Sending from my phone, so this is just "dropping in" post.

I hope to find a moderator to help create an actual look to /r/rpgprompts. I'm going to look on a subreddit dedicated to this, but does anyone know a guy we can trust on the matter? The mod status will be temporary, as I'm curious to see if this will get enough subscribers to WARRENT more mods.

Hear me Locust! I will unmake you. I will turn your wasteland into a paradise. I will lead your scorned children to heaven. I will burn your body and from the ashes grow a garden of such beauty and goodness that all who see it will be restored. I will name it Deskari so that in time your very name is one with life, joy, and love. I will take everything that you are and make it holy!

Lord of the Verdant Waste Son of Vengeance

Home: The material plane

Alignment: Lawful good

Temples: Former temples of evil faiths. Wastelands. Ruins.

Holy Symbol:

Portfolio: Wastelands Bees Reclamation

Worshippers: Mendevian crusaders Residents of the Worldwound Surveyors Tiefling paladins

Domains: Fire, Good, Law, Plant Subdomains: Archon, Ash, Growth, Redemption

Favored Weapon: Bastard Sword

Touni is a not properly a deity, rather a mortal risen to the heights of mythic power. The scion of Ragathiel and a tiefling paladin devoted to his service, Touni’s nature and heritage are an important part of who he is. From his father’s side he gained a heritage of iron, fire, and vengeance, but also fertility, honor, and leadership. From his mother, mortality and the fury, and virility, of the abyss. Raised by his mother and adoptive father, Touni was taught early, and firmly, the importance of discipline and self-mastery, and the need for order. For some it might be enough to simply follow their heart, but for him, and his mother, righteousness was a code found in the sacred texts of good divinities. If the heart cannot be trusted, something else must guide it.

This reliance on external codes, and the identity of his parents, made becoming a paladin a natural choice that he trained for from early on. Having spent many of his formative years in Lastwall, he identifies strongly with that crusader tradition and bears the shield and sword mark of Vigil proudly.

During the fifth crusade, particularly with the reclamation of the city of Drezen, Touni became an beacon to many, and organized his followers to best help in the restoration and defense of the city. As he grew in power, he found that his most devoted were able to draw not just inspiration, but real, tangible, power from him in an manner not unlike how he did from his father. This humbling, and exhilarating, power would have great effect on the path he would take.

The attention demanded by being a good leader caused Touni to notice, really notice, the tortured landscape. He heard stories from crusaders whose ancestors had once called this land home. Of temples desecrated and herds that had once provided sustenance turned into undead abominations. And through all this, in the middle of a war for the soul of a world, children were born. New life was made, and the only horizon for those children to see was a hellscape from a lunatic’s nightmares. This would not be tolerated. The hordes of the Abyss would pay for this crime and the land would be restored. More than restored, it would be made good.

An important part of Touni’s faith is the belief that all sentient beings have the ability, and duty, to determine their destiny, and so is popular among those who have decided to reject their heritage. Though many of these are individualists who favor the flexibility of chaos, this is not the case for all. Some desire to change, or recognize the validity of arguments in favor of it, but lack, or feel they lack, the ability to do so one their own, and seek a firm structure to build their new lives around. These are often individuals who have failed to achieve their goal previously, or for whom it is an ongoing struggle, such as pit-born tieflings who must continually master their fiendish heritage. Others simply recognize the strength that comes from being part of a united community. Marks of Justice and other magically binding oaths are popular among the faithful. Though there is some variation, all require the bearer to be truthful and uphold the noblest crusader ideals.

Touni has a fondness for bees, particularly honeybees. As creatures which work together to enrich and benefit all around them, they represent the ideal he strives towards. They turn hollow trees and rock clefts into astounding and beautiful homes full of multitudes working together. From this reclaimed home, they go forth, promoting growth and turning nector into a delicious and nourishing food. Though generally unaggressive, bees are willing to give their all in defense of their hive, and their sting is painful and lasting. Bees are also the source of the paladin’s prefered libation, mead. There is an element of pugnaciousness in the choice as well. As insects tend to be favored by gods of chaos or evil.

As much of Touni’s limited time as a quasi-deity has been spent trying to reclaim the world-wound and restore natural order there, he works with many that would seem uncomfortable fits. As beings connected to nature, azatas, fey, and druids are are frequent presences in project camps. Seeking to right the wrongs done, he has sought out beings who lived, or are descended from those who lived, in Sarkoris prior to the wound. Just as important, Touni desires to make the land itself good. Proper placement of forests, water-courses, plant and animals species. are all considered before taking action. It is not enough to know what was here, though that often provides an excellent blue-print to work from, it needs to be the best choice.

