwarf Fighter/Barbarian
(Patrick) Viari - Human Rogue  

Carrington is drunkenly accusing the heroes of being impostors. Jim casts sleep and Carrington is out. The group stuffs him in the box, in a compartment above Jim and Binwin.

Ironbeard takes the bribe. He whispers that there is some stuff in the place that Viari might be interested in. Black Powder. Basically, gunpowder.

Viari says no thanks. The group has what they want and now they want to get the heck out of here. They make their way to the Hall of War, which is where those four big portcullises are.

Suddenly, an alarm goes off. Two stone golems are blocking the exit.

Guards go running. Some approach the group. They still don't suspect the heroes. These guards say that they will protect the heroes from whatever the threat is.

The portcullises will not open until the dwarf king opens them. The place is basically on lockdown.

The group has a map and knows there is a room with levers that control the portcullises.

Viari spots the secret door. The group knew it was there, but it took a bunch of perception checks to actually figure out exactly where it was.

The group watches as the Zhentarim get led into the hall of elders. Apparently they are being blamed for the theft.

The heroes learn that the Zhentarim stole a belt of giant strength from the dwarves and they are blaming the heroes! Ha.. what a great idea. The dwarves don't believe them.

The adventurers go before the king. The Zhentarim are there and they sneer at the heroes. Very condescending!

There's a dais in this hall. The group discusses how "dais" is pronounced. I always thought it was  "DIE-us" but I just checked. Listen to this and check out the weird second pronunciation.

Then I looked up Sigil, because it bothers me when people call it "Siggle." This lady says I'm right!

Omin suddenly realizes that the Zhentarim planted the belt on the group. That's what he thinks, anyway. Crazy.

The King is old and has cataracts. His wife is next to him. She whispers to him a lot. Looks like he can't hear very well, so she tells him what people say.

Jim and Binwin realize the sleep spell is wearing off on Carrington. He wakes up! We roll initiative to see who acts when.

Jim tries to cast sleep.. but it doesn't affect Carrington. It affects one of the dwarf guards. The dwarf topples over.

It took me a minute to understand why this happened. Sleep affects creatures within a 20 foot radius from a point you choose, starting with the one that has the least amount of hit points. So it looks like one of those dwarf guards was quite wimpy and had less hit points than Carrington.

It appears that things are about to get nutty. Carrington suddenly sits up and points at Omin, who is still in disguise as his sister. Carrington cries out, "He is not a woman!"

That's where we stop!

Timestamps

(17:07) Jim stashes a piece of the rod in a very safe place.
(31:44) The Jig is up.

Overall

Good show! This one is one of my favorites so far.

Twists: I really like all of the twist ideas here. I'll definitely try to use some in my games. Bad guys planting a stolen item on the heroes. A heist going afoul because someone else sets off the alarm. A drunk guy who knows too much and needs to be kept sedated under delicate circumstances. Really good stuff!

Sleep: I didn't really understand why the dwarf guard fell asleep until I looked up the spell. Chris is really on the ball. He didn't even hesitate. I never would have got that right.

Dice, Camera, Action: Episode 14 - Curse of Strahd

You can watch this episode on youtube here.

I'm not sure how I found it, but Holly did a stream on Twitch last week. She made the Strahd doll that her character discovered in Paultin's Mystery Wagon! She made this thing in half an hour and it is fantastic. Check it out:

Pretty awesome, right? As far as I am concerned, that is officially what the doll looks like. She even put a tag on the back that says: "Is no fun? Is no Blinsky!"

No Nate this week. He's "off fighting crime."

They are going to do a live episode of this show at TwitchCon in September. That should be awesome.

Last Time: Evelyn turned into a werewolf and was tied to a tree so she couldn't hurt the group. Strahd apparently reached out to Paultin - he wants the bard to join him. The group started exploring a winery that has been overrun by druids and their evil wood-creatures.

The Party

(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander
(Holly) Strix - Tiefling Sorcerer 
(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue

We stopped last time when Strix got her magic staff. It is spongy and moist..?

The group holes up in a room for a while so that Strix can learn what the staff does. Diath watches the window to keep an eye on the blights. They're sort of very slowly coming toward the building. They behave a lot like zombies.

Strix learns that the staff lets her drain people's hit points to heal herself if she hits them with it. If she attunes to the staff, the blights won't consider her a threat. 

Diath finds a secret door and creeps through. There's a bedroom (room W17, page 178). He finds a secret compartment in a bedknob. It has a key to the chest in the room.

