
Protected: Outlaws of Alkenstar Campaign Notes
Tea-Inspired Plot Hooks for your D&D or Pathfinder Game
Tea! A hot cup of bliss. Writing fuel. Gaming fuel. I can’t GM without it, and now I’ve discovered all sorts of inspiration from the humble beverage. Let’s look at some tea-inspired plot hooks for your game.
Throughout real-world history, the humble tea plant has inspired human determination and greed. Kingdoms have sent men to fight and die to secure their control over the tea trade. Fortunes have been made, and lost, under the hot sun as plantation workers, and slaves, coaxed the tea crop to grow. Add a magical element to the intriguing history of tea and you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your campaign. Below are some ideas.
The Smugglers’ Ring
Tea is a valuable resource. However, tea doesn’t grow naturally in many kingdoms, and some lands don’t have a suitable climate to grow the crop. Consequently, these countries are at the mercy of traders and pay high prices for imported tea. This situation is ripe for enterprising fortune-seekers. The illicit trade of tea supports a vast black market that extends to the highest power in the land. But this shady economy was created by pirates, bandits, and smugglers. Those people daring or desperate enough to risk their lives to capture armed trade ships and caravans, and make off with their cargo. Unsurprisingly, kingdoms with both the climate and a domestic tea plant go to great lengths to protect their tradeable tea harvest. So, it falls to the smuggler to keep the tea flowing.

Cargo for Coin
Smugglers mainly move captured cargo, but also traffic plants. A rival plantation owner or a kingdom may see a single seedling as the key to their future empire. The powerful are willing to pay handsomely for such opportunities—provided their involvement remains a closely guarded secret.
The party might be involved on either side of a tea-smuggling plot, as smugglers or investigators. Involve the player characters further by binding them to the tea trade. It’s not just a job. Must they carry tea plants across mountains and rivers, through orc lands, to pay the ransom for their village? Does the loss of their village tea harvest — taken by bandits — threaten their livelihood?
A smuggling ring can have many tiers, and dealing with each might take many sessions. Who do the smugglers work for? Is the smuggling ring one of many? Is the tea plot the first incursion of a great war between nations? Add a fantasy twist and you might have a vampire queen building her kingdom’s dominance through the tea trade. Or a lich who uses his smugglers as scouts, probing for an initial invasion of his undead hordes.
It’s hard for us to imagine tea’s value when it’s readily available in our modern economy. In a fantasy world, where growing and moving crops might face other problems, such as dragons or magical catastrophes, tea might be even more valuable and hard to come by than it was in our real-world history. Consider the realities of the tea trade in your fantasy world and you’ll add an authenticity that helps your shared story come alive.
The Magic of Tea
Does lemon and ginger tea really help to cure the common cold? Does tea truly have health benefits? While modern science cannot confirm the miraculous properties attributed to tea, in the realm of fantasy, the possibilities are boundless. Is tea an important component of resurrection magic? Has one of the heroes died? Are tea leaves difficult to obtain? You can control the importance of tea in your campaign by dialing up the usefulness of hot beverages, while making tea rare. If a cup of tea is the only way to restore mana, your players will go to great lengths to secure a personal tea crop.
There are means to tie nonmagical characters to tea. Clerics might incorporate tea into sacred rituals, alchemists may seek to distill its essence for potent brews, and rogues could be hired to pilfer rare tea leaves or exquisite silver tea sets. The infusion of magic into these scenarios adds further depth and intrigue.
Supplement these tea-inspired plot hooks by making tea evocative. The champion’s cup of chai exudes an aroma that evokes faraway lands. It reinvigorates her with power drawn from the very earth. It holds the warmth of life. Then, just maybe, she connects to her god through the deep magic of tea.
The Politics of Tea
Tea grows in the dirt, yet kingdoms, with their centers far from those fields, depend on that crop. As we’ve seen, the business of tea is as important to a king as it is to the muddy worker who sewed and harvests it. The heroes begin their story as modest farm hands, at level 1, and through facing monsters and deadly quests grow to become tea barons and baronesses by level 20. Throughout this progression, the heroes’ progression is indelibly tied to the tea harvest and its trade.

At first level, the party might defend their harvest from goblins, those little fiends who love setting fields ablaze. Goblins never need a good reason for arson. At second level, the harvest is collected and taken to market and will need an escort. At third level, a trader bargains for the entire harvest and stout hearts to accompany it to his ship. Perhaps the trader has a decree from the queen and drafts the party into the kingdom’s service. Can the party navigate the dangerous river voyage to bring their cargo of supplies (including that tea) to the besieged allies of their monarch?
