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Today, Dang Dude, What the Heck? presents another Dungeons & Dragons adventure! You can see the previous one here. If you’ve never played D&D before this is a pretty good starting point!
So what is this pre-made adventure? What does it include? Well, a few things. One, it describes a world for you and your group to play in. Two, it details some of the rules of that world. Three, it gives the outlines of a basic story and sets up some NPCs. Fourth, and finally, it sets up a place for future adventures to take place, ones concocted, and hopefully, influenced by playthroughs of this.
So what doesn’t it do? It doesn’t lay out every step of the story. It sets up some goals and initial conditions. The fun is in how people go through those, I think. Having to do stuff is never fun. It doesn’t come up with a bunch of pre-made dungeons, mostly due to the fact that doing that would have been a lot of work and no one is paying me to do it. It also doesn’t provide a bunch of stat blocks for pre-made characters/enemies/whatever, because you – read, an online generator – can do that yourself. There’s also no map, but you can generate one yourself. Or use graphpaper.
So go ahead to use this for free! Or Venmo me for it if you want. Or pay to subscribe to this. If you have any questions about the game, just let me know. I’ll answer them for you. Have fun!
This Adventure is called Revenge of the Wild
Introduction:
Revenge of the Wild is a pre-made D&D campaign. It takes place in Declan’s Bond, one of the many realms of Multiverse. Feel free to share with your friends!
General Information
Guidelines for Revenge of the Wild’s campaign:
· Campaign uses mechanics of whichever edition you want to use.
· Dungeon master and players need only this document and D&D Basic Rules. D&D Basic Rules document is available for free online.
Copyright stuff:
· Revenge of the Wild is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Preparations
This campaign is made for beginner-advanced DMs and beginner-advanced players. Players can either create new characters of their own, or bring in their long-standbys.
Step 1 - Create characters
Give your character at least one reason for why they’re here.
Step 2 - Play the game!
Main quest
Players will choose how they complete the main quest, but the main objective will be the same:
Defeat The Machine Lord
Adventurers have been recruited by the Gods of the Wild. The Gods of the Wild wish for the adventuring party to act as their catspaws on Declan’s Bond. The main foe is the dread Machine Lord. The Gods of the Wild consider the adventurer’s duties complete when the Machine Lord is dead and his infernal inventions snuffed out. Characters will be richly rewarded in both gold, and knowledge if they are successful.
Each character chooses at least one of these motives or plans a new one with dungeon master.
1d8 (If you do not want to make up your own motive, simply roll one eight-sided die and choose the corresponding number on the chart below)
Reason to fight for the Gods of the Wild
The Machine Lord killed my family in his quest for power.
I worship the Gods of the Wild and have pledged myself to serve them.
The Gods of the Wild pay better than the Machine Lord
I hate technological progress and wish for it to stop
A prophecy foretold that I would be the one to stop the Gods of the Wild
I wish to replace the Machine Lord and steal his power
I am worried about the future of Declan’s Bond and do not wish to see it destroyed
Serving the Gods of the Wild will allow me to wreak havoc and not get in trouble
Possible activities for Adventurers:
The DM is of course encouraged to flesh out these ideas as they wish. Or even plan your own?
· Figuring out The Machine Lord’s weaknesses – The Machine Lord is strong, but has several blind spots that may be exploited.
· Fighting The Machine Lord’s minions – who knows what information they may give up?
· Infiltrating the Church of the Machine Lord – It’s Priests may be the key to toppling this new empire.
· Undergoing the Rites of Change – what changes will the Gods of the Wild wrought upon your form
· Exploring the lost caves of Declan’s Bond – who knows what mysteries may lie within?
· Finding your way through the maze that is Havensgate – what secrets of the Machine Lord will you find within?
Background Information
Region related details
Location: Faynreal is an Earth-like planet, one of the worlds of the Multiverse. The Revenge of the Wild takes place on the largest landmass known to most as Declan’s Bond.
Environment: Declan’s Bond has a diverse ecological system, with deserts, ice caps, mountain ranges, great plains, river valleys, etc etc. The climate of Declan’s Bond is largely temperate. Fresh water is abundant in all but the farthest reaches north and east, which are very mountainous and a vast desert respectively. It is quite possible, and profitable to farm in the vast majority of Declan’s Bond, though much of the land remains forest as the population has not grown enough to require a vast amount of farmland. The west coast of Declan’s Bond has abundant fishing and is much closer to sea level than the rest of the landmass. There are six other large landmasses on Faynreal and countless islands. Declan’s Bond has largely peaceful contact with them. Though this could be changing in the near future. Declan’s Bond has about 9 million square miles, just slightly smaller than North America.
Population: Declan’s Bond has about 500,000 inhabitants spread over it’s vast lands. As such large cities are few and far between with most conscious beings preferring to live in small communities and villages. Half-elves, humans, elves, orcs, gnomes and dwarves make up the majority of the population. Dragonborn, Halflings, Half-Orcs, Tieflings, and other assorted races all exist in Declan’s Bond but in much smaller numbers. They by and large co-exist, though some latent prejudices against Orcs exist, largely stoked by persistent rumors of human sacrifice that have no basis in reality.