In the chest, there's a pile of gold, electrum and silver. Strahd's face is stamped on the electrum pieces. It's pre-vampire Strahd. In the desk, Diath finds records of wine shipments.

Strix finishes attuning. Strix's eyes go dark. She is transported away from the winery! She is near a tree - an axe is embedded in it. She's at Y4. page 198. She hears the Friday the 13th noise. There's a wicker statue of Strahd here, too. She wants to set it on fire.

The tree comes to life. There are blights around. Strix can command the blights. This is a vision. Strix collapsed.

Diath and Evelyn aren't sure what to do. Diath knows her consciousness is gone - he has experience with people leaving their bodies.

Evelyn tries to hug Strix into consciousness. It works! From Strix's perspective, roots dragged her into the ground.

She snaps out of it and actually spits dirt out of her mouth. Diath kicks the staff away.

Suddenly, the group notices blights coming down the hall toward them.

Diath wants to run. Evelyn and Strix are shocked and wonder if someone cast a fear spell on him. They retreat through the secret door.

Strix goes into the adjoining room. She thinks the blights won't attack her because she has the staff.

Siath suddenly realizes that if the group destroys the staff, it might destroy the blights. Strix really doesn't want to destroy it because it matches her outfit.

Finally Strix gives in and Evelyn gleefully chops it up in the name of The Morning Lord. The staff lets out an inhuman shriek and all of the blights in the area collapse and shatter.

Blood spurts out of the staff and covers Evelyn.

Someone in the building yells out, "No!" The group heads toward the sound. They come to a big room with four large fermentation vats (room W9, page 176). There's a druid here. It looks like she's dumping something (poison?) into a vat. She is on a walkway above the vats. The group is on the floor below her.

Evelyn gleefully challenges the druid in the name of Lathandar. Evelyn uses her boots to fly up and attack her. The group is rolling really bad. Jared had advantage and he rolled a 2 and... a 1.

The druid swings her staff at Evelyn and she rolls a 1. She slips and falls into the massive vat of wine! The group decides to let her drown after much debate.

Evelyn reaches in to grab the druid's staff, which is carved to look like Strahd. The druid lunges out of the wine and casts thunderwave. The heroes go flying and the cask shatters. The wine pours out and the druid is free! Awesome.

Diath jumps down, stabs her and actually makes her heart explode. The group applauds.

The heroes go outside. All the blights are dead. They meet the Martikovs, who thank the heroes and tell them there's more work to do. To get the winery working, they need three magic gems. One gem is at Yester Hill.

The wife of Davian breastfeeds her baby as she tells the group about the gems. Diath nervously looks skyward.

Diath hands over the electrum pieces he looted! Wow, nice.

Davian warns them about an "old witch" and to avoid her at all costs. My favorite NPC in Curse of Strahd!

He also mentions the Amber Temple. Diath remembers that the amber doors of the temple were part of his tarokka reading.

The heroes take a short rest, then they get on Mourning Glory and Valentina. The whole group rides to Yester Hill. A bolt of lightning hits the hilltop. 

They spot the wicker statue of Strahd at the top of the hill. They want to burn it. They approach. There is nobody up there.

At the top of the hill, they see a city in the fog. It's made of the fog. They feel like it is baiting them. It has a castle with two spires with a bridge connecting them. This is area Y5 on page 200 in the book.

The group goes around the circle and heads for the tree. They want to find this glowing green gem.

There's an axe stuck in the tree and a skeleton lying at the base of it.

Evelyn wants the axe. She grabs it. That's where we stop.

Timestamps

(40:11) Evelyn hugs Strix back to life.
(1:42:41) Paultin rides on Evelyn's horse.

Overall

Another good episode! The show has been extremely fun to watch for at least 5 weeks, now.

Modifications: Maybe I just missed it, but as far as I can tell, Strix's vision of the Gulthias Tree is not in the adventure at all. I wonder if Chris wanted to foreshadow Yester Hill and maybe clue the group in on the place. Maybe he wanted to motivate them to choose to go there when given the opportunity?

The blood spurting out of the Gulthias staff also isn't in the book, at least from what I can tell. It was cool. I'd definitely use both ideas if I ran this.

The Fog City: I think if I was running this, I would have completely forgotten about seeing the 'fog city' from the top of the hill. Now that I've seen this episode, I would have no trouble remembering it. Again, anyone thinking of running Curse of Strahd needs to watch this show. It helps immeasurably.

Force Grey: Giant Hunters - Episode 1

You can watch this episode here.

If you want to start at the start, check out my recap of the live 'prologue' show. Not a lot happened, but you kind of got a feel for what everyone is like.

