Is the citadel of the Bloody Hand/Harpers hold mapped out? Does it show the entrance to castle Waterdeep
Is the citadel of the bloody hand / harpers hold mapped out? Does it show the entrance to castle Waterdeep?
— Jason D. Graham (@JasonDGraham_) November 10, 2018
1/4) Here's a quick tease: think of an old-fashioned D&D geomorph map (filling every bit of a graph grid with passages, rooms, closets, etc.). That's the trap-filled entrance to the citadel, which is inside Mount Waterdeep, and was designed as a stronghold whose defenders can… https://t.co/NIy7ap3xDs
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2018
2/4) …retreat room-by-room, taking a maximum toll on intruders (so rooms and passages have firing-ports, portculli, angles to fire around, narrow spots easily barricaded, and spring-fire traps (multiple javelins, crossbow bolts). Very little storage beyond money vault and…
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2018
3/4) …armory and food-and-water caches, because the Bloody Hand used cellars and attics in Waterdeep for warehousing wares/contraband/etc. Carved out of the bedrock of Mount Waterdeep, with secret doors into the "military" tunnels linking the Castle with the griffon air…
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2018
4/4) …cavalry base (and "flight deck" caverns) high up on the mountain. As these tunnels were hewn through some rather rugged folded striations of rock, concealing the secret door seams wasn't too hard. (There, enough to start with. :}) #Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2018
Many thanks ! Can you tease us how Harper’s Hold fit into this stronghold ? Is it complete part of it or “aside” as is Whisper’s Crypt to the Haunted Halls ? Thanks Ed Heh. It is "aside." Think: nine homes and warehouses all over Dock Ward connect to rooms with beds, clothing, stored food and water, privies, and lanterns with oil. That have concealed doors into looooong tunnels inside Mount Waterdeep, leading to the Hold. And the Hold has a…
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2018
… "Cellar Run" of tunnels and secret-door-connected cellars of buildings across Sea Ward to a secret outlet inside a certain building in North Ward, too. (Some Harpers are both energetic builders, and paranoid. ;} )
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2018
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There’s so much to learn, and it helps grow the hobby
#dnd tip for DMs: running or playing one-shot at conventions or game days, even if you didn't write them, gives you insight into different play styles and adventure types. There's so much to learn, and it helps grow the hobby.
— Shawn Merwin @ PAXU (almost) (@shawnmerwin) October 8, 2018
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Fun should be the overall goal of your games
#dnd tip from @GameholeCon: fun should be the overall goal of your games. Fun is nebulous though, and as anyone who’s ever had a hangover can tell you, too much fun can have a cost. As a DM you can usually fix things later. As a designer, less so.
— Shawn Merwin @ PAXU (almost) (@shawnmerwin) November 8, 2018
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“You see, the old king, after too many bloody executions”
1)
O we’re on an impossible quest
Out to rob a non-existent nest
So we’re going to fail, and pay the final price like all the rest— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) September 30, 2018
2)
You see, the old king, after too many bloody executions, of guilt had an attack
That robbed him of his ruthlessness, and now he’d like it back— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) September 30, 2018
Dragon Safety Warning, Profound:
When raging drake comes plunging out of the sky
If you’re anywhere around
You will probably die— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2018
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How does somethig like this coexist with the Dragonward over Waterdeep?
@TheEdVerse hi! How does somethig like this coexist with the Dragonward over Waterdeep? This dragon was touched by the staff? pic.twitter.com/RNYSmioMH8
— NewbieDM (@newbiedm) November 24, 2018
1/The Dragonward (like most powerful wards/fields/guards) is a localized persistent alteration in the Weave (whereas the area of effect of a spell going off is a short-term one). Given time to study the Weave, for those who have the Art (talent to sense, understand, and wield…
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 24, 2018
2/…magic) and inclination to do so, any being with sufficient smarts, power, and opportunity for self-alteration (and bear in mind that experimentations in this regard are perilous!) can "attune" themselves (modify their minds and bodies in the necessary ways) to enter a…
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 24, 2018
3/…ward that would otherwise prohibit them, exist within it, and avoid some or all of its effects. Weavemasters (like El and Khelben and the Seven) can do this, Mystra's touch and will, and artifacts like the Blackstaff can do it for anyone in contact with it, and several…
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 24, 2018
4/…dragons have managed it, down the years (there are others mentioned in the Wyrms of the North series and other Realmslore; quite a few gold dragons and weredragons/song dragons have dwelt in Waterdeep or visited it for extended periods. Yet the Ward isn't futile; a "flight..
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 24, 2018
5/…of dragons" or strike force of attacking wyrms can hardly have the time to stop, examine, and experiment with self-alterations so as to overfly, dive into, or land in Waterdeep. Make sense?
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 24, 2018
Teenager me would be amazed that Ed Greenwood is available on my pocket computer to answer Forgotten Realms questions just like that. Love ya @TheEdVerse! #dnd It's always a pleasure for me to talk Realmslore. (Except when NDAs forbid me talking about something, or discussing it properly; then it can be frustrating.) So, please, query me whenever. :}
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 25, 2018
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If my barbarian found 5 Manuals of Bodily Health could he get the benefit of all of them?
If my barbarian found 5 Manuals of Bodily Health that were all refreshed could he get the benefit of all 5 of them? I believe so, unless the item specifically says there is a limit to the benefits it can give. No book with me at the moment…
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) December 6, 2018
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Simple props can help bring NPC to life
#dnd tip for DMs: while you don't have to go full custom for your NPCs, simple props can help bring them to life. A pipe, a wig, glasses, or anything else can give your players a clearer sense of the characters they are talking to.
— Shawn Merwin @ PAXU (almost) (@shawnmerwin) October 31, 2018
Thanks so much for these tips! As a relatively new DM (about 1 year now), they really help me. My pleasure! The responses I get often help me as well.
— Shawn Merwin @ PAXU (almost) (@shawnmerwin) October 31, 2018