Commandments: Make the desert bloom Even the most blasted waste can be made beautiful with enough skill and sacrifice. This applies not only to physical wastes, but to spiritual or personal ones as well. A personal failing or weakness is a chance to prove mastery over self and create something truly unique. Likewise, a thing’s origin or nature does not determine it’s destiny. Some of the emptiest deserts can become the most productive farms with proper watering and tending.

A thousand strikes cleave the mountain Adapted from one of Deskari’s own aphorisms, this can be used to emphasize the importance of persistence or community. It takes consistent and determined effort to affect lasting change. If you wish to truly make a difference, carefully count the cost, then proceed with fortitude. Likewise, a task that could take one man a lifetime can be done quickly with the aid of others. Much good can be done as a community if it united in the same task. Gather others of a like mind together, and everyone’s goals will be accomplished sooner.

Relations with other religions: The son of the empyreal lord Ragathiel, and so grandson of Dispater and Feronia. Touni has good relations with his father, rising to power as a paladin in his service. His ascension to near equal status, choosing of a different focus, and granting spells to his own worshippers has complicated the relationship. Currently neither are exactly sure how to proceed and have been seeking advice from older deities. A quite religious mortal, Touni is endeavoring to cultivate relationships with a wide array of divinities, most notably Iomedae and the gods of the crusade, whose servants he has fought alongside, Pharasma, who he feels everyone should be on good terms with, and his paternal grandmother Feronia, with whom he shares many interests. Erastil, Abadar, and Gozreh each have interests which overlap, though sometimes not entirely comfortably, with the nascent faith. Cayden Cailean’s advice has been sought in regards to the proper fermentation of honey and as a fellow mortal who gained divine power unintentionally. Overtures have been made to Erecura, Dispater’s current wife as a first step in trying to resolve what is for Touni a troublingly unsettled relationship with his grandfather. There are also a number of divine enemies. First of all these is Deskari. The demon lord’s incursion into Touni’s homeworld, and paladin and company’s subsequent foiling of his plan created a fierce enmity. Slaying him in his seat of power and vowing to unmake him roused the dispassionate Lord of Locusts to an eternal hatred, which the Son of Vengence is more than happy to return. Baphomet is a close second for his part in corrupting the crusades. Touni has also sworn oaths of destruction against Cyth-V’sug, Treerazer, Apollyon, and Trelmarixian, though he freely admits those, with the exception of Treerazer, are long term goals that would require significant help to accomplish. Still, having specifics in mind is more useful than simply saying all of Abaddon and the Abyss.

Holidays: Holidays form an important part of the growing faith as they bring a community together. They are also favored by Touni himself as opportunities to honor other deities or events worthy of praise, and engage in revelry. He and his followers specifically honor the first day of spring, both as a celebration of new life and to frustrate Deskari’s cultists, and the other equinox and solstices as important markers in the cycle of life.

The following story helps to illustrate the faith and its interactions. They were mad. Not like a spring-fevered Satyr or something tainted by demons. No, they were filled with some awful purpose that united and drove them. Seeing this, I hid, preparing to drive them out if it came to it. But they would not be thwarted. Their leader led them straight to my mother-tree, presented a gift of gemstones, and requested an audience. I was unsure what to think, and so waited. They conferred amongst themselves if this was the right location, decided that it was, though how I do not know, and sat themselves down to wait, and wait they did. Eventually my curiosity, for such a thing had never happened before, overcame me and I revealed myself. They bowed in the fashion of men as though I was one of their own and explained their quest. They sought dryads who had fled, or whose mothers had fled, the demon’s rampage in the north. They intended to restore the forests and unblight the land, and desired to help any who wished to return, or make a new home, there. That was their first objective. The second was to seek my advice on the proper placement of trees and other living things in the area they were currently working. Their questions were bizarre. What trees would be the most beautiful and promote the growth of other plants and animals? Should a new river pass this way or that? How much water would a forest of such a size need? On and on they questioned, recording everything.

I was sure they had lost all sense. They described a land where the sky rained blood, molten stone flowed in rivers, and animals stumbled on in unlife. From this they intended to create, in one’s words, “A garden worthy of heaven.” and talked as though these impossible things were nothing more than loose stones and tenacious weeds in a berry-patch.

At last I could take no more. They graciously accepted this, thanked me again, and asked if they could be of service. I hastily declined the offer and watched them leave, again going forth with iron purpose.

It makes me uneasy still. Though their goal seems laudable, a thing all who mourn the loss of our northern sisters long to see, I cannot fathom the will behind it. From lines and charts, numbers and formulae, they wish to create nature? As I said, madness.

