Modular Adventures for your 5th Edition Roleplaying Game
Latest Updates from Our Project:
FUNDED! WE DID IT!
over 2 years ago
– Tue, Nov 09, 2021 at 10:17:30 AM
THANK YOU!
Extraordinary Expeditions will be brought to life thanks to all of you and we couldn't be more grateful. We are working hard to make writing and producing D&D content a full-time business. Your support for our projects brings us closer to that dream every day. So thank you, from the bottom of our dice box.
Now let's reach some stretch goals! With 2 days left in this campaign, we are definitely within reach of the first stretch goal which is 4 Custom Player options. I would even say, it's a long shot, but definitely possible that we could even reach our second stretch goal which would be the addition of 10 NEW Magic Items. We are so excited to share all of this with you!
-The Crit Academy Team & Arjade Productions
Projects We Love:
To Steal the Sun: An epic heist-fantasy novel
3 DANGEROUS rogues. 2 nations at WAR. 1 IMPOSSIBLE heist. Ocean's 11 meets Game of Thrones. From one of the creators of WARFRAME!
When Raik, the most cunning smuggler this side of the desert, finds where the Ivory King vaults his magical runes—he builds a crew to execute an elaborate heist.
90% We can see the top of the mountain and it is good!
over 2 years ago
– Sun, Nov 07, 2021 at 05:56:30 PM
Adventurer Ambushed by an Ooze - Always look up.
Backers,
We've got some great news! We just passed 90%. This means we are likely to get funded. Thank you for your support of our project. This is extremely exciting for our small team. While we were concerned about funding, we still continued to draft the adventures. Once funded, we intend to provide access to the adventures to backers ahead of editing. This will allow us to get feedback from you to help ensure each adventure is the best it can be. We want to ensure that our expeditions are extraordinary. After a short time open for feedback, we will send them off to our editor while commissioning artwork and then to sending it off to layout. We are proud of this product and are so happy to see so many interested in supporting it. Hopefully, we will hit a stretch goal or two. Thank you again. We will keep you posted.
Keep your blades sharp and spells prepared heroes!
Crit Academy Team,
Projects We Recommend!
Let's be honest. Combat is an extremely important aspect of roleplaying games. I remember as a kid using a marker to draw out my battle maps...and they sucked. I am glad now we have people like DeepDark Designs developing extraordinary maps. Gone is the era of my chicken scratch. Long live Bloody Blueprints & Macabre Maps!
Maps are more than just combat locations. With collections of high-quality, full-color maps depicting gloriously ghoulish twists. We can be inspired to create memorable adventures, terrifying encounters, and most importantly, epic battles. Check out this fantastic assortment of horror-themed maps that are massive 36" by 24". With and without grids! Did I mention they are VTT ready? No? Well, they are! There is so much terrifying goodness here to bring to your table to the delight or potential misery of your players. Learn More
It's over 8000!!!!
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Nov 05, 2021 at 03:18:23 PM
Thank you, Backers!
We are officially OVER $8000! We could not let this milestone pass without a DBZ reference!
We are definitely on track to fund now! Now it's just a question of if we will reach some of our stretch goals. Our first stretch goal at $12,500 is the addition of 4 BRAND NEW custom player options. Player options include rules for the class archetype, lore, and tables for enhancing your character's story and background. To see a sample of one of our already published player options you can pick up our Silver Bestselling G.U.N. Mage for FREE on Dm's Guild here: G.U.N Mage
We also wanted to share another project that you may be interested in from CZRPG
Amazing Encounters & Places is currently running on Kickstarter and provides you with 8 locations, lore, plots, art, in addition to 56 scalable, standalone encounters supported by 64 maps. You can even tie the location's encounters into an adventure, providing you with 8 adventures!
Extraordinary Expeditions: 5 Tips for Great D&D Exploration
over 2 years ago
– Sat, Oct 30, 2021 at 09:35:30 PM
Backers,
We want to say thank you immensely for your support. This project relies on you and your support to bring it to life. We are moving closer to the end of the campaign and getting closer to our goal. We are excited. We also want to share some art as well as some tips on getting the most out of the exploration pillar in your 5th Edition games.
