Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to Mordenkainen

This guide is my attempt to grab all of the lore about Mordenkainen and collect it in one place. That should make it easier for you if you decide to use Mordenkainen in your campaign. 5th edition has done some sneaky and very cool things with him!

Short Version: Who is Mordenkainen? He's an archmage (MM pg 342) from the Greyhawk setting. He is sometimes in charge of a group of wizards known as the Circle of Eight. He has spells named after him in the Player's Handbook.

But what's really special about him is that he is the most famous real life character played by the co-creator of D&D: Gary Gygax.

Mordenkainen, the Character

Mordenkainen in the publications differs a bit from the "real life" pen-and-paper version. When Gary Gygax was playtesting D&D, he'd sometimes have Rob Kuntz (player of Lord Robilar) run him through adventures. Rob had Gary play through some now-famous scenarios, including Maure Castle aka Mordenkainen's Fantastic adventure.

A few years ago, I wrote a few articles collecting all of the information I could find about the original Castle Greyhawk campaign. Here's what I learned about Mordenkainen:

According to this blog, these are his stats:

• STR 9
• INT 18
• WIS 13
• DEX 13
• CON 16
• CHA 17

He has a staff of power and a ring of x-ray vision.

His henchmen included:

• Bigby: A wizard
• Zigby: A dwarf who led Mordenkainen's 300 dwarf followers.
• Riggby: A cleric
• Sigby Griggbyson: A fighter
• Nigby: Bigby's apprentice
• Digby

Pet Dragons: He owned two red dragons named Gorky and Porky.

Home: He lived in an obsidian citadel with Gary's other characters - Yrag, Vin & Vram (elf twins), and Felnorith (a fighter who collects swords).

Adventures: It is known that Mordenkainen barely survived Maure Castle, which I write more about further into this guide. Dave Arneson also ran Mordenkainen and Lord Robilar through City of the Gods.

Quick Note: I'm sure I've missed stuff, but I took a stab at it. I am fairly certain that the 3e stuff summarizes the events of the 2e Greyhawk sourcebooks. I have a lot of trouble reading the 2e Greyhawk stuff - massive walls of text.

In a lot of D&D supplements, Mordenkainen has teams of allies that get into all sorts of shenanigans. Here's a list of his two big groups:

The Citadel of Eight

Devoted to maintaining the cosmic balance between good and evil, this group fell apart due to infighting.

• Mordenkainen
• Bigby
• Lord Robilar
• Riggby
• Yrag the Fighter
• Tenser
• Serten (Died at the Battle of Emridy Meadows. Tenser blamed Mordenkainen for his death)
• Otis

The Circle of Eight

This is a band of very powerful wizards who eventually fell to infighting. Here is a list of the members, which changed over time.

• Mordenkainen
• Bigby
• Bucknard (who eventually disappeared, and was replaced with Jallarzi Sallivarian)
• Drawmij
• Leomund (who eventually left to explore other planes, and was replaced by Tenser)
• Nystul
• Otiluke
• Otto
• Rary (who would betray the group, killing Otiluke and Tenser)
• Tenser
• Warnes Starcoat

Rogues Gallery

This fun book is full of people's characters, many of them who played in Gary Gygax's own Castle Greyhawk campaign.

Apparently Gary Gygax says that Brian Blume made up these stats, as he refused to give Brian Blume his real stats. As Gary put it in 2003:

"The information in the ROGUE'S GALLERY was quite fallacious, made up im many cases when we refused to give Brian our PCs' stats. Rob respected my wishes and didn't use Mordie's actual stats and information, and whatever was written thereafter based on those works continues the error."

According to this book, Mordenkainen is a 16th level mage who "spends much of his time pondering over new bits of magical research." He usually travels with henchmen, but sometimes disguises himself as an old, poor merchant.

"He is an active and aggressive person, not failing to attempt bold, sweeping plans when the situation demands."

"He is stubborn and his decisions are often harsh. For all this, he is a clever and useful ally."

Mordenkainen has a lot of magic items, including an efreeti bottle, a bag of holding, and a crystal ball.

Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure

Gary Gygax explains in the special preface that explains this adventure was made by Rob Kuntz, and that Gary ran Mordenkainen and Bigby through it alone. "The terrible iron golem on the first level spelled petrifaction for Mordenkainen, and Bigby teleported out in great haste to bring reinforcements. With the aid of Yrag and Riggby, the monster was finally destroyed. Mordenkainen was restored to flesh again."

In this adventure, your players have the option of playing Mordenkainen, Yrag, Riggby, and Bigby. This group of heroes decided to go on this adventure when they heard that there were doors in Maure Castle that could not be opened.

Appearance: Mordenkainen appears to be a middle-aged man bedecked in simple grey robes.His beard is black with silver streaks and well-waxed.

Mordenkainen is statted out in the appendix. He is a 12th level wizard and he's got a mighty pile of magic items, including a carpet of flying, bracers of defense, a "scroll of the efreeti," and a Silver Key of Portals.

The Scroll of the Efreeti: This scroll is made from a lesser demon's skin, and bears flaming runes and sigils. When a spellcaster holds the scroll, it acts as a ring of fire resistance. If read, an efreeti appears and will serve the wielder for 2-5 hours. Once that time is up, the genie leaves and the scroll is useless.

Silver Key of Portals: This silver skeleton key was found in an abandoned chapel of Dalt, a lesser god of portals and enclosures. When the key is touched to any portal, "be it magical or other," the portal will slowly open. This key can be used to open four portals per day, and no more.

Statistics: What are his stats, you might ask:

• STR 10
• INT 18
• WIS 15
• DEX 17
• CON 17
• CHA 18
• AC 1 (in 5e, that's an AC of 19)
• HP 52

He worships Boccob, god of magic.

Bigby: He's a level 10 necromancer. He is described as oddly nervous and is extremely cautious.

Riggby: A lvl 9 high priest of Boccob and Zagyg, his opinions are "short and succinct."

Dragon Magazine - The Wizards Three

Through the history of Dragon Magazine, the great Ed Greenwood wrote many articles where wizards from different setting met with one another. They usually involved Elminster, from the Forgotten Realms, and Mordenkainen, from Greyhawk.

Reading these was a wild ride. Basically, these stories are a way to introduce new spells, monsters, and magic items. Mordenkainen, Elminster, and Dalamar get together and share these things with each other. They also drink and eat a lot (and.. well, you'll see).

This serves as a very early attempt at portraying the D&D "multiverse" and has characters cross over from one setting to another. 

Dragon #185 "Magic in the Evening"

Elminster is hanging out with the author, who lives on our Earth. Mordenkainen is coming to visit, and the author is hiding in a suit of armor hanging from hooks on the wall.

Here's what we learn about Mordenkainen, as well as some of the wacky things that happen in this story:

• Here's the deal. These stories take place in Ed Greenwood's home on Earth. The wizards actually meet in his house.
  
• Mordenkainen's Appearance: "A middle-aged man with a wise, craggy face." His face was "...alert and almost angry, like a hawk looking about for prey."
• Mordenkainen likes soda. 
• Mordenkainen is aware that Elminster tells a young lad (Ed Greenwood himself) all the secrets of Faerun. He gestures to "a few modules and boxed sets on a high shelf."
• Mordenkainen can magically summon slim, dark cigars.
• Elminster wants to create a wizard team-up group called the Wizards Three - and he wants to include an apprentice of Raistlin named Dalamar.
• Mordenkainen explains that Tenser and Bigby have been attacked by some mysterious individual.
• Mordenkainen thinks the Zhentarim are "dolts." 
• Spelldreams: Mordenkainen weaves "spelldreams" for merchants which slowly unravel the spells other wizards have on the merchants.
• Samander's Ring: Mordenkainen has Samander's Ring, which can be secretly placed on a person and block attempts to charm that person. Mordenkainen can summon it back to himself.
• Mordenkainen likes mayonnaise.

Dragon #188 "The Wizards Three"

• The author again hides in a suit of armor to quietly spy on the wizards. He notes that "Dalamar the Dark" is indeed going to meet with Elminster and Mordenkainen.
• Vecna Lives: Mordenkainen is in a dark mood. The Circle of Eight are dead and Vecna is supposedly gone for good. I think this is a reference to the events that occur in the adventure called Vecna Lives.
• Dalamar is edgy and Mordenkainen threatens him.
• Daunskul: Mordenkainen talks about Daunskul, a wizard who walks between worlds and is a shapeshifter. He is a "Lord High Necromancer" who can grant undead the ability to use spells, and make false liches." He also can create undead that reflect spells back on the caster.
• These Visits are Personal: Elminster refers to Ed Greenwood as his "pet."
• Dalamar likes mustard.
• Mordenkainen eats a giant cheese-and-turkey sandwich that is as thick as Ed's forearm.