That same tea cargo might cross many more kingdoms and oceans before its journey is done. With the party traveling with it, there will be plenty of opportunity for intrigue and adventure. When the party finally returns to their fields, they do so as champions of the kingdom, with wagon loads of treasure creaking along behind them.
Join Us for a Cup!
The Magic of Tea is our latest supplement for Pathfinder Second Edition, and it contains a bunch of treats for your campaign. It’s a perfect addition to these tea-inspired plot hooks. The book includes:
- 18 new spells inspired by tea. Another cup, anyone?
- Tea Master background
- Brewpot Dragonet and the Teaboy creatures
You can find The Magic of Tea on DriveThruRPG and Itch.IO.
How to Become an RPG Designer
Do you want to be an RPG designer? Maybe you’ve created some great homebrew content, have a few products on sale already, or have a cool tabletop RPG (TTRPG) idea you want to publish. Maybe you’re just curious about what it takes to create RPGs for a living and wonder where to start. Whatever the case, this article’s for you.
First Steps
The first thing you need to do is start.
TTRPGs involve a lot of creative energy. From creating your first character to running a months-long campaign, the hobby expects your creative investment at many levels. The trick is to take that creative investment, develop your craft (the ability to create and package that creativity), and ultimately deliver professional products.
Those customers might be an RPG publisher like Paizo, Wizards of the Coast, or Rising Phoenix Games, or you might be self-publishing on a site like DriveThruRPG or Itch.io. Either way, produce good work and be an asset to the roleplaying community.
An RPG designer is often part of a team. I’ve written rules, edited stat blocks, laid out books, created covers, made art assets, drawn maps, managed development teams, and made the tea. Mostly, that work is shared by a team of talented individuals, each with strengths and flaws. Being a team player is important, as is balancing your ego with a healthy dose of humility.
So, it’s worth learning as much as possible about writing and game design to be an asset to any development team you’re a part of. This collection of resources has proved very helpful to me, and I hope it’s helpful to you too.
Recommended Reading
I maintain a bookshelf on GoodReads with great RPG design resources. Check it out. All of the books I’ve listed are ones I refer back to often.
Writing
RPG Design Courses
Various courses on RPG game design:
RPG Product Marketing Courses
- Title Descriptions DriveThruRPG course video.
RPG and Fiction/Fantasy Writing Courses
Rapid Prototyping
The following tools are useful for making quick, iterative versions of your game ideas.
- Video about rapid prototyping for card games.
Pathfinder Second Edition
Specific tools and resources for creating Pathfinder Second Edition supplements.

Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition
- Rising Phoenix Game Monster Builder We’re building a 5e monster builder based on the excellent Blog of Holding’s monster maths.
- The Home Brew is a useful tool for formatting 5e content. Why not use it to inspire your own, unique formatting?
- How to Run Underwater Combat in 5e. We do love undersea content.
AI Tools
Many people take issue with AI tools, but — like any tool — knowing how to use the tool gives you more options to create better works. Enhance, rather than replace.
- Grammarly for AI-assisted text editing.
Free Web Tools
I use the following tools to improve my workflow, manage projects, and supplement my digital and real-world tools.
- Trello is a great management tool.
- Cloud Convert concerts file formats. Useful when you do a lot of work with PDFs.
What’s the Simplest Way to Play Pokémon Games?
Do you have a stack of unused Basic Pokémon you’d like to get some use out of? Or do your kids have a bunch of Pokémon cards but not enough Energy and Trainers to make a proper deck? Are they looking for simple games to play with your Pokémon cards? Here are two simple Pokémon games you can play with your collection of Basic Pokémon cards.
Poké One-Up
Make a pack of Basic Pokémon. You’ll need at least 16 cards for a short game, or about 20 cards per player. Split these equally between all players.
Number of Players: 2–8
Deck: Basic Pokémon only
Now each player flips over their first Pokémon. Look at the damage value for each Pokémon’s first attack. The player with the highest attack damage wins all the cards revealed in this round. If there’s a tie, put all the cards from that round aside. They’ll go to the winner of the next round.
The winner of the game is the player with the most cards after a player has been knocked out.
This simplest of Pokémon games is based on Top Trumps, and you can make it more interesting by picking other card traits to compare. Here are a few:
- Retreat cost
- Highest attack cost
- Greatest resistance
- HP
- Shiny!
Energy Unleashed: Basic Poké Battles!
Make equal packs of Basic Pokémon for each player. Don’t worry too much about what Energy cards they need, but pay attention to their attacks and abilities. Remove any cards that won’t make sense for this type of game.
Number of Players: Best for 2, fine for 3~4 players
Deck: Basic Pokémon only, but you’ll need a pile of Energy cards or tokens to use as Energy cards.
