EP 22 Creation and Inspiration III- Synergy

There was this old article from Cracked.com talking about the most retarded D&D monsters ever I dug up after the gigantic gelatinous cube idea came up. Was pretty funny.

Anyway, I'm totally going to write a stat block for a massive, legendary G.C. pretty soon, complete with its own lair/lair actions. Don't think I'll ever use it, but it's a fun idea.

I LOVED the idea of getting inspiration from Magic cards. While it is one geek plunge I have never taken it might be one I am willing to take here and there for sweet campaign/scenario ideas. To say that the possibilities are virtually endless is an understatement. As of 2013 there were ~11,400 unique cards, and given the amount of new cards they tend to come out with I would confidently say that there are around ~12,000 unique cards to work with!

I had been meaning to post this for some time. But, better late than never.


Above you will see the cards that I used to inspire a one-off for my group. Utilizing this link you will find a way to open packs from all the different sets throughout Magic: The Gathering's history. I chose Innistrad because I adore Gothic horror themes in my games. I did not use all the cards to help spin the yarn of my story, but I definitely like the practice of being handed randomized pieces and trying to patch them up into a compelling narrative. 

The plotline of my story was as such:
A group of Dwarves had been sent out to reopen and investigate the tale of an ancient silver mine down near one of Kossuth's Eyes. Centuries ago, a Dwarven Vampire who was a trained wizard in the School of Illusion was entombed and sealed away by clerics of Dumathoin. The colony began their operation and unbeknownst to them, as they dug into the ceiling of a high vaulted ceiling where the stone prison of the Vampire stood, the stones from above came crashing down and broke both the structure and magic sealing this evil. Freed, he began warping the minds of the colony against the Clerics of Dumathoin whom had come with them to guide them in this expedition. Utilizing his skill with illusions he disguised himself as a charismatic cleric himself who had come to warn the Dwarves of the heresies of the clerics whom they had traveled alongside. Creating illusions to further his purpose and further lock his control over the colony he seeks to once again amass an army of thralls that once wreaked havoc centuries ago.

A breakdown of the cards I used and how they fit into the story:
Mountain: The setting of the one-off. For those familiar with the Forgotten Realms, Kossuth's Eyes in particular. 
Divine Reckoning/Spectral Rider/Brimstone Volley: Our villainous Dwarven Vampire cast an illusion of a spectral rider atop a horse who rode into the mining colony. It cried out that judgement would soon be upon them for following the ill will of the so-called clerics and the Eye would soon erupt raining volcanic ash and magma down upon them. 
Smite the Monstrous: The party would have to take down two undead ogres whom the villain was able through necromancy, transform two previous clerics into these monstrous beings.
Dead Weight: The party's first view of the colony would be witnessing a public execution of the last remaining cleric by drowning out in the middle of the lake, with chains and weights to hold him beneath the surface. While our Vampire villain in disguise would decry his sins.
Think Twice: A theme in this one-off. With so many illusions being created by the villain the heroes would have to reassess what is truly there, and what is not.
Ghostly Possession: A couple of the minions utilized by the villain were two Shadow Demons who would possess members of the colony and then through the mouths of their prisoners, spell out doom, fire, and brimstone.
Ancient Grudge: The Vampire held this grudge since it was the Clerics of Dumathoin who had imprisoned him centuries before deep beneath the surface.
Vampiric Fury: While the vampire in my story never began feeding on the colony as of yet, this card was the inspiration for the villain of this story.
Ulvenwald Mystics: Two helpful NPCs whom were two druids who protected the forest alongside the mountain and sensed the reawakening of the evil being. The party was able to recruit one of them, who preceded to turn into a Dire Wolf (though a werewolf would have been cooler in hindsight) and aid them in the quest.


With my group we had started out with Mines of Phandelver as the beginning to our campaign under another DM. I have since taken over as the DM of the campaign and have been making Dwarven excursions out to old holds a running theme. They look to resurrect the old Dwarven Empires of old but two leaders seek to do through different means. Bruenor Battlehammer and those who follow him, look to do this peacefully by aligning themselves with the other powers that be in the Sword Coast. King Harnoth from Citadel Adbar - his despair turning into anger - has turned his domain inwards. Yes, the Dwarves will be powerful once more but they will do it on their own and anything that gets in the way will be crushed under the wheels of industry. Harnoth hired out a powerful necromancer to remove most of the Uthgardt tribes who rode between his lands and the High Forest to make way for farming and colonization. Now that same necromancer looks to poison the High Forest, but my party seeks to end his reign of terror currently. They will likely learn of Harnoth's ambitions, and should word reach the Western Citadels of Harnoth's actions, a Dwarven civil war may soon be on the horizon.