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Allow us to now flip our consideration as soon as once more to gaming, and looking out on the bountiful content material accessible to us. Specifically, let’s check out Arcadia #17 from MCDM.
Disclaimer
You could know the drill by now . . . I’m subscribed to the MCDM Patreon and I obtain my very own copy of Arcadia each month, nonetheless, I do obtain a assessment copy a couple of days earlier. Whereas I haven’t had the chance to make use of these choices, I’ve run and performed a whole lot of D&D 5e at this level.
Dissection
This situation is 38 pages lengthy, together with a credit web page, a desk of contents, a assets web page with hyperlinks to numerous maps and handouts for the included articles, a web page of writer bios, and a full web page OGL assertion.
As a result of Arcadia persistently has superb art work and actually spectacular structure, I run out of issues to say about them, however I wish to take this time to say I like purple, and there’s a lot of purple this month. Right here is your insightful commentary for the month.
What’s Up for June 2022
The articles on this situation embody the next:
- Slopengrimer’s Information to Visco Metropolis (Places, Monsters, Magic Objects)
- Unorthodox Win Situations (Encounters)
- Divine Trials: Glory of the Solar (Adventures)
I additionally wished to notice that, per the Letter from the Editor, that is the final situation of Arcadia with James Introcaso on the helm. He’s nonetheless working for MCDM, however the direct managing editorial reins are passing to Hannah Rose.
The one factor I’ve to say right here is that I feel James is a superb designer and collaborator, based on every thing I’ve seen that he has labored on, and from what others say about him. Handing off to Hannah Rose, nonetheless, who additionally has a powerful resume of improvement work and collaboration, leaves me feeling fairly assured for the way forward for the journal.
Slopengrimer’s Information to Visco Metropolis
The narrative conceit of this text is that the article is being narrated by Moira Slopengrimer, a halfling adventurer, as she guides her consumer via the sewers below a fantasy metropolis on the lookout for a magical location with properties much like the Fountain of Youth. Proper originally of the article, we get the statistics for Moira.
As Moira leads the consumer via the sewers, totally different encounters set off descriptions of various creatures, in addition to some magic objects related to these creatures. The monsters embody these creatures:
- Carnivorous Phlegmming (CR ¼, Ooze)
- Serumous Hag (CR 8, Fey)
- The Regigoo (CR 18, Ooze)
Phlegmmings are tiny oozes that swarm like rats and, when broken, can merge with different Plegmmings, forming more and more bigger and extra highly effective variations of themselves. It’s an attention-grabbing subversion to see oozes that don’t break up from injury, however begin in search of out different oozes with which to merge.
Serumous Hags are fey creatures that create objects that may modify bodily look and well being. Hags naturally regard them as pleasant, and if they’re encountered with oozes, they’ll draw a few of the essence of oozes into themselves to offer them bonus hit factors and extra injury.
The Regigoo is a legendary creature that’s what stays of the blood of a useless god. Its motivation is to be taught in regards to the god from whence they got here, making an attempt to recollect one thing of their former life. It has a mechanic the place it provides ichor to different characters in fight, and having ichor on a personality provides the Regigoo extra choices for assaults and extra injury.
All three of those monsters are dynamic. They’ll play in a different way from spherical to spherical as a result of their mechanics, particularly if the Serumous Hag has oozes with them (which they actually ought to). I’m unsure I wish to monitor the “merging math” for the phlegmmings, however I must give them an encounter or so to see the way it goes. I actually wish to put a Serumous Hag into an encounter with some oozes, and the Regigoo is a superb, borderline cosmic horror creature for later in a marketing campaign.
The magic objects launched embody the next:
- Gooshe-Branded Face Masks
- Gooshe-Branded Detoxifying Tea
- Ick Stick
- Slughilt
- Vial of Slick
- Viscera’s Warfare Drum
- Yelly Beans
The primary two objects are expendable magic objects which are secretly cursed, and promise to work as miraculous magnificence merchandise. Ick Sticks and Slughilts are magical weapons that use a few of the frequent properties of oozes. The Vial of Slick is an expendable agent that may make an space slick. The Warfare Drum has quite a few expenses that may halt the advance of oozes, and for much more expenses to trigger injury to them. Yelly Beans are gelatinous objects that make a loud noise when stepped on.
I’m extra of a fan of the monsters on this article over the magic objects. A part of it’s because the article leans very closely on puns and allusions to actual world folks and traits. The Serumous Hag within the story is particularly working a predatory cosmetics group that performs on a well-known actor’s enterprise. I’m not utterly towards that form of factor, however, for me, it was just a little an excessive amount of, too concentrated within the article.