History: Declan’s Bond has been around for a while. It was named for a hero of the Forgotten Age, Declan Winters. After conquering the continent Declan declared that he would protect this land from that day forward until time itself stopped. Many people still believe that if Declan’s Bond ever faces extinction than Declan Winters himself will return from the dead to save them from their destruction. There have even been rumblings of such a figure from across the ocean who has named himself Declan reincarnate. Since Declan there has not been a single ruler of all of the Bond. Most villages are overseen by a mayor and pay a small tribute to the nearest of the two large cities, but most don’t even do that. The small population and distance between powers means that most people have been left alone to rule themselves. For a long time Declan’s Bond has maintained a technological level similar to that of the late European Middle Ages. The last few years however has seen a wellspring of new technology through the Bond. Based mostly on new discoveries in the fields of steam power and chemistry vast advances have been made in material and physical sciences. These new leaps in technology have occurred at the same time as the rise of a powerful figure known only as “The Machine Lord.” The Machine Lord has used their influence and power to rule in all but name the two main cities of Samar’s Keep and Havensgate.
Commerce: There are two main cities, Samar’s Keep and Havensgate.These two cities control most of the economy of Declan’s Bond. Until recently they had almost nothing to do with each other, trading only indirectly. They sit on hundreds of miles apart from each other Samar’s Keep on the West coast and Havensgate on the South. However, since The Machine Lord’s forces took power they have communicated far more effectively through some unknown means, and as a result have coordinated far more closely with each other. The Machine Lord’s forces have been building up the cities, mainly through forced conscription of nearby villagers and increased taxes on far-flung cities.
Government: Until recently Declan’s Bond was largely a patchwork of small villages tied together through trade networks focused around one of the two cities. Recently however, the new Machine Lord has consolidated control of the cities and increased the tax burden wherever it can. Most villages are run by a mayor and a small group of elders who make democratic decisions.
Religion: There are two main religions on Declan’s Bond, both of which cut across race and class lines. The oldest and most popular reveres the The Gods of the Wild. These Gods are present in the lives of everyday people and most people have interacted and dealth with them more than once. There are nine of them. Recently a new Church, the Church of the Machine God has risen up in the cities and some of the surrounding villages. Their priests preach of the power of the Machine Lord and punish those who do not follow their strictures.
Magic: Magic is common and abundant in Declan’s Bond, though some practitioners have said that they have found it more and more difficult to do the simplest of spells in recent years.
Region related factions
The Gods of the Wild are the ancient source of morality, guidance. They have long helped prevent droughts, famines and cured diseases. They can also be capricious, though not overly so. Thee rise of the Machine Lord has sapped some of their power and they wish to stop him. Their main base of support lies among the people not living in the cities.
The Followers of Machine Lord fight for and worship the Machine Lord. Largley lead by city dwellers their influence is spreading throughout the country. They have managed to take over the cities and are recruiting more to their cause, often through malignant means every day.
Important Individuals
Once again DM’s can feel free to change the names/races of any of these characters, invent new ones as needed for whatever purposes they wish.
The Machine Lord is a new force in Declan’s Bond. Appearing out of nowhere about six years ago they have risen to the become the highest power in the Bond. Only a select few have seen the Machine Lord and their appearance is not widely known. The priests speak of the Lord as the perfect melding of being and machine, though they are careful not to state either the race or gender of the Machine Lord. What little is known is that they probably reside in Havensgate, and there are rumors that the Lord was once a priest of the Gods of the Wild who underwent the Rites of Change. (For DM Only. The Machine Lord is one of the nine Gods of the Wild, Alvayn, who was punished by the others and made to undergo the Rites of Change turning them into a mixture of human and machine monstrosity. The Machine Lord does have a weakness, they needs a power source to keep going. If this gets shut down, they will eventually weaken.)
The Nine Gods of the Wild are the nine Gods of Declans Bond. They are Kath, Prinmar, Alvayn, Iodon, Gar, Banchin, Logar ,Tetran, and Reep. Each has many forms that they can take though they often prefer to appear as simple animals such as deer, squirrels, or birds. They can be in many places at once, including the astral plane. They largely promote keeping to the old ways of simple farming and trading. Alvayn is said to love the people of the Bond the most, but has not been seen by anyone in recent months. (For DM Only. Alvayn was forced to undergo the Rites of Change by the other Gods turning them into the Machine Lord. The eight claim that he betrayed their trust by trying to push the residents of Declan’s Bond into a new age.
High Priest Jordan Whiteoak is an Orc who has risen to the position of High Priests of the Gods of the Wild. He is the one who hires you to undergo this quest.
Howan Right, a dwarf, is the head priest of the Machine Lord. From the mountains out North, it is said that she is the closest to the Machine Lord, and knows many secrets that no one else does.
Cities, Services and NPCs
Decland’s Bond has two major cities and thousands of small villages. Most of the campaign will take place in and around one of the cities, which is described below. If the DM wishes to play in the other, and villages, they should feel free to take from the alternate names provided, and develop their own. A set-up for two basic villages is provided and DM can change names to create others depending on campaign needs.