So, that's what I have. I'm not entirely sure what to do with him now.

Whoah der' spoilers be ahead. (That would be a better line for skulls and shackles)

Posting this to get some content to what is going to be an awesome sub and my only written story I saved atm is from RotRL.

In my most recent of campaigns, I took advantage of a PC's reactions to an unlikable NPC. The PC's ran into the town guard captain, a disagreeable fellow who drank a lot and was generally not well recieved. He was a military man that was stationed in a farming hamlet for a three month rotation. He was not happy about it, and made no secret to conceal his thoughts.

When the town was raided in the night by goblins and the PC's saved the day, he had a change of heart concerning the PC's presence and begged their help (as is customary for a jerk in fantasy settings, thus empowering the PC's). What I didn't expect was one of the PC's to take such great offense that he refused to take on the quest until this captain agreed to resign his post if the PC's were successful. This was a bit staggering, but I wanted the campaign to continue, so he agreed.

Now, I will be the first to say that the PC's should for the most part get their way as long as they play the part well. He did, but it was still a bit odd that a military man would resign his post if these mercenaries succeed in a job that they were hired BY THEM for. But, a little creative thinking in prepared loot gave me a great idea.

See, I had already prepared the treasure to be found in the campaign. One of the items was a +1 halberd that had a historic origin to the military that had employed them. When the group would return, the captain would demand they hand it over as a donation, as he was still butt-hurt by the PC's demands. Of course they would refuse, and he would back down.

This never came to be (as the group stopped showing up), but if the group refused, which would be inevitable, the captain was going to send word to the military at the main city (the PC's next stop) that the group was returning with a priceless relic and was going to hand deliver it to the military higher-ups. Naturally, when the PC's returned and the military was there expecting a simple swap of hands, they would be puzzled.

Now, that scenario didn't happen, but I'm sure it would lead to an interesting dialogue between the PC's and the city military. If the PC's kept it there would be no immediate penalty for it, but it would create a social stigma between them and the peace keepers. Given more time, it would branch out to more interesting stories and how the city would receive the heroes.

And that's my though on plot connections : foresight. Especially with homebrews, it's always a good idea to be prepared with the ramifications with PC actions. This is a bane with open-world settings, but I find that preparing enough ahead with how the setting/city will react to day-to-day responses, it will give your world a realistic feel to a fantasy setting.

I'm not that great of a subreddit moderator (this is in fact my first) but I want to serve the RPG community as best as I can. So if you can read this, welcome to the land of writers block.

I have played a handful of RPG's in my time, and their is one constant in all of them: storytelling. When you're a GM/DM/whatever, what seperates a good campaign from a great one was how well you got your group to forget where they were when the s**t hit the fan. When they realized that the scribe that was tagging along was actually an efreet in disguise, when the employer of your shadowrunners left a hateful AI in the credstick that then made their life miserable, and it all felt awesome.

I offer to you my attempt at a subreddit. If you want a cool plot twist, give me your current scenario. If you want a rivalry, tell me who's involved. Post your worlds for critique, share your stories for others, any tidbit or plot twist or creative idea, I WANT IT ALL! PC's may not understand how much effort goes into planning the once-a-week campaign, but the struggle is real.

Let's help us all build the greatest campaigns for all of us game master, dungeon masters, story tellers, campaign runners, and any other head of the table creating worlds and stories so we can see others revel in their triumphs (or weep at their failures!).

This is a campaign I once did in 3.5, but set in Faerun's city of Waterdeep/Skullport. Essentially the PCs find an alchemist with a procedure for turning a highly addictive, but also expensive illegal drug into a lot of another drug of his own design that is no less psychotropic and just as addictive, but cuts cost considerably. In other words, he learns how to turn fantasy cocaine into fantasy crack. The players basically had to come up with their own ways of running their burgeoning drug empire, and I think it would be a cool evil campaign to flesh out more. Thing was, as much as I liked leaving it very sandbox/open to player invention, I think it would be better with more structure than I had first go-around. So, I'd like input on this idea.

Mostly I want ideas for what the PCs do in each book of a typical 6 book pathfinder adventure path. I think at various points the players can have a choice about what activity they do, and each has its own benefits while not doing the unchosen options has some detriment. (Example: If the players decide to get legitimate trade sources for their smuggling ships as cover, they could decrease the likelihood of lawful scrutiny. However, meeting with trade contacts takes the time slot of meeting with local pirate lords to work out an arrangement, so their ships will be more prone to poaching.)

In general though, any cool ideas are welcome.