Staircase Revisted

Back in June 2017, I made a spiral staircase and shared it in a Facebook group for D&D crafters...Little did I know that project would prompt requests for a video, which then lead to a channel on YouTube, and then more projects to share with like minded crafters.

I hadn't expected any of it, but what an amazing journey this has been, and it's not even a year yet!! I'm amazed each day by the support and the talent of the people I have met through this process. I am also excited to see this channel grow and the direction it's going.

To celebrate the growth and getting close to 2K subs on the YouTube channel, I've started up a contest. There are going to be 3 winners and 1st place is going to get a twist on the spiral staircase that started it all. It's now taken on the form of a tower with light effects and a few more finer details that weren't found on the original design.

To everyone who has helped me along the way, thank you so much!! Good luck to the contestants and let's see what is in store!

From the Deep Part 4

This particular session was unique since we had two of our friends join our party. It was so much fun and really clever and innovative ideas were put to use in the battles we encountered. For a full album of photos, please join my Facebook group.
Thanks!
~Vee~

[Note some DM notes will appear in brackets]

Rising early in the morning, the party left with Finn and made their way down to the docks.  They met Captain Goda, of The Grim Sharon, and were welcomed on board for a trip to the Moonshae Isles.  Heading below deck, the party is introduced to Elsa, an elf ranger, and Artimus, a human wizard, who are on their way to the Isles searching for special bark. They also meet Ukat Glimmergold, a superstitious dwarven miner who is very chatty.  

Two days later as the ship passes through Asavir's Channel, they are attacked by a galley filled of orc pirates.  The party starts to stack cargo up to act as cover as Tarysia climbs to the crow’s nest. She immediately commands the sailor next to her to begin making fire arrows using strips of her overskirt and bottle of oil for the two rangers to open fire at max range with longbows, catching a few lucky shots.  Knowing they are spotted, the orcs abando subtlety and increase speed.  A pair of ballistae open fire and in the first volley a lucky shot (natural 20) takes out the captain.  Finn and Artimus try to steer the ship as the crew breaks into chaos. 

Remembering a locked room below deck, the party convinces the crew to let them know what's inside, which turns out to be a large supply of 'dwarven powder'.  As the rangers trade arrows with the orcs, the rest of the party gathers the powder and fills several barrels and small sacks. Artimus casts an obscuring mist on the rear of the ship, giving some cover and then the party drops the barrels overboard.  As this happens, Eddenfall uses a mirror he found a while back to reflect sunlight in the eyes of the captain and gunners to help further distract the orcs. When they get close to the orc ship, volleys of magic missiles from the two wizards detonate the powder filled casks. The ship is rocked and after a few more rounds the pirate ship is left with a dead captain, half the ship gone, and the rest on fire. 

The Grim Sharon is damaged but manages to slip away, minus its captain and a few crew. 

[OK some notes from the DM here. This was supposed to be a pitched battle that would end in both ships being destroyed and the party floating away on debris. Well that didn't work out. The supply of dwarven powder was the mechanism that would destroy both ships once enough fire spread through them. But the party came up with the idea to start making their own naval mines. After they had blown half the oars off the ship, silenced the drummer and killed the captain, it would have been pretty hard to logically continue the attack....so that lead to a small intermission as I adapted]

Unfortunately, in its damaged state and without a captain, The Grim Sharon is unable to handle a sudden storm and is scuttled against the rocky coast of an unknown volcanic island.  The party quickly sees that the ship is a lost cause, even if they managed to repair the ship, it's too far up the beach to ever make it back to the sea. 

As the surviving crew sees what they can salvage from the ship, the party decides to explore inland.  They eventually stumble upon an old jungle trail that leads them to an abandoned camp.  They find an abandoned bag of holding with a few potions and journal that describes the past inhabitants as Northman pirates who found gems on the island and decided to stay, but there was some conflict. 

While they explore the camp, they disturb a nest of giant ants and quickly deal with them. During the encounter, a thunderwave goes wrong and hits Ukat the dwarf causing him to be quite ticked with Eddenfall. Given the choice to quite down and be healed or rest, he opts for the rest and turns his back on the rest of the party. The party then makes their way back to the beach, fighting off a small ambush of stirges along the way.