Gelatinous Ankurah
In Dungeons and Dragons, there are three primary pillars of the game. These are three fundamental aspects that make up the roleplaying experience. These are combat, roleplay, and exploration. The first two get a lot of attention in most games, but the third is one that is generally lacking in many games. The exploration pillar is arguably the most important pillar in Dungeons and Dragons, outside of combat. This is because, in my opinion, this is what separates a good Dungeon Master from a great one. A Dungeon Master can have a butt-load of prepared material but without a good amount of exploration, it can be a rather dull experience for players. Why? Because exploration is a creative problem-solving exercise that leads to unexpected results. I've compiled 5 simple tasks that will allow you to easily improve and expand on this pillar in your own Dungeons & Dragons stories and campaigns.
Exploration Tasks:
Describe the Options. Here you want to ensure the player characters have at least two or three options to move the story forward. These can be simple options such as "The corridor ends in a T-shaped intersection". The big key here is to add a few sense descriptors to each direction. "To the left the sound of running water echoes off the walls. To the right, the stench of rotting meat and low groaning.
Get the players to inform you what their characters are doing. Ask the players what their characters are doing. This seems obvious, but follow up with one or two things they may be doing in the scene to plant some ideas in their head. "Jannette. What is your character Reylin doing? Is she drawing her weapons after hearing the oncoming footsteps, maybe seeking a place to hide, or is she doing something else". This gives direction but doesn't remove player agency.
Identify player character responses. When the characters choose a path to take, an object to interact with, or some other feature of exploration. Give the player a short description based on how a scene, event, or action is affecting the character. "Jannette, you say Reylin takes the left path. As Reylin steps down the corridor toward the sound of the running water. Her footsteps echo off the stone walls as she creeps down warily. They are quickly drowned out by the growing rumbling of water on rocks".
Interruption with obstacles/encounters. Exploration isn't much fun if the character is just running down through a complex cavern system or maze without revealing a secret, history, or other pieces of lore about the world or area. These interruptions can be combat encounters, but I encourage you to consider alternatives such as puzzles or better yet, NPCs that are part of the scene. The most common example would be some sort of sentient door. But you can just as easily have them stumble across an old mosaic or carving that reveals a bit of story about the area such as its creators or inhabitants.
Advance to the next decision point. When a player character decides to explore a part of the adventure, regardless if it's written or not, should advance the story in some way. A player that is interested in exploration and chooses to take steps into learning more about an area by wandering around should yield a reward that helps advance the next big decision they might make. If the wizard decides to explore deeper in a part of a vast library, it should be rewarded in such a way that can help them on their journey in some way. It could be a simple reveal of a big bad boss monster's weakness, or potentially a secret that a noble house is hiding, or even a simple as clues to a puzzle or other challenge that exists within the dungeon where the library is contained. Whatever you choose, exploration should help the characters in the story in some way, now or later.
Jeff is a great friend and mentor to Crit Academy. So I wanted to make sure to include his latest Kickstarter in our updates. If it wasn't for Jeff coming onto the show and introducing us to the publishing world...well, we probably wouldn't be here making content for others to enjoy. So make sure to check him out. Thank you Jeff for all your support!
Imagine a Monster book, but instead filled with dangerous Non-Player Characters.
That's what you are getting when you back Potbellied Kobold's Guide to Villains & Lairs. 30 villainous NPCs and 10 unique lairs to add to your game. A book of unscrupulous characters with developed histories, motives, and unique equipment that you can easily drop into your ongoing story as a one-shot adventure, side quest, or as a larger threat during the campaign. Many of these NPCs are humanoid, but there are a few monstrous or undead creatures, too.
Sneak Peek of The Magmaforge Outpost!
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Oct 27, 2021 at 10:42:45 PM
Hi Everyone!
We just wanted to share a sample of another adventure from the book with you. This one is almost through the editing phase and will be sent to layout as soon as we reach our funding goal. This adventure was the inspiration for our project image created by our artist Mateus Pegararo This is just the first couple pages from the adventure. Let us know what you think!
Expedition 4 – The Magmaforge Outpost
The Magmaforge Outpost
Expedition Background
For thousands of years, the capital city, Fumeharbour, has utilized the local steam vents for various purposes. The heat from these vents power industry, are channeled for heating the homes of nobles, and even serves as a tourist attraction. Legend tells of a dwarven clan, Clan Slagshaper, who for years ventured down into the vents and used the volcanic heat below to forge the finest of metals. This partnership went on for many centuries until the dawning of the Adamantium Wars when most dwarves were called back to defend their homelands against the Azer threat. Since then, the steam vents have been empty and the forge below unused.
