Sean Does Games

A Collection of Gnome Encounters You'll Not Soon Forget Oh my! More gnomes. More encounters. More gnome encounters! You know the routine. Check these out. Enjoy them.. Use them as side quests or as full story arcs. This is the seventh set of ten encounters. Check out my previous posts for the earlier hooks. The Encounters (61-70) 61.  A pair of gnome miners claims to have struck a rich deposit of gemstones but cannot extract it because they accidentally released a monster that has long been imprisoned deep inside the earth and it now stalks the mine's passages. 62. A small, nut-shaped vehicle that has obviously taken damage is anchored just off shore. A pair of gnomes in sailor clothes pull broken clockwork out of a device mounted to the back of the vehicle, arguing as they do so.  63. The elder of a gnome clan is in search of a few good adventurers to figure out who swapped the clan's most prized gem with a high-quality fake. 64. Residents of an isolated...

A Collection of Gnome Encounters You'll Not Soon Forget Yep, more gnome adventure hooks are here! While they were written with Dungeons and Dragons in mind, they can be used in any gnome-friendly setting. These encounters can be used either as side quests or as full story arcs. This is the sixth set of ten encounters. Check out my previous posts for the earlier hooks. The Encounters (51-60) 51. A scraggly gnome in heavy work clothes stumbles toward a member of the party. The goggles he or she wears whir as the lenses periscope in and out. "You're the one," they say. "And you appear to be real. Quickly now. We must act quickly if this is to work." 52.  A small fishing village is abuzz with stories of a metallic sea monster that hunts its fleet and destroys vessels with beams of light and fire that shoot from its eyes. It is said a sea gnome rides its back with devilish glee. 53. The party startles a gnome who is fussing with an object att...

A Collection of Gnome Encounters You'll Not Soon Forget The following are even more adventure hooks involving gnomes. They were created with Dungeons and Dragons in mind but are suitable for any setting that includes, indulges in, or flirts with, gnomes and gnome story lines. These encounters can be used either as side quests or as full story arcs. This is the fifth set of ten encounters. Check out previous posts in the blogs for the earlier hooks. The Encounters (41-50) 41. The party finds the skeletal remains of a gnome. Next to it is a clockwork automaton that appears to be shut down. Scratched into its metal body and written in Gnomish is the following, "I've done bad things." 42. A young gnome wants to marry his or her sweetheart but the family won't allow it without a healthy supply of gems. The gnome knows where a cache is hidden but needs help retrieving it. 43. The party is beset by a host of badgers, ferrets, rats, and other burrowing ...

A Sample Gnome Settlement Riverhill Burrow is a mid-sized gnome community woven into the hilly countryside a day's travel from the capital of the kingdom. Most of its residents are members of the either the Erfseg, Lenskor, Nackle, Oaendin, Belren, Fenbaer, or Dallun clans. A few other clans are present but not in any appreciable numbers. There's also a minor contingent of denizens from other humanoid races, but these are mostly apprentices who remain only until they complete their training. The Butter Barrel River flows to the west of the main burrow complex. A series of clever pipes diverts water for both drinking and sanitation. Its currents power a rather industrious mill. But perhaps most importantly the river is home to a number of fish and freshwater crustaceans the collection of which provides a pleasant afternoon's diversion on a warm summer's day. It's also one leg of a salmon run. The Kingsgold Highway, one of three major roadways to the kingdom...

In Dungeons and Dragons, a natural 1 occurs when a 1 is rolled on a d20 for an ability check, attack roll, or a saving throw. It is generally treated as a failure no matter the bonuses that can be applied to the score. It's a pretty straight forward concept that guarantees no matter how skilled a character might be they can still make a mistake--sort of like real life. That's all well and good, but a little dull because many times mistakes have both short term and long term consequences that go beyond simple failure. Because of that, and because as a DM I'm a bit of a sadist, I like to use natural 1s as an opportunity to inject a little chaos into the story. The goal in doing so is never to kill or punish the characters but instead to heighten the stakes, ratchet up the tension, and have a little fun. This, of course, applies to NPCs and creatures as well. No one or no thing is immune to the evil whims of a natural 1. The following describes a few kinds of consequen...