 

They eventually find an old longship and, tucked under a bench, an old skeleton that had carved a curse into the wood targeting the leader of the Northman pirates to seek riches even after death.

The party gathers the surviving sailors and prepares to fix the newly found ship.  They decided to explore the island a bit and come upon a cave.  They can hear the faint sounds of metal on stone and feel warm air rushing out upon closer inspection. Suddenly they are attacked by two huge spiders.  After dispatching them, they discover the spiders were hollow and undead. 

Ukat the dwarf spots some gems only he can see in the cave wall and after 'reading the signs' in the rubble decides it is the mythic motherload he has searched for and runs off into the cave. 

At this point the party shakes their heads at the crazed dwarf as he disappears into the darkness of the cave, look again at the giant, undead spiders, give a collective "NOPE" and decide to quickly leave the clearly cursed island. 

[Ok so I had two other encounters planned out here. Deep in the tunnel they would find the inside of the volcano where the Northman leader, now a wight, had turned his former compatriots into zombie miners. The party would arrive just in time to see Ukat killed by the wight's glowing sword, and then witness him turned into a zombie. If the party intervened they would have a good fight, and hopefully be able to pillage the accumulated hoard.

At that point a zombie spiders would attack, now freed from their master's control.  The party would have a chase scene as they ran out of the cave followed by a wave of spiders.  By the time they hit the beach, the boat would be floating and they'd have to battle the surf to escape off the island as spiders poured into the water. 

Soooo...that didn't happen.  Oh well.]

All notes and story created and provided by David Musgrave February 2018. Copyright protected. 

Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uObP8ofgtOV1lLOVZMQ09DUkNXcUZKOXA3alltUGxUdzQ0/view?usp=sharing

Files: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uObP8ofgtOUXNZSUV5VVdCb29hUG9QUzN3VUtseVlybG1F/view?usp=sharing

Contest Giveaway!!! Let's Get to 2K!!

The channel is growing nicely and I thought it would be fun to get a contest going. When the channel reaches 2K subs, I'll reveal the winners!  Please read below for all the rules and make sure to watch the video, too, on Youtube! Good luck to those who participate. Very eager to see how it goes :)

Rules

To enter to win

1. You must subscribe to The Crafting Muse on YouTube and either be a follower of my Instagram account @_the_crafting_muse_, a member of the FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/the..., or follower of the website www.thecraftingmuse.com

, or all if you’d like.

2. You will then need to create a diorama of your choosing but using elements from 3 videos from The Crafting Muse. Its footprint must measure 12”x12”, height is entirely up to you. Depictions must remain PG-13.

3. You cannot post WIP pics in any group. To keep it fair and anonymous, you can send 2 photos of your progress to the email thecraftingmuse.email@gmail.com and I will add it to WIP albums in The Crafting Muse Facebook group. New albums will be started each Monday during the duration of the contest. Posting photos of your contest project elsewhere in other groups will mean disqualification.

4. You must then submit your 5 best photos of your titled diorama with one featuring at least one 28mm mini for scale and email your entry to thecraftingmuse.email.@gmail.com. Please be sure to send as a ZIP. Only one collage photo in this case out out of the 5. All entries must be received by March 15th at 11:59 pm EST. You will be sent a confirmation email within 24 hours.

5. When the channel reaches 2K subscribers, all photos will be shared with The Crafting Muse Facebook group as an album. and those who are members will vote for their favorite diorama in a poll. The poll will be open for a week after posting. After a week, the poll will be closed and winners will be announced.

Prizes

1st Place will receive a new and improved Spiral Staircase, the video that started it all.

2nd Place will receive 1 Mystical Icicle Scatter.

3rd Place will receive a choice of 1 Magic Hedge, or 1 Willow and 1 Maple Tree (winner’s choice).

Stipulations

*YouTube Creators with over 1.5K subs cannot participate.

*This is an international giveaway. Please be aware your country may require you to pay a customs fee. Please check ahead of time to be sure before you enter. If you are unwilling to pay this fee, you will not receive your prize.

*You will need to provide proof of subscription to the YouTube channel by providing a screenshot with current date in the picture. As some accounts are private, it cannot be verified any other way. If you cannot provide one, you will forgo your prize and it will be passed along to the next in line.

*You will have 3 days to respond back to me once winners are announced. Should you fail to claim your prize, it will be given to the person next in line.

