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    Best posts made by AGreaterMonster

    • RE: What is your favorite character archetype to play?

      I'm continually drawn to variety. Always picking something different from what I picked before. Usually I try to come up with some sort of personality hook to play that will make the character fun and engaging--something that will make it fun to roleplay with my teammates. Over the past couple years, I've played a Rogue inspired by The Punisher, a Wizard inspired by a noir detective, like Humphry Bogart from the Maltese Falcon, a Bard who was inspired by Oscar Wilde, a Barbarian who is mostly inspired by my ancestry choices--she's a Dhampir; a half-elf reborn as a half-vampire--she's a somewhat emotionless loyal warrior fascinated with death and undeath...kind of goth and dark but matter-of-fact.

      So I think you can see, I'm all over the place!

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • D&D 5e Paid Campaign / Heroes of Yggdrasil, the One Tree

      Hello all!

      I recently signed up to be a Professional DM on Start Playing Games, to run my original (homebrew) world campaign for D&D 5e. The same campaign I've entered in the contest here on LiveTale, Heroes of Yggdrasil, the One Tree

      Unlike running modules, I'll be customizing the campaign around the characters. It's a mix of horror, wacky humor, roleplaying, strategic combat, exploration and social encounters! I'm planning to be open to both experienced and beginner players.

      I have a background as a fiction author and a stage actor and improvisor, so I enjoy personifying NPCs for you to play with.

      Please take a look at my profile for a little bit more about me: https://bit.ly/Pr0GMddk

      If you are looking for a longterm campaign, please check out the times and days that I currently have listed! I need one more person for the Thursday time to start running it!

      Thursdays: https://bit.ly/YggdrasilThurs
      Fridays: https://bit.ly/YggdrasilFridays
      Sundays: https://bit.ly/YggdrasilSundays
      Tuesdays: https://bit.ly/YggdrasilTues
      Wednesdays: https://bit.ly/YggdrasilWeds

      Feel free to ask any questions you have here! I will be using X, N, O safety cards and Lines & Veils.

      posted in The Bazaar
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What are everyone's favorite roleplaying systems?

      I've been playing 5e with my friends for about 5 years now. Playing and DMing, we rotate responsibility. Recently due to the OGL fiasco, we all got a kick in the pants to start exploring new systems. I ran a session of Shadow of the Demon Lord for my team, and they quite liked it so I think we'll keep bring that in periodically. When I was a kid, I loved playing Champions, the superhero system, and I'd like to get up-to-date on the last rule set 6e at some point and run a few games for my team, but it's rather complicated to get a handle of. I'd be open to playing almost any system and I have interesting in Pathfinder, 13th Age, Mythras, Numenera, Spire, Warhammer 40k, Ars Magica, and Worlds Without Number...but I don't know the systems to any degree to run them. They are on my to-read list to learn eventually!

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: How do you choose names?

      @Ezra When it comes to NPCs, sometimes I plan them in advance but when my players meet someone random I just improv a name off the top of my head--usually it's something kind of goofy or funny. My players expect randomness. When I think about it more, like for an important NPC or my own character--I'm inspired by the tone. What type of personality the character has and try to express the personality as letter sounds. Jarring, aggressive, silly, elegant, etc.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: How do you choose names?

      @SwampCreature said in How do you choose names?:

      Choosing a name is typically the very last thing I do with a character and usually by then I have a feel for what they're like. I played a no-nonsense warrior and gave her a short, guttural name. I played a Tabaxi rogue and named her Felix......after Felix the Cat. In my current game I'm playing a bard who always has her guitar with her. Her name is Ruby Soho. A little on the nose maybe but I like to have some fun with my characters' names!

