The V.A.L.U.E. of Skullport

[Darthbinks]

New Spells: Heist Magic

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A Wizard with Reputation: Rag Mage of 3+ can copy these spells into their spellbook for the normal amount of Downtime Days and gp cost.

… so far only Ghundralt (@Jackfruitchilli) can do that

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1. blockade (Conj.), lost in the dark (Necro.), scholar’s touch (Divin.), secret weapon (Illu.), shock and awe (Ench.)
2. ashes to ashes (Necro.), bat sight (Trans.), private conversation (Evoc.)
3. amorphous form (Trans.), glitterdust (Conj.), listening coin (Divin.)
4. enter shadow (Illu.)
5. false vision (Illu.)

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Amorphous Form

3rd-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: S, M (a pinch of gelatin)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You transform a willing creature you touch, along with everything it’s wearing and carrying, into an amorphous oozelike form. While in this form, it can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. It gains a swim speed and climb speed equal to its walking speed, and it can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving its hands free.

Ashes to Ashes

2nd-level necromancy (ritual)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 10 feet
Components: S, M (a pinch of bone dust)
Duration: Instantaneous

You turn a corpse you can see to dust. The body and all its nonmagical equipment disintegrates. This spell has no effect on undead.

Bat Sight

2nd-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a handfull of peckled bat ears)
Duration: 10 minutes

One willing creature you touch gains blindsight out to a range of 10 feet. It can’t use this blindsight while deafened. For the same duration the creature has vulnerability to thunder damage.

Blockade

1st-level conjuration
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 5 feet
Components: V, S, M (a small wooden block)
Duration: 1 minute

You call a cube of solid wood, 5 feet on a side, into being. The cube must be created upon solid ground in an empty square. If no solid surface exists that is large enough for the cube to fit on, or if no adjacent square is empty, the spell fails. The cube weights 2,000 pounds. It is an object that has 600 hot points and AC 15. It completely fills one 5-foot square.

Multiple cubes can be stacked. If it is pushed into water, the cube floats.

Enter Shadow

4th-level illusion
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: S, M (a drop of liquid shadow worth 50 gp)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You or a willing creature you touch enters another creature’s shadow and become incorporeal. The other creature has to be adjacent to the target. By joining that creature’s shadow, the subject that enters its shadow becomes part of the host creature, lingering within its shadow. If this spell is cast from a hidden location, the host creature does not notice what has happened if the target makes a successful Dextery (Stealth) check opposed by the host’s passive Perception.

The target can follow the host creature as long as the duration lasts and there is some darkness available. If the host creature ever enters an area without sufficent shadow (such as the area of a daylight spell) the spell ends immediately and the host creature’s shadow ejects all creatures. In this case, the ejected creatures must make a Constitution saving throw against DC 15 or be stunned until the end of their next turns.
If the target wishes to leave the host creature’s shadow before the spell’s duration expires, it can do so at will, but unless the target makes a successful Dexterity (Stealth) check (opposed by the host’s passive Perception) the host notices the change in its shadow.

A target with the Shadow Step feature can use it from within the host creature, to simplify the process of leaving its shadow.

At Higher levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can target one additional willing creature for each slot level above 4th.

False Vision

5th-level illusion
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (40-foot cube)
Components: V, S, M (jade dust worth 50 gp sprinkled into the air, which the spell consumes)
Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours

For the duration, any divination magic used to view anything within a 40-foot cube centered around you instead receives a false image (as the major image spell), as defined by you at the time of casting.

As an action you can alter parts of the illusion. You can also alter some parts in a way that illusionary creatures appear to be walking. Similarly, you can cause the illusion to make different sounds at different times, even making it carry on a conversation, for example.

Creatures who perceive the area without the use of divination magic are unaffected by the illusion.

Glitterdust

3rd-level conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of ground mica)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You create a cloud of golden particles that waves through the air inside a 30-foot cube within range. The golden particles stick to everyone and everything before quickly settling out of the air. Each creature in the area is coated in the dust and mist make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature becomes blinded for the duration. Invisible creatures and objects gain no benefit from being invisible if they are coated in the dust. Additionally, a creature coated in the dust suffers a -10 penalty to Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

A the end of each of its turns, a blinded creature can make a Constitution saving throw. On a success, the creature is no longer blinded.

Listening Coin

3rd-level divination
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (two coins, worth at least 1cp each)
Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours

You turn two ordinary coins into magic listening devices - one a sensor and the other a receiver. After casting the spell, you simply give the sensor coin away either surreptitiously or overtly. By holding the receiver coin up to your ear, you can hear whatever transpires near the sensor as if you were there (much like the effect from a clairvoyance spell). If the sensor coin is in a pocket, pouch, or sack, you have disadvantage on any Perception checks to hear through it.

