D&D Wiki Magazine/Issue 3
The theme for issue 3 will be "Castles & Heraldry".
- Update
You can find Issue 3 of Houserule on D&D Wiki using the following link File:Houserule Issue 3.pdf.
Issue 3 of Houserule is now available at [1], my thanks again to all the contributors involved!
Final Article List
You can help by scouring the wiki for articles related to castles. Look for classes, NPCs, encounters, creatures, equipment, traps, and so forth.
Think about the structure itself, but also its inhabitants, defenses (walls, battlements, moats), sieges, furnishings, economy.
- Systemless
- 5e life-in-the-castle-themed
- Equipment
Falconry Kit (5e Equipment)Clothes, Livery (5e Equipment)House Griffon (5e Creature)Pocket Portcullis (5e Equipment)Portrait (5e Equipment)Wedding Feast (5e Equipment)adapted into a general feast for nobles.
False Flag (5e Equipment)Pitcher of Instant Moat (5e Equipment)Arcane Door (5e Equipment)- Squire (5e Creature)
- 5e siege-themed
- Constructing Siege Engines (5e Variant Rule)
Couillard (5e Equipment)Springald (5e Equipment)Ribaldequin (5e Equipment)Mantlet (5e Equipment)Siege Drill (5e Equipment)Horn of Unyielding (5e Equipment) done.Siege Breaker (5e Equipment) done.Handgonne (5e Equipment)
- 4e
Chaos at the Wall (4e Skill Challenge)Summon Cockatrice (4e Power), Summon Warhorse (4e Power), Summon Enfield (4e Power), Summon Hydra (4e Power), Reremouse Swarm (4e Power) (my "heraldic" spells)Ballista Box (4e Equipment)
- 3.5e life-in-the-castle-themed
- People
- Feats, Traits, Flaws
Courtesan (3.5e Feat)Bootlicker (3.5e Feat)Engineer (3.5e Feat)Falconer (3.5e Feat)Guard Training (3.5e Feat)Spy (3.5e Feat)[Diplomatic Leader (3.5e Trait)]]High Society (3.5e Trait)Joker (3.5e Trait) (for a jester?)Master Performer (3.5e Trait) (for court musician?)Merchant's Bearing (3.5e Trait) (for the steward?)
- The Castle itself
- Quest
Trinkets
Need 20 trinkets tangentially castles and heraldry.
- A small stone cube with the coat of arms of a different family on each side.
- A large, tattered flag with silver, green, and black stripes.
- A mithral key about six inches long.
- A spyglass, dented and bent in half. However, because the inside is so reflective it can still be used.
- A crown made of polished and carved ash with gold inlays.
- A wooden cup, divided in half lengthwise with a sheet of aluminum.
- A grappling hook with silken cord attached to the end. One of the three hooks is broken, and another is bent almost in line with the body of the hook.
- A small model of a castle that matches a real one exactly and changes to match new alterations.
- A dagger's hilt. The pommel is carved in the form of a lion.
- A crown of tarnished silver. Spikes are woven throughout it.
- A long arrow, with the tip hollow as if it once contained a message.
- A tattered painting of a royal family. The faces are scratched out.
- A small crystal goblet which makes an unusual ringing sound when tapped.
- The blade of an ancient sword. A mysterious coat of arms is carved into it.
- A small stone block from a long-forgotten castle. For some reason, gripping it puts you in a foul mood.
- Ripped and torn mail links. They seem to glow with a royal brilliance, but do not emit any actual light.
- Half of a snapped oak flag-pole. "We will fight to the last" is written in dried blood on one side.
- A torn, warped copy of "Evard's Poetry- 100 Poems for the Aspiring Prince".
- Half of a signet ring. It looks like it was once the stamp for an ancient royal seal.
- A much-loved child's doll embroidered with gold thread. It's been through a lot.
- A set of ceramic castles that have a space for a candle in the middle. When the candle is lit the castle looks like it has lights on in the windows.
- A perfectly reflective ball with a magnetic stick which allows it to be used to look around corners.
Wanted
Single-paragraph descriptions of some truly outlandish/unusual fortified buildings.
Festung Pilz: A fortress sits on the top of a hill. It is shaped like a massive mushroom, blooming out at the top such that the perimeter of the Cap is in above the start of the hill. A massive column of granite reinforced with a blend of adamantine, mithral, and steel holds the cap approximately 4 stories above the top of the hill, with a single spiral staircase going up the middle. Arching ribs made of pure mithral, steel, and adamantine forged together keep the cap from collapsing from its own weight. Foundations larger than the castle itself are laid under the hill, with catacombs all throughout it. Inside are cultivated mushrooms and other fungus which, among other uses, can be fed to specially bred cows and goats, which in turn can feed the besieged population of the fortress. "Gills" are cut into the bottom of the cap, each holding numerous rooms for dropping stones, tar, and a special type of toxic fungus grown in the catacombs. Additionally, a rope system allows the fortress to drop troops and other things out of the fortress faster than marching down the spiral staircase, as well as allowing for tactical deployment behind any forces foolish enough to close with the base of the fort. <-Additional ideas welcome. Need someone who knows German to check the translation.->
Ruined Tower: This simple three story tower of humbly carved stone has seen better days. The roof is dilapidated, the walls are missing stones, and ivy is starting to cover the entire thing. Inside, a simple staircase spirals along the outer wall connecting the three levels. Each floor is one entire room with no divisions. The bottom floor has been taken as a den by a particularly foul tempered brown bear, primarily because a large hive of bees is located just outside the door. If you make it past the bear and ascend the precariously unstable stairs to the second floor you would be confronted by an room overgrown with ivy. This room is filled with the sounds of happy insects going about their daily lives. A thorough search will reveal a small silver dagger hidden in the remains of a desk. The third floor is a relatively clear space with a single stone pillar in the center it radiates slight conjuration and transmutation magic reminiscent of travel magic. Where does the pillar take you? Spoiler: It actually shrinks everyone in the room to approximately 1 inch tall and gathers them all at the base of the pillar. A message carved in the stone there relays the following message in an obscure dialect of common: My home is in the bottom of this tower, pray you have good reason to bother me! The PCs must now travel to the botttom of the tower past all the (now) giant insects, monstrous birds, and other myriad dangers!
The Shining Mouth This once dwarvin was an underground city in the hollow of the mountain. After a siege half the mountain was blown away and half the mountain is now gone, relieving the city to the light of day. ancient magic casters were so impressed that the city could hold up the mountain top that, together with the dwarvin smiths, covered the city (houses and all) in mithril. The mountain now sits on the tallest tower and the edges of the hole that reveal the great city are reminiscent of teeth of a great maw. ((created by Brice Campbell))