Dragon #196 "Three Wizards Too Many"

• Elminster possesses mint-wine given to him by a gold dragon named Galglentor.
• Mordenkainen Saying: When Mordenkainen is surprised, he yells "Dancing hobgoblins!"
• Another saying: "I'm on blade's edge these days. A great war rages in my world."
• The Wizards Three are laughing and probably a bit drunk. 
• Dalamar doesn't like marshmallows or root beer floats.
• Spell Mirror: A fragile oval of polished glass. Each one guards against a specific spell
• Big Crossover: Mordenkainen met Fistandantilus. "The memory of our meeting is not a happy one." It is explained that Fistandantilus at one times wandered worlds, seizing magic and killing people with his Bloodstone. Mordenkainen says that he taught Fistandantilus "the wisdom of staying closer to home."
• Mordenkainen can have a third hand come out of his robes to hand you things or perhaps use magic items.
• An old saying on Oerth: "Secrets kill."
• Bloodglass: It shows how many hit points an enemy has left.
• Friendly Fungus: A living mushroom familiar, that can fetch things that you visualize while touching it. 
• Uh oh. Mordenkainen might know that Ed is hiding in the armor. The visor suddenly seals shut as Mordenkainen leaves. 

Dragon #200 "The Wizards Three"

• Mordenkainen definitely knows Ed is there, hiding. Mordenkainen winks at him.
• Mordenkainen is still upset about the wars on Greyhawk. He has the "stink of spell-battle" on him.
• Mordenkainen's Involuntary Wizardry: This spell forces a random memorized spell out of the mind of an enemy wizard, and visits its effects on them.
• Bonebind: This spell immobilizes undead and rolls them up into balls. Seriously! That's Mordenkainen's spell he's sharing in this one.
• So... a fork started moving, and turned into Elminster's girlfriend - The Simbul. "A fire-eyed woman whose long silver hair curled around her shoulders with a life of its own."
• Dalamar keeps getting mad that everyone is higher level than he is.

Dragon #211 "The Wizards Three"

• Elminster isn't thrilled with Ed's chili.
• Mordenkainen is in a better mood.
• They pranked Dalamar. Something about a "flatulent eructation." Mordenkainen calls him a "youngling."
• Mordenkainen used to take trips to Waterdeep. "I used to go with some friends to Waterdeep fairly regularly, for - ah, recreation."
• Night of Shadows: A frolic, a night of fun. On Oerth, it refers to a night of doom that befell many Bakluni mages so long ago that what happened has been twisted into several legends.
• Mordenkainen can snap his fingers and cause a flurry of parchment to erupt on wings from his book. 
• Mordenkainen can summon a fine dark red cloak out of nowhere, which settles on his shoulders.
• Dalamar is now 100% friends with the other wizards.
• Argaster's Cloak of Shadows: Targeting one creature, this spell boosts AC, makes the wearer hard to see, and allows the wearer to walk through web and evard's black tentacles spells.
• Belsham's Mace: This spell summons a magic mace that, if it hits, knocks the target unconscious for one round. 
• Othnall's Spectral Dagger: A hovering weapon that attacks enemies.

Dragon #219 "The Wizards Three: Warmer Than Expected"

• This story is a turning point. All of the tales after this one get wackier and wackier.
• Ed's bedroom has a poster of unicorn-riding ladies. Elminster grunts in an approving tone. 
• The Wizards meet in the woods behind Ed's house. Dalamar is bringing a guest who breaks things. Ed is able to spy through Elminster's belt buckle
• Elminster doesn't like hot dogs: "They seem to represent the first feeble reachings of thy culture toward achieving undeath for no-longer needed body parts!"
• Shaaan the Serpent-Queen: Dalamar's guest. She has soft white skin and wears a garment made of serpents' scales, and a green half cloak. She ends up being an extremely powerful villain with a big backstory. Shaaan has a "spell-shield" that she once used to disintegrate an island.
• Mordenkainen goes to kiss her hand, and suddenly "hooked white fangs protrude from her knuckles" and give him a poison bite. Mordenkainen doesn't care because the dude can handle the poi.
• Shaaan turns into a pillar of flame and attacks the wizards. She apparently cast time stop, but Elminster broke it somehow.
• Elminster has a steel codpiece. What is happening right now
• Elminster confines Shaaan to the "Floating Helm of Tarados" in the Astral Plane, drifting endlessly.
• Mordenkainen likes hot dogs. 
• Ring of Lady Summoning: OK. So, Mordenkainen has three "rebellious young beauties" who are his apprentices/girlfriends, I guess. He has a ring that he can use to summon them. He does so. Elminster then makes sure Ed can't see anything else and the Wizards Three party all night. Elminster meets with Ed the next morning, with "smudges of rouge and kohl" on his face.

Dragon #238 "The Return of the Wizards Three"

• I swear this is real. Elminster claims he was on the internet and that he was not happy about people talking about his shenanigans with the ladies in the last Wizards Three story that Ed wrote. He says that all they did was wash each other's backs. All 6 of them, together.  Elminster starts to describe an "undignified" game mages play with each other. It involves taking off your clothes and is called Twenty Transformations.
• Rautheene: She is Mordenkainen's apprentice, a tall woman.  I think she was one of the apprentices from the last story.
• Dalamar won't be here, because of "magical trouble" on Krynn.
• There's a lot of talk about Rautheene's bodice and red lips.
• They get wasted and eat piles of pizza and ice cream.
• Firedart: Basically a firebolt spell.
• Backshift: This spell forces a creature who changed shape back into its original form.

Dragon #242 "Jest the Wizards Three"

• It looks like Rautheene has replaced Dalamar in the Wizards Three.
• She calls Mordenkainen "Master."
• They talk about dipping cheddar in mustard. 
• Rautheene says that her career tended toward deception before she met Mordenkainen. She has a spell called "false ioun stone."
• These last few stories have taken a weird turn. Elminster actually tells Ed that Rautheene is gaining weight and that he secretly noticed that her dress size went up since their last meeting.
• Echo: "Records" all sounds heard by its caster in the round immediately preceding its casting. 
• Fingerblade: When cast, this spell calls forth a smallblade that can desstroy one non-magical bladed weapon.
• Spy: Summons an eye or ear that the caster can perceive through if within 90 feet.

Dragon #246 "The Night it Wailed Wizards"

• Mordenkainen likes old sherry.
• Rautheene had tried to cast fly for the first time, but a storm was raging and I think she got hit by lightning. She's not hurt too badly.
• Elminster likes to turn into a tree branch during a thunderstorm?
• The wizards worry that Krynn is going through another cataclysm. Rautheene wants to go to Krynn to find out. 
• They eat a lot of ice cream.

Dragon #344 "A Dark and Stormy Knight: Another Evening With the Wizards Three"

• This should be interesting. It's been 100 issues since the last story! We're jumping from 2nd edition to 3.5.
• They actually follow up on Rautheene's attempt to learn the fate of Dalamar. She says her magic isn't strong enough and that the mages of Krynn are arrogant gluttons.
• So... Elminster does some magic thing and Rautheene burps. Then she wipes a deviled egg on his face.
• This whole series changed completely once Mordenkainen summoned those lady friends. Ever since then, it's been nothing but food, pranks, and the aggressive teasing of Rautheene.

Dragon #359 "Goodbye and Hello, as Always: One Last Evening with the Wizards Three."

• The weird Rautheene stuff reaches critical mass when she falls in Elminster's lap, and he seeks to "buck her off by repeatedly thrusting his pelvis sharply upwards."
• Dalamar shows up! He's fine, just crabby.
• They watch television and Dalamar decides that all the women of Earth must be fat. Really!
• Elminster confesses that Ed has been spying on them all this time and writing about them in Dragon Magazine. When Mordenkainen is assured that these articles are of good quality, he decides to let Ed live.

In the beginning, these stories were very intense and pretty serious. Mordenkainen and Elminster were trying to subtly influence Dalamar, trying to make him a force for good, or at least, not an evil-doer.