      My current Dhampir Barbarian is named Nocturna Deep. She's obsessed with death and undeath...the named felt like a perfect fit. My players current prime nemesis is named Funguul Rastaack. Well suited to a cowardly liar and priest of the cult of Loki.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What anime are you watching this season? (Spring 2023)

      @Mariano said in What anime are you watching this season? (Spring 2023):

      @AGreaterMonster I haven't watched any of the rest of your favorites! I'll have to check them out (though some are admittedly in my Plan-To-Watch list which just grows longer and longer 😩) Some 9+/10s for me include: Cowboy Bebop, Angel Beats!, Log Horizon S1, Dr. Stone S1, and Death Note (this last one is just insanely nostalgic and so easy to watch for anime noobs like I am, but also was in 2009 when I first saw it)

      @SwampCreature Uzumaki sounds so good! I usually try to stay away from scary stuff but I feel like I have to make an exception for Junji Ito 😄

      @Ezra Yooo, I have to watch Yu Yu Hakusho, especially since I love HxH so much. And I was the dragged partner in watching Fruits Basket, since it's not my usual type, but I thought it was actually really good! A bit too many characters since I watched it week-to-week every season, so I kept forgetting side characters' names, but that's it.

      You've given me some new ones to add to my list! Cowboy Bebop is da shit. So classic and still good. The live action version was just sad though, unfortunately. Same thing with Fullmetal Alchemist. Great anime, another one I forgot to mention, but the live-action version was hot garbage. The acting was just dreadful.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: Critical Role yay or nay?

      @mianngu said in Critical Role yay or nay?:

      @AGreaterMonster

      I'm sure they do get tired and receive lots of stuff, but your whole business is contrived on the love of your fans. If they were having a rough day, there are still ways to convey that while still being appreciative. It can be so disappointing when people don't live up to the hype.

      Agreed. I don't want to put them down too hard with my personal reactions. But after feeling brushed off multiple times, the "We love our critters" line they pushed so frequently...it just stuck in my craw. Again, I don't mean to say they are bad people, just that they are celebrities now as well as a multi-million dollar business. That combined with the lackluster campaign interstitial caused me to drop them from my schedule after the the second season. It feels like it's become more like a TV show than a D&D game.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: Help! Running a campaign for some new to dnd players.

      @mianngu I would have suggested letting them choose from pre-built characters instead of building them from scratch. And just let them know that once they get into it after a while, you can rebuild new ones. They can choose classes and species and that's about it. There are pre-built characters now in the D&D Beyond system to choose from.

      Probably too late now from the sound of it!

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: Help! Running a campaign for some new to dnd players.

      @mianngu it does make it a lot easier for beginners! Then you can focus on the roleplaying and gameplay.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What anime are you watching this season? (Summer 2023)

      @SwampCreature I also started watching Blood of Zeus, which is written by the same folks who did the Castlevania anime. I like it so far! If you liked Castlevania, you'd like this I think.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What anime are you watching this season? (Summer 2023)

      @SwampCreature It's very good! Dark and bloody, but with great characterizations and moral grey areas. I believe most of it was written by Warren Ellis who is an excellent comic book writer. Transmetropolitan, for example.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • Heroes of Yggdrasil, the One Tree

      ELEVATOR PITCH:
      In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is the multiversal great tree that is linked to all dimensions of reality. In Heroes of Yggdrasil, the One Tree comes to life in a unique and unexpected way: it’s a living planet floating in space upon which our adventure takes place. It’s so huge that each leaf is the equivalent of a region hundreds of miles across and each branch is a country. Despite the exquisite natural and magical balance of life on Yggdrasil, great forces seek to destroy the very foundation of life. Will heroes rise up to prevent catastrophe and the destruction of the One Tree itself?

      HISTORY
      Yggdrasil was the first living being in the universe. A non-sentient concentration of life, it grew sparked by magic infused in the birth of the universe. Over millennia, life forms have evolved on Yggdrasil just as it has on many planets in the universe. The pantheon of Gods from classic Norse mythology arose from the magic of the tree, dedicating themselves to different aspects of existence—from wind and water to storms and battle, knowledge and wisdom. Worship of these deities as well as prominent Druidic-lead worship of Yggdrasil itself is widespread across the Tree.