The coins continue to function no matter how far apart they are, although they fall silent if they are on different planes of existance.

Lost in the Dark

1st-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a drop of pitch black ink)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

This spell interferes with darkvision. One creature you can see must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure it looses any darkvision it might possess for the duration of the spell. Truesight, blindsight, tremorsense, and other senses still function normally.

The target has advantage on this saving throw if its darkvision comes from a spell such as darkvision or from a magic item. When you use this spell against a creature without darkvision, the spell fails.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell with a slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional creature within range for each slot level above 1st.

Private Conversation

2nd-level evocation (ritual)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Choose up to eight willing creatures within range. The targets of this spell can converse without anyone overhearing what they are saying. Creatures who can read lips might still be able to determine what is said, but no amount of listening allows one to overhear the conversation.

While under the effect of this spell, a creature can still speak to someone not affected by the spell, but all can hear that conversation normally. Only when an affected creature speaks to another affected creature does the conversation remain private.

Scholar’s Touch

1st-level divination (ritual)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a scrap of parchment, a pinch of tinder, and a thin crystal disc)
Duration: Instantaneous

With this spell you can touch a book or scroll and absorb the knowledge contained within as if you had just read it. This is equivalent to a solid read through but not deep study - you do not gain perfect recall of the information, just whatever you would have gotten from reading it completely once. If you can’t read the language of the source, the spell has no effect. This spell cannot be used to prepare spells or to cast magical scrolls, nor does it have any effect when reading a magical book (such as a tome of understanding)

Secret Weapon

1st-level illusion
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a thin black cloth)
Duration: 1 hour

You touch a weapon, causing it to seem to disappear from view. It does not become truly invisible so much as easily overlooked. Everyone gains +10 bonus on Dexerity (Sleight of Hand) checks made to conceal or hide the weapon. This spell even enables someone to hide weapons they normally wouldn’t be able to physically (such as a greatsword on a kobold).

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell with a slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional weapon for each slot level above 1st.

Shock and Awe

1st-level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 minute

One creature you can see, that is is surprised, suffers a -10 penalty on its initiative for the duration of the spell. When you are targeting a creature that is not suprised with this spell, the spell fails.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additonal suprised creature for each slot level above 1st.

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please keep in mind that these Homebrew spells will only work on my tables

[Darthbinks]

Unlocked Homebrew Story Awards:

“One Armed Devil Victim”

unlocked by Arken (@Martin)

You learned how to loose your gold in the Casino fast.
The “Afterlife Gambling” Homebrew Downtime activity costs only 1 Downtime Day for you. (instead of 2 Downtime Days)

“Paleoichthyology”

unlocked by Ghundralt (@Jackfruitchilli)

You researched the ancient prehistoric fish Ikariam saw in his vision.
You learned about the physiology and the culture of the Aboleth.

“I (Still) Have Trained for Exactly This”

unlocked by Bok (@DutchyGio), Ghundralt (@Jackfruitchilli) & Willem (@MarkusW)

Since you have not used your “I Have Trained for Exactly This” award, you can keep it and use it in a future adventure in Skullport.

“The Best Cathedral”

unlocked by Ildun (@Atoh-nym) & Arduria (@Arthilas)

While within Skullport, you can find the Cathedral of Cyric, by searching for the secret entrance and failing an DC 15 Intelligence saving throw.

“Curse Deflection”

unlocked by Sirius (@BufoBufo)

Thanks to your generous offerings to Beshaba, your cries to be protected from the vengeance from other deities have been heard … but Lady Doom shields her flock in her own style.

Should Sirius be forced to make a saving throw against a curse, you can spend this Award before rolling to use his reaction to deflect the curse to a different creature. The new target will be chosen at random.
note: what will happen, when you use this Award, while there are no other creatures within 60 feet, remains to be seen …

“Fluent in Binary”

unlocked by Canderous (@DutchyGio’s +1)

You can speak, read, and write Modron.

“Hell of a Bargain”

unlocked by Arduria (@Arthilas)

At the beginning of the next game you play this character at one of my tables, he has to spend 5 Downtime Days to duel the demon lord “Demogorgon” at the beginning of the game session.

Instead of fighting as well as spending the Downtime Days, your character can sign a working contract with the archdevil “Mammon”.

“The Weight of True Names”

unlocked by Dr. Goosejet (@PatrickD) & Sirius (@BufoBufo)

The knowledge of True Names weights heavy on your soul:

• Sirius (@BufoBufo) suffers a -1 penalty to all Death saves.
• Dr. Goosejet (@PatrickD) suffers a -2 penalty to all Death saves.
• The bonus Dr. Goosejet (@PatrickD) gains from Arduria (@Arthilas) Aura of Protection feature is doubled.
• Every time, when Arduria (@Arthilas) regains one or more Sorcery Points, your plasmoid regains a Bardic Inspiration die if within 60 feet.
• The “Rag Mage” cannot use its Legendary Resistance against Dr. Goosejet’s (@PatrickD) spells.
• The “Rag Mage” cannot reduce the damage from Dr. Goosejet’s (@PatrickD) arrows of undead slaying.

