Vile Bile (Something For Green Dragonborn Assassins)

Folks who stop by my blog know that Improved Initiative is more of a place to remix concepts and builds with existing rules than a place where I brew up totally new stuff. However, when it comes to 5th Edition, barely a session of the campaign I'm in goes by where I don't notice a big gap that is just calling out to be filled in with fresh content.

So this week I thought I'd present something I'm going to try out that other folks might like as well. I call it Vile Bile, in honor of the foul-mouthed, foul-tempered, hard-drinking, blackmailing, vicious, incorrigible maniac I'm currently playing.

The hell you looking at, softskin?

For folks interested in some of my other thoughts for 5th Edition, check out Method in The Madness (A Structure For Wild Magic Surge Rolls in 5th Edition).

Vile Bile (A Poisoner's Best Friend)

Green dragons are unique, in that no other breed can belch forth the clouds of noxious vapors they can foment inside their gullets. While most adventurers are not foolish enough to approach a full-grown green with the intent of harvesting the power of its breath weapon, it is possible for someone with the proper knowledge to get the necessary ingredients from the lesser children of these dragons.

If someone has access to either a willing green dragonborn or a green dragon, it is possible to extract a single use of their breath weapon for the day. The poison gas must be blown into a kettle or a cauldron with a sealed stopper. The vapors must then be alternatively heated and cooled over a two-hour process. The kettle will release terrible fumes, but while they will smell awful, they won't be deadly. At the end of the two hour process, the inside of the kettle will have a thin layer of highly poisonous resin in it. That resin can be smeared on a weapon, or if tea is made in the pot it can be infused into a drink (though the green tint may make some drinkers suspicious).

No, it's supposed to taste like that. Don't worry.

In either case, the person brewing the Vile Bile must make a DC 15 check using a poisoner's kit in order to properly craft the poison. Once it's been crafted, there are as many doses as there are d6's of the breath weapon that was used. The poison uses the same save as that breath weapon, as well, making the bile of powerful dragons and dragonborn much deadlier than that of younger, less-seasoned ones.

Only a single dose (1d6 of poison damage, with the appropriate save for half damage) can be applied to a single bolt or arrow at a time. Additionally, only a single dose can be put into a single cup of tea. However, up to two doses can be placed on light weapons, up to three on one-handed, non-light weapons, and as many as four on heavy weapons. No matter how many doses are placed on a weapon at a single time, all of them activate on the first hit made with it (so if you swing a greatsword with 4 doses of Vile Bile on it, then you add 4d6 of poison damage with the appropriate save for half damage). Once the poison has been spent, it needs to be re-applied, and every dose requires an Action to apply. Due to the nature of Vile Bile, as long as the weapon is not washed or scoured, the poison remains indefinitely.

The additional benefit of Vile Bile is that the specific dragon or dragonborn whose breath weapon is used as the base component is immune to its effects. This allows them to apply it to unarmed strikes or natural weapons without worrying about the toxin threatening them. It also means they can drink beverages brewed from their own breath weapons without damage; a trick that has been used by those with devious intent to get a drop on their foes before they know they're being attacked.

Would You Like To See More?

If you'd like to see more content like this from me, then let me know in the comments below! And it doesn't hurt if you share it around with your groups, either. The more eyes I get on something, the more likely I am to do a repeat performance.

Also, don't forget to check out some of my other 5th Edition creations!

- False Valor: The first module in the Critical Hits series, a murder mystery with a race against time to find the guilty party, and prevent an old war from sparking back to life!

- A Baker's Dozen of Rumours (And The Truth Behind Them): 13 rumors, each one meaty enough to build an entire session around, that you can weave into your campaigns lore, or play with as separate one-shots.

- 100 Bits of Miscellaneous Tat To Find: When you want to give out loot that's worth less than a gold piece, here's some cheap-as-dirt swag for adventurers to find.

- 100 Pieces of Flotsam and Jetsam to Find on a Beach: From wrecked ships, to buried bodies, to cursed coins, to lost fish familiars, there's a little bit of everything in this collection.

- 100 Encounters For On The Road or In The Wilderness: If your party is walking down the road, or cutting through the trees, what will they find? Bandits, lost shrines, buried treasures, and more!

- 100 Encounters in a Fey Forest: From half-mad oracles, to moving clearings, to tiny sentinels mounted on dragonflies, there is never a dull moment when you're traveling a fey forest.

That's all for this latest Crunch installment! If you'd like to see more of my work, remember to check out my Vocal, Gamers, and Dungeon Keeper Radio pages. Also, if you're looking for a new book to read, take a look at My Amazon Author Page where you'll find stuff like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife!

