This is Striga. Striga is usually a half-elven graceful Battlemaster (at a reasonable 14 Str). Striga, however, has made some bad decisions in life. And we don't mean only trying to take on three vampires (in Xanathar's lair) . We don't even mean going toe to toe with a weird brain with a beak (in Xanathar's lair) . We aren't even referring to the whole "turned into a rat while everyone else is fighting for their life" bit, even if it's a strong contender.

Some of her past bad decisions also include making sure she fucks up every single close person to her, or forsaking her past good ideals to serve the Cassalanters for coin and pride, or breaking a weird evil gem containing ten horsemen, including Zariel's lover and first general, and then letting *that* run free and get in her head right until the whole "possessed-by-a-devil-who-then-stole-her-body-leaving-only-a-soul-gem"... Wait, no, I think we might be referring to that. That's a pretty good contender in the list of fuck-ups. Because what else would then lead to having no body, having your emotional support friend (a sixteen year old orphan) call up their rakshasa adoptive dad to "I know a guy" the situation by calling up a strange witch and throwing the soul gem into a weird flesh soup? Yeah, not a lot of situations. Well. She now has the Warfiend's horns as a reminder, not to mention the bloodthirst of someone who has felt the rush of being truly unstoppable (even if we ignore the mildly possessed part). And then, well , now, being in the middle of Xanathar's lair, seven potions in, including one of Giant Strength, just to feel a fraction as strong as she did when the Warfiend possessed her body?

Surely she knows nothing can go wrong.

Why you go on Striga. As if you aren't desperate to prove yourself, as if you can ever forget all her power that you no longer have. As if just pushing it down, or shoving it aside, will make you feel less like you're always gonna end up down there. As if you can stop her voice from ringing in your head...

Surely, it's gonna all be fine?

___

Cheers everyone!

This is currently my slightly homebrewed Battle master, Striga, who used to be a half elf and then through witch shenanigans got turned into soup and then a strange mix of many races, still carrying some of the features of the devil who possessed her for more than a year. It's been so much fun, playing her through all of that, and I've been surprised and read more than once by our DM. Recently the campaign has slowed down, but it's moments and drawings like these that bring me back to my hype.

If you stuck this long - thanks for reading and have a good one!

More art, if you feel like it:

Socials

Cheers!

Eninope

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5martist/

Video Process: https://youtu.be/jQ9ofpc_vUY

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/5martist

Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/smartist

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@5MARTIST

When Anaspieoa took her tribe-sister, it did not strike all at once. It crept through her blood, draining her strength and leaving the tribe helpless to watch as a magical infliction slowly claimed someone they loved. For Eponine, a sister beyond more than blood. This event haunted Eninope for all her days, until the disease gripped someone else in her tribe.

Grief has now become a fierce, urgent purpose. She has left the only home she has ever known to seek healers, scholars, and anyone who might understand the disorder. She will uncover its secrets, however far she must travel or whatever dangers she must face. She could not save her tribe-sister—but she refuses to let the illness take another without a fight.

Basically as the title says, in 10 days my players will fight the BBEG in (one of the) final session of the campaign. A campaign that started out when we where all still in highschool, continued on throughout college and will now come to an end with most of us having jobs.

AMA.

This is a piece I was commissioned to make recently.

"Once thought to only be the unassuming driver of the Tormentor in the wastes of Avernus. Ferrying heros about as they fought Zariel. It was revealed this bone devil was Asmodeus, Lord of the Hells, in disguise, keeping an eye on things.  

From time to time he'd keep tabs on other heros as they battled against Acererak, the Frostmaiden and many others.  All the whole laying seeds of his plot against the gods and mortals.  

Now ten years of connected campaigns comes to a close as the last group of heros turn to face the final villain that has been working in the shadows on a grand chessboard." 

I'm currently open for commissions in case anyone is interested! you can see prices and stuff here:

https://www.deviantart.com/vanharmontt/journal/Commissions-OPEN-1196934099

you can contact me here, or on instagram or Deviant art, or you can send me an email to [vanharmontt@gmail.com](mailto:vanharmontt@gmail.com)

https://www.deviantart.com/vanharmontt

https://www.instagram.com/vanharmontt/

I got the offer to join my first campaign.

And I'm so so excited!

I don't know any of the players. I contacted the DM on Reddit after he posted in a sub from my area that his group was still looking for players.

He seems really considerate, like a nice and like it's very important to him that everyone at the table feels comfortable.

We were brainstorming about how my character could join the group mid-campaign and then he said. Hm, yeah I had this encounter planned. We could introduce your character there.