      Over time, nations have arisen. Some branches and leaves are wild and untamed, while others have become small states or countries. Diverse forms of political rule exist from tyrannical to egalitarian democracies. Rings of asteroids circle the tree and some mages have specialized in magic that allows teleportation and survival in these harsh environments. Those nations that are expert miners have become the wealthiest and most powerful on the tree. Dwarven, Kobold and human nations have become dominant powers but also tribes of Dragonborn have positioned themselves as global players.

      Two secret organizations as well have gained power over the years and compete with other communities. The cult of Loki, which is known as the Horns of Loki, is a mix of rogues and clerics who set out to undermine organized society and cause chaos. They also have long-term plans to trigger Ragnarok to gain revenge for their God. A second community that vies for power are the hags. Their society is called The Hagafia, and they have perfected the art of transformation, illusion and disguise allowing them to infiltrate all major nations around the tree. With well-placed agents everywhere, and magical communication methods via cauldrons, they tip the balance of power in their favor and bide their time.

      And lastly a third power endangers all life on Yggdrasil. A demon from the plane of the Abyss known as Orcus has conquered a dimension known as Mechanus where Constructs are built. He has established a corrupted process whereby demons and constructs are combined using necromantic magic, and has been carefully unleashing them via portals onto Yggdrasil in furious jealousy at this source of life. The Demon-Constructs carry toxic demon blood which they have been using to poison farms, rivers and seas. And he has dark plans to escalate the destruction.

      SETTING
      The One Tree is the source of all life. As it floats in space, it circles around a sun—topmost point closest. As a result, the branches closest to the top are tropical, the middle zone is temperate (the majority of humanoid races live there) while the roots of the tree are covered in miles of thick ice—comets and frozen ice chunks from space are embedded in the roots which absorb the water. Water rises through tree veins which are so big they stream like rivers (intelligent species have torn them open) and collect in great seas.
      Dirt has built up on the surface of leaves over millennia as particles from leaves and bark fall to form topsoil where plants grow. Caverns can develop hundreds of feet down into the earth and leaves can be up to 1 mile deep in parts.

      Gondolas on pulleys are used to travel between branches; while vehicles with hook wheels and swing seats can travel on the trunk itself. The flying races are experts at traveling from leaf to leaf so they can be hired as navigator to lead a group using parachutes or gliders.

      Leaves are identified by a name plus number, the number indicating how far from the trunk they are—lower numbers being closest to the trunk. While lower branches have less light exposure overall, across the whole tree there is no night or day. Due to a slight wobble in the tree rotation, upper leaves can shade lower leaves randomly. At any given half-hour interval, the gamemaster rolls on a random table to determine the degree of light/darkness outside. Despite this, time is broken into eight-hour increments for a day of 24 hours because the tree rotates every 24 hours.

      Up to this point, as the worldbuilder and gamemaster, I have created an outline for the populations on nine branches and 19 leaves. I have designed maps for six leaves as well.

      Yggdrasil world diagram 1-8-23.jpg

      Bindelstaff 8 updated.jpg

      Serando 8.jpg

      Bellvanlaika 61.jpg

      Chassenum 62.jpg

      Vekmugnark map.jpg

      Jafavdack 2.png

      Fistigon 11.jpg

      Refraxia 50_smaller.jpg

      PLOT LINES
      There are two master fronts that players will need to confront to prevent destruction of the Tree. Both have a series of events that grow in danger and impact over time as players grow more powerful. The fronts will also intertwine and give players the opportunity to make independent decisions on how and where to address the dangers.

      Players begin their lives on the leaf known as Bindelstaff 8. Either in the city of Bindelstaff or in the surrounding countryside or a farm. Gamemasters should work with PCs to create a backstory relationships between each of the characters as well as connections to the leaf Bindelstaff 8 so that there is a personal impact on the primary events that follow. Also, some of them, but not all, should have some spiritual connection to one of the Norse gods, to the Hagafia or to one of the other primary factions. The backstory of the players will invest them in the importance of the events that occur.

      PRIMARY FRONT ONE
      The Demon Constructs poison the tree with toxic demon blood.