“A Potion of Liquid Pain”

unlocked by Willem (@MarkusW)

This magic potion inflicts one level of exhaustion, but protects the drinker like a death ward spell for 8h. As a side effect, the subjects suffers from disadvantage on saving throws resisting demonic possession for the same duration.
Consumers resist all three effects with a successful DC 15 Constituition save, that they can choose to fail.
note: this award is considered a consumeable magic item at my tables

“Thrall to Demon: Demogorgon”

unlocked by Yarrow (@cat4laugh)

Should you ever die, your soul goes straight to The Gaping Maw, the 88th layer of the Abyss, where you will be reborn as a Maw Demon (NPC).
You can only be revived through a careful worded wish spell.

“Two Beautiful Minds”

unlocked by Yarrow (@cat4laugh)

You can get the benefit of an Action Surge (as the Fighter feature). This however will deal d8 ability damage to you (50% chance Intelligence, 50% chance Charisma). Should this reduce one of your ability scores to 0, you will die.
You heal the ability damage suffered from this award after a long rest.
note: You only can use one Action Surge per round.

“Fleshcraft Antenna”

unlocked by Bok (@DutchyGio)

Your eyes had been replaced by antennae that sprout from your eye sockets.
You have blindsight to a range of 30 feet.
Penalty: You are blind beyond this radius.

“You (Still) Really Had Me Going There”

unlocked by Liandrin (@Stracci)

You spend this Award to start a backflash scene how you secretly have tried to struck a deal with an antagonist 10 days earlier.

“Steps of the Drowned Fey”

unlocked by Veldrin (@Valzon)

You can use this award to cast the misty step spell. Once you did so, you regain the use of this award, after you finished a long rest, or until you drop the hit points of a creature, that leaves a corpse, to 0, whatever comes first.
You vowed to bring more corpses to Dead Mans Corner, Olive Stillwater’s shop in Skullport.

“Smells Fishy”

unlocked by Veldrin (@Valzon)

You failed the hag Olive Stillwater once … and it shows.
Your hair has been turned into wet seaweed, you skin got an olive hue, and you have a fishy smell.
You have the feeling that failing her again, will be your doom.

“You Did This!”

unlocked for everyone

Your actions over these 12 adventures have change the Underdark city of Skullport quite a bit. Should I ever run V.A.L.U.E. games in Skullport in the future, no matter which players would join, I will incorporate the changes you made to the setting into such games … for better or worse.

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please keep in mind, that these Homebrew Story Awards only work at my table

[Darthbinks]

Skullport will take a bit of a break

[Darthbinks]

FLESHCRAFTS

… from your friendly neighborhood sarrukh

so far only Bok (@DutchyGio) and Liandrin (@Stracci) can get these rewards

Antenna
The subject’s eyes are replaced by antennae that sprout from its eye sockets.
The subject gains blindsight to a range of 30 feet.
Penalty: The subject is blind beyond this radius.
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp
Bok (@DutchyGio) got this upgrade

Manta Wings
The subject has ray-like fins that it can use as wings to slow its fall or allow it to glide.
When the subject falls and isn’t incapacitated, it can subtract up to 100 feet from the fall when calculating falling damage, and it can move up to 2 feet horizontally for every 1 foot it descends.
Penalty: The subject can neither wear armor nor cloaks (including magic cloaks).
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp

Carapace
A chitinous carapace covers the subject’s body, attached by a collection of fibrous nerves.
The subject gains a +1 bonus to AC.
Penalty: The subject cannot wear armor anymore. Also the inflexibility of the plates or the stiffness of a failed transformation imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks.
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp

Cerebral Husk
A cerebral husk forms on the back of the subject’s head, burrowing synaptic fibers into the base of the skull.
Once per day, when the subject fails a saving throw against being charmed or frightened, it can shunt the effect into the cerebral husk. While the subject is not affected by that effect, it causes the husk to spasm, reducing its maximum hit points by to half until the subject can recover from this by finishing a long rest.
Penalty: The subject takes Disadvantage on Intelligence-based ability checks.
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp

Darksight Eyes
Bulging eyes cover the subject’s own, augmenting the existing organs. Fibrous nerve tissue grafts to the eyes, fusing them in place and linking the subject’s vision to these new, bulbous appendages.
The subject gains darkvision with a range of 120 feet. If it already had darkvision from its race, the range would increase to 300 feet.
Penalty: The subject has disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight when the subject, the target of its attack, or whatever its trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp

Forked Demon Tongue
The subject’s tongue is replaced by strange, forked, blackish tongue.
The subject learns Abyssal, and gains advantage on Deception checks.
Penalty: The subject has disadvantage on Persuasion checks.
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp

Poison Spray Glands
The subject produces viscous black spittle.
The subject gains the breath weapon of a Chromatic Green Dragonborn.
Penalty: The subject cannot speak or cast spells, use command word or spell-completion magic items, or cast spells with verbal components.
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp

Sharkification
The skin, gills and some of the glands of a shark are grafted to the subject’s body
The subject can also breath in water and gains a swimming speed equal to its walking speed.
Penalty: The subject suffers one evel of exhaustion for every 4 hours it is not submerged in water.
Cost: 10 Downtime Days & 600gp

[Darthbinks]

… left space for the session recaps … which I really should do at some point

[Darthbinks]

What became of …

“The City of Skullport”

… after restoring the mythal, the cavern is stable again.
The people of Skullport seem to be more lethargic these days … one can only wonder why

“The Rag Mage”

The Rag Mage fulfilled his goal. Also the skulls are less erratic, and also doubled in number.
Although he now has to share power … and these “new skulls” have quite the mischevious bent.
Also he feels that the fact, that this new Serious Skull having a crystal in his head, which connects itself to the Far Realm, … will definitely have consequences in the future.

“The Xanathar Guild”

After a while The Xanathar calmed down again, but the damage done to his crime guild is severe.
The organisation remains the strongest mortal power in the city of Skullport, but 2 of its best lieutenants are gone (one of them was doubleagent, but still), and many operatives perished.
Some its influence has been lost to The Kraken Society and The Reforged Ring.
Only the Xanathar Guild’s casino has survived the drama relatively unscathed, which causes the influence of the archdevil Mammon in the crime guild to rise.

“The Kraken Society”

The Slime Lord’s plan has failed. Also one of his best lieutenants, who had infiltrated The Xanathar Guild as a doubleagent, got killed. When the aboleth shifted away, it managed to take the downed Lucian with him - It will rebuild him … better. It also caught the water genasi Ayo, who had abandoned the organisation and had wanted to escape into the depths of the Underdark. What plans the Slime Lord will have for her, remains to be seen.
The Kraken Society got quite some foothold in the city of Skullport, but their losses in the end were probably too great to be able to sustain their gained influence in the long run.

“The Harpers”

The Harpers suffered heavy losses, but their two main strongholds remain untouched … for now.
Many operatives got captured by agents of The Reforged Ring.
The Harpers have been reduced to “points of light” in the darkness of the city of Skullport.

“Bregan D’aerthe”

The Bregan D’aerthe also suffered heavy losses, especially after their agents were attacked by vampires under the command of Baron Blood. Also their allied assassin guild got wiped out.
The mercernary group still has a small presence in Skullport, but will focus their efforts elsewhere, and use this Underdark city only as a port.

“The Reforged Ring”

The Reforged Ring grew very strong in Skullport … but not strong enough to rival The Xanathar Guild.
The fact that Yuan-ti joined their ranks increased their power, but diminished the influence of the drow nobles, which is actually a good thing since this opens up positions for other races as well
… but this could lead to brutal infighting in the future.

“Baron Blood”

Artor Morlin is back in town and not going anywhere else.
He succeeded in reducing the influence of the Bregan D’aerthe in the city basically to almost nil.
Also he has a small garrison of vampire spawn now.
As an undead, the life drain effect of the mythal does neither affect him nor his spawns, but the prey they feast upon got weaker … so they have to be more careful to not damage their herd too much.

“Dead Man’s Corner”

Olivia Stillwater and her fellow sea hag coven members did not get the power their needed to fulfill their plans. She still runs her shop Dead Mans Corner, where she collects corpses and sells zombies.

“The Church of Cyric”

Thomas Cross, the archpriest of the “best god”, finished imagining his cathedral and remains a solid, delusional presence in the city.

“The Church of Beshaba”

Since the power of the mythal has been activated by the grace of the Maiden of Misfortune, the only certain thing is that her dominance in this area of the Underdark will flurish.
Since everyone who dies to the slow life drain effect of the mythal, perishes through a calamity … all those souls will end up in her domain.

“The Artefact”

The artefact gem has still a crack and eldritch power from the Far Realms seeps in.
It is now imbedded into the forehead of the new demilich called The Serious Skull.
… as the Slime Lord still dreams of shattering it to free the power within,
… as the Xanathar still wants its gem back, that once had been stolen from its vault.

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If someone wants to know “what happened to” a character or group I did not mention,
write me a PM and I will add it here