Unorthodox Win Situations
I really like the thought of getting a fight encounter the place simply ending the fight by one facet or the opposite being defeated isn’t the entire level. What I used to be envisioning on this article was an inventory of various particular person issues that may be ported into an encounter so as to add an goal. This isn’t fairly what we get right here.
As a substitute of tremendous modular narrative objects that may be added to an encounter, we as an alternative get three particular, modular encounters that present what encounters with alternate win circumstances can seem like. Whereas this isn’t what I assumed it will be, the instance encounters are all actually robust.
The Puppeteer includes a bandit utilizing a magic merchandise to make use of villagers to hedge in victims, with the problem being to select the puppeteer and the merchandise they’re utilizing.
The second encounter, which might be my favourite of the article, is a couple of highly effective celestial elf that has been diminished in energy to a traditional, mortal elf. The elf wants the PCs to run interference for them whereas they carry out a ritual to regain their earlier energy. Within the meantime, a cult of utmost capitalists that wish to destroy the forest will assault in waves till the ritual is finished.
The Treasure Run is an unstable blue dragon’s lair. Completely different sections of the lair will crumble relying on the quantity of injury carried out in that part of the lair. The dragon that owns the lair enjoys enjoying a sport with guests, permitting them to run via the lair and gather no matter treasure they wish to seize, they usually can hold no matter they seize in the event that they attain the exit. However whereas inside, if the dragon pinpoints their location, it should burrow up behind them and assault.
I’m pleased with all three of those, and they’re straightforward sufficient to switch to swap in numerous components. For instance, it will be very straightforward to swap the blue dragon for a lich that likes to review human habits. The ritual and the folks making an attempt to disrupt the ritual may be any character with a connection to the divine, and any faction you might need in your personal marketing campaign.
Divine Trials: Glory of the Solar
The framing of this text units it up as the primary of three related articles. The opposite trials are set to be revealed later, including trials for the moon and stars to the triumvirate. This specific trial is about as much as educate heroes humility. The journey hooks embody being despatched on this trial by a divine agent, having an employer ship the PCs on this trial to arrange them for a higher job, or simply seeing the door to the trial seem as quickly because the PCs have reached a pivotal level of their adventuring profession.
The characters fece quite a few trials together with:
- Crossing a antechamber with a warning about the way to strategy the trials
- A banquet the place heroes want to decide on between telling tales of their glory or serving to servants
- A possibility to take part in a multi-state gladiatorial contest
- Face the Celestial Adjudicator, the ultimate decide of the trial
Relying on what the PCs do as they transfer via these trials, they acquire warmth tokens. These warmth tokens will make the ultimate problem extra harmful. They are often spent by the adjudicator to do further injury, acquire resistances, make extra correct assaults, and probably even manipulate gravity across the participant characters.
I benefit from the warmth token mechanic for measuring how the remainder of the trials go, and I like the concept that the adjudicator can spend these tokens to do various things to make the ultimate trial extra harmful. It’s enjoyable to offer the DM a forex to play with and to permit them to range the move of the trial.
I do assume it’s crucial that the PCs, earlier than any of the trials begin, perceive that this complete trial is about mastering pleasure. There are components of this trial that don’t point out that PCs are evil or merciless, and lots of instances PCs don’t see ego as the best sin a personality can commit. In the event that they misunderstand this trial as one about morality or pussiance, it’s going to be very easy to rack up these warmth tokens.
Whereas the Antechamber inscription does spell this out, I might additionally lean extra in the direction of having a divine servant or patron pointing the PCs in the direction of the trial, to double down on the warning that the trial is about humility.
Last Ideas
Every of those articles has components that I feel are instantly usable, so we’re nonetheless following via on that “actionable on the desk” motto that Arcadia has had from the start. I do know framing units make articles extra enjoyable to interact with, however I do assume typically the “banner” of what an article is about might promote the framing gadget too broadly. For instance, I’m unsure I might use the areas from the primary article, whereas I might use the creatures from it.
Nearly all of this situation consists of modular encounters, though the Trial of the Solar is a way more concerned “modular” encounter. I’ve to confess, there are occasions I’m more likely to drop in an thrilling encounter than I’m to construct in a complete discreet journey that may work in an ongoing marketing campaign.
Future Needs
I’m trying ahead to the opposite two trials that have been talked about within the third article. I might like to see different rituals/trials included as modular encounters, particularly since a personality proving their value or purifying themselves is a recurring theme in a whole lot of fantasy tales, earlier than a personality undertakes a significant quest.
I like seeing forex that can be utilized to do issues, and never simply “in the event that they get X, they fail the problem.” I’ve stated up to now that I like when monsters inflict circumstances that open up new choices for the monster, however including in tokens that enable the monster extra choices is one other enjoyable design factor.
One other situation of Arcadia. On the entire, I’m fairly pleased with this, and looking out ahead to subsequent month’s situation.
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