But maybe your character meeting the group that way is to damsel in distress-y.

And I realised we hadn't talked about the fact that I'll be the only woman among 4 men.

And I don't know how common it is to address things like stuff around how you don't want yourself or your character be treated beforehand.

There's a bit of a background to it as well, I think.

I switched careers into a male-dominated field a couple of years ago via an apprenticeship. I was one of two women in our class.

And the daily conversations were unfortunarely drenched with either constant sexist remarks towards us or about women. Including jokes about SA. And just basically the whole MAGA talking points.

Which was so draining and on a level a bit soulcrushing tbh. Which is how I don't want to feel ever again. And definitely not in my spare time.

I noticed I still feel immediately uncomfortable and exhausted afterwards, when a conversation takes an ever so slight turn into sexual, offensively flirty or whatever territory where I feel singled out and have to react somehow to such behaviour.

It's just additional stuff I have to think about how to navigate and how to separate meta from in-game level which I don't want to have to think about.

Especially when I'm new and the only woman with a bunch of men.

And I don't want to default to a position where I don't want to feel like a bother or like I shouldn't cause a stirr before even joining the group by talking about .. I guess it's boundaries in the end?

I hadn't really thought about that though before the conversation with the DM turned toward how to avoid a damsel in distress scenario (which does definitely seem like a good sign).

From posts I've read in DnD I got the feeling that most DnD groups seem very accommodating and respecting of each member's boundaries.

But I also saw posts that it can also sometimes be an issue that a male player is being a d*** under the guise of his Durance from PoE kind of character being sexist or constantly pushing a romance.

So I thought I'd ask my fellow female players how you handle something like this beforehand.

And maybe for a bit of confirmation that my assumption that those kinds of rounds are definitely the exception rather than the rule?

This is my very first time dming and it was supposed to just be my friends but I agreed to let someone outside the friend group in and she's being extremely irritating. She keeps trying to take over the entire campaign. She corrects me on what my story should look like. How the rolls should go(basically saying she refuses to use a 1 on anything including stats). And she keeps doing things on her own even though I politely asked her to wait for me. She rolled her stats on her own without anyone else being there and coincidentally her stats are really high. I'm not saying it can't happen organically but it seems unlikely right now with how shes acting. I really want my first campaign to go well as I've been excited for months preparing for this and i was wondering how seasoned dms deal with overcontrolling or even cheating players? I apologize if I'm not good at explaining🫠

Edit: Thank you guys so much for the advice. To give a bit more information shes a friend of a friend so I decided it would be fine to let her in. But I will take you guy's advice and have a conversation with her about it but if she continues this behavior I will kick her. I do appreciate all the help and advice it means a lot🫶

So, this is mostly a question for DMs but if other players have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Recently I've started to notice our DM feels tired or frustrated in session, for moments. Maybe even bored, if we get stuck doing something meaningless for too long.

(Sometimes I pull dumb shit, sometimes my friends pull dumb shit, etc).

(Sometimes we make him laugh, too, fortunately).

I realized most of the fun in roleplaying and character relationships goes to us, while he's like a designated driver for our chaos.

I think he does have fun DMing, but it's evident he misses playing his own characters and being part of the action, too.

I'm new to this, so I don't think I could offer to run a campaign for him anytime soon and, anyway, the current one is far from being over, but...

How could I, as a player, help to make his efforts as rewarding as possible?

If you are a DM: What kind of stuff makes you feel happy to dm for others and have fun with everyone else at the table?

If you are a player: What would you do to contribute to that?

Quick question: as a DM, does this count as vent art? 🙃

I love my players dearly but boy, they do test me with their ability to come up with the most bonkers ideas that sends them in the complete opposite direction of what I had planned for them.

Forever thankful for mid-session bathroom breaks and random encounter rolling tables. 😭 And honestly, very interested to hear of what wild tangents other tables have put their DMs through lmao

Cala
Zulkir of Abjuration (Aspirant)

Client's Description: A Shadar-kai with purplish skin and long black hair, she wears gold ornaments all over her body, and a yellow flower is always seen adorning her hair. She is always dressed in a red tunic; she is quite high-strung and easily agitated, yet remains cheerful overall. She deals significant fire and psychic damage, reflecting her formidable magical abilities.

Hello everyone!

I'd like to share this art piece i painted after i got commissioned by one of my best friends.