If you want to stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And if you want to help me keep making content just like this, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today! Every little bit helps, trust me on that one.

Your Story Progression Doesn't Have to be Linear (Even if Your Levels Are)

We all know how character advancement works in class-based systems. You start off at level 1 as little more than a pest removal agent, and you fight, cast, and plot your way to level 15 or 20 where you're ruling over nations, or winning wars with a wave of your hand. However, because level progression is linear, we also tend to tell stories that are linear. Bob the Fighter got tired of being a farmer, and left home at 17 to see the world, and make his fortune. A dozen years later, he's become a champion of nations, and his name is a whispered legend in the iron trade.

Also, only his childhood friends get away with calling "Robert the Red" by "Bob" these days.

However, it should be noted that nowhere in the level progression sections of our favorite games does it state that when we gain a new level, or when we multiclass, that we are necessarily learning unfamiliar skills. While the books make suggestions for explaining where you picked up new skills (like the ever-popular, "the wizard has been tutoring the bard, and thus the bard now takes a level of wizard," example), I'd like to propose an alternative.

That alternative is non-linear character progression.

What, Precisely, Does That Mean?

Flavor and mechanics need to work together. Your mechanics have to support your story, and your story has to inform your mechanics. However, it's also important to remember that your level does not, necessarily, dictate the story you're telling. Put another way, not every first-level character is a kid, out on their own for the first time. Some of them are characters coming out of retirement, who may be a little rusty on their former skills, or people who have forgotten, lost, or had stolen from them who they once were.

I've been a city guard for ten years. I don't know if I've got it in me to take on a dragon again.

I first covered this idea in The First Level Badass (Freeing Your Backstory From Level Restraints), but there was a practical use for non-linearity that I didn't hit too hard when I wrote that previous post. Namely that there are a lot of feats, prestige classes, and other mechanical concerns that have a story requirement to them. For example, in order for you to become an assassin, you have to be evil aligned, and kill someone for no purpose other than to take levels of this class. So how do you make that work if you also want to have levels of paladin?

It's quite simple, really. You were an assassin in your younger years, but you left that life behind, and turned your skills to a more righteous cause.

Storywise, that likely means your character starts out older than one would expect. He has a varied history, and some skills you wouldn't expect a righteous warrior to have. Things that are easily done by taking the right background traits at character creation, and perhaps dipping a few levels into rogue for the sneak attack, and better skill ranks. Mechanically, the character still needs to have the necessary skill ranks to take the class. However, the evil alignment and requirement to kill someone were taken care of in his backstory. It isn't that he's only just now learning these skills; he's always had them, but has simply not used them. And in many cases, actually using them would break his paladin oath, which explains why he never put those abilities to use as a story tool.

If that sort of scenario interests you, then you might also want to check out 5 Paladin Multiclass Characters (You'll Never Expect). Just saying.

This works for almost any situation that has a purely flavor requirement. In 3.5 you had to spend several years in the Underdark before you could take levels of Dungeon Delver. In Pathfinder, you need to slay a devil with HD greater than your own to take levels of Hellknight. This list goes on, but I think you get the idea.

If You Like It, Give It A Try

This is not a technique I would recommend for newer players. In order to make a non-linear story work with linear mechanics, you have to be a deft hand at both roleplaying, and at explaining what's going on in your current story. You need to make sure that mechanical inconsistencies jive with what's happening in regards to your story.

Most importantly, though, you need to be sure that you, and your DM, are on the same page regarding your character, and where you're going with it. Not every DM is going to be comfortable with this sort of storytelling, especially if it's used to justify flavor prerequisites for abilities or prestige classes. However, it is an option, and if you want to give it a whirl, then you might find it to your liking.

Hopefully folks found this week's Fluff post interesting, even if it's not something you'd consider doing at your table. Often all you have to do is mention something is possible to start expanding horizons. If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, all you have to do is stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, and leave a little bread in my jar. All it takes is $1 a month, and you'll get some sweet swag from me as thanks! Lastly, if you haven't done so yet, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter?

The Broken Mirror Part Two: Through The Mirror Darkly

This week we delve deeper into the mysterious tale of The Talented Mr. Ripley, a darkling with no memory of who he is, or what he was. The Mirrorskin seems to be nothing more than a pale reflection of those around him, slipping into the background of any conversation or scene with total ease. Of course, there's more beneath his cracked surface than meets the eye, as we find out in the second installment. If you missed any of the previous installments, get yourself up-to-date with this list.

