@NateTaylor for showing the world that being a badass and a kind, genuine person are not mutually exclusive.
@Thrawn589's work ethic, friendship, and funny voices.
@GabeJamesGames for inspiring and uplifting other creatives while being generally fly af.
@Blikimor for being incredibly cool but also encouraging
@MeredithGerber and @LaTiaJacquise for the heartwarming care that they show others, even when they are low on spoons
@dreamwisp for her insightful threads and advocacy
There are many, many people I follow worthy of praise and appreciation. If you weren't named above, please know that it's because it is currently 1am, and I am tired. ❤️
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My uncle asked me last week how I jumped from healthcare to tabletop RPGs. This is a question I get fairly often as most of my education is related to health science—can I get a Medicine check?
As boring as it may be, my answer basically boils down to "I worked really hard." 🧵
I don't have a writing degree. I wish I did, but creative pursuits were always treated as hobbies rather than legitimate careers (which isn't surprising if you knew my mom and dad's stories).
I knew I had (and still have) a lot of room to learn and grow, so I just spent every ounce of free time I had trying to level up my TTRPG skills.
At work, I would sit with this little book nearby so that if a flash of inspiration came, I'd write it down and continue working.
The first time I played a bard was in D&D 3.5. He was a pistol-twirling mountebank who stole the name, appearance, and reputation of a feared gangster—he was also a changeling.
My DM said I had to give up music to learn firearms.
On my character sheet, my instrument said "gun."
After playing a musket-wielding minotaur, I wasn't about to spend half of combat reloading!
Gil wielded two flintlocks. He'd cast Unseen Servant whenever combat was likely, giving it the command to reload his pistols. By the time one was empty, the other was freshly loaded!
I kind of hated this character by the end of the campaign. He was a real piece of work. It made me realize that I don't like playing scoundrels.
There was an embarrassing session where I felt really torn (classic "it's what my character would do"), so I retired him.
Last night we finished Descent into Avernus, a 5th Edition D&D adventure about devils, dark secrets, and redemption.
In this post-campaign thread, I'll summarize some of my thoughts about the campaign, how I ran it, and what I learned in no particular order.
Heavy spoilers.🧵
As a general disclaimer, this is not intended to be a review thread or a critique of the adventure's design.
Creating a 14-level campaign is a herculean feat. There will ALWAYS be something to nitpick, but I'd rather talk about what's to like. The team did a wonderful job. ❤️
I'm a bit of a Nine Hells expert! I got my start on the #DMsGuild before this book dropped, and before the players ever reached the Avernus section, I'd written or contributed to 5 hellish supplements, three of which are now Mithral Best sellers (in the top 1% of the guild)!
In our D&D game, the artificer's current armor is possessed by an ancient pit fiend (long story). The armor can do some really powerful stuff, but she has to willingly relinquish some control to the pit fiend to use it.
Her faceplate snaps shut and begins to glows with hellfire.
She's used it a few times now, and it's clear that the pit fiend gets stronger each time she does so.
The pit fiend amplifies whatever she does, but he craves destruction and, unlike the artificer, doesn't care if the party is in the blast radius.
Last session, the party was battling their toughest caster yet and two chain devils.
With two characters restrained in chains, and another on the ropes, the artificer spoke to the pit fiend.
"Are you awake?"
The armor hummed as a voice purred back from the darkness. "Always."
In our D&D game, devils can stop time in Hell if it means a soul is up for bargain.
A character is about to have their head lopped off by a fire giant? The blade pauses inches from their neck, the giant frozen mid-swing.
A pair of yellow eyes stares at them from the darkness.
It leads to some really cool exchanges before an event takes place, especially in combat.
I never trick my players with a deal! The dice are always on the table, but it's up the player if their character wants to fix the odds in their favor—for a price, of course. 😈
Since devils can perma-die in hell, I like the idea of giving them some sort of story-based planar ability like this.
It also feels metal that all of Hell stops if it means someone may trade their soul.
Outside of the Nine Hells, only archdevils can do this in my game!