      • Knife-armed Demon Constructs drop onto farms on Bindelstaff from above, killing farmers and poisoning the land entirely

      • Ruins on a leaf above Bindelstaff--Serando 8--are revealed to be a staging ground

      • Clues lead to the discovery that an asteroid is where Demon-Constructs are being prepared for attack; the players must teleport to the asteroid and destroy the bizarre demon hybrids who took over this mining site from the Kobold nation

      • Rivers and seas are becoming polluted as demon-constructs poison them
        Sea creatures are mutating and attacking boats and fisherfolk

      • Food shortages are becoming wide-spread leading to riots and starvation

      • More powerful demon-constructs have been burrowing through leaves, stems and branches attempting to undermine physical stability

      • One leaf stem has been hacked through and falls off its branch crushing an entire country of people

      • Players will eventually track down these monsters and destroy their source but then tree-wide water supplies begin to shrink

      • Players will track the source to the roots of Yggdrasil where an immense Corrupted Purple Worm/Demon-Construct hybrid is chewing through the roots.

      • Finally, once the players have reached their highest level of power attainable, they must travel to Mechanus itself and evict the demon overlord Orcus

      PRIMARY FRONT TWO
      Squash the Horns of Loki in their efforts to sow chaos and bring about Ragnarok

      • Whichever player has the strongest connection to a Norse god is betrayed by a leader in their temple who was secretly aligned with the Horns of Loki; this betrayer becomes a nemesis NPC until the players can finally defeat them; the GM should continue to level up this nemesis as the PCs grow to keep them challenging

      • Key players might be imprisoned and set for ritual sacrifice by their nemesis—a rescue must be staged

      • Players uncover a connection between a thieves guild and the horns of Loki

      • 25 years ago there was a major war that impacted many branches: the Ogre War; their nemesis or other leaders of the Horns of Loki are plotting to trigger a second Ogre War

      • A Frost Giant hired as a mercenary by the Horns is meeting with large ogre tribes to encourage them to attack the human nation of Elgoreth (Bindelstaff is part of Elgoreth)

      • Plots within plots: the Horns have a secondary secret purpose; the second Ogre War is an excuse to get their hands on the great Jotunn Horn kept in a vault in the human capitol

      • The Jotunn Horn if blown will awaken a 300 ft tall Jotunn who has been sleeping for centuries

      • After it awakens and begins to ravage the countryside, the Horns will now have access to the cave blocked by its sleeping form—this cave is a path to the Underworld where they will travel to free the great wolf Fenrir and thus trigger the beginning of Ragnarok

      • Can the players interfere with their plans?

      TAGS
      Fantasy, magic, adventure, heroes, danger, intrigue, combat, destruction, demons, epic

      I have also designed numerous Encounter Maps. Below are some 3D images of just a few of the encounters I've built so far.

      Wood Elf Ruins
      11-Wood Elf Ruins high view.png

      Chapel in secret Temple of Loki

      Funguul chapel smaller.jpg

      Surprise attack of plant Blights Mossy cliff foggy stream_ Bellvanlaika61.png

      Fight with the Lake Troll
      Dock scene Chassenum 62.jpg

      Scenes for the Asteroid assault

      Asteroid - Entrance area left.jpg

      Asteroid - from entrance straight 1st area.jpg

      Asteroid - from entrance tracks to right walkway to Portal.jpg

      Asteroid - Bleeding Sacrifice Room.jpg

      Part of an Elven Treehouse

      stage for speeches and performances.png

      Flying Warship

      Flying War Platform 3D 6.jpg

      Some of the NPCs and monster that have appeared in my world:

      Andrich Fjorismod, the Frost Giant mercenary
      SCR-20230430-lkfw.png

      Kobold Chief Engineer Ragna Moonscar
      SCR-20230430-lkqg.png

      King Kobold

      SCR-20230430-llgs.png

      Dirrad the Aarakocra messenger

      Dirrad.png

      Due Watchu the bodiless Warforged
      Due Watchu_Warforged.png

      Princess Pungy Roofter the Orc

      Pungy Roofter updated.png

      Auntie Tattered Nann, leader of the Hagafia (hag mafia)
      Tattered Nann2 high res.png

      Lake Troll (homebrew monster)
      Lake Troll.jpg

      Slazekunk (demon-construct hybrid, homebrew monster)

      Slazekunk.jpg

      Clockwork Bulezau (demon-construct hybrid homebrew monster)

      Clockwork_Bulezau-removebg.png

      Birthing Demon and Acid Blood Baby demon

      Birthing_demon.png

      Black Blood acid baby.jpg

      posted in Launch Contest Submissions
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • Is it permitted to post a link to a paid game that I run?