But halfway through, this turned into stories about wizards eating ice cream and a heck of a lot of Rautheene silliness.

I honestly feel the urge to try to portray Rautheene differently in my game - as a serious spellcaster and not quite so silly.

Castle Greyhawk

I've written about this "parody" adventure before and it annoys me even more now. The real life Castle Greyhawk is Gary Gygax's own dungeon that he playtested the entire D&D game with! This published thing is a "comedic romp" which in part lampoons Gary's time in Hollywood working on the D&D cartoon.

Mordenkainen is actually in this adventure. He's gone Hollywood, see? So Mordenkainen cleared out the 11th level of the dungeons so he could set up a film studio.

He made friends with "Sam and Irwin Splitstein" on a world very similar to our own 20th-Century Earth.

Mordenkainen has branched out from Sword and Sorcery films. Here's some of his movies:

• "Seven Secrets of Kung Fu Death."
• "Monster Fraternity Vacation II: Daytona Daze"
• "Fantasy: The Movie" The author actually writes out a page of the script of this movie.
• "They Saved Tenser's Brain" Tenser is a severed head floating in a fishbowl, leading an army of 90-foot-tall orcs.
• Mordenkainen's Groupies: 2d6 giant trolls from the Pomarj.
• "Balzor the Warrior"
• "Island of the Sorceresses"
• "Anak!"

Apprentices: Mordenkainen's apprentices are all helping out with the movie biz.

• Mort and Gort: They run a small movie theater in area 2. 
• Bort: The projectionist. 
• Cort: Handles casting.
• Qort and Xort: Filming special effects. They're using a miniature model of the City of Brass.
• Port: Works in the cafeteria, selling "Cream of Human Soup", "French Fried Dwarves," and more.
• Yort: Director of "Monster Fraternity II." The writers of this movie are "fat orcs with perms."

Shockingly, these apprentices are actually used in the 4e Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium in an extremely cool way!

Mordenkainen has a hot tub of relaxation. The group finds him in the hot tub with his "very special friend," Fiona. She is a 14th level thief. Seems like a personal jab, doesn't it?

Mordenkainen wants to hire any character with a Charisma of 16 or higher to be in one of his films.

Yes The Tarrasque is in This: The  tarrasque agreed to make a cameo in "Fantasy: The Movie." It is wearing sunglasses that make it immune to light or continual light spells.

The heroes can actually step through a portal into the Splitstein's world.

Couch of Casting: If you sit on it, the couch tries to charm you on the behalf of the director of the film.

Dungeon Magazine #112 "Maure Castle"

This issue includes Gary Gygax's own account of when Mordenkainen was turned to stone. He states that Mordenkainen and Bigby were accompanied by "the doughty Lords Yrag and Felnorith, as well as a cleric, the Bishop Raunalf."

The battle against the stone golem went very badly. Bigby was turned to stone and Yrag was killed. Felnorith defeated it alone.

"With the aid of a minor artifact known as the Silver Key of Portals, Mordenkainen and his companions entered the dungeon twenty-five years ago."

In this adventure, the bad guy Eli Tomorast was resurrected by a gnoll shaman named Yug-Anark, who was sent visions by the demon lord, Yeenoghu.

In the 4th level of this dungeon, there are two hirelings of Lord Robilar, named Vlarda and Nornuk. They ended up joining the side of Eli Tomorast as spies, but Eli is on to them. He hopes he can use them to strike down Mordenkainen and the Circle of Eight in "glorious revenge."

Living Greyhawk Gazeteer

"Mordenkainen the Archmage formed the Circle of Eight as a tool to manipulate political factions of the Flanaess, preserving the delicate balance of power in hopes of maintaining stability and sanity in the region. Mordenkainen's view of 'enforced neutrality' is not a tit-for-tat equality but rather a detailed theoretical philosophy derived from decades of arcane research. He has fought ardently for the forces of Good, most recently during the Greyhawk Wars, but just as often has worked on darker plots to achieve his ends."

Epic Level Handbook

There is a section in the back of the book which gives stats for some famous NPCs, including Elminster and Lord Robilar.

• He runs the Circle of Eight, who work to ensure that no one power gains dominance over too much of the Flanaess.
• He has a dark beard trimmed to a point and a shaved head.
• "His apparent age is around 40 (though his true age is twice that)."
• The Obsidian Citadel: His private army, who fights for good.
• Mordenkainen has often worked on the side of infernal forces.
• Those who count him as an enemy: Evard the Black, Terik, and Rary.
• Silver Key of Portals: It functions like a chime of opening and automatically dispels arcane locks. It can cast passwall, ethereal jaunt, and word of recall.

Expedition to the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk

The book gives an extensive history of Mordenkainen's life.

36 years ago, Mordenkainen came to the city of Greyhawk after hearing about Zagig and his Company of Seven. Mordenkainen form the Citadel of Eight, and went on many adventures.

The Citadel Implodes: He developed a rigid philosophy based on cosmological balance. Tenser did not like it and wanted the Citadel to dedicate themselves to eradicating evil. This conflict eventually tore the group apart, though Mordenkainen remained friends with Lord Robilar.

The Prison of Demi-Gods: Robilar and Mordenkainen traveled to the City of the Gods. Mordenkainen ultimately discovered Zagig's prison, an entire dungeon level under Castle Greyhawk designed to imprison nine demigods. Zagig used it to steal some of their own power and becoming a god who served in the court of Boccob.

Assassinating Iuz: One god trapped in the prison was Iuz. Mordenkainen knew that his prison wouldn't last forever, and sent Lord Robilar down there to kill Iuz while he was still trapped there. But as Robilar got in the prison, Tenser, Bigby, and Neb Retnar appeared in an attempt to stop the scheme. In the chaos, Iuz escaped, plane shifting to the Abyss.

27 years have passed since that happened. Riggby died of natural causes.

The Circle of Eight: Mordenkainen regretted freeing Iuz, and formed the Circle of Eight, an association of wizards. Then, Rary betrayed the group, killing Tenser, and Otiluke. Bigby was gravely injured. Lord Robilar, a surprise ally of Rary's, had attacked the strongholds of the slain and prevented them from being raised from the dead.

The Expedition: This adventure gets underway and at one point, the heroes run into Mordenkainen. He has the key that will allow the heroes to enter the Tower of Magic in Castle Greyhawk.

Bilarro: He explains that there is an artifact called the Orb of Opposition that is a key to an alternate world called "Uerth," which is like Oerth, but darker. Long ago, Zagig and his allies actually swapped worlds with their counterparts from Uerth. Mordenkainen is convinced that the Robilar of this world is actually his evil double, Bilarro (of Iron bands of Bilarro fame).

This is an extremely clever way to explain why Robilar sided with Rary. The betrayal never matched up with Lord Robilar's character. 

At the end of this adventure, Mordenkainen might consider the heroes as new members of the Circle of Eight.

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium

I did not expect to find anything interesting in here, but man was I wrong.

This is a 4th edition sourcebook full of magic items, many of which have weird lore attached to them. This book was a bit of an effort to encourage 4th edition players to utilize story and roleplaying, which was a bit tricky to do for some in 4e with the gridded combat and abstract skill challenges.

Destroyed? Mordenkainen's secret master copy of the Magnificent Emporium tome was destroyed. Mordenkainen "burned its pages and then disintegrated the ash."

Introduction: The intro to this book is an epic screed written by Mordenkainen. He says stuff like: "But for a few dust-mad liches dreaming in their lonely tombs, my friends and I represent the last of the old guard. Who born in the last forty years can measure of themselves an ounce of the worth of Otiluke, Bigby, Tenser, or Robilar - or even Rary or Evard? Bah! What does it matter?"

Some other choice nuggets:

• Mordenkainen once sought power, but now he seeks to keep it from others.
• "Power wielded to dictate over all is power used to disastrous effect."
• "By cataloguing what exists - and what is rumored to exist - I hope to be forewarned of the danger of any item when it falls into the wrong hands."

Scholar's Note: "This excerpt and others to follow were gleaned from the original master text during the production of one of its eight copies. As a former apprentice to Mordenkainen, please understand that I take my life in my hands by disseminating his work without his permission. Please treat this text with the utmost care and secrecy.  - Qort"

Yes.. that's Qort, being canon. Qort, one of Mordenkainen's apprentices in charge of filming special effects in the 1st edition parody Castle Greyhawk adventure.

