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Dungeons and Dragons at the Library – Tavyn Highlander!

One of the players in our D&D group, Vana, has created a Tiefling magic user. (Art by Vana.) This is his backstory…

Adopted into an Elven noble family at the age of four, Tavyn Highlander came from old money. He was strange looking for a Tiefling, as he carried a very reptilian appearance. He showed a talent for evocation magic, as well as a love for trickery. He was raised with Lord’s training along with his older sister, Levanne, the blood daughter of his adoptive parents. By his early teens he was fluent in Common, Undercommon, Infernal, and Draconic, despite his parent’s distaste for the ‘lesser’ languages.

As he reached his late teens, he began to dream of a world outside his family’s house, escaping out of his window at night to explore the criminal underbelly of his home town.  He revealed to his sister Levanne that he had been leaving the house in the night, and she told of his escapades to their parents. Tavyn’s parents flew into a rage, and as punishment arranged his marriage to a fellow noble. That night, Tavyn escaped his house with a hefty amount of gold and left town, turning to the criminal underground to hide.

He now travels to escape his adoptive parents, discover the identity of his birth family, and find out who he really is.

Interested in playing D&D? Let us know! We have two spots open in our teen game that meets Tuesdays from 7-9pm.

Digital Dungeons and Dragons- Ragnar’s Story

On Tuesdays from 7-9pm there is a 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons game for teens that takes place in the Brighouse branch Launchpad. Each game is run by Digital Services Tech (and author) James McCann.

Interested in joining? Spaces are limited, so click here to sign up!

Ragnar’s story…

THE BACKSTORY OF RAGNAR

Ragnar was born in an old draconic settlement called Volskyyge. His family was one of the warrior class families, and Ragnar was taught how to fight from the moment he could hold an axe. His mother, a high-ranking scholar at the local college, also taught him languages and problem solving. By the age of 15 he was not only fluent in Common and his native-tongue, but he was also proficient in two-handed-axe fighting and possessed respectable marksman abilities.

He was sent off to join the army at the legal age of 18 and, though he was discriminated and distrusted of by members of his unit, he quickly became a valuable asset to his platoon; proving himself at the battles of Doublecross and High Rock. His draconic heritage also proved useful to his unit as he could defeat large amounts of enemies in a short period of time. His platoon quickly ascended to a high position in his battalion, and the Legate in charge personally referred his unit for promotion to Special Operations.

Ragnar soon became a war hero, and was sent on many successful missions. However, dissent grew in the ranks, and an enemy spy planted deceit and traitorous thoughts in the ranks and minds of his men. Not knowing whom to trust, Ragnar acted too slowly and the traitors slaughtered his forces. Only he and a handful of loyal troops managed to escape. As the commanding officer, Ragnar was sent back to his family in disgrace.

His family, disgusted with him, sent him to the far off lands. His other squad members were given the same treatment, and all have connected with one another since. He has since made his base of operations in the Ruins of Giva, and has since done many mercenary jobs under the name “Rurik.” He has recently been accepted into a party that has set off for the Citadel of the Vampire Lords. The outcome of their quest still unknown.

THE END…

FOR NOW.

written by Sam

How Do You Play a Character in Dungeons and Dragons?

The key with having a fun time playing Dungeons and Dragons is understanding that you must role play your character. That means you make decisions based on what your character does and knows.

Above we have the white character pieces that represent each person playing. The goblin, the ranger, the dwarf, and the warrior. The purple and green pieces represent the characters played by the Dungeon Master (see previous post on who that is!) — whether the characters are friend or foe depends on the story!

Physical pieces placed on a grid map allow you to know where your character is in relation to monsters and each other. Each grid box is five feet of space, so the bridge (as an example) is 25 feet long. If your character can move 20 feet per turn, your character can move four squares per turn.

The green fighter above, using a longsword with a 10-foot reach, would be able to attack the ranger. The ranger and purple mage cannot battle, as there is a tree in the way. The goblin and dwarf have to get around the river to help their companions and need to get to that bridge! If their speed is only 10 feet per turn, they can only get two squares every turn!

And what happens when battles take place? How do you know if the green fighter hits with his longsword? You roll a dice.

Dungeons and Dragons uses what’s called polyhedral dice. The most common are a 20, 12, 10, eight, six, and four-sided die. Depending on your character, you may have bonuses to add to your rolls (or minuses!). And that determines who wins and who loses each skirmish! (This also works with feats of athletics, such as jumping or climbing.)

The battle between the ranger and the green fighter may look like this:

RANGER STATS: Armour class: 16, +2 hit with arrows.
GREEN FIGHTER: Armour class: 19, +3 hit with longsword.

Dungeon Master: “The green fighter eyes the magical orb attached to your belt and demands that you hand it over.”
Player Ranger: “Never! I load my bow and shoot an arrow.” (rolls twenty-sided die, but only rolls a four. Even with her +2 to hit, she has only scored a six!)
Dungeon Master: “You miss, and the green fighter swings his longsword.” (rolls twenty-sided die, and rolls a 15.) “With his +3 to hit, the green fighter rolls an 18! That’s a hit!”

And the action continues…

Interested in playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons? Keep reading our blog for a weekly post on how the game is played, or you can sign up for our weekly Dungeons and Dragons Gamers Club for teens starting January 9th, 2018.