Havensgate
City of Havensgate has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is where the Machine God first emerged as a force. Populated by all races, though the Dwarves have a slight majority. Havensgate was first built as a mining center and its architecture reflects that, though recently much of the city has been rebuilt in the Machine Gods’ name, with new lifts, and heavy industry going up. Workcamps surround the city populated with workers forced to come to the city by the forces of the Machine God. There are rumors that the Machine God resides in the mountains that abut the city. The main Church of the Machine God is also here.
Havensgate has a Marketplace containing multiple Shops, several Taverns, multiple Inns, several temples, and many large Factories
Marketplaces
Marketplaces hold shops which can include magic shops, general stores, armorers, blacksmiths, fletchers, clothiers, etc etc. As the largest city on Declan’s Bond, just about everything can be found in the city if you know where to look.
Taverns/Inns
Taverns and Inns are places for weary travelers to rest, drink and eat. Inns have beds, while taverns do not. Some serve a higher class of clientele than others. A good place to collect gossip.
Temples
Temples are places of worship. Most of the Temples in Havensgate used to be dedicated to one of the Gods of the Wild. They recently have been taken over by churches dedicated to the Machine God. Travelers can obtain small of amounts of healing and aid at these churches, for a price.
Large Factories
Large factories are new to Havensgate. They are massive buildings that pump out new technological marvels seemingly every day. Many are openly run by the Church of the Machine God. They often use workers kidnapped from nearby villages. Rumor says that the Machine Lord has a direction connection to the factories and often visits them
Feel free to populate the city with other characters.locations as needed/change the above to anything you need.
Other City:
Samar’s Keeep – Slightly smaller than Havensgate, around 18,000 people. Similar services. On the coast, so ocean trading traffic is much more important.
Sample Village
There are many villages such as this one, each with their own unique customs and dress. There are regional similarities, though most villages have tended to keep to themselves, though this seems to be changing. Here is what a typical village might look like.
Ypres
Village of Ypres has about 100 inhabitants. The leader is a Mayor named Larchmont (Human, Female). The village is surrounded by a large number farms. A small stream flows nearby.
The Dark Rat is only tavern in Ypres. Run by Kiff. (Halfling, Male)
The Three Kings is an inn with a small amount of basic rooms available. Run by Usurn (Dwarf Male). This is where traders stay when they are in town.
Things and More Things is general store. Run by Sinlow (Elf, Female).
Moss and Peat is distillery. Produces gin and other spirits. Run by Gortch (Orc, male).
A newly built Temple honoring the Machine Lord has just been erected. It is led by a Priest named Fatch (Human, Male).
DMs only. Players Do Not Read
Below are various topics that only the DM should read, unless the players want to spoil it for themselves.
Dungeons
There are various sites that will pre-make dungeons for you. I’d highly suggest using those if you don’t want to draw your own. Below are just a few special things to keep in mind.
The Machine God resides in a dungeon in the mountains outside of Havensgate. This dungeon, and any other dungeons related to the Machine God’s forces should be full of mechanical traps. Lots of cogs and steam-powered apparatus. Think steampunk or the Dwemer ruins from Skyrim. The machines and traps seem as if they were grown, despite working like regular equipment. Players, if they’re smart, and quick enough should be able to disarm most/all traps. Most enemies encountered in these places should be machine hybrids. That is they have some parts of the them that are steam-powered and some parts that remain Elven, dwarvish, whatever. The closer the party gets to the Machine God the more machine-like the enemies should get.
In addition, the Machine God favors puzzles. In game this should involve traps that cannot be disarmed without solving a puzzle. Usually, they come in the form of logic puzzles, like “which number should come next” and it’s the Fibonacci sequence or something. Though they can come in the form of riddles. Tailor it to the liking of your party. And don’t be too much a jerk about it.
The Rite of Changes
The players can go through the Rite of Changes if they wish. This shouldn’t be an easy path, however. It involved collecting a lot of various materials for a potion and then communing with the Gods of the Wild and passing several skill/health checks. If they succeed they are rewarded with two huge transformations of their choosing. So like super speed/strength, and extra arm, or whatever. But they will be forever in the God’s service and have a 10% chance of going insane while doing it. Insanity causes a permanent two-point loss to three of their ability scores. Players can choose which three. So, they should proceed at their own risk.
The Lost Caves of Declan Bond
The Lost Caves are a series of caves on the outskirts of Havensgate. They contain a large amount of loot and treasure, and even a few mythic weapons, but also a large number of enemies. Exploring them should give the party a chance to uncover multiple secrets about the Machine God and where they came from. The recipe for the Rite of Changes can also be found here.
OKAY PLAYERS CAN START READING AGAIN!
Now Adventurers/DM, the rest of the story is up to you. Will you defeat the Machine Lord and all their minons? Will you conquer the Lost Caves? Uncover the secret history of the Gods? Or will you forge your own path? The choice is yours.
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