Armor: In the armor chapter, he mentions that Robilar wore armor of all sorts.

It notes that this entry was "from his master copy of the Magnificent Emporium, on a magically hidden page accessible only by those who can cast spells."

Weapons: "Woe would come to us all if Blackrazor or a vorpal sword were allowed to circulate unchecked by our vigilance."

"When you find new properties on weapons (or upon any other items,for that matter), please record them in your copy of this book. Doing that will transfer them to my master copy, and I will then disseminate that knowledge to the others who hold a copy of this work. Please include any information you gather about creating the various properties of magic items, and be assured I will keep such knowledge in the strictest confidence."

Qort writes: "Of special note is the last paragraph, which was redacted from the few copies that Mordenkainen disseminated before he reclaimed and destroyed them."

Implements: "I have collected an array of the most powerful of these items, and those that serve no purpose for me I subject to disjunction."

Qort writes: "Though it cannot be confirmed, it is the belief of this scholar that the paranoia evinced in his words might be due to a curse or even possession by some foreign spirit. Doubtless Mordenkainen could have held thoughts such as those he expresses here, but it is unlike him to betray such concerns so candidly."

Magical Gear: Mordenkainen writes that magic is not a system or a language. "... the truth is that all things are part of the same continuum. Why else would magic of so many types accomplish much the same end, and why else are so many things - from old gloves to living beings to entire planes - able to be created and imbued with magic?"

He further writes that it is probably beyond the capacity of mortals to comprehend. He wonders if that is why there are gods. "Certainly they've proved themselves good for little else."

Artifacts and Curses: "Any artifact puts the scales out of balance." Destroying them is difficult. He prefers that they remain unfound and inaccessible.

Adventuring Gear: After Mordenkainen writes about how he likes his hirelings to be predictable,

Qort writes: "I do not doubt that Mordenkainen would consider my copying of a text he eradicated from existence to be a betrayal. And the manner in which I left his service can leave no doubt. Did he know that I would create this extra copy of the work? If so, did he predict that I would kill the other seven apprentices to protect my secret? I would not put such a callous calculation past the old scoundrel. But if he knew I would act this way, am I being allowed to live out my part in his plans, or shall I be eliminated now that my part is done?"

Qort Killed the other Castle Greyhawk apprentices! Amazing.

Dungeon Master's Guide

On page 68, it says: "On Oerth (the sword-and-sorcery world of the Greyhawk setting), heroes such as Bigby and Mordenkainen are driven by greed or ambition."

Monster Manual

On page 167, there is a quote:

"Beyond the unopenable doors lay a grand hall ending before a towering stone throne, upon which sat an iron statue taller and wider than two men. In one hand it clutched an iron sword, in the other, a feather whip. We should have turned back then.

- Mordenkainen the Archmage, chronicling his party's harrowing exploits in the dungeons below Maure Castle."


Pretty cool that they slipped this into the MM. I love all the quotes and references they sprinkled into the book.

Curse of Strahd

So, what is Mordenkainen up to in 5th edition, you ask? Why, he's the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok!

• A man in tattered black robes. His hair and beard are long, black and streaked with gray.
• Mordenkainen came to Barovia more than a year ago to free its people from Strahd's tyranny.
• Strahd drove the Mad Mage to the mountains and sent the wizard hurling over Tser Falls.
• He lost his staff and his spellbook.
• He survived the fall but was driven mad by the realization that he no longer has any hope of defeating Strahd or freeing the people of the vampire's damned realm.
• Greater restoration would normally cure his madness, but he has cast a mind blank spell on himself.
• Stats: He's an archmage.
• The Mad Mage's Mansion: He has a hidden Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion on the mountain.
• "If the characters come from the Forgotten Realms and mention this fact to Mordenkainen, he asks them if they know his old friend Elminster of Shadowdale."
• "With his sanity restored, Mordenkainen can be stubborn and difficult even with his friends, and doesn't suffer fools."

Death Masks

I had absolutely no idea that this novel actually tells the story of Mordenkainen recovering from his time in Barovia. I am relying partly on this post to describe the content of the book.

• This is a recent book by Ed Greenwood about Elminster and Mordenkainen.
• Mordenkainen heals himself in Waterdeep, and Elminster protects him while he does so.
• Mordenkainen goes from gibbering and violent at the start of the book, to composed and helpful by the end.
• This takes place as Storm King's Thunder gets going.

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Shemeshka the Marauder actually has a note in the beginning:

Preface: Shemeshka claims much of this book was written by Bigby, who was under a charm spell. "Mordenkainen released Bigby from the spell once he had turned Bigby away from his evil ways and Bigby had earned Mordenkainen's trust."

Qort: Guess who also has a note? Qort! Amazing. Qort paid Shemeshka to steal this book from Mordenkainen. This book is the birthplace of Mordenkainen's philosophy of the Balance.

In this book, Mordenkainen writes about the Blood War, Elves, Dwarves, Gith, halflings/gnomes, and various monsters. Here's some of the info found in the quotations scattered throughout the book:

Rary Corrupted by Demogorgon? Modenkainen studied the symbol of Demogorgon through a mirror, but was still magically affected by it. "It was Rary who saved me, and I thought that he had been spared the symbol's effects. I don't have many regrets, but underestimating that symbol is one of my greatest."

Elves: "In so many worlds, the rise of humanity seems to follow the fall of elves. What will follow, should humanity fall? Orcs."

Drow and Elminster: "I have heard tales of drow who have forsaken the evil ways of their kind. I give these stories no credit, though Elminster himself swears they have validity. Never trust a drow, or the word of an archmage."

Mordenkainen and the Githyanki City: "I have been to Tu'Narath. A heaven for the githyanki it is not. Their apathy and frustration manifest as a visible fog, which clears only when the githyanki ready for war.

Mordenkainen and the Githzerai: "I couldn't discern if the githzerai leader was alive, dead, or undead. But the psychic stress in his audience chamber was so intense that I could barely think. Did that pressure come from Menyar Ag-Gith, or from the dozens of followers that surrounded his body? Alas, I left with that thought and my original question, unanswered."

Githzerai Inspiration: "I studied for a time with the githzerai in Limbo. Their adamantine citadels inspired a spell I created."

Elminster and Gnomes: "Elminster calls gnomes the Forgotten Folk - an apt name for them in most worlds. I've walked many realms, and nary a one has even a hint of a gnome nation."

Gith and Mindflayers: "The githzerai are a check on the githyanki and the illithids. The githyanki are a check on the githzerai and the illithids. Thus, three unequal forces enforce the Balance."

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

Mordenkainen is in The Nine Hells! He has a dwelling called the Tower of Urm that can shift between planes.

• The Tower: "An iron tower rises atop an island on a lake of boiling blood." "Red lightning crackles constantly between two horns of metal on the tower's roof." Mordenkainen remains "deep inside his tower and swiftly shunts the building to another plane in times of danger."
• Studying: "Mordenkainen, a chaotic neutral human archmage, often sojourns to Avernus to study how the Nine Hells affect the schools of magic."
• Yugoloth Agents: He pays yugoloths to do his bidding in Avernus. He has 9 mezzoloths and 3 nycaloths at the tower. Two of the Nycaloths - Torgrazk and Shraal - are loyal to Zariel and have been sent here to kill Mordenkainen. 
• Appearance: "Mordenkainen is a stern bald man with a neatly trimmed black goatee beard and a penetrating stare."
• Simulacrum: He uses a simulacrum outside the tower.

Books Written By Mordenkainen

Most of these come from an article in Dragon #82.

“Epic Saga of the Great Conjurers”: Contains these spells: Mordenkainen‘s faithful hound, conjure animals, monster summoning VI, cacodemon.

“Architecture” by Leomund & Mordenkainen: Contains these spells:Leomund’s secure shelter, Leomund’s tiny hut, forcecage, Mordenkainen‘s magnificent mansion.

“Cosmogony of Magnetic Fluids: Contains these spells: Chain lightning,  Mordenkainen‘s disjunction,
volley, energy drain.

“The Dark Sides of the Memory”: Contains these spells: Banishment, Mordenkainen’s lucubration, ensnarement, contingency.

“The Weapons of the Ether” by Melf & Mordenkainen: Contains these spells: Whip, Melfs acid arrow, magic missile, enchant an item, enchanted weapon, Mordenkainen’s sword.