Recently, the city has had a bit of a vermin problem, specifically in the way of mephits. These intelligent little outsiders have been overpopulating the steam vents and the expansive volcanic chasms below the surface. The High Lord of Security, Norg Vundermoldt, oversaw an initiative to thin their numbers and eradicate the menaces, at least from the upper tiers of the steam vents. Being smart outsiders, many of the mephits fled to the lower depths and were chased by adventurers trying to cash in their bounty. Whilst exploring the immense volcanic canyon, the bounty hunters came across the old forge used by the Slagshaper dwarves. The Magmaforgehas been the talk of the town for many months now. Profiteers, wishing to cash in on the find, have tried to make their way through the steam vents only to wind up lost or burnt alive. The rare few that made it to the forge discovered the road leading down to it to be under town guard by High Lord Vundermoldt’s personal retinue.
With the Magmaforge once more unearthed, High Lord Vundermoldt has spent no time dallying in his search for profit. He has sold the rights of operation to the forge to The Tenderfoots, a notorious halfling merchant family. The only trouble is that the forge is not yet emptied. High Lord Vundermoldt has advertised for an adventuring party to help clear out The Magmaforge of any beasts, vermin, or other hindrances to its eventual smooth operation. In payment, the High Lord has allowed the PCs to have the first choice of the loot they uncover and retrieve, so long as this is done before the manifest of inventory by The Tenderfoots.
Overview
Act 1. The PCs have accepted High Lord Vundermoldt’s offer to clear The Magmaforge in exchange for whatever loot they can retrieve during their exploration. Having successfully made their way through the steam vents, they arrive and are greeted by three of the High Lord’s personal guard (M, M, F, human, knights) who direct them to the long winding path that leads down to the entry chamber of the dwarven outpost. The PCs come to discover that the outpost has become home to wild and dangerous monsters, including mephits (magma and steam; MM, p216-217).
Act 2. The PCs gain entry into The Magmaforge and discover the infestation is somewhat more prominent than they initially thought. In the great hall of the outpost, a small rift has formed between the Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Fire; firegeists (TOB, p202) are roaming the room. The PCs are tasked with closing the rift to prevent the continual infiltration of mephits and elementals. This requires disarming various trapped arcane effigies to close the portal.
Act 3. No longer under attack from minor threats, the PCs get an opportunity to enter the forge itself. Doing so requires getting through the ancient dwarven locking mechanism, and solving a riddle put in place by the Clan Slagshaper elders. Once inside, they are not only greeted with great wealth but also a startling discovery. The forge is currently being used as a nesting ground for a dragon who is no longer present. They discover several unhatched dragon eggs, as well as a pair of hungry, newly hatched red dragon wyrmlings (MM, p98).
Expanding the Expedition
This expedition has been written to encompass only a small outpost and give a taste of the potential of the concept behind The Magmaforge. It could easily be expanded into a much larger adventure in the following ways:
● The inclusion of the navigation through the steam vents portion of the story. The treacherous winding tunnels that contain pits of lava, loose ground, jets of flame, and steam all provide excellent natural hazards. Any number of random fire subtype creatures could also be lurking in the tunnels, including more mephits, fire elementals, magmin, or salamanders.
● The inclusion of additional rooms on the outpost itself is another excellent way to expand this expedition. Only 3 rooms have been provided here, but in theory, the entire outpost should have been much larger and suited to sustaining an entire dwarven clan. This could be something as simple as a few additional rooms up to a giant mega-dungeon.
● The inclusion of azer interlopers could spice things up. As mentioned in the Expedition Background above, that the dwarves and the azer have long had conflict in this scenario. Perhaps instead of the rift leading to the Elemental Plane of Fire being constructed by mephits, it could be constructed by azer operatives. This rift could be the doorway into the beginning of an adventure into an azer fortress on another plane or dimension.
● If the PCs are of a significantly higher level, perhaps the adult red dragon who is nesting here might be something they could hunt down. She enters through the volcanic tunnels in the canyon outside and gains entry through the open gaping windows overlooking the lava flow. This could also become an ongoing adventure to accomplish this, or perhaps the mother dragon could become a recurring villain at a later date.