      Greetings,

      I signed up to be a Pro-DM recently on StartPlaying.games. Are we allowed to post links to our campaigns and if so, which thread should I post in? If it's not permitted to promote a campaign, that's fine...just wanted to ask. Thanks!

      posted in Questions
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: D&D 5e Paid Campaign / Heroes of Yggdrasil, the One Tree

      @mianngu Agree and thanks! There's really nothing like roleplaying games. I wish I had the time to learn how to play and run dozens of other rule systems, too!

      posted in The Bazaar
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What RPG podcasts are you listening to?

      I listen to a slew of them that are focused on providing GM advice, tips and tricks. The Lazy RPG Podcast, Mastering Dungeons, The Dungeoncast, Grumpy Dungeon Masters, Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk, Dungeon Master's Block, Speak Common and Everyday Dungeon Master. There was a hilarious one called Lore & Pour, but I'm not sure it's going to continue--the last episode was October of last year. It was like Drunken History but about D&D lore. Some very funny episodes there.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: Is it permitted to post a link to a paid game that I run?

      @K-O Thank you so much!

      posted in Questions
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What RPG podcasts are you listening to?

      @Katie Cool, I'll check that podcast out. The ones that I mentioned are all free on Audible to listen to even if you don't have a subscription. I pretty much rotate through them each morning while I'm exercising. I like to pick up inspiration for adventures or NPCs or just tips and advice on running good games. I used to a be pretty religiously listening to Critical Role but I lost interesting in liveplay when they started their third season. Jumping to another rule system that I have never actually played, but I loved the liveplay series--Vampire: the Masquerade. They have an awesome really compelling liveplay campaign that ran for a couple seasons. The performances of the players is really good and the DM I believe is one of the core creators/producers/writers of the rule system? I'm pretty sure. Let me find the link...Oh yeah, on the World of Darkness Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/worldofdarkness
      It's the L.A. by Night series and then N.Y. by Night. So good! But I haven't really had interest in liveplay too much because I'm investing more in DMing and learning new roleplaying game systems as well as playing.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What anime are you watching this season? (Spring 2023)

      I recently finished Steins;Gate which was amazing!

      I'm also currently catching up on One Punch Man, which is fun, and watching Gungrave. It's dark but quite good actually although the animation isn't up to modern quality--I don't mind the old skool stuff sometimes. I've also slowly been trying to make my way through the Gundam series. There are so many! I also watched Psycho-Pass recently, which I thought was really good.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • RE: What anime are you watching this season? (Spring 2023)

      @Mariano Code Geass was awesome! Really smart writing. You're right Steins;Gate was world class.

      A few other favorites of mine that come to mind include: Black Lagoon, Platinum End, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Parasyte: The Maxim, ID: Invaded and Ergo Proxy.

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
    • Tips for Paid/Pro DMing...please share!

      Hi everyone,

      I've been DMing for my friends for about 4 years, and I recently decided to jump into paid/pro DMing and give it a shot. I signed up for StartPlaying.Games and set up some campaigns to see if I can add some gigs throughout the week. I know it's unlikely to take off quickly...I need to start accruing sessions and get more reviews, etc. But I thought I'd just try. It's free to sign up so if I get no bites for months, all I'm losing is some time.

      As I'm new to this effort, I thought I'd start a thread about it. I will share anything I learn as I go, but if you are doing this or have done this, please share any advice you've learned in the process!

      posted in General Discussion
      AGreaterMonsterA
      AGreaterMonster
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