Codex of Mordenkainen: This book is detailed in the AD&D 2e Outer Planes Appendix. Information in the Codex:

• Mordenkainen suggests that a day will come when the plotting of the devils will come to a fruition and a gate will be opened into the Prime Material plane.
• Mordenkainen scryed into the Abyss. "The great writhing mass of torment and hatred that extended infinitely in all directions tore my soul asunder and caused me to weep."
• He saw a pillar of flame that extended up into the sky that rose from a base of torment. The dead of the Abyss lined the base.
• The archmage studied the Blood War and used a ritual that put him into a deep sleep , where he dreamed of history and prophecy.
• He saw "coils of time and written upon them were the histories of all deeds and places."

You could do a lot with that last bit. Mordenkainen has glimpsed the future! Apparently this has reinforced his belief that the balance between good and evil should be maintained.

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium: This book describes magic items. There are/were 8 copies in existence, distributed by Qort, an apprentice of Mordenkainen's. Mordenkainen may have destroyed what he thought was the only manuscript.

Apparently, if you write down notes in a copy, your writings would also appear in the master copy.

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes: Another book stolen and distributed by Qort. It contains a lot of lore on a variety of subjects, and may have been partly written by Bigby under duress.

Mordenkainen's Cookbook: According to this ENWorld thread, Mordenkainen may have written a cookbook. This qiote is allegedly from Gary Gygax:

"Mordenkainen thinks of blueberries as food. He has written a 500 pp cookbook listing his favorite recipes, and spells, employing this blue food item. One of the premier ones is a recipe for blue-fin tuna. The Blue Bolts dish is rather shocking, though...."

Spells Researched/Created by Mordenkainen

Mordenkainen's Buzzing Bee
Mordenkainen's Capable Caravel
Mordenkainen's Celerity
Mordenkainen's Defense Against Lycanthropes
Mordenkainen's Defense Against Nonmagical Reptiles and Amphibians
Mordenkainen's Disjunction
Mordenkainen's Electric Arc
Mordenkainen's Encompassing Vision
Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound
Mordenkainen's Faithful Phantom Defenders
Mordenkainen's Faithful Phantom Guardian
Mordenkainen's Faithful Phantom Shield-Maidens
Mordenkainen's Force Missiles
Mordenkainen's Involuntary Wizardry
Mordenkainen's Lucubration
Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion
Mordenkainen's Penultimate Cogitation
Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum
Mordenkainen's Protection From Avians
Mordenkainen's Protection From Insects and Arachnids
Mordenkainen's Protection From Slime
Mordenkainen's Sword
Mordenkainen's Trusted Bloodhound

Links

Greyhawk Online
Forgotten Realms Wiki
The Great Library of Greyhawk
ENWorld - Books Written by Mordenkainen
Merric Blackman - Who is Mordenkainen the Mage?

Should a Group Keep Abyssal Chickens?

This has Descent into Avernus spoilers, so bail out now if you might play this at some point in the future!

Preparing Avernus

In my Dungeon Academy campaign, my group has entered Avernus in search of the sixth piece of the rod of seven parts. Avernus is the first layer of the Nine Hells, and of course it is detailed in Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus.

When I sat down to prepare this, I knew I needed to tie in backstory elements into this. I had set up some stuff that I intended to merge with the content in the adventure. I've got some agents of the Raven Queen running around, a character's evil parents are up to no good, and a character is searching for the lost soul of a loved one.

I've connected them to three locales from the book that I like - the Bleeding Citadel, the Tower of Urm, and Mahadi's Emporium. The biggest surprise for me when I first went through the book was that I actually liked Mahadi's Emporium. I generally dislike the use of non-devils in Hell, but there's a lot of fun ideas in there.

Bleeding Citadel is a piece of cake to change up. You can just swap out the bad guys in the book for the ones that you want to use. Mahadi's is mostly a matter of adding in the one element I need, which is easy because they left space for you to make your own vendors.

Mordenkainen and the Tower of Urm

The Tower of Urm is Mordenkainen's tower that can travel the planes. I think that this location could be awesome, but as presented int he book, there are very few details. So my plan is to dig up a bunch of Mordenkainen lore and try to create the tower based on all that.

I'm also going to try to figure out how to explain how Mordenkainen, the "mad mage" from Curse of Strahd, escaped Barovia and is no longer mad. If I remember right, he actually fought Strahd and fell from a vast height and barely survived.

Escaping the demiplane of Ravenloft has always been an amusing thing to me. The old 2e boxed set talked extensively about how hard it was to escape Barovia, but almost every published adventure had a way out. I know that was probably just put in for groups who were going to just do a quick excursion into the Demiplane of Dread before resuming their campaign, but it always amused me.

So how does Mordenkainen get out? Vistani can come and go as they please, so maybe they helped him get out? Maybe Mordenkainen cut a deal with a Dark Power in the Amber Temple? Maybe he had a re-match with Strahd and was about to win, so Strahd summoned the mists to take him away?

In this campaign, the group is actually traveling with Strahd, so the fact that these two have fought before should make it very interesting. I love playing Strahd as this over-dramatic, fawning dude who yearns for Tatiana, whose soul currently resides in the body of the group's cleric.

The Hellfire Engine

I've always loved the Hellfire Engine. In 3e, I think the engine was a giant steam-powered humanoid that rampaged through Hell. In the 5th edition Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, it is a giant steamroller with a variety of deadly weapons attached to it.

We had left off last time with the group under attack from an engine, so we picked up from there. In between sessions, I had done some reading and was surprised to see that the hellfire engine doesn't have a pilot - it is a living creature that controls itself.

I changed it, because I like the idea of it being a war machine in its own way.

The group is 11th level, and I quickly saw that the hellfire engine was way, wayyy too powerful for them. One shot from the bonemelt sprayer was absolutely devastating. It does a pile of damage, and then the acid and fire continue damaging a character each round until they take an action to remove it.

The group immediately knew they had to run away, even though Strahd and the ranger were inside the engine killing the pilots. This led to another thing I had wrestled with when preparing: Should I allow for the group to actually take control of the hellfire engine?

In a campaign I played in on the Greyhawk channel called Mordenkainen's Path of the Planes, we actually got a Hellfire Engine and drove it around for a few sessions. I loved it and never wanted to leave it!

I ultimately decided not to allow it in this session. The group has a lot of powerful stuff as it is, and I have a tendency to give my groups so many magic items that the magic items lose their "specialness" and become boring. Also, I thought the idea of the hellfire engine self-destructing would be cool.

So a devil pilot set the engine to self-destruct, and the group was able to outrun the massive explosion in their war machine.

The Choice

At this point, I had planned to let the group make a somewhat fateful decision. In theory, what they should do next is use their 5th piece of the rod to locate the 6th piece. That is, after all, what they are here for!

But as I'm sure you know, players often do things you don't expect. The group had the ability to obtain leads on some of the subplots going on in Avernus. I had prepared some stuff in case they decided to pursue one of those.

What followed was a lot of banter in the group's war machine, which has been described as a "van" with "seatbelts" (Strahd, being lawful, always wears his seatbelt). After a healthy debate, the group decided to pursue the 6th piece.

Who has the sixth piece? Why, the archdevil who rules Avernus! Zariel! The group saw Zariel and some devils fighting hundreds of demons (spyder-fiends - agents of the Queen of Chaos). I made sure to describe that Zariel was using the huge hammer that she took from Kostchchie.

Long story short, the heroes snuck onto her flying fortress (I used the "fallen fortress" stuff from Descent) and they tried to use the device that communicated telepathically to devils in a one mile radius. The group tried to make up an emergency using a phony "voice."

Zariel ended up confronting them, and the group made a deal with her. Zariel said she'd give them the sixth piece if the group stops agents of the Queen of Chaos from burrowing into the Bleeding Citadel.

Abyssal Chickens

The heroes got in their war machine and sped off toward the Bleeding Citadel. A massive dust cloud rolled in, lowering visibility. The group almost ran over an abyssal chicken. The cloud cleared up, and they saw some shadar kai agents of the Raven Queen who'd been in an accident. Their war machine was sinking into a lake of demon ichor. The 2 raven knights were on the shore of the lake being swarmed by 15 abyssal chickens.