OK! This is a review/recap of the first episode of Force Grey, a D&D show that apparently will somehow connect with the story of Acquisitions Incorporated. I'm going to tell you what happened, provide timestamps for what I think are the best moments, and then I'll give my overall thoughts.

The DM is Matt Mercer, of Critical Role. The group is a mix of vets and new players.

No Posehn: Right off the bat, I don't see Brian Posehn. His character vanished in the very beginning of the prologue episode and he just sat there for the rest of the session. I guess we'll see what the deal with that is sooner or later.

Half Hour: I am relieved to see that this show is only 30 minutes. I know a lot of people don't like that, but there's only so much D&D you can keep up with in a week.

The intro is a quick little thing where Matt blows a horn and the players assemble in the comic store. They head to the back room, Weird Pete style.

The Party

(Chris Hardwick) Whil Wee-Tawn - Sun Elf Wizard
(Ashley Johnson) Dagny Halvor - Half-Orc Cleric
(Shelby Fero) Brawlwin Chainminer - Dwarf Fighter
(Jonah Ray) Joppa - Human Monk
(Utkarsh Ambudkar) Hitch - Human Rogue

We get a narrated voice over about Waterdeep. Lots of art, some of it new. Matt recaps the prologue episode and actually looks right into the camera, which is nice. He goes out of his way to acknowledge and include the viewer.

I'm going to leave out a lot of jokes, because I don't want to ruin it for you. This show is very funny and it goes by quick.

The group needs to go to a gnome village and find a pool guarded by a maiden. They will be meeting with a sun dragon. They will have to "discover the needs" of this creature.

Whil is a sun elf and he has a pseudo dragon. I wonder if that will come into play in some way?

Whil is immediately introduced to and accepted by the group. The heroes get to pick an NPC sidekick from these three choices:

1. Benji is a dude with a mustache.
2. Bjorn has a deep voice.
3. Then there is an intense person named Lillivach or something like that. She has a musket or arquebus and shows the group how it works.

They end up choosing ...Limmalia. Or whatever her name is. The heroes go to a shop for supplies and Hitch seduces the woman behind the counter. She sells the group some potions of healing.

Hitch gives Joppa a potion and Joppa is so touched he tells Hitch he loves him. He wants to roll for a hug. Somewhere in here, we learn that Joppa has fish in his pockets.

The goons who are after Hitch.

The group heads through an alley and three people who know Hitch and start having a sort of menacing conversation. They talk about Blackstaff.

We have a real nice map here. It is a Dwarven Forge kind of deal, a miniature town. We even get some special effects, where Matt summons the map to the table and it appears in a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, Whil yells "Magic Missile!" He fires off a magic missile. We are rolling initiative!

Joppa runs up and does a flurry of blows in the bad guys. He rolls really well and does a pile of damage to an orc.

Hitch uses an immovable rod in a very clever way and intimidates the bad guys. They're leaving, but Hitch convinces Limmalay to shoot them.

Whil is confused and levitates the bad. Then when the group tells him that they're leaving, he turns it off.

The group considers stealing a cart so they can travel in comfort. Someone is asleep in it. Whil levitates the person and rolls a natural 1! He sends the sleeper flying onto a roof. The group panics, jumps on the cart and speeds off.

Timestamps

(8:32) The mustache guy.
(12:35) Roll for a hug.

Overall

Really good show! I think Matt was very conscious of the pacing and he kept it moving really well. The guy sleeping in the back of the cart - that was some quick thinking on his part. I really like how Matt is thoroughly prepared for these sessions.

This show is just half an hour long, so to me this is a no-brainer. You should definitely check Force Grey out.

Jonah: It's already like Jonah can do no wrong with me. I think the guy is hilarious.

Out of all of the D&D shows that I have checked out so far, there are three people who have that kind of charisma where you end up watching their face because you can read their reactions at all times. That would be Jonah, Scott Kurtz, and Nate from Dice, Camera, Action. With Nate, I don't know what he's thinking, but he is constantly emoting and processing stuff. 

Player Style: One of the things I like most about this show is that the players are demonstrating new ways to play a character and behave at the table.

Shelby, in particular, was really good on this episode. She immediately joins in on any sort of scene and in general she seems like a real team player. I always admire someone who will set up jokes for other people, and she does it absolutely seamlessly on this episode. I think that being unselfish is the hallmark of a great D&D player.

Background Music: I don't think the background music is necessary. It didn't quite detract from the show, but it didn't quite match the tone of the session. The group is entertaining enough that I don't think we need musical cues to keep our attention.