Good luck and Let Inspiration Spark!!

~Vee~

Mystical Icicle Scatter for Your RPG Terrain

Your party starts to show fatigue after a long day of hiking through the cold and snowy terrain of the mountains. You all know you must keep going, lest the plummeting temperature captures you in her chilly embrace. Sometimes leaning on each other, you finally trudge closer to the point marked on your now well weathered map. Around the bend a temple stands where visitors may warm their bodies and refuel.

Just as you all fear you cannot possibly make it, a pulsing light catches the eye of your cleric. His knowing smile gives the rest of the party what little strength they have left to follow the light to its source. As you turn with the path, two imposing ice formations stand before you. They glow with an internal light, mesmerizing you and yet warming you as well. Your druid gasps and lets out a shout of joy, "We are here!"

And as her voice finishes bouncing off the icy walls around you, an old monk appears from the frosty fog.

"Hello brave travelers. We knew of your coming and have prepared a meal and rooms for you. Please, follow me."

As you pass through the mystical spires of ice, you can feel the ancient magic they possess and know the image of their luminous power will never leave your mind's eye ever again.   ~Vee

I am a huge fan of fantasy and otherworldly elements. Needless to say these icicle scatter bits are my nod to that love of things.

The supplies are actually pretty easy to get, and I even have links to get what might be harder to find that lead to Amazon.

So, pop on over to my channel to watch the video and enjoy!!

Miniature Wood Pile and Ax in Stump Scatter Terrain for your RPG Tabletop Games

Your party wanders into a clearing of felled trees. Sun dapples the forest floor and a soft breeze dances through the leaves, but there are no sounds of birds, or any other wildlife for that matter. You spot a large, tidy stack of wood next to a stump. In the stump sticks a well used ax with a worn handle but sharp blade. Clearly it's still in use, but no signs of its owner cannot be found. You suddenly hear muffled voices coming your way. Quickly you all dive behind the stack of wood and peer through as you watch two orcs meander into the other side of the clearing...

You each quickly place your hands on your weapons and carefully watch and listen, ready for anything.  As they get closer you notice they look unkempt and tattered, and thinner than the usual battle hungry orcs you encounter. Their shoulders are slumped, and eyes glazed one even seems to stagger and sway. However, your ranger also keenly spots a larger rag covered in fresh blood tucked into the belt of the larger orc of two...

Roll for initiative.


I love to add those little details into things, but that doesn't mean they are just there for show. This particular project not only adds to the look of your scatter but can actually be used as an active element in game play.

This originally started as an accent to the cottage I created and after making the wood pile for that, I realized I could adjust a couple things to turn it into something modular.

With the use of a Popsicle stick and stacking it more neatly, I ended up with a decent piece that can be used for cover and interactive purposes.

You can also make the stacks taller, or longer, or really whatever dimension heft you need!

So make sure to give the video below a watch so that you too can create this awesome bit of scatter for your terrain.

Thanks!

Come and Find Me on Facebook!

I caved, I'll admit it. Decided to create a presence on Facebook as well but because of the craziness that goes into a business style page, and already dealing with one for my crochet stuff, I went with a more open style group page.

I plan on sharing a bunch of different aspect to everything that goes into the channel. From upcoming projects, behind the scenes, to pictures from our latest campaign featuring our crafted terrain and scatter, to conversations, and of course latest video posts.

On the flip side, I hope you will feel comfortable enough to share your latest projects with me!

If you are on Facebook and would like to join me, then come on over! Follow the link and jump right in: https://youtu.be/S5dmVOoe4Y8

Shhhhhh....It's a Secret! Well, Sort of...

My son loves to watch the videos up on the channel, and that means that this lovely dice tower is currently an unlisted video as it is intended for him as a big bday present ;)

However,  he doesn't know about this site, nor is allowed to go toodling on the interwebs unspervised, so I'll be sharing the unlisted link for the video right here, and in a few other spots. So click the link below to go to a separate window!

DIY Dice Tower








The original Cleric tower is inspired by the my husband's character and made for him as a bday present. Because my son was so excited to see it made and really ended up liking what his dad got, I figured why not surprise him with a tower of his own.
















Which is how the Dwarven tower came into concept.





The video breaks down how to build these guys and with a couple of adjustments you will get a different look using the same stuff.

Enjoy!