The group proceeded to... try to make friends with the chickens. The demon chickens who grow on tress in Hell. They of course rolled really well, and got the chickens to stop attacking the shadar kai.

That's where we stopped. They really love the idea of packing 15 abyssal chickens into their already cramped van and continuing on, and I'm not sure exactly what to do yet. These are evil, chaotic chickens, right? And the rod radiates law, which is repulsive to them.

Strahd might want them, so he can drink their blood. Not sure if vampires can ingest demon blood, I'll have to look that up.

Right now I'm leaning toward letting them keep the chickens, because it is funny to me, and D&D is all about fun.

Dungeons & Dragons - 5MWD Rod of Seven Parts

While I was putting together something else, I noticed this product on the DMs Guild. I am right now running a Rod of Seven Parts campaign and this seems like it could be real handy. It's only 50 cents, so what the heck, let's check it out!

You can buy this right here on the DMs Guild

I have written a few articles about the Rod of Seven Parts:

• A Guide to the Rod of Seven Parts
• The War Between Law and Chaos - That's the Wind Dukes vs. the Queen of Chaos.

We start off with a synopsis of the history of the rod, which is more or less a summation of what is written in the 2nd edition boxed set.

Then we get the statted-out rod. This should be handy!

Volatility

"If targeted by an effect that could unmake it or if it’s placed in a situation where it could be destroyed, the rod teleports away 1d100 miles in a random direction."

The tendency to scatter has actually killed my previous attempts to run this campaign. I tried once in 2nd edition, once in 3rd, and once in 4th.

"Every time the wielder uses a resonance property of the rod or property gained from having 2 or more pieces they roll a d20. On the result of 1, the rod is sundered and each pieces teleports away 2d100 miles in a random direction."

On one hand, it's cool to have the rod be so volatile. But I've seen this type of thing make the players want to give up, especially if they aren't even aware that the rod might do this!

Driven to Order

This is a power in the 2nd edition boxed set which I have, so far, discarded entirely. The rod makes the wielder more lawful and imposes personality traits on them. Depending on the player, this could be a lot of fun or a character-ruining experience.

In my campaign, the wielder is Lilia, a cheerful gnome who believes in goodness. I feel like the rod's law powers as described in the 2e boxed set would hurt more than help, so I've ignored it.

The author has transformed the lawful stuff as "flaws", which seems like a very cool idea. Here are a few examples of the seven flaws:

"I will not knowingly violate the letter of the law, no matter how absurd that law or how minor the infraction."

That one could get weird, especially if your player is in a mood.

"Extreme emotion make me uncomfortable, and I strongly dislike becoming angry, envious, or fearful."

Lilia, the wielder in my game, is extremely emotional. I just don't see much upside in implementing these.

"I take everything I hear or read absolutely literally. I lack any understanding of sarcasm, metaphor, or symbolism."

I have some friends who are like this!

Powers

All of the powers are converted to 5e here. Very handy!

In general, with the rod, I've found that it has so many powers that it can be confusing. The rod has three sets of powers:

1. One power for each piece
2. Powers that are "unlocked" as the rod is assembled.
3. Minor and Major Beneficial Powers

This is awesome, but, weirdly, my group almost never uses the rod. At all! Never! Part of it is that they know that, when the rod is used, the Queen of Chaos might sense it and open a portal for her demons to attack.

But right now, they are in Sigil, a place that the Queen can't open portals to. And still, they don't use it.

Assembling the Rod

This is one of my favorite things about assembling the rod. Putting it together is intense! Combining two pieces is a process that takes hours, special ingredients, and ability checks. Failure means at least one piece vanishes and teleports somewhere far away.

My group went through this a few times, but as I realized that they had a chance to actually get all 7 pieces, I decided I didn't want the campaign to possibly collapse due to a failed check. So I had them find these spelljammer alchemy plants that produced an ingredient that would prevent the piece from teleporting if the check was failed.

The author has reduced the amount of time it takes to assemble the pieces, but did keep the ingredients (which includes the hair of a lawful creature and a chaotic creature).

Monsters

Then we get stats for a few different types of spyder-fiends and Miska the Wolf-Spider, the big bad guy that the Queen of Chaos is trying to set free.

Looking at Miska's stat block, I think his damage should be raised a bit.

The most interesting thing is that, in the boxed set, it says that Miska's blood can kill you! As in, if you hit him with a melee attack, his blood sprays on you. You must make a saving throw and if you fail, you die!

In this book, the author understandably changes it to poison damage.

I thought about this quite a bit, and ultimately I decided to let Miska's blood be lethal. After all, the whole story is that it was Miska's blood is what caused the Rod of Law to shatter into the Rod of Seven Parts to begin with!

To make this fair, I had a wind duke warn the group about Miska's blood in our last session. He told the group's ranger that her ranged attacks will likely be the key to defeating Miska.

I also told the group that the Queen of Chaos actually created Demogorgon, and discarded him when he proved to be too out of control. She then created Miska, who is part-man, part-spider, and he has a wolf head on each shoulder. The group decided that this means that the Queen of Chaos is "into furries."

The author gave one type of spider "iridscent webbing," which blinds you. Very cool. Another type throws venom grenades! Love it! I'll definitely try out these stat blocks in the coming weeks.

Pricing

This pdf is 7 pages long. I can see that a lot of work went into it. Converting those stat blocks is a pain in the butt, and wrestling with the insane powers/re-categorizing everything for 5e takes time and effort. The rod is a centerpiece of entire campaigns!

It bums me out to see that the author priced this at just 50 cents. It looks like this was published in 2016, when the DMs Guild was just getting started.

But the author deserves more. In the DMs Guild, you make half of what people pay, and the other half goes to the site. So that means with each sale, the author makes a quarter!

From what I understand, the majority of DMs Guild products sell under 50 copies. Selling over 1,000 copies of something is a major success! So that means that the author busted his butt and probably didn't make a lot of money, which is a bummer because this is a very useful product.

What's the minimum you would pay for a DMs Guild product? $2? $3? I would have had no problem paying a few bucks for this, as it is worth it and will definitely be useful.

If you are thinking about putting something on the DMs Guild, don't sell yourself short! I get that it makes sense to create one or two products that are pay-what-you-want so people can try out your stuff risk-free, but just don't sell yourself short.

Online Campaigns

Art by Nelson Vieira

I have been running a bunch of games - all online - for quite a while now. Each campaign has its own challenges, and it is an eternal struggle to keep each one "afloat" and healthy.

If you're a player in one of these games, please don't read any further, as I'm sure it will contain spoilers.

Online Campaigns

Art by Vaughn Distrito

Since 2008, I've gotten into something of a rhythm where I run 1-3 games per week. I made a conscious choice to prioritize D&D and RPGs in my life. This means that I don't get to play as many video games or watch as many shows/movies as other people, but for me, D&D is a social outlet.

With the addition of streaming technology, this means I can "create" a substantial body of work. I've always enjoyed cataloguing the events of my campaigns. Every session matters. Things that happened in games 10 years ago can impact what is happening now. In theory, players from different eras could interact with one another, in a weird "crossover" that, until now, only I could enjoy.

From 2017 onward, All of my games are right there on youtube. Forgot what happened in a particular session? Go watch it! Need clarification on a complicated in-game event? Go check!

I get really excited when I think about my youtube channel 3 years from now, or even 7 years from now. I will have all sorts of awesome, long-term campaigns right there on youtube neatly organized in playlists. You can watch us all age! You can see players who moved on, only to show up again 5 years later.

I will probably continue to run the published 5e adventures in these campaigns, as I get a kick out of running "official" stuff. Although I must admit that I am really losing enthusiasm for the published D&D adventures, mostly because they are dealing with areas of the D&D multiverse that I just don't care about.

Viewership

Art by Vaughn Distrito

I feel like I should mention something about viewers, both on Twitch and on youtube. I run these games because I love D&D. This is what I enjoy doing, but I'm not Matt Mercer and I'm not Chris Perkins. I don't get hundreds of people watching my stuff.

Hey, it would be nice to have piles of viewers who rabidly follow the campaign and donate bits (on Twitch, people can basically give you money through bits or donations, which is pretty great) in a large amount. I mean, how cool would it be if your campaign was popular enough that you could pay your players? Imagine making a living running D&D games! Amazing.

Looking at the youtube analytics is a lot of fun. I relish every comment, every view, and I marvel at the small but steady growth that occurs over time.

