Monster of the week: Voracious Shriller

This week's creature is another home-brew for my current campaign: the Voracious Shriller, both in young swarming form, or the quite dangerous adult form.
In many ways, it's behavior is akin to the Velociraptor from Jurassic Park, with a twist to it. It's above intelligence (for an animal) and innate Psionic abilities make it quite dangerous for any party wandering the countryside.

WB2, Session 14: Fist on Furies!

Session 14: "Fists on Furies!"
Tuesday 13th, April 1001 AC
(destiny token: 1)

Item of the Week: Deployable Pavise

I've always been a huge fan of the Genoese Crossbowman style, using a huge Siege Crossbow, while taking cover behind a Pavise. Since I've toyed around a PC concept based on that style, lately, a Fighter specialized in Archery, I wanted to polish my Deployable Pavise idea and make it somewhat official for my Campaigns.

WB2, Session 13: Like Women Scorned

Session 13: "...Like Women Scorned"
Friday 2nd, April 1001 AC
(destiny token: 1)

Out of the Box: The Warlord

Most of the Warlord talk happening around D&D Next lately has been derived from the Warlord concepts as seen in D&D 4E, basically making him some kind of Motivational Speaker. While I like the idea, and it probably works very well in play, it's a bit too close to a Bardic archetype to my taste, many of the abilities feeling very magical in nature.

Wanting to get away from that, I tried going back on what a fighter is, at it's core, and what he becomes when he's not the ultimate weapon-master but instead a leader of men.
The following is the first draft of, I feel, a more of more historical Warlord concept, as a leader of mercenary bands and the like.

Monster of the Week: Drahies

Take a Harpy, combine it with the corrupting effects of an elder Black Dragon for long enough, and you'll get the Drahies, horribly mutated Harpies, under the loose influence of the dragon, with only one goal: inflicting pain onto anything alive...
Add onto that some almost unique, once in a generation, mutation and you get my first attempt at making a "Stuff of Legend" creature, the crazy Tainted Drahie, probably totally unbalanced, but a pretty sure bet for a TPK...

Restoring sanity to Channel Divinity: Restore Health

Following in-game feedback (and the ability lack of sense), here's the new take on it. This way, PCs won't have to bash each others on the head to reach 1/2 HP so it can be used.

Monster of the week: Dire Stirge

Today, I'll go through a monster I used a couple sessions ago and which has been a personal favorite for many years now, the Stirge. Once again, to avoid conflicting with the official D&D Next stuff (and their rather lame version of the Stirge), I'll make this the Dire Stirge, a beefed up, wilder, version of the Stirge.

WB2, Session 12: Brave New World

Session 12: "Brave New World"
Thursday 1st, April 1001 AC
(destiny token: 1)

GURPS over Roll20 experiments: Tricks to set things up

Busy schedule prevented from really getting into more of the whole GURPS experiment thing but there are a couple things I tested, mainly to keep the pace flowing and prepare a campaign proper.

PC Character Sheet stuff will come once I can really sit down and go through it but for now, here are some tips and tricks to set up a campaign in roll20. This applies to all systems but are even more relevant in GURPS, because of it's mechanics which can slow down play a lot if you're not prepared properly.

WB1, Session 11: When the Earth Growls

Session 11: "When The Earth Growls"
Tuesday 30th, March 1001 AC
(destiny token: 1)

And so, in the ruins of the buried structure, the companions were investigating what looked like an old office...

Next Academy: PCs against really bad odds.

How to fight (and win) against really Big who are really Bad? That's the question posed to anyone who wants to answer by +Douglas Cole, no matter the system. 
Since I'm into D&D Next, I figured I might throw a couple pointers in there based on my personal experience. Being both a player and a GM currently, in this post I'll see it from the PC point of view first, while I'll address the GM point of view later on.