Each player shuffles their deck, then draws 7 cards (just like a regular game of Pokémon). Put the rest of your cards away, since we won’t need them for the rest of the game.
Then, each player chooses one Pokémon from their hand to be their active Pokémon, and then places 5 on their bench, which is the row behind the active Pokémon. This is just like a regular game of Pokémon too, but you don’t have Power cards or Trainers to worry about. Keep the last Pokémon in your hand until a spot opens up on your bench.
During each turn, put an Energy card on one of your Pokémon. It doesn’t matter what energy it provides, although if you have enough Energy cards you can rule that it does. Make attacks as in a normal game of Pokémon. A player wins if they knock out 6 Pokémon.
Did you enjoy these Pokémon games? Do you have other games you play with your Pokémon cards? Let us know, in the comment below.
Is AI Art Killing the TTRPG Industry?
What’s up? We’re in the final stretch of 2023, and it feels like the year is about to slip by way too soon. What a busy year! Wizards of the Coast kept things interesting, a new version of Pathfinder dropped, and then AI tools further divided the community.
We have several projects ongoing, and the evolution of our process has some interesting insights into how AI tools are changing the TTRPG industry. For example, I used AI art tools to colour and detail my monsters. First, I’d draw them in pencil and ink them. Then I’d colour them in Photoshop. I’d run this through a few AI generations. These I’d then composite with Photoshop.



An intelligent tool, turning mediocre art into something evocative. The process worked and I felt that it wasn’t the same copout as generating images from scratch. Are artists losing out with this process? I don’t think so. I still pay for art when it makes sense, and there’s still a lot of drawing being done. If anything, the process has helped me compete with the competition that can afford good art.

The above image is AI art, and I think it’s obvious that the technology is improving. Less obvious is how the artist is still important. I love The Simpsons, and part of the charm of the series is the deformed art style. Flaws, it turns out, are beautiful. I don’t mean weird fingers and third legs. Put another way, the craftsmanship is a thing of art. This is ultimately why every artist owes it to themselves to keep working at their craft. Even when it looks like the machines are taking over.
What I’m Playing
Years ago I bought the physical Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game, but I now play the Steam version. The game has terrible achievements and no support, so some of the achievements are impossible to achieve. Still, it’s a fun solo card game that scratches my Magic: the Gathering itch.
I recently picked up Strange Brigade, which is a lot of fun with friends. If you love action archeology as much as I do, then this one is for you.
What I’m Listening To
My song for Christmas is Children 18:3’s “Bethlehem”. The Christmas message is for everyone, no matter what you believe. It isn’t true if it isn’t.
I’ve also been listening to a lot of ska music, and that, right now, means The Interrupters. Their music will build anyone back up.
You gotta kiss the ground
What are your thoughts on AI art and AI tools? Tell us in the comments below.
Related Tabletop News
Here are some hot news items. Check them out!

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance is coming to Netflix next year. Will it be the show fans deserve?

Christmas is around the corner. Here are five tips for saving money on Pokémon cards this festive season.

The RPG Advent bundle has 25 products for only $24. It’s even cheaper if you already own some of the books (and you probably do). It’s a great chance to build your collection.
Our Goblin Spy Reveals Santa’s RPG Advent Bundle!
Greetings, fellow goblin adventurers! Gather ’round, for I, Snozgrot the Stealthy, have just returned from the heart of Santa’s secret workshop with jaw-dropping news! Prepare yourselves for an epic treasure trove of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) with the RPG Advent bundle! You don’t want to miss it.
A Peek Inside the Stocking:
In my daring mission through the snowy north, I discovered a hidden treasure trove that would make even the most stoic dwarf break into a jig. Santa, it seems, is not just crafting toys for the good little humans — he’s been secretly working on a magical bundle of 24 TTRPG products! And get this, my fellow goblins and goblinettes, you can snag this treasure trove for a mere $24! Yes, you heard that right, just one shiny gold coin for a bundle worth over $150!
Unveiling The Mysteries:
The bundle is shrouded in mystery, much like the wonder of reading (I kidnapped an elf and made him write this post). What I can share with you, however, is that these treasures include rulebooks, adventures, maps, and tools crafted by the finest TTRPG creators in the universe. Old Santa has truly outdone himself.
What’s In the Bundle:
Santa’s elves have collected 24 TTRPG products* to excite every little goblin. Yes, it’s even more exciting than playing with fire!