A Collection of Gnome Encounters You'll Not Soon Forget The following adventure hooks were created with Dungeons and Dragons campaigns in mind but they are suitable for any setting that includes, indulges in, or flirts with, gnomes and gnome story lines. These encounters can be used either as side quests or as full story arcs. This is the fourth set of ten encounters. I will eventually compile and flesh out all of the encounters as part of a release on the DMs Guild, so any feedback is always appreciated. The Encounters (31-40) 31. A gnome barber fawns over a party member's hair. He or she begs for the honor of fancifying their follicles with a grand style befitting royalty. He or she guarantees the party member will become the talk of the town. 32. The party stumbles upon a huge heap of scrap metals, discarded jars, shattered vials, empty barrels, used spell components, broken magic items, damaged weapons, and spare equipment. A gnome in faded magician robes...

A Collection of Gnome Encounters You'll Not Soon Forget The following adventure hooks were created with Dungeons and Dragons campaigns in mind but they are suitable for any setting that includes, indulges in, or flirts with, gnomes and gnome storylines. These encounters can be used either as side quests or as full story arcs. This is the third set of ten encounters. I will eventually compile and flesh out all of the encounters as part of a release on the DMs Guild, so any feedback is always appreciated. The Encounters (21-30) 21. A gnome trader asks a party member to look after a pet rock while he or she is away on business for a few days. The trader explains that if the rock is looked after and loved like any other pet it will reward the party member. If it is neglected, however, it will become angry and cause the party member no end of trouble. 22. A nervous gnome dressed in fine but roughed up clothing greets the party as they are traveling. He or she asks wheth...

A Collection of Gnome Encounters You'll Not Soon Forget I've been putting together some adventure hooks that center on gnomes. I've done this with Dungeons and Dragons campaigns in mind but they are suitable for any setting that includes gnomes. These encounters can be used either as side quests or as full story arcs. Here's the second set of ten encounters. As I mentioned before, once I hit one hundred, I will collect them into a single publication (with additional information on how to use each one) and put them up on the DMs Guild. So, any feedback is always appreciated. The Encounters (11-20) 11. A gnome burrow is in the midst of a contentious tinkering competition that has already seen several judges injured due to hot tempers and not just a few technical malfunctions. Several factions are threatening "war" if no winner is chosen. A neutral third party is needed. 12. Gnomes have gathered on a hill with a bewildering array of siege eq...

A Collection of Gnome Encounters You'll Not Soon Forget I've been putting together some adventure hooks that center on gnomes. They're suitable for any fantasy role playing game, but let's face it these are really for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. They can be used either as side quests or as full story arcs. Here's the first ten encounters. Once I reach one hundred, I want to collect them into a single publication (with additional information on how to use each one) and put them up on the DMs Guild. So, any feedback is always appreciated. The Encounters (1-10) The doors into a gnome burrow are wide open. Orange and green smoke pours from the entrance and escapes through dozens of concealed vents scattered across the landscape. A deep, rhythmic growl rattles the ground and nearly drowns out the high pitched screech of an alarm and cries for help from within. A traveling gnome artificer is selling magical goods from the back of a wagon alongside th...

This is just a short blog. Sorry. This is just a short blog for a few reasons. First, I finally got around to playing Mass Effect: Andromeda and -- surprise -- it's consuming my free time from the inside out. This point could actually spin out to "media" in general, especially podcasts. Sure, The Adventure Zone wrapped up (THE FEELS), but a new story is on its way. I also listen to Mission Log (Star Trek related), Sawbones , Nerdist , WTF , Gnomeland Security , and a few others. Netflix binge-watching is also a wonderful time sink! (Isn't the new season of Stranger Things coming soon?) Second, life. Stuff happens and it takes time and effort to resolve. Work takes a huge bite out of the day. Gym takes some time too. Family. Friends. Sick dog. Yada yada yada. Third, gaming. The Skyfell campaign I'm running looks like it will be starting back up on a more reliable basis so I've been thinking about and prepping for that. Also, there's the Infini...