John Applewood: A Character Sketch

During last week's game of Arachnophobia we had a good friend of mine Wesley, sit in and draw our characters. giving us some truly amazing Character sketches. This fellow is John Applewood the Greenwood Ranger.

John completed his quest to become a Greenwood Ranger 15 games ago and so was granted the miraculous transformation form human to Treant. While this has been an awesome transformation for the most part it has come with a downside. Unless their village has heard of such beings, most peasants react negatively towards John, or treat him like a side show attraction.

Even one of the party members - Jack Puddin - has tried to pick the apples that grow on John Applewood, and juggle with them. So being a treant has had it's up and downs but this is just life as a Greenwood Ranger


Written by: Andrew Gregory

3 Reasons Why You Can't Keep a Goblin as a Pet in Dungeons and Dragons

I am not really sure why this keeps coming up in games I am in. Whether I am hosting or playing and there are Goblins in the campaign, some one inevitably tries to keep one as a pet, and then I have to explain to them why this is a terrible idea.

So I figured I would lay it out here once and for all. So here are three reasons why keeping a Goblin as a pet is a terrible idea in Dungeons and Dragons.

1. They are Evil.

Unless your Dungeon Master has altered their standard alignment, in every version of Dungeons and Dragons Goblins are Evil. They are Neutral Evil in 5th Ed, they are Lawful Evil in 1st, but regardless Goblins are Evil.

This means that they probably do not want to be your pet and might just kill you while you sleep. All in all, this fact alone makes Goblins way too dangerous a choice to keep as a pet.

2. The Optics are Bad.

Since Goblins are decidedly an evil race, this means that any Goblins you encounter and might try to take as a pet have a probably been raiding villages, attacking caravans and generally making life miserable for all those around them.

So how do you think it is going to go when you bring one of these monsters into a village with you? How do you think the townsfolk will react when you tell them that the Goblin is yours or your pet? 

It is not going to well, and likely you will be run out of town by a mob of angry villagers who think you either run, or work with the Goblins. In short, it is the sort of bad publicity you should work to avoid.

3. They are Sentient Beings.

This should really go without saying... But evil or not Goblins are sentient creatures. They have society, they make tools, communicate etc.etc. etc. And honestly you can't keep a sentient being as a pet, that makes them a slave.

And honestly you should probably carefully consider what having slavery in your campaign means. Good characters should be against this sort of action, and even Neutral characters will likely have some moral qualms with keeping slaves.

So remember that your Goblin is not a pet. It is a Slave or a captive at best, and that is just kind of a messed up thing to do.

So I hope those three reason make it pretty clear why it is a terrible idea to keep a goblin as a pet. They are evil, it looks like you are in league with them, and they are sentient beings. So be careful when making these sorts of decisions, it is not a lighthearted and funny choice you might think it is.

Do you guys ever have this problem? I really don't know why this keeps coming up in games I am involved in.

Written by: Andrew Gregory

Death Guard Chaos Cultists

For anyone following us on Instagram you will know that over the holidays I painted these 40 cultists. They were one of my first purchases after moving from Toronto to Newmarket last year, and have been a main stay of my army that I have been proxying since 6th Ed! So needless to say these minis have been a long time coming!

The bodies are from Puppet Wars a great third party source for some unique Warhammer 40k proxies. Personally,  I have been trying to find an appropriate cultist body that suited the Plague Marines for some time now and the pock marked robes and filtration devices these guys carried fit the ticket!

There was only one problem. I didn't like the heads, or at least I didn't want that many of them.

So with the exception of two minis I use as Leaders of my two 20 man squads, all of my cultist heads are from Victoria Miniatures. This required a very minor addition of a green stuff neck to help support the admittedly smaller Victoria Miniatures heads on the Puppet Wars figures. But I think they work great.

And honestly, would you have noticed if I hadn't told you though?

