Sean Does Games

Gnome Alchemy Gnome alchemy was briefly touched on in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes but that book provides very little detail regarding the practice. The concept has enjoyed a more thorough exploration in previous versions of Dungeons and Dragons .  Dragon Magazine  issue 291 , for example, is a great source for this sort of information.  What follows in this post is a sampling of alchemical formulas that any character of any race of any class can produce.  An asterisk (*) next to the name indicates the formula was either sourced from a concept  in that issue of Dragon Magazine or was inspired by concepts in  Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes . A single vial of formula covers or is effective against one Medium-sized target unless otherwise stated. A DM might want to consider requiring additional vials for larger targets and some portion of an entire vial for smaller targets, but that's up to you. The image for this post is from the Fifth Edition Dungeon Master's ...

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...

I’ve been thinking about glitches for the gadgets in my Epic Gnomish Inventing supplement. The rules as they are now are very much focused on practical mechanics. There’s nothing wrong with this; some folks like concrete rules to follow and I wrote those glitch rules with that in mind. I like storytelling. For me, it’s the most important creative element in any RPG. I already use natural 1s and natural 20s as story elements whenever I DM. It only makes sense that gadget glitches should be treated in the same way. Really, what could be more capable of injecting unpredictable events into a game than a gnome invention gone amuck? I mean, they are perfect for those sorts of shenanigans. To that end, I’ve been toying around with this idea of narrative glitches. Like the dreaded natural 1s, narrative glitches introduce new elements or creative complications into the game that make life a little more challenging for the characters. It’s even possible for a gadget to achieve the desi...