Sean Does Games

I love trinkets in Dungeons and Dragons! Whenever I run a campaign, I always have players roll on the trinket table during character creation. I also periodically sneak in trinkets as part of the payment characters receive for completing a job or as part of the loot the characters find. “But then what?” you say. "They're an empty purse. Count them, go broke. Eat them, go hungry. Seek them, go mad! " Part of the power of the trinkets concept comes from their descriptions, which tend to be brief, open-ended statements leaving more questions than answers. And where there are questions there is story. So I use trinkets to flesh out the character’s backstory, spawn expected side quests, inspire one-shot adventures, provide the foundation for story arcs, and even shape the course of entire campaigns. That’s right, trinkets can do all that. Don’t believe me? Keep reading. Character Backstory When a character starts a campaign with a trinket, it is de facto ...

Once again, I return to gnome NPCs. This one is a bit of a chaotic lad with an unhealthy infatuation for games of chance. Enjoy. Doubledown Waggletop (DOUBLE-down waggle-TOP) "Well, now. Why don't we let Lady Luck decide?" Doubledown (CN) is a charming, 111-year-old male chaos gnome who thinks nothing of betting someone else’s farm on a semi-sure thing. While Doubledown is quite good at collecting large winnings at a number of card, dice, and other games of chance, he is not primarily motivated by a love of coin. His love for gambling has more to do with an obsession for the intersection between chaos, luck, and skill, and for the exhilaration of beating the odds. That's why a vast majority of his winnings go to family members who have come to rely upon the somewhat consistent income he provides. He has learned never to overstay his welcome--especially when he’s surrounded by angry suckers with a pile of their coins on the table in front of him--but true to ...

Here's a new gnome NPC, just in time for your Christmas-themed Dungeons and Dragons adventures. She's a Celestial Toymaker living the tinker life in Bytopia. Enjoy! (As a side note, the drawing is inspired by the tinker outfit from Neverwinter Online. And for full disclosure, this is sort of my character in that game.) Breena Vardin (Bree-nah VAR-din) "Here now. Why the long face? I have just the right thing to cheer you up." Breena (NG) is a spritely, 240-year-old female rock gnome who manufactures unique and quirky magical toys for all ages. Her reputation is such that items bearing her maker’s mark are prized delights. She sells her fancier creations at various high-end markets throughout the land as specialty goods. Breena is also the current incarnation of The Tinker Cousin (see The Tinker Cousin below), a legendary gnomish figure known for delivering gifts from her flying broom to those deserving of or in need of a little joy. She keeps this aspect...