In terms of size I think they are a perfect match for the plague marines. They are quite a bit shorter and generally smaller than the bloated marines of 8th Edition. Compared to the older models they are admittedly a little taller, but honestly that doesn't really bother me, as they still appear very lightly armed by comparison.

I have had these guys out on the table ready and honestly they fill a major gap in the painting of my forces. And with my Cultists quickly become my army's MVP's it is really important that they look the part!

What do you guys use for Death Guard Cultists? I would love to see them!

Written by: Andrew Gregory

5 Ways to Deal with Rare Items in Dungeons and Dragons

Magical Items are perhaps the greatest reward you can give to your players. Whether it grants them ability boosts, let's them fly, or provides them with an endless food, etc. etc. Magical Items can be powerful tools for your players and wonderful rewards for jobs well done.

However there is a lot going on as a DM, and sometimes your players begin asking you for various magical items that you haven't fully considered the effects of. And I am not just talking about Vorpal Weapons here, I mean items with Time Magic, Magic mirrors that you can get trapped in, etc. etc. Those sort of items that have the ability to radically alter the game.

But these items can also be a lot of fun and it would be a shame for you to not to at least try to include them in your game! So here are five ways you can handle those powerful items, so that they don't derail the campaign too much.

1. Make it a Quest Item

If you haven't already given the players what they want, then the best way to give them those powerful magical items is to make them Quest-Related. So if your players would really like a Beholder Crown, then have them earn it. Let them level up and mature as characters to a point where they will know what to do with such a powerful item.

Better still, if you can weave the item into your campaign story, then the Item will become a feature of the game rather than a prolonged side quest for power, and you can get on with your story.

2. If they Have It, Steal It

If your players already have the magical item before you realize how game breaking it is, then all is not lost. The easiest thing to do here is to take it from them. Have a thief pinch it while they sleep, have the King's Elite Guards confiscate it, etc. etc. There are a ton of ways that as the DM you can easily relieve the players of their various items.

However be careful when exercising this power. Randomly taking things from the players can piss them off, and is likely to start a side-quest to get that item back. This of course can be a good thing and give the players some time to level up and grow, but also could be a seen as a tangent from the main story.

So just be prepared.

3. Make the Item Cursed

If you are not comfortable just taking the item from your players. Then a great way to limit an object's powers is to curse it. Effectively give it a debuff. This is something that the players don't even need to know about, until it is revealed. However, the curse should be something strong enough that they will think twice about using the item when they realize its negative effects.

The curse can be anything, from stats decreases, to something more story based - like giving the character bad luck where their deals always turn sour, or there being a particularly annoying entity possessing the item. Whatever curse you choose make sure that it is heavy enough to make the player's weigh the risks involved in using it.

The specifics here are going to depend on your party's play style, so tailor your curse to suit them.

4. Avoid Including Such Items

Perhaps the easiest thing to do here is simply avoid those really powerful items if you or your party doesn't feel ready for it. So take some time, study the item, think about how it will interact with your campaign and then if you feel it will work out, put the item into the game. You should also feel free to modify items by making them slightly less powerful. So limit the uses per day, or give the item a recharge action they must preform. Something like that.

But take your time and consider all the possibilities. Do your homework, and make sure that you know what your players intend to do with this item once they have it. It is your game after all, so feel free today down the law if need be.

5. Just Let it Happen

My final piece of advice here is one that I often give: just let it happen. I fundamentally do not think that anyone can derail a tabletop RPG campaign; all you can do is change the nature of it. As a DM it is up you to come up with new and fresh ways of challenging your players, and a magic item or two is a great way to keep them on their toes, and change things up.

So let them have that powerful item. Let them change the very landscape of the world around them and build your story along side their misadventures. I promise you it will be a good time!

So those are 5 tips to help you manage those powerful items in your D&D campaign. How do you handle these sorts of items?

Let us know in the comments!

Written by: Andrew Gregory

Repainting an Old Pewter Great Unclean One

Back in 2003 I was just beginning to build my Death Guard Army. I was 15 3rd Ed was still current, but there were rumblings of a new edition in the coming year.

