Today's issue of EN5ider gets down and dirty in Chokewater swamp, a bog of death and decay fiercely guarded over by an ancient power that deters trespassers by making use of a deadly servant: Jaxi the Blightgunner!
Lately on EN5ider:
- 316. Villain Spotlight: Jaxi the Blightgunner. Although they are certainly places of decay and death, swamps are also home to a great deal of life and they bustle with activity—the popping of gasses rising out of the muck, the chittering of insects ever searching for food, and in Chokewater, the clack of colliding lead firing off an explosive charge from Jaxi's rifle! The Blightgunner has fiercely protected her lair for 16 years now, though she has long since ceased loving her home and desperately searches for a way to escape its influence without giving up the powers it has bestowed upon her. In addition to her statblock (CR 7) this article includes a trio of magic items: an acid bullet recipe, drypowder, and Thorncase. Designed by Peter Martin, illustrated by Herman Lau and Savage Mojo.
- 315. Gamemaster Characters: Recruiting Followers & Pets. After finding an orphaned baby displacer beast, enlightening the misguided apprentice to a mad wizard, or helping a lonely dire lion heal an injury making it aggressive there are many adventuring groups that won't want to abandon a wayward NPC or monster—instead they'll plead to include it in the party. Let them and use this article to guide the process, utilizing the mechanics for Morale, Goals, and Recruitment to determine how long a GMC (gamemaster character, one shared between the GM and the PCs) sticks around, how loyal they are, and when it's time for them to go. Designed by Tyler Omichinski, illustrated by Rafael Benjamin.
- 314. Mini-Adventure: Cold Love. The seasons should have passed but spring still hasn't arrived—almost as if winter's chill is stalking the adventurers. Soon they realize the truth of the situation and discover that one of the party members has inadvertently won over the love of a powerful cold elemental, Gelissa the Spirit of Winter, and though her affection for them might be red hot it's too cool to be sustained. While notes are included to play through the module all at once, this supplemental adventure is designed to be added to an existing campaign as an engaging sidequest for 4-5 PCs of 5th-9th level. Wonderfully designed by Andrew Angelbrite, illustrated by Claudio Pozas, and featuring the cartography of Dyson Logos.
- 313. Intriguing Organizations: Which Watch? In every city adventurers tread one thing remains constant: there's probably a city watch or local police force. Usually these guards only come into play when the plot requires it or a group of PCs start brazenly breaking the law, but minor as they often are that doesn't mean that all city watches will be the same. That's where this article shines—use these templates and guides to rapidly change these often overlooked NPCs into an engaging (and intriguing) force for good, evil, law, or profit, adding a realistic and tangible aspect to the game that makes the local police an interesting element in any given settlement. Brilliantly penned by Eran Aviram; illustrated by Indi Martin.
- 312. ZEITGEIST #9 - The Last Starry Sky: Part 2. The name of the game in the second half of this module is regicide! These 36 pages bring a narrative close to ZEITGEIST's 9th adventure with 7 maps and 27 (!) different NPCs involved in plots to assassinate King Aodhan. Catherine Romana (CR 9), Senior Ghost Councilor (CR 10), Ghost Council Detachment (CR 12), Skeletal Dragon Tyrant (CR 18), Professor Bugge (CR 13), Dread Wight (CR 9), Flayed Dire Jaguar (CR 10), Bleak Gate Killer (CR 13), Obscurati Squad (CR 7), Bleak Lantern Golem (CR 10), Wraith Assassination Horde (CR 11), Danoran Company (CR 11), Steam Walker (CR 13), Danoran Lookout (CR 3), Lya Jierre [ghost version] (CR 16), Draconic Witchoil Golem (CR 16), Risuri Elite Squad (CR 7), Staircase Mimic (CR 13), Doppelganger Agent (CR 13), and finally Roland Stanfield (CR 17) and his CR 13 incarnations (Swordsman, Conspirator, Sorcerer, Loremaster, Holy Warrior, Politician, and Technologist). If you are GMing any high-level games you should definitely snag this issue!