The Broken Mirror Part One: The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Broken Mirror Part Two: Through The Mirror Darkly
The Broken Mirror Part Three: The Dark Side of The Moon
The Broken Mirror Part Four: The Moon Court Madman
The Broken Mirror Part Five: Madness Comes Home to Roost

All caught up? Grand! Now then, to continue our tale...

A Cold Heart, and a Cold Job

Mr. Ripley has been lurking around the freehold, trying to find some way to establish himself. He's light-fingered, and though his presence barely registers, his honeyed words can often get people to change their minds, while still thinking it was their idea in the first place. He's surviving mostly as a grifter, changing his face and look whenever he needs in order to move unseen, and unnoticed.

He might have kept on like that, never really asking what was lurking beneath his surface. Of course, when money comes calling, empty pockets sit up and listen.

Dirty work always leaves the glass smudged, but the smoker's hands completely clean.

A Winter courtier in town, owner of several high-class establishments, had recently been hassled by a pack of bent cops. Business-as-usual in the Windy City. She tried to buy them off, but they wouldn't take her money. Humiliated, offended, and with her pride severely smudged, she wanted payback. She wanted to send a message, but she wanted that message sent by someone else.

Someone disposable.

As soon as he was alone with her, Ripley became little more than a magic mirror, reflecting calm chill as she told him what she wanted done. He nodded, and didn't turn so much as a hair when she offered him $10,000 per head to take out the lot of them. He asked for a small, up-front cost to cover his needs, and told her it would be done. They shook, and he walked into the night with murder on his mind.

Have You Done This Before?

Mr. Ripley was not a fighter. Thin and light, he was easy to mistake, or overlook. His hands knew their business, though, and as soon as he picked up a zip gun he examined the mechanism, checked the rounds, and slipped it up his sleeve. Next he acquired a vest, and a clipboard. Then he found out all there was to know about the targets he'd been assigned. Three of them were married, and lived in the suburbs. One was single, and had an apartment in the city. The four of them got together at least once a week for a night of garage poker.

The ducks were in a row, and all he had to do was burn them down.

Hello? Mr. Gas Man calling...

The apartment dweller was first. Ripley waited until he was home, and getting ready for his night out, before knocking on the door. The cop answered the door shirtless and in jeans, and when Ripley offered the clipboard he took it to examine the form. While he was reading, Ripley lifted the .22 street heater he'd bought off a gutter-dwelling gun runner, and double tapped him in the forehead. Two spurts of blood, two sharp cracks, and no witnesses.

Ripley stepped into the apartment, and tidied up. He dragged the body into the Hedge, leaving it there before he started dressing himself in the dead cop's clothes. Keys, wallet, badge, jacket, and especially his gun. Ripley stood in front of the mirror, and slipped into the other man's skin, checking every facet of himself until he fit just right. Then he drove across town to the poker game.

It was a typical guy's night. Scotch was being poured, beers were being drunk, and every round someone was putting in too many chips. Ripley kept his smile going, and kept the drinks flowing, too. He waited, and waited, but there was never a moment when the guys started getting really sloppy. So, when the host's wife was 20 minutes from home, Ripley got another beer. Then, distracting the table by setting it down with one hand, he started shooting with the other.

His card buddies were shocked, but they recovered fast. One went down with a round in the head, and another took two to the chest before he fell over. The third managed to put a slug through Ripley's shoulder before the Mirrorskin returned fire, emptying the rest of the clip into him. All the men dead, and Ripley just barely managing to hold onto his face, he stuffed a wadded shirt against the wound to maintain pressure, and drove with sirens blaring back into the city. Once he got there, he parked in an alley on the south side, and drenched the car in liquor. He opened the gas tank, stuffed the bloody rag way down into the fill hole, and fired it up.

Then he stumbled into the darkness, his face creaking and cracking. He didn't know it, but he was crying. If you'd asked him why, he probably wouldn't have been able to tell you.

This is, of course, not the end of the tale. Far from it, in fact. Next time, though, you'll find out that friends, and enemies alike come out of the woodwork when the blood starts flowing. So, stay tuned for The Broken Mirror: Dark Side of The Moon!

As always, if you liked this week's installment of Table Talk, then why not spread the word? Like it, share it, and tell all your friends about it. Also, if you're feeling generous, why not stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to toss a little bread in my jar? All it takes is $1 a month to keep the content flowing, and you get some sweet swag on top of it! Lastly, if you haven't done so yet, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, too?