Back then there weren't too many options for Chaos HQ's (aside from over pointed Characters), but one of those HQ's that I had some success with was the Great Unclean one.

They were solid pewter, and the mini existed somewhere between Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy in their design. Soon Forge World introduced what became the standard and current model for this figure, but back then this pewter fellow was all I could afford.

Even at the time it was considered a goofy model, that all hoped would be replaced by the Forge World model soon, and I considered myself among them. I thought the mini looked bad, I painted it badly and so it was a bad mini all round. But honestly I couldn't have been more wrong.

With a more modern paint job, rather than the woefully 90's scheme the old figure was regularly painted in, I think the mini is actually really cool! Covered in open sores and maggots, with rows upon rows of grinding teeth; I think it all makes for a cool mini!

Since I am playing 8th Edition these days (though I do hope to have a throwback game to 3rd Ed soon.) I am not actually running this model as a Great Unclean one. Frankly the Chaos Daemons in 40k are bring knives to a Gunfight, so I actually use it as a "Counts-As" Daemon Prince of Nurgle.

I have been using it in that role (in it's poorly painted form) for some time now, and I am more than happy with the results.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

Allied Caquot Type Observation Balloons

For a long time I have wanted to do a Balloon Busting mission in Canvas Eagles, but I was never able to find the appropriate minis for the job. It seemed that they just don't make observation balloons in 6mm.

So I had to change my thinking, and started looking on Thingiverse, and low and behold they had just what I was looking for!

These Allied Caquot Balloons are a great model, and print beautifully. They come in two parts and easily fit together. Which made it easy to assemble and paint.

It was actually quite difficult to find a lot of information about these sorts of balloons online. There just doesn't seem to be any articles are books that discuss their design and implementation in great detail, but this was what I was able to figure out.

This particular design of balloon was developed by French engineer Lt. Albert Caquot, to resolve the issue of ballooning in high winds developed this style of "flight balloon" in 1915, and it was quickly adopted by all of the Allies.

Britain was apparently a little late to the game, but did eventually adopt it. I could find no information on whether or not Russia used them.

The title of "Balloon Ace" may not have been as coveted by pilots as being a "Fighter Ace" but there are many notable examples of them through out the First World War, and it was no easy task. Guarded by fighters, and hordes of artillery and anti-aircraft, an enemy observation balloon was only approached by the daring. 

Hopefully we will get to join their ranks in Canvas Eagles soon! I cannot wait to try these rules out, been a while since we added in something new from the book.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

Plague Lord: Brother of the Fly

With the focus on detachments and the awesome re-roll "1's" ability that they provide to all friendly legion troops within 6 inches, Chaos Lords are well worth their greatly reduced points costs in 8th ed from previous editions.

And this is no different in my Death Guard Army.

When I began remodeling my Death Guard force for use in 8th edition I was not using Chaos Lords. In my opinion in older edition of 40k, fielding a Chaos Lord without the protection of Terminator Armour was a waste of points. However all that changed in 8th, and they became an essential tool.

With their least expensive build coming in a meager 74pts (hey that's pretty cheap for Chaos Space Marines) they are the cheapest HQ option that both the Chaos Space Marines and the the Death Guard can field.

And when trying to squeak in more detachments, cheap HQ options are a must. Let's also not understate how useful the ability to re-roll "1's" is. It has saved my shots from being dismal failures on more than one occasion.

So Rather than rotating a few Plague marine models as "Counts-as" Chaos Lords as I ahve been doing I decided to get a model to represent one.

This guy comes from Kromlech miniatures, and they even gave me the free scenic base!

A warning to those intending to use these as standard Plague Marines, they are quite a bit taller than even the new 8 edition Plague Marine Models. Might work for Death Guard Primas Marines, but personally I think they are better suited for the role of Chaos Lord.


Written by: Andrew Gregory