Storytime Tavern

Here we have a quest given by Gimble's Inc. They offer loans to people and in my games said loans often come with high costs. They are a good group to throw into a campaign to offer a possible solution to a parties problems. Of course that's if they are willing to accept the costs! I left much of the information up to you so go ahead and throw this in if you need something to keep the party entertained or give your party a valuable ally! Thank you for listening and be safe adventurer but of course, not too safe!

The Aboleth is a bit of a staple in TTRPGs especially DnD 5e. That being said I typically see the Aboleth being used as a one off encounter for the party to typically find a way to escape from. Now that is in no way wrong but the Aboleth can be so much more grand than that. You could quit literally build an entire campaign around the Aboleth. In the age before gods the Aboleth ruled over the seas like they themselves were actual gods. They were immensely powerful and had people worship them. During the age of the gods the ACTUAL gods saw them as a threat and killed them off, the only problem is Aboleths can't actually die. If their body dies their soul returns to their natural home on the Elemental Plane of Water where they grow a new body. The Aboleth has multiple lair actions and contort the area around their lair. They can telepathically speak to people and read their thoughts promising rewards that are catered to the victim and even make them believe they received said rewards after doing its bidding. The Aboleth is an incredible Lovecraftian esc monster that can add some incredible depth and story to a campaign. Thank you for listening and be safe adventurers, but of course, not too safe.

The Ankheg is a rather low leveled beast. At CR 2 it is a decent monster to throw at a lower level party. The are basically giant insects with massive hooks at the end of their arms and gnarly looking mandibles. They like to burrow their way deep underground providing an interesting encounter setting for your party. They stay underground mostly as they get a majority of their sustenance from soil but do need to come up and consume flesh from time to time. Their eating habit makes farmlands and plains an Ideal hunting ground for the Ankheg. Now it is a lower level monster but I mean bugs are bugs and typically have colonies right? Imagine throwing a mid to higher level party up against an entire colony of Ankheg having to fight their way through a labyrinth of underground passage ways as they try to find and defeat the queen! There would be some homebrew necessary but it could be epic. Either way the possibilities are plenty! Thank you for listening! Be safe adventurers, but of course, not too safe.

The Grell is a beast found in the underdark. They typically stay together and although they can't see they have incredible senses of hearing and can track vibrations extremely well. They would be a good encounter for a party to explore more creative ways of escape aside from "I hit it with a hammer". The Grell may be a brain but they are not related to or used my mindflayers at all, of course you could always change that if you wished. This episode would be a good way to kick off an underdark campaign or give reason for your party to traverse the underdark for whatever reason. I left the actual item they're looking for and subsequent reward up to you. Thank you for listening and stay safe adventurers!!

Today we are given a story that in the end leaves us with more questions than answers (that was intentional). The old man wasn't clear on what he saw and didn't give enough detail to readily figure out what it is but with some investigation and tracking our party would learn that the huge creature being fed by the bullywugs indeed a froghemoth. The froghemoth is a rather interesting creature because of the adventure and investigations it could bring to your party. The froghemoth leaves open a few possibilities that would be so fun to entertain as a dungeon master / game master and would also be really fun for the party to RP. First off the froghemoth is a creature driven purely by hunger, so according to Volo's it can be tamed rather easily if offered food. This does mean however, if the party manages to tame the froghemoth they would have to be very careful to never run out of food otherwise this monster would throw a tantrum bigger than the tantrums  of my children when I say "no you can not jump off the top bunk onto hardwood floor" (and just think the froghemoth isn't even as smart as a young child) and with a CR 10 this tantrum could very easily be deadly to a party. This would be a fun situation for both sides of the table. My second idea came from Volo's, it says that the froghemoth will lay eggs on its own and cares nothing for the eggs it lays so I thought..... LET THE PARTY FIND AN EGG!! We all know players go gaga over eggs. Personally I would make it possible (big emphasis on POSSIBLE) not necessarily easy, for the party to turn big boy into a pet after hatching. Volo's states that they grow to full size in a matter of months but I would just determine how string you are okay with it getting (if they keep it as a pet) and just let it grow to that point over the course of the campaign. Like I said some really fun stories could be made with this guy for both DM / GM and players alike! Thank you for listening and be safe adventurer!

Visiting the Storytime Tavern this time we are approached by a gentleman that tells us of the recent happenings in Twelia. Apparently the denizens of Twelia have been fleeing the town in large numbers. Rhumors have been circulating causing fear and panic because apparently there is a Catoblepas inhabiting the swamp that surrounds Twelia. The Catoblepas according to Volo's is a creature that has long been feared because of its power and... well... its stench. Said to be created by evil gods the mere mention of the Catoblepas is considered a terrible omen! This encounter would give your players a good quest (with a CR 5 Catoblepas and other swamp dwellers added on top it's no cake walk) and a good way to gain a large of renown! If they were to save this town by ridding them of the Catoblepas many would look to them as mighty heroes and others would be grateful it was gone. Twelia is stated in this episode to be a trading town so now you have a town that has yet to be fleshed out that you can plop anywhere you have room in your homebrew world (I'm honored!) If you really wanted to you could use the Catoblepas as a way of introducing a BBEG or maybe an evil deity you want the party to meet by saying they were the ones that let this creature loose (or awakened it) or you could simply use this as a side quest with no further implications aside from "kill it and win!!!" either way is great and allows for the flexibility of investigation from the players. You don't even have to make your mind up right away, you could always judge base how you use it of the interest your players show in it. I hope you like this episode of this disguising creature! Thank you so much for listening and of course, be safe out there adventurer!

You or your party is approached by a very scared, very nervous collector. He explains that as he was out hunting for rare herbs he heard screams coming from a cave in the mountain side. Upon investigating he saw large inhuman tracks leading out of the cave and inside he found mutilated corpses scattered about. Worst of all he saw these creatures that looked like severed human heads with bat wings where ears should be feasting on the corpses and turning the heads into one of their own. These nasty boogers are called Vargouilles ( Var-Gheel ). According to Volo's Vargouille are creatures from the abyss. They are incapable of reaching higher plains on their own but when a demon or devil is summoned to a higher plane they can latch on like ticks and enjoy a free ride to the higher planes. These things don't serve anything or anyone so their existence leave things wide open for you to toy with and open a whole mess of questions and investigations your party can have. If you don't want a band of cultists that just summoned a demonic entity then fine, don't the Vargouille have a pretty unique ability set that makes them fun and tricky to handle in combat, but, imagine instead of throwing them at your party you throw them at a nearby town... commoners would be no match against a swarm of Vargouille so your party would be faced with the oh so fun challenge of saving all the villagers! Of course if they decide to save all the villagers they would be known as heroes in that village and that is fun to roleplay as a Dungeon master/ Game master. Now imagine they save the village and in their celebration they are approached by someone that tells them "Thank you so much for saving our people adventurers but I have some bad news... I have read of these creatures before and if my studies have been correct, the only way they could have gotten to our plane is on the back of a much more powerful and evil creature when it is summoned" Boom new plot hook that involves cults and a gnarly evil thing!! There is so much fun that can be had with these things, I hope you find some creative uses for them. Thank you for listening and be safe adventurer!