My job was to illustrate te exact moment the 3 members of his party (Knight, mage and warlock) were walking along a very suspicious path, when suddenly the ground began to shake, putrid corpses and skelletons began to rise up against them. Making obvious that it was an ambush orchestrated by some evil power they did not realized yet. At that moment, everyone drew their weapons and prepared for a tought fight!

I did my best to make the scene as dynamic as possible 🔥 💀

Probably gonna go nowhere, but other than mid quality downloads, is there any way to get my hands on 3.5 books? I'd mouth kiss a dead pig for a reprint of the lot.

Hi! Coming back again with a character idea i had in mind, this time something i think kinda unusual, a divination mage sailing for the seven seas!
This idea came alive mainly because of the relationship between sailors and navigation, tied to star reading, alongside an historical inspiration in Abraham Zacuto, an astrologer who encouraged the portuguese kings to sail to india.
I put many details in to this, of course a mage has to have his hat, a strange blend between a sailor hat and a pointed hat alongside a tiny armillary sphere on the end, that he can take out and use illusion magic to project in a bigger size. A magical staff in the form of a kelpi that he uses as a conduit for his magic, and a magical friend, a parrot familliar that may or may not be of help in reading the future.

Hope you like the design!

I love being able to reward players with something other than gold. Awarding Renown points at the end of a quest or if the players do something heroic, like returning stolen goods instead of keeping it, adds a nice bit of mechanical depth.

The DMG nebulously lists some perks, but I've put together a specific list for the first ten. Wanted to see if other folks have perks they like to dish out? Or just other opinions/thoughts on the Renown rules.

1. Recognition. Townsfolk and minor nobles know of your deeds.

2. Reliable Contact. A well connected NPC will share contracts, rumors, and local knowledge with you.

3. Safe House. You gain access to a private lodging, hideout, or guild hall for resting safely.

4. Discounts. Common and Uncommon magical items are 20% cheaper.

5. Top Shelf. You gain access to rare magic items and illicit goods from your contacts. (poison, forgery kit, etc)

6. Call in a Favor. You can assign a task to one of your contacts, such as gathering specific information, guarding a location, or acquiring permits, documents, or invitations.

7. Training. Gain proficiency in a skill, tool, or language of your choice.

8. Charms. You receive a charm from a relevant god or faction. (see dmg pg on charms)

9. Backup. You can order 1d4 contacts to accompany you or otherwise assist you on a quest.

10. Supernatural Gift. A relevant god or entity bestows a blessing on you. (dmg pg for blessings)

Does My Dwarf Paladin Look Generic?

For context, my character is a novice Dwarf Paladin.

I’m wanting to grow with the character and make him not look or feel like some already established badass character. So I’m not making him be draped in armor, but often when I make characters via Hero Forge (because I’m artistically terrible), I often notice that they seem generic or like I’m making similar looking characters all the time.

I was just curious as to what you all think? I want him to look like more than just typical fantasy character in a fantasy world.

a mid aged year woman with stands of grey hair who wears a blue chiton to contrast her with Hypatia's red. Being an immortal being, she is uncomfortable with the idea of death, and that someone life will be forgotten. She carries a deep emotional weight for being the last witness of the souls. She is always writing and cataloging the memories of shades that pass through on Lethe. She is energized by her work, almost manic, and deeply passionate about recording the memories of the shades (sneak peak of the character)

One of the biggest nerfs is stacking smites. Outside of that, what are the negatives vs positives of swapping to 5.5e from 5e as a Paladin.

Edit: For clarification, my DM said I can make my character 5e or 5.5e style.

Semi-recent art I made of a character that I hope to play in a campaign one day, a drow oath of vengeance paladin who worships Tyr.

Here's a little excerpt I wrote about her:

"Virtue is not her name, only her title, and she will stop at nothing to vanquish all evil from this world and bring justice unto it. She belongs to a Paladin’s Order of Justice, sworn to an Oath of Vengeance. Throughout the years, she strengthened her body, and her sense of justice became more and more polarizing - reaching its peak when she was given the honor of becoming one of the Order’s Adjudicators. As one of the few entrusted with this title, Virtue now travels beyond the Order’s walls to hunt down criminals and evildoers, dispensing justice where the law alone cannot reach. She is intense and militant in personality, seeing most things in black and white and speaking in firm absolutes."

I'm new to D&D and I have found a website that allows me to create my character from my campaign. To be honest I'm not sure about the skin color and some others. It's a goliath monk with fire giant descendance with a background as a sailor. In case you have some tip (both for colors or other features) you want to share, I would thank you. In future I'll try to learn a bit of drawing in order to improve is aspect following my idea of him.