A Rapier Hidden Inside A Snake Bracelet

Hidden weapons are one of the tricks of the trade when it comes to roleplaying games. Rogues and ninjas are practically guaranteed to have at least one dagger on their person that won't be found before they're locked up, along with a few other odds and ends that will help them break out of nearly any prison cell. Canny duelists and back alley brawlers know that sometimes an unexpected blade, or a fist weight, can be what really turns the tide in their favor. However, reality is sometimes a lot more badass than fiction. That is definitely the case involving what most people refer to as the snake rapier.

No big deal. Nothing to see here.

It doesn't look like much, right? Just a detailed silver bracelet that's a little too large for the average bard. However, as you see on We Waste Time, the surprise hidden in this piece of jewelry is unexpected in the extreme.

Roll initiative.

What you're looking at is a fine example of 19th century Toledo steel from Spain. The blade is 7 millimeters thick, 20 millimeters wide, and 810 millimeters long. For those of you who haven't been to science class in a while, the conversion for that is a blade that's over two and a half feet long, and that holds an edge and a point as deadly as any other rapier. The blade is dated in the year 1846, and inscribed with the words Acargo del Cuerno de Artilleria.

That is one hell of a back-up weapon.

Thanks for dropping in on Monday's update! If you'd like to make sure you don't miss a single post, then plug your email address into the box on the right, or follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter. If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then go to my Patreon page and become a patron today!

Never underestimate how far as little as $1 a month can go.

Tips For Playing Evil Characters (Your DM Might Allow)

We've all been there. You're gaming along with your friends and the DM asks everyone if they'd like to add a new player to the group. You all say sure, no problem, the more the merrier. The new player shows up, and seems like a good enough sort, but as soon as you sit down to play suddenly there are dead babies in the gutters, the whole village is on fire, and summoned demons are playing "Rape and Pillage" right alongside a horde of undead.

Why? Because the DM let an evil member into the party.

Don't be judgmental guys; I'm sure he's just misunderstood.

For those who want to avoid these negative experiences (again, if you've had them before) you have two options. One is to never, ever allow evil characters into a game, period, no appeal, discussion over. The other is to make sure that players understand what evil characters are, and are not. This second one is harder, but Improved Initiative is here to give you a handy dandy guide to break it down.

No One Is Evil "Just Because"

Provided you are of a mortal race evil is not something you're born with; it's a lifestyle choice. There are characters for whom evil comes more naturally, or who were exposed to that culture early on, but no one is an evil bastard just sitting in a crib and sucking on his thumb.

Except Sir Troll Knight. He murdered the nursery and stole their binkies.

Like I said when I covered writing villains for fiction, being evil is just as complicated and varied an experience as being good. Some of the things to consider are:

- What culture was your character born into?

- What role models did this character have growing up?

- What formative experiences made the character go one way or another?

- What does this character want, and what will he or she do to achieve it?

Let's take a good example... the best example, one might say; the Paladin. Let's say that this noble paragon was born to a good family where he was valued and encouraged. He was schooled and trained young, and showed an aptitude for arts knightly and scholarly. Praised for his skills and abilities, he also had a mentor who tempered his pride and helped him see beyond himself so that one day he would be a good man, and a champion against evil.

At any point in this journey the character could have skewed the other way.

Screw it up out of the gate, and the character is born into a home where she isn't wanted, or is mistreated. Whether it's physical abuse that teaches violence is the answer to problems, or just an indifference leading the character to seek belonging and affection elsewhere, that's a bad start to things. Instead of being taught fairness and honor the character learns how to fight the hard way, with blood and spit, dirty tricks and knives in the back. Now an individual who is feared, the character uses that fear as a shield to keep herself safe emotionally and physically, but has to keep doing things to fit the persona of a terror in order to maintain the image. If the character has no one to reach out to, or worse a mentor that takes her by the hand and leads her down darker and darker paths, you'll end up with someone who may not even remember why she used to feel sick when peeling the skin off of her rivals before staking them out as a warning to others.

No one sees him or herself as a bad person; in fact, most people think they're pretty damn heroic (with the exception of lunatics and psychopaths). People do things based on what is reinforced, and what works to get them closer to their goals.

Speaking of which...

Evil Characters Should Have Plans

Have you ever noticed that villains always seem to have really specific goals in mind? Take over a government, dominate a world, summon an elder god, etc.? Bad guys are highly motivated, and often times a hell of a lot more motivated than heroes. That's why good guys need to lose family members more often than not before they decide it's time to act.

Also, they get toys like this. Seriously, go check it out now!

Yes we know your character is evil, and thanks to the previous section we may even know why your character is evil. But what does your character want? Evil is a description of the methods you're using, but you need to know the end goal before you start justifying things to your DM.

