Bleak Generation

Ending the conversation with Veridis Mov halfway through was handy. It gave me time to write down all the things I wanted him to ask and say.  The portal to Ranais is in a crack in the bark of Yggdrasil, but the gravity is like any other tunnel. Portal is silver with flecks of black. On the Ranais side, the portal is on the side of an ancient wall. It is formed from climbing black vines twisted into a spiral. Ranais is dimly lit throughout. If like me you're in a country that doesn't use Fahrenheit, note that the temperature in Ranais is close to zero Celsius. The portal to Sigil lies in a massive half-sunken wall with a large circular hole in it (I was imagining the window of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris). Because the portal’s part of a trade route, there’s a mud ramp leading up to it. Portal key is a broken bone. For the wraith attack, I just used a standard Stealth vs Passive Perception check. This had been a good time to use the 5e travelling pace rules from the PHB. I h...

If you're running Dead Gods, there's no statblock more important. For all of AD&D's sprawl of rules, the reality manipulation is left wildly open to the DM. It's doesn't even in one consistent way through the adventure! Whatever you do, be aware that if you use the reality manipulation "well", your combats will be much longer than they normally are. Be aware also that visages tend to add a lot of confusion, but little in the way of tension. In a fight against so many illusions, your players might be curious and compelled; but they may also end up bored and frustrated. Especially low-Wisdom PCs.   Visage Medium Fiend/Undead, chaotic evil Armor Class 15 Hit Points 72 (9d8 + 27) Speed fly 40ft   STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 9 (-1)    16 (+3)      16 (+3)      14 (+2)      16 (+3) ...

With the battle over, the heroes are relieved to finally explain their findings to someone in authority. Veridis apologises for snubbing them earlier after they saved the Woodworkers’ Guild, and asks as much as he can about the visages. He gives them more information about Ranais, and the chant on the portal key for Sigil. The party immediately snitches on Flederoth, without a trace of loyalty of regret. Law is law. Veridis promises the heroes a more fitting reward, and meets them later in the King’s Table, where Flederoth is getting edgy. Veridis drops off their cash. When Flederoth asks them why they were talking to Veridis, the trio are nothing but honest (except for M’narr, who is honest but also a bit racist). Flederoth flees in a fit of nerves. The kitchen cook, now running the bar, is more than happy to give the heroes a few bones for portal keys, and the party leaves for Ranais. The portal to Ranais is silver and flecked with black blemishes, deep in a scar within a branch ...

The fight continues. For a time. M’narr uses Elemental Bane to soften up the visage, and Ragados quickly pummels it to death. 12-Bar keeps stabbing at Nachen John. The formation changes, and M’narr is able to cast a spell that changes the tide of battle: Wall of Fire.   The two immobilised watchmen are quickly incinerated, and the disguised visages must leap through fire to attack the party. Problem is, every time they jump through a member of the party tries to smash them back into the wall of fire! Ragados uses his shield of repulsion, 12-Bar uses Dissonant Whispers, and M’narr just shoves them using his sheer Astral strength. The tapestries start to catch in the blaze. One of the creatures flees, as does the one surviving watchman. The sound of heavy doors opening fills the room as they escape. The last visage is finally cut down, reverting to its true form before dissipating. The party spends the next few minutes trying to extinguish the fire on the tapestries. A small armed...

Here is my statblock for the visage . I’m using most of the AD&D Astral Plane rules for Yggdrasil, so their mental stats are a little higher than one might expect. Anyway. This was another one to run by the book. Sort of. I wasn’t going to artificially extend the adventure in Crux with weird happenings and odd hallucinations if the PCs planned to go to High Point straight away. It just wouldn’t be dramatic, or really add to the plot or character development. I did include one or two minor hallucinations for the players to pursue if they wished: an old elf in purple robes watching them in the market. I also killed off Sterkaad the Saved of the Dewcollectors: he’s a visage now, and oddly peery. Very interested in the planewalkers he was. I’ll use him as the visage assassin at the start of chapter 4. Here is the map I made for High Point: I recommend adding some tapestries to the Great Room if you use this map.   I planned little for the second session of the battle, other t...

The visage attacks! Or does it? Arms spring from the bark of Yggdrasil and grab at the heroes. Ragados and M’narr try to avoid the arms while advancing forward, and 12-Bar casts Fly and takes to the air. The masked face disappears into the mounds of the hatchery. As M’narr runs in pursuit, beetles burst out and attack, but the Gith casts Thunder Step and sprints on. With the help of Astral speed, M’narr and   Ragados are soon face-to-face with the cruel ivory mask of the visage. 12-Bar catches up just in time to finish off the thing with a Dissonant Whispers . The black nothingness of its body disperses; its white mask cracks and disintegrates into the breeze. Upon seeing this, the party decides they’d rather not camp out in the wild. They head on to Crux and arrive late in the night. M’narr heads to Dymvasis Ren’s storehouses to try and get a late night discount on some inks for his spellbook, but Dymvasis is having none of it. The party kips down at the King’s Table, after anot...