For example, my Tomb of Annihilation Episode 1 video has over 7,000 views! That's the one that sort of launches the current "Power Score Multiverse."

My current videos usually get 20-40 views on youtube, and slowly grow over time.

The idea that, if I continue to make a sustained effort to improve the presentation aspects of my games as something worth watching, it will continue to get a little more popular bit by bit, is very rewarding to me. I enjoy clawing and scraping for every subscriber, like, and view.

I think that it ultimately helps me become a better DM. If my campaign is appealing to the viewer, than presumably it is also appealing to the players.

Current Campaigns

Acquisitions Incorporated - Orrery of the Wanderer: This is the adventure in the back of the new Acquisitions Inc book. This is the one I'm having the hardest time with.

Hell's Rebels: This is a Pathfinder adventure path converted to 5e. I do intend on posting a conversion guide on this blog at some point, as I know a number of people have asked me to do so. I absolutely love this path, and it's right up there with the best stuff I've ever run.

Dungeon Academy: We have been using the 2e Rod of Seven Parts boxed set as a framework. I've placed each piece of the rod in a different D&D campaign setting/adventure.

This campaign features a group of players who had actually gotten into D&D through watching Dice, Camera, Action. It's been fun to watch them learn the game and it's also been a new challenge to try and give them situations that are engaging to them.

Future Plans

I am always thinking about the future. There's so much stuff out there to run! I know for sure that once Hell's Rebels is done, that group will pick up their Tomb of Annihilation characters ("The Shiftspice Trading Co.") and they will play through four classic Monte Cook adventures converted to 5e.

I've already done a lot of work on that campaign. Two adventures are fully converted as of this writing. One of which is the legendary Labyrinth of Madness, which I have waited 20 years to run!

Deciding what's next for the Acq Inc players has been difficult. I love the idea of running the first Pathfinder 2e adventure path, Age of Ashes, and converting it to 5e, but I've been reading that it is not especially good.

That made me think I should run Curse of the Crimson Throne, which I actually ran one session of long ago. I really love the stuff in that path. My only concern is that I don't really want to run just old material on my channel, I'd like a nice mix of old and new.

The Dungeon Academy crew is a big question mark as far as what to do after we finish the Rod of Seven Parts. The heroes will be around level 14. They do have spelljammer ships and I'd love to run some of the old 2e spelljammer modules, especially the one about the gigantic beholder ship, but I'm not sure if they'd enjoy it.

This group is more into developing their characters' personal stories. I've always been terrible at this! So I guess I'm just sort of worried about actually focusing an entire campaign on homebrewed stuff based on their backstories.

I could try to work their stories into smaller adventures - maybe high level DMs Guild adventures like Invasion From the Planet of Tarrasques. Although I'm not in any way sure how the Tarrasque would fit with anything we've done.

Acquisitions Inc Ep. 14

Art by Dylan Ramsey

This campaign is rolling along nicely now, but I was having a hard time in the beginning. My problem is that I am just totally done with these 5e Forgotten Realms adventures dealing with cities and dungeons. They're too similar to each other.

The Acq Inc book does have a lot of cool ideas in it, and I love the sense of humor in the whole thing, but I've been struggling to make myself read through the whole adventure.

There was an incident in the session before last.. There are shadows at the top of a light house, which has a lantern that spews forth a magic zone of shadow. I decided that the 4 shadows lurking up there would all attack one character. The heroes are a bit higher level than they should be, so I wanted to make sure this adventure would be a challenge.

Welp. When a shadow hits you with an attack, it drains 1d4 points of Strength from you. The shadows attacked the kobold member of the party who has a 6 Strength. He died. In a surprise round.

The way things played out, there's not really a way to bring him back to life. I felt bad about it and promised that, in the next session. I'd be "nicer".

So in the next session, I handed out stuff people almost never use - the "charms" from the DMG. I made up some BS about "Fate" blessing the party and doled out the charms, which basically replicate the effects of magic potions.

Soon after, the group triggered two encounters in a circular stairwell. At the top of the stairwell were two hell hounds. At the bottom were 4 ghouls. One character got paralyzed repeatedly and was nearly murdered.

The players took all of this in good stride. I mean, the game should be dangerous. Ultimately, I think that I feel bad because I did not describe the shadow effect on the light house adequately enough as the group approached it. I also arbitrarily decided that the shadows got a surprise round.

I felt like I didn't have a good handle on what was in the book, because I haven't really prepared it like I normally would. To be honest, right now I couldn't tell you exactly how the magic shadow effect affectsd visibility up there at the top of the light house.

Hell's Rebels Ep. 42

Art by Shauna Nakasone

I usually stick to the book and try to avoid homebrewing stuff, but this was a special case. In this part of the adventure, the group can return to Vyre, the City of Masks. The heroes had been here during book 3 and they really liked it. So did I!

I decided to whip up a storyline linked to the backstory of Fio, one of the heroes. Fio used to serve Verenestra, the Fey entity that I wrote up in this blog last week.

As far as I can tell, there are no official "nymph" stats in 5e. They are creatures who are so pretty that they blind you permanently! I made up this story about one of Verenestra's nymphs replacing one of the city's 5 rulers.

I didn't feel adequately prepared. I had created a scenario and only an outline of events and NPCs. I got through the session, but I could feel it running thin toward the end.

Next time, the heroes will go to the Feywild and I'll be using a map from this dude's patreon, which is pretty great in my opinion.

Dungeon Academy Ep. 52

Art by Aya Golender

My focus shifts quite a bit over time. Lately, this campaign has been getting a lot of my attention in the week between sessions. I finished preparing the final scenario (the rod is in the Citadel of Chaos, detailed in the boxed set). I had mapped out a "sandbox" in Avernus, utilizing a lot of the material from the DMs Guild products I reviewed last week in the blog.

I even made a new overlay I was quite proud of and picked out new music in Syrinscape.

I've gotten a bit better at shutting up during the game. This group in particular likes to roleplay and interact with NPCs. In the past, especially in 4e, I was so obsessed with making progress in the adventure, that I'd "crack the whip" and get the group to move on if there was any lull in the dialogue at all.

But in this, I was able to sit back as they divided up new magic items and decided what to do with this severed head that was attached to a demon. Basically, One of the heroes had grown a second head, which was lopped off and attached to the body of a demon. A unicorn's horn destroyed the demon's body and only the head remains.

I did interject to play Strahd von Zarovich, the legendary vampire who is traveling with the group. They helped him escape Barovia, and his beloved's soul merged with the group's cleric. So now, Strahd buys her gifts and says things in a really bad accent like "Come, my sweet, we have an empire to rebuild!" as his cape flutters in the breeze.

When planning this session, which sees the group leave Sigil and begin Descent into Avernus, that one thing was missing from Descent - A hellfire engine. The devil steamroller with a bonemelt sprayer!

So, as soon as the group stepped through the portal, what rolled over the hill? Why, a hellfire engine firing a thunder cannon. It was awesome, but I'm a bit concerned that it is too deadly for this group.

We had to stop in the middle of the battle, so I have a week to tweak it a bit and read up on whether the heroes are able to drive this thing.

Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to Infernal Contracts

Devils make contracts with mortals. It's what they do. In D&D, this has always been a pretty vague thing in terms of how the rules work. But now, in 5th edition, we have some pretty concrete rules that can be used to make contracts be a more involved and integral part of a D&D campaign.

I'm going to go over the official 5e rules for infernal contracts, the Pathfinder rules, and the rules in a 5e DMs Guild product called "A Guide to Infernal Contracts" to see if I can understand them, and to compare them and see which set of rules work best. Here are the products this information comes from:

• Devil's Advocate: A Guide to Infernal Contracts
• Pathfinder Adventure Path 101 - The Kintargo Contract
• Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

I am thinking that I am going to like Pathfinder's rules best, as they have a whole thing going that I really like. The 5e rules are a bit too vague for me.

Descent into Avernus  Appendix A: Diabolical Deals

Check out page 212. This is the official 5e Infernal Contract info. Who can make contracts?

• Lemures and Nupperibos can't make contracts.
• Lesser & Greater devils can't make deals outside of the Nine Hells unless very specific conditions are involved (truenames and/or devil talismans).

Offers: The devil offers a gift, the character names a price (usually their soul). Devils can offer various things depending on how powerful they are. Check out the list on page 214.