Villain goals and hero goals are drawn from the same pool (though villains do get some unique ones all to themselves). Let's keep it simple though. What does a vicious cutthroat want? Job security and gold perhaps? Maybe the chance to get a bounty taken off his head, or to win a position of authority and privilege? Those are some pretty basic goals. How do you get them? Well if there's a peaceful, idyllic setting then you could murder the lord's wife, blame it on someone else, and then play the hero to collect social currency and reward. On the other hand if there's a perfectly good war already on then all you have to do is sign yourself up with the highest paid position you can find, and rake in all the cash your sword arm can reach.

Evil characters can be simple or complicated, and the same is true of their goals. A commoner born in the gutter might do everything in his power to amass wealth and power regardless of its morality just to comfort himself and gain distance from those early, painful memories (even while running an orphanage so no one else ever has to experience what he did). A wizard who wants to unlock the secrets of great power might start off with mortal teachers, but quickly find that infernal ones are much more generous with their secrets. A girl who was born crippled or weak might give herself to a secret cabal body and soul, if only they'll make her strong.

Heavy stuff, am I right?

It's About More Than Eating Babies

I mentioned it a few sentences ago, but I'm going to say it again; evil can be complicated. Did you spy on your comrades for gold and prestige? Sure you did. Did you sell them out to their enemies in exchange for keeping a vow to your true masters? It looks like you did that too. Does that mean you can't love your children, treat your servants well, or have a good marriage with your partner?

No, as it turns out.

Though a lot of evil characters do need couples' counseling.

Just because someone's methods or goals are evil, that doesn't mean that character is one-sentence shallow. A vicious serial killer who preys on prostitutes may hold his wife in a very high regard, for instance. Does that make him a good person? No of course it doesn't; he's still a murderous monster, but he's complex, which is what gives a character a lot of drive and typically allows him or her to work in a group setting.

Evil Understands Consequences

Up until now a lot of experienced gamers have been nodding and scrolling; they know all this. They understand that murderous graveknights and lich lords were once someone's sons and daughters, and that a whole lifetime of events led up to them becoming what they are. Well this last principle cannot only make an evil character work in a non-evil party, but it can keep an evil party from coming apart at the seams.

No DM-ex-machina required.

Lots of players want to play evil characters because of the forbidden thrill. It's the same reason people in sandbox games go around beating up NPCs and car-jacking people even when they don't have to; it's the thrill of being a bad guy. There's nothing wrong with that, per se. That thrill lets you know you're having fun, after all. You just need to remember one very important thing.

Actions have consequences.

Why are heroes rewarded for their actions? Because they're doing good deeds (ostensibly). Will you get those same rewards even if you're evil? Yes, because we're awarding your actions and not your thoughts or feelings. Did the good character fight goblins to keep the town safe and to return that lost gold to those in need? Probably. So why is the evil character fighting alongside him? To steal the plunder perhaps? To win the hearts and minds of the townsfolk so he can sweep an election and rise to a governing position? Is it because the goblins are making a lot of noise and drawing attention, and the cult the evil character belongs to wants to assure the town that there is no danger so they stop asking so many questions? These are all possibilities.

Regardless of your motives, doing good deeds gets you rewards. Also regardless of your motives doing evil deeds gets you reviled.

By and large evil characters are aware that their method of doing things is not embraced by society as a whole. Assassins don't stand there dumbfounded when people try to arrest them for murder, servants of gods of pain and slaughter aren't surprised when the watch batters down their doors, and poisoners who get caught are not in the least bit shocked when they're thrown in prison. That's why evil characters tend to either operate in places where their evil is tolerated (such as in countries who worship dark gods where there are no laws against these actions), or to keep their actions secret.

That's why unless the evil character has come to trust a party implicitly it's unlikely that he's going to advocate killing helpless captives, maiming and torturing children, or doing any of a hundred other things. It's the same reason why, just because someone is evil, it doesn't mean she's a walking murder machine willing to lie, cheat, and steal every ten feet. If it doesn't serve an evil character's purposes (achieving a goal, personal pleasure, profit or gain) then it's unlikely she'll do it. If the action would serve but comes with too high a risk (summoning demons in public, raising the dead where witnesses might see, calling on fell powers to aid you in front of the party, killing helpless individuals even though they weren't presently a threat when others might see, killing the party rogue whom you expressly keep around to search for traps just before a dungeon crawl) then it's equally unlikely an evil character would take it.

The short version? People too often mistake "being an absolute asshole" with "just playing my alignment." That's true of almost any character though.

If you'd like to help keep Improved Initiative going then stop by my Patreon page and become a patron today! If you want to make sure you catch all of my updates then follow me on Facebook and Tumblr as well!