Player and GM Options: Looking for more ways to build the characters you want to play? We’ve got several titles covering a variety of games, including Dath (New Race), Monstrous Personas, Archetypes of the Ages: Dragons (5e), ARMR Studios Compendium – 2015, Black Powder Rebellion – Firearms and Historical Campaigns (PF2), Pocket Lint, Light Loot & Tiny Treasures, and The Book of Many Things Volume 2: Shattered Worlds. These titles cover a wide array of games, so you’ll have a wealth of options to mine.
System Hacks and Expansions: If you love playing new games with familiar systems, then check out The Ruin 5th ed RPG or Ghost Ops Second Strike – 5th ed.
Indie Games: If you’re looking for innovation and creativity, then indie games have it in spades. The RPG Advent bundle has many indie TTRPG titles, including Big Eyes Small Brains, Bullet, Camp Karate, How to Plan a Murder, KARMA: A Roleplaying Game About Consequences, Onyx Sky, Samurai Androids, Something Wicked, Static Dawn, Teenage Mutant Dirtbags: A Roleplaying Game and Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG.
Impressive!
Adventures and Maps: My library of maps and adventures always has room to expand. The bundle has several stunning additions in this category, including Time Is of the Essence (A New Year’s Eve Adventure), Bokafesh’s Never Ending Dungeon, Santa Claus CRUSHES the Martians, and Ships: Terran Frigate.
This bundle looks set to include something for everyone, all for the cost of a modest goblin hoard of $24.
Genres Under the Christmas:
Santa’s workshop brings gifts from every dimension! Dive into the realms of high fantasy, traverse futuristic landscapes, or explore the shadowy corners of post-apocalyptic tent markets – this bundle spans genres, ensuring there’s something for every adventurer’s taste. It’s like a digital bag of holding filled with possibilities!
Limited Time Offer:
The stars align for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Santa’s bundle is available from December 1st until Christmas only! Gather your party, summon your familiar, and don’t miss out on the chance to acquire this legendary collection. Whether you’re a seasoned dungeon master or a curious newcomer, this bundle gives you 24 products, so you can enjoy one for each day of Advent, and for months to come.
But How Do I Snag the Bundle?:
Santa’s elves aren’t done yet, but you can claim your bundle from the first of December, from Drive-Thru RPG. Trust me, this is a deal you won’t want to miss. ‘Tis the season for epic tales and unforgettable quests, and Santa’s got your back!
So, fellow adventurers, let the word spread like wildfire across the realms – Santa’s Advent RPG bundle is the ultimate gift for TTRPG enthusiasts! Unleash your imagination, roll those dice, and embark on an RPG journey of a lifetime with this magical collection. Don’t let this slippery opportunity slip through your buttery fingers!
Happy gaming!
Buying on Itch? We’ve got a bundle running right now.
* Note that the books in the bundle may change. We don’t think they will, but we’re just covering our butts in case it does.
Flaming Ectoplasmic Swarm for D&D 5e
Hundreds of tiny green flames surge forward, each clawing the air with flickering fingers. Add this CR 3 undead incorporeal ectoplasmic swarm to your next adventure to challenge your players.
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Over the next three weeks, we’ve got three undead creatures, two of which are themed around ectoplasm. Ectoplasm might be described as life-essence, a residue left by creatures that have crossed between the Mortal Realm and the Realm of Death. Slimer from Ghostbusters is the best example of an ectoplasmic creature from popular culture. That slime is pure ectoplasm.
Eery Ectoplasmic Swarm Fiends
Hundreds of tiny green flames surge forward, each clawing the air with flickering fingers.
Ectoplasmic swarms appear as green flames, with darker flames within that seem to function as eyes and mouths. Their shape is roughly humanoid, with legs and arms ending in flickering claws. Besides these features, they are otherwise featureless and transparent.
Necromancy is usually at the root of an ectoplasmic swarm’s appearance, though they can form wherever a large concentration of departed souls is present. Although tiny, swarms of these flamelike creatures can quickly suck the life out of the living.
Animated ectoplasm seeks to devour souls, which sustain it and gives it a collective memory drawn from all the lives it has consumed. Drawing information out of the ectoplasm, usually through a seance, is difficult because of the mob of souls present. However, if the paranormalist can bring order to the discord, the souls can provide many insights from their collective memory.
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Ectoplasmic swarms are tough to kill because they’re incorporeal and have the normal resistances of a swarm. Give your players access to holy water and a chance to figure out the swarm’s weakness, otherwise this could be a tough slog.
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The Arcanshard, a CR 2 D&D Monster
A chunk of stone shakes, then flips over. Flames of green arcane energy burst forth from the enchanted stone, forming legs, arms holding spectral weapons, and a flickering head. The arcanshard is ready to do battle with those who dare disturb the sanctity of the dungeon.