Price: Soul, fealty, or a service (see pg 213)

Haggling: Charisma checks don't work on devils.

• Devils can try to make Deception checks vs. the character's Insight.
• Slip in an extra clause: Character who can read Infernal makes an Investigation vs. the devil's Deception.

Infernal Contract: Comes in various forms. See page 214. The Devil can produce/create a contract as an action.

Breaching the Contract: If the character fails to pay the price specified in the contract, they'll suffer the penalty listed in the contract. That includes forfeiture of the soul when the character dies, or losing all monetary wealth, etc.

Voiding a Contract: Voiding a contract releases all parties from the deal, no strings attached. The devil and the character can agree to this. The devil summons the contract with an action, and then it crumbles to dust once both parties agree to void.

Devils will want compensation for this. They might want soul coins, gold, sacrifices, or an artifact.

Charms: On page 215, the book lists charms that archdevils might us as gifts for mortals. These are really good. There's a charm of agelessness, a charm that lets you summon a horned devil that serves you for 9 days, all sorts of stuff. 

Pathfinder Adventure Path 101 - The Kintargo Contract

In the back of this book on page 63, there is a section that describes the Pathfinder rules for infernal contracts.

In Pathfinder 1st edition, there are "contract devils," also known as phistopiluses. Most devils can make infernal contracts.

Negotiating: The devil provides whatever the mortal requests, and in exchange receives the mortal's immortal soul, to be delivered to the devil at the moment of the mortal's death. "Some devils, like pit fiends, can grant wishes, effectively giving a mortal almost anything she desires..."

Price: Devils usually want a soul, but sometimes accept an artifact or the murder of 1,000 innocents (!), stuff like that.

Creating the Contract: Contract devils have the ability to magically create a contract. Other devils use an intermediary, someone in Hell who makes it for them. Creation times range from days to months (later on in this section, there are special contracts listed, each with its own creation time).

Some devils travel to Dis (the second level of Hell) and train in the making of contracts. They gain a feat called "Infernal Legist."

One note in the listing of this feat: "As long as the infernal contract remains in effect, the victim cannot be restored to life after death save by a miracle or wish."

Knowledge Points: All infernal contracts have a "knowledge point" score. These act in a way similar to Hit Points. 

Researching a Contract: Reading an infernal contract can take hours or days.

To research a contract, a character needs to make a Linguistics check. This takes 8 hours of uninterrupted research. Up to two characters can aid another on the check.

Success on a check: This is a little complicated. Succeeding reduces the knowledge point score. Bards reduce the score by 1d12 + their INT modifier. Other classes have lower results.

If a character reduces the knowledge point score to 0, they discover a flaw that could allow for an early termination in the contract. A mortal could exploit the loophole to terminate the contract. Sample loopholes appear on the contracts listed on pages 66-67.

Failing two checks in a row causes the researcher to hit a dead end, and no more attempts can be made. The researcher has misunderstood the contract's terms!

Escaping an Infernal Contract: When a contract is signed, two copies manifest. One goes to the mortal, one goes to the devil. Mortals can do whatever they want with their copy. Devils generally either keep them close at hand, store them in vaults, or file them away in a secure facility in Hell (usually in Dis, the 2nd level of Hell).

Transferring a Contract: Sometimes a devil can be convinced to adjust a contract so that it applies to a different mortal, if the other mortal consents to take it on.

Destroying a Contract: If both copies are destroyed, the contract tends. If the mortal signee has died and their soul is already in Hell, the soul remains in Hell unless some bold adventurer goes down there and rescues them.

Sample Contracts: Each contract has a hidden condition, a termination clause, a complexity score, and more. The complexity score calculates the DC for the research checks. The contracts are also given a CR score to represent how powerful they are in comparison to one another.

I'm going to talk generally about what each contract does, but I don't want to spoil them by revealing their hidden conditions and termination clauses. So here's a light overview.

• Pact of Blood Taking: The mortal gains the ability to deliver bleeding wounds that are difficult to be healed magically. The signee can't regain hit points through natural healing!
• Shadow Coin Bargain:  The mortal can speak with shadows and can see in darkness. Once per week, the mortal must kill a sentient creature and leave a platinum coin in its mouth. Failing to do so means the mortal's soul is damned.
• Vow of Heartrime: The mortal stops appearing to age, gains immunity to cold damage. Don't need to eat or drink, just consume 1 gallon of ice each day. The area around the mortal is always 10 degrees colder and any liquid on their person freezes in 1 minute.
• Curse of the Ever-Soul: The mortal gains 1,000 years of life, can speak every language (and can speak with animals). The signee must sacrifice 100 sentient mortal lives to Asmodeus within 1 year of the signing, otherwise the payment becomes the signee's mortal soul.

As far as rolplaying games go, I prefer D&D 5th edition rules to Pathfinder 1st edition rules. But, I absolutely love the "mini-games" that Pathfinder creates that give things like this infernal contract stuff a more concrete feel. Each contract basically has hit points ("knowledge points") and you can do damage with extensive research checks. I love it.

It's more complicated and is a real wall of text for me, but if you take the time to dig through it, and absorb each piece, it can add a ton to a game. 

Devil's Advocate: A Guide to Infernal Contracts

This is going to be a review as well as an information hunt. I love the cover. We start off learning about some contractual terms:

• Signatory/Signee: Creature that signs a contract.
• Drafter: The devil making the contract.
• Contract Administrator: The party that offers the contract (usually the devils).
• Agent: A devil working on behalf of a higher-ranking devil.
• Benefactor: The higher-ranking devil.

The ultimate goal of a devil: Acquiring a soul at its lowest possible cost.

Consideration: Both the devil and the mortal must incur some burden to have a valid contract. Otherwise, the offer is a gift, and devils don't give gifts.

Life-years: Sometimes, instead of giving up their soul, a mortal can agree to sign away a portion of their remaining mortality. The signee must serve a fiend for that amount of time once they have died. Once the time is up, the soul is free to proceed to its original planar destination.

Offers: Identify the number of life-years that the signee is putting up. Then consult the Offers table on page 9.

On the table, the offers are ranked by tier. The smallest rewards are things like succeeding on an attack roll (costing up to 10% of your life-years) to casting resurrection without components (costing up to 99% of your life-years).

One thing I really like is that higher level characters who hand over their souls can get different things than lower level characters.

• Heroes of level 10 and under can gain levels, boost ability scores, or undo the deaths of multiple creatures.
• Heroes of level 11 or over can "undo a TPK," Boost an ability score to its maximum, or resurrect a creature that died in the past millenia.

Obligation: The legal duty of two parties to perform. If either party violates this, they may face harsh punishment according to infernal law.

Fine Print: Heroes can scour the fine print with Arcana, History, or Investigation. The DC varies, ranging anywhere from 15 to 25+. There is a list of possible entries in the fine print. One I like: "The benefit conferred upon the character is taken from someone else."

Acceptance: Signing the deal might include a toast, leaving an infernal tattoo on the signee's skin, or other entries on the "devil clinches" table.

Collection: "It's common for a signee to struggle or attempt an escape when their time runs out." Devils sometimes send "collection agents" to go deal with the mortal. What an awesome idea! There are three types:

• Baggers: Tall, gangly devils who go get the signee and stick them in a magic sack.
• Bloodhounds: Hell hounds that have been magically altered by Mephistopheles so that they can sniff through illusions and magical non-detection.
• Handlers: Devils who vary in appearance, the quintessential collection agents.

Then we get a section on drafting a contract - how it might look, and words that might be used in it. There's actually a list of latin phrases to include, such as "campos menits" (of sound mind), "in curia" (in court), and "periculum in mora" (danger in delay).

Appendix A has stats for the Collection agents. The "bloodhound" hell hound has this power: Planar Tracker. The bloodhound knows the most direct path to a tracked creature. If the creature is not on the same plane of existence as the bloodhound, it knows the closest arcane portal to that plane.

Right at the end, there is a sample contract.

Overall

This is an AMAZING DMs Guild product. The idea of collection agents is so great. It boggles my mind that nobody has come up with it before!

I'm not totally sold on the idea of life-years. It's a little confusing. I think I'll stick with handing over your soul, for the most part.

I still love the Pathfinder rules, but I think going forward in my games I'll use a hybrid of all three books to depict my contracts. The DMs Guild book has tons of extremely useful details. It really spells out the whole concept in a way that is inspiring and easy to digest.