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At the start of the month, we introduced the Awakened Arcane Obelisk. Then, last week, we added the Crackling Column. Today we meet their smallest relative, the Arcanshard. All of these monsters are formed from the corruption or destruction of an Arcane Obelisk, a monument of magic!
An Arcanchip off the Old Block
A chunk of stone shakes, then flips over. Flames of green arcane energy burst forth from the enchanted stone, forming legs, spectral weapons held in flaming hands, and a flickering head.
Arcanshards are chunks of stone animated by arcane energy. This same energy protects them, though destroying their stone bodies dissipates the energy held within. Most arcanshards are the fractured remains of Arcane Obelisks, though other monuments and large rocks can also become arcanshards, under the right magical conditions.
Arcanshards are notably communal creatures, though they possess no obvious means of communication. On the battlefield, this is seen in their collaborative tactics, while during times of peace they go to great lengths to help each other. They are overly fond of stacking blocks, and if left alone build elaborate walls that may have little defensive value.
Of all the animated forms derived from an Arcane Obelisk, the arcanshard is the most mutable. The easily meld together, their broken stonework flowing together to form a larger stone. This has led scholars to believe that arcanshards are the most useful form for reforming a damaged Arcane Obelisk. Strangely, arcanshards have never been known to attempt such a reforming on their own.
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The arcanshard has an irritating ability to prolong combat: meld. Use this to replace two damaged arcanshards with a fresh new one. You might even rule that this allows it to overcome persistent magical effects and conditions. Yes, wizards, we’re making things tough for you.
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Crackling Column — CR 8 D&D Monster
Green arcane energy swirls around a broken column, lifting it into the air. The energy then coalesces into scything claws and two, bright-burning eyes of magical power. Can you tangle with the Crackling Column?
The Undersea Sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 5e is a collection of player and GM options for running ocean-themed adventures. Subscribe for free weekly sea monsters and monthly encounters.
Last week we introduced the tentacular spectacular, the Awakened Arcane Obelisk. When your players defeat it, you get to pull this guy from the ruins. That’s dungeon entropy working in your favor!
I’m All Cracked Up!
If enough magic is retained within, a broken Arcane Obelisk might manifest as a crackling column, a being of violence and raw magic surrounding a skeleton of granite. These creatures hew to an unshakable purpose, usually one set by the circumstances that created them. This invariably means they’ll attack anyone that appears to have damaged the pillar they contain within.
Crackling columns can be restored to repair the arcane obelisk it came from, though being made of solid stone such monuments always retain signs of damage. However, the stone is only the receptacle. The true essence of the obelisk is the arcane power within. This can be harder to restore though.
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The crackling column is part of a set, so use him with the upcoming arkanshard and last week’s awakened obelisk for maximum effect. Keep in mind that this monster hits hard. For its stone slam attack, it should be averaging around 30 damage, but it averages around 40 instead. It’s a TPK machine that loves melee. That’s why it damages itself, otherwise it would survive too long. Good luck.
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That Obelisk Just Moved! — D&D Monster
The immense stone obelisk begins to shake, rising up out of the ground on four large tentacles. Eyes blink into existence along the stone’s pitted surface, then focus with a gaze full of rage and arcane power.
The Undersea Sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 5e is a collection of player and GM options for running ocean-themed adventures. Subscribe for free weekly sea monsters and monthly encounters.
Recently, our subscribers got a look at an altered Atlantean who was siphoning power from an arcane obelisk. In an earlier adventure, the party discovered another monument that bore signs of experimentation. These stone monoliths could be… “important”.
Magic, Unleashed
The immense stone obelisk begins to shake, rising up out of the ground on four large tentacles. Eyes blink into existence along the stone’s pitted surface, then focus with a gaze full of rage and arcane power.
Arcane obelisks are potent magical nodes that anchor and channel arcane energy. Sometimes, the arcane bindings focused within the obelisk unravel, and the obelisk is transformed. An awakened obelisk is such a creature, unleashed magical energy rippling along a massive chunk of carved stone.
Destroying the manifestation of unleashed magic is difficult, since every broken chunk still possesses a fraction of untethered magical essence. These smaller chunks are often less powerful but mutable, spawning a myriad of new forms. Representative of these forms are the large scorpiolisk and smaller, humanoid arkanshard. It’s possible that recombining these smaller subforms could rebuild the obelisk, but only an intricate ritual can rebind the magical threads to restore the obelisk to its original form.
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The awakened obelisk is part of a set, so using him with the upcoming scorpiolisk and arkanshard is a good idea. You could also change the lore and have an evil mage